The RT3T Story

And so it begins...

You know what the feeling is, the one that haunts every trailer builder after the first masterpiece is on the road. The feeling that you just have to build another one. Well I fell victim to the dreaded addiction like many others and RT3T is the result. Once the teardrop was out of the garage, I obtained the requisite permission to begin my new project.

The Concept

I knew from the beginning I did not want to build another traditional teardrop. So I spent lots of time going through the Hall of Fame at Teardrops and Tiny Travel Trailers looking for ideas. I really liked Randy's Mini Yak Shack idea, a simple trailer trailer for one person that could be easily modified for whatever purpose you wanted. That was perfect since Dr. Sharon had already informed me that her teardrop camping days were over. Andrew's Canoe Carrying Trailer inspired my design as well and the two concepts came into the final design (plus the addition of the dropped floor that is so popular today). Armed with my ideas, I scribbled a materials list on a legal pad and started the build. Windows, hinges and hardware from my friend Grant at Lil Bear Tag-a-Longs. Trailer from Harbor Freight. Everything else came from Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace and of course Walmart.

The Build

I got the chassis built and the floor on by early June. Then all hell broke loose and we ended up having to move from our temporary quarters in Celebration FL early that we planned. July, August and September went by as we looked for a new house, took an Alaska cruise, closed on the new house and moved in September 25th, 2009. Great I thought, now I can get back to the build. Not so fast young man...theres lots to be done on the house before you go playing around with your new trailer! So about the second week of October I got serious. The pressure was on because I had committed to driving the new rig to CA to join some of my old friends for the long awaited Desert Chaos outing. To make a long story short, I worked every spare minute on RT3T, getting the last coat of paint on hours before my scheduled departure for the road trip. For pictures check out the Construction page.

The Saga Continues

The trailer performed flawlessly over the 6,400 miles of its maiden voyage. No leaks, no broken parts, no flat tires...everything worked exactly as planned. Thanks God! Now I have time to start making all of those little improvements we love so much. I actually have hatch supports on order. Check back often to see What's New.