teardrop Archives - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

Anastasia State Park and St. Augustine

St. Augustine is America’s oldest city, officially founded in 1565 by Pedro Menendez. We have wanted to visit for a long time and our return from Tampa provided an opportunity.

Camping in St. Augustine

Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine is the third Florida State Park visited on our trip to Tampa and we are big fans of all of them. Anastasia offers lots of shade and privacy, a very good thing, but it does not facilitate interaction with your neighbors. We had no neighbors across from us, and thick foliage on both sides. The sites are on firmly-packed sand and our site, #92, was quite spacious. A link to Anastasia State Park follows.

https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/anastasia

Our setup was minimal because there was ample shade and a close bathhouse. Also, we wanted to keep it simple as we planned to spend most of our time a away from the site. We had tons of room! There would be plenty of room for a big rig as well, though the turn off the road is a little tight.

Anastasia State Park campsite — Site # 92

The Beach

We checked out the beach, which is within the park. It was beautiful, but so windy! There were 16 mph winds in St. Augustine that day, and I suspect they were a good bit higher on the beach. There was a boardwalk to the beach, with wetlands on each side.

Anastasia Park boardwalk — Boardwalk to the beach

Anastasia State Park Beach — The beach located within the park

It was quite difficult to walk on the beach with the high winds, but this would be a wonderful place on a day with better weather. I would love to come back in late August or September, after summer crowds diminish.

It was so cold and windy that we decided to build a fire, something we have never done before while camping. Using wood purchased from the campground store, we had a very nice fire going rather quickly. Our hot dogs for dinner were cooked over the fire. After dinner, we sat for a long time just watching the fire and drinking wine. The night was chilly and the fire was mesmerizing.

Campfire at Anastasia State Park — Our dinner entertainment

St. Augustine

We were up early the next day to see the sights in St. Augustine. We parked our car at the lighthouse and took the Old Town Trolly Tour bus to the historic district. It is a pretty small area, but my husband’s knee was not up to a lot of walking, so the trolly was a good option for us.

St. Augustine has many old structures, such as the fortress below. Castillo De San Marcos is a U.S. National Park and, most noteworthy, it is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. Constrution began in 1672 and was completed in 1695. Unfortunately, we did not have time for a tour, but we plan to visit it the next time we are in the city.

Castillo De San Marcos in St. Augustine — Castillo De San Marcos

There are many “firsts” in Saint Augustine. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine was America’s first parrish, founded on September8, 1565.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine — The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine, America’s First Parrish

St. Augustine’s oldest house is pictured below. It was built in 1702.

Oldest house in St. Augustine — Oldest House in St. Augustine

The Fountain of Youth

We also spent some time at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park and drank some of the water. We surely need it! It was from the same water source as legend has it that Ponce De Leon drank in his search for the Fountain of Youth. In addition, the water has lots of minerals and a strong sulfur taste. It was pretty bad, but I am hoping the placebo effect will kick in.

There is a replica of a Timucua Indian village and demonstrations of how they lived. Timucuas were the indigenous people in St. Augustine during the time that Ponce De Leon was in the area. The park also provides live canon firings every hour.

How Timucua Indians lived — Examples of how Timucua Indians lived

Furthermore, the park is beautifully landscaped and filled with peacocks, including albino peacocks like the one below.

Woman standing in front of canon at Fountain of Youth — One of many canons in the park

So, after some educational shows at the Fountain of Youth Park, we had a late lunch. We ate at O. C. White’s Seafood and Spirits because it was recommend by a local. The meal and service were both excellent!

The Lighthouse

A Trolly bus took us back to the lighthouse and our car. The lighthouse is on Anastasia Island and quite impressive. It is 140 feet high with 219 steps to the top. I am happy to say that I made the climb. It was not easy, but not too difficult. It was incredibly windy at the top because the winds were over 25 mph.

Lighthouse stairway — Stairway to the top

View from top of St. Augustine lighthouse — View from the top

It is still a functioning lighthouse and continues to be used for navigation.

St. Augustine lighthouse at night — The lighthouse at night

Also, the Keeper’s House, built in 1876, was a part of the tour. It is a beautiful house with several massive live oak trees in the front yard.

Front yard of Keeper’s house — Front yard at Keeper’s House

Next Time

However, time constraints prevented us from doing everything we wanted. We really needed two full days to see St. Augustine and would also want to some time to spend at the beach if the weather is good. Lastly, if we return to St. Augustine, we want to see the fort, Flagler College, and the Lightner Museum. There are a lot of touristy places in the city, but the city has a long history and many sites worth seeing.

St. Augustine is an interesting city to visit and Anastasia State Park is an excellent campground. Therefore, we highly recommend both!

If you would like to follow along on our adventure, next is a link to our main webpage.

Retirement and teardrop camping!

Lastly, having returned home, we are preparing for having family over for Thanksgiving. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tampa, Stop #2 Hillsborough River State Park

Hillsborough River is a Florida State Park located about a half hour northeast of Tampa. It is a beautiful park with a “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” look with its gorgeous live oak trees and abundance of spanish moss.

Teardrop Left at Campground

We have family in Tampa and this trip was more about visiting them than camping. So, we decided to spend a couple of nights at their home. Therefore, we left Endeavor, our teardrop, all alone at Hillsborough River.

Link to park.

We set up our rug, awning, and chairs so it would look like we would return at any time. Teardrops are so light, it is easy for them to be stolen and we worried a little about being gone so long.

Our time with family was great and we did a lot of cool things in Tampa. I will cover those activities in a separate post.

On the afternoon before we left to return to the park, I received a disturbing message via Facebook Messenger. It went something like: “Ma’am, this is the Ranger in Charge at Hillsborough River. I need you to call me ASAP.” This freaked me out! My first though was that something had happened to our camper.

I called immediately and spoke with the ranger. He was concerned about us and said that several people had noticed that we had not been around. He wanted to be sure that we were okay. I thought it as really great that he went to the trouble of tracking us down to confirm that all was well.

Camping at Hillsborough River

We had two nights and one full day with Hillsborough River as home base. The river and a canoe launch was just across from our site, #32.

Hillsborough River empty campsite — River is beyond the trees

View of Hillsborough River from State Park — Hillsborough River

We sometimes camp with friends and play games at night. The above shelter would be nice for this as it is screened and would enable us to be protected from bugs. Bugs were not bad at all during our time at the park, but we were not outside with lights on for a long period.

We did not use some of the nice amenities. There is a very large pool, a cafe, and rentals for canoes and bikes. Also, there is a playground and several hiking trails.

One thing about Florida State Parks that I really like is that they have dishwashing stations with hot water. With our limited cooking, I loaded up our dirty dishes in a plastic bucket and carried them to the station for washing. With no sewer available, this was a lot easier than it is in parks without this option.

Our New Accessory

We were given a large, heavy-duty cot by our son’s girlfriend and we tried it out one beautiful morning. It was glorious laying on the very comfortable cot looking up at the gorgeous blue sky and amazing trees! The cot actually holds both of us.

Man laying on cot in Campground — Our new equipment—thanks Laura!

Spanish moss in trees — View from the cot

Road inside Hillsborough River State Park — Path to our site

In conclusion, we had a very relaxing stay at the campground and hope to visit it again. It is the most beautiful park I have visited in my limited camping experience. We are big fans of Florida State Parks. One tip, the bathhouse near site #77 is much newer and nicer than the one nearest site #32. However, we loved our site and think it would be a good one for bigger rigs as well.

Lastly, if you would like to follow our adventures, below is a link to our main page.

Retirement and teardrop camping!

HAPPY CAMPING!

Retired couple — Hanging out on the new cot

No Toilet in Our Teardrop and How We Adapted

A bathroom was on our list of “must haves” for a camper. We ultimately purchased the NuCamp T@G for many good reasons, but having no toilet required a major adaptation on my part.

Purchase of Camper with No Toilet

I am a newly-retired, former accounting professional, newbie camper who has never been particularly outdoorsy. We wanted to give camping a try, but did not initially consider campers with no toilets. I felt that having no toilet was just too much sacrifice. However, we settled on our T@G, which has no toilet. We chose it because it fits in our basement and is easily pulled by our tow vehicle.

For some readers, this post may be TMI, but I would have liked to have read something like this when we first considered our camper and in the early days of our camping.

The biggest challenge for me would be to adapt to very uncertain and varied bathroom options. I was not worried about showering at campsites, but I was worried about how I would handle getting up in the middle of the night, which happens often.

We have been on nine camping trips to ten different campsites and I can honestly say that I am far more comfortable with camping in our T@G, but it has been a process.

Worst Nightime Experience

This occurred on our first camping trip. On the first night, I had a flashlight handy and had checked out the bathhouse location in the daylight, so felt I was as ready as I could be for my nocturnal trip. The bathhouse was down a trail with a couple of turns. It was well-lit, so I had no trouble finding it. Coming back, I took a wrong turn and ended up in a different area. I could have wandered around for quite awhile, but recognized one of our friend’s campers, which helped me navigate to ours.

The next night I used a five-gallon bucket filled with kitty litter and topped with a toilet lid. (This was our very low-tech solution.) It was in a tent on our campsite and was far better than hiking in the woods. Despite the convenience, I did not like the cleanup.

New Strategy—Camp Near a Restroom

This strategy actually worked very well! Compared to hiking through the woods, walking a short distance to a bathhouse you could see from your campsite was easy. I stayed with this strategy through several camping trips and will use it again whenever it is a good option.

It was not a good option on a trip with a group of our friends. We booked our sites early and they had prime spots. I chose not to stay in their area because it was not near a restroom. Our area was not as shady as theirs, had far more bugs, and we were not able to be where the action was with them. This got me to thinking another option was needed.

Next Strategy—A Porta Potty

A friend had been suggesting that I get a porta potty since we began camping, but I had been resisting. Concerned that dealing with cleanup would be gross, but ready to give it a try, I bought one on line. Also, having discovered that we did not always have the option to set up a tent, we bought a privacy tent.

I was also a little bit intimidated about how they worked. However, I will go into some detail here for those who may be unfamiliar with them. The one we purchased seems pretty standard. There is a top section where water is stored for flushing and a bottom section for waste. We also use holding tank deodorant and it works very well; there is no unpleasant smell.

Disassembled porta potty — Disassembled Porta Potty

Our Setup

The photo above shows the potty we purchased disassembled. Upon arrival at campsite you just fill the section on the right with water and the attach it to the section on the left. Then toss in one of the deodorant packs into the bottom section. When utilizing it, you pull out the lever on the bottom and when finished, you press the waffle valve on the top to flush. You then close the lever on the bottom.

Cleanup was not bad at all. My husband volunteered to handle it, but as I am the primary user, I felt I should do it. It was far easier to use and clean than I feared. The assembled product is below.

This gave me such flexibility! I no longer worried about being near the restrooms. We always brought the new equipment when we were uncertain about the closeness of campsite facilities, though sometimes we did not take it out of the box. We could camp at the best sites with our friends. Our little privacy tent goes up and down very easily and we were set.

Porta potty in privacy tent — Privacy tent/toilet

You would think that with our new equipment and my adaptation to using them that having a camper with no toilet would be a non-issue. However, we have encountered one other situation that is not resolved. Here is a link to a tent identical to the one we purchased.

The No Tents Dilemma

We recently camped with friends at a beautiful RV Resort. Upon arrival, we learned that no tents were allowed, not even a privacy tent. I raised it a couple of times with management and they were not budging. We were not near a restroom, but we were only there a couple of nights. We were with friends and I decided to just make the best of it. It was a pretty far hike for the middle of the night, but it was well-lit and easy to navigate. Fortunately, my previous trips trekking to restrooms has made me flexible about nightime walks.

Summary

The fact that our camper has no toilet is no longer a big deal. I could not have said this at the beginning of this journey. We love our T@G and the economy it brings to our camping trips. For those who are first considering camping with no toilet, I offer the following recommendations:

Be open to new experiences. If you want to adapt, I believe you can. Also, this is camping, not luxury travel. It has its own kind of special beauty, but it is not primarily about the comfort.
Remember that you are getting a lot on the plus side with a teardrop. Light, easy towing and the ability to conveniently store in your garage. That was worth a lot to us.
Always look for the close restroom option when it works for you. No bathroom to clean at all; how cool is that?
Don’t wait to get a porta potty. They are easy to set up, use, and break down.
When booking campsites, always get a clear understanding of any restrictions related to tents. I suspect this would be primarily related to RV resorts. You may want to go anyway, but it is a good idea to know what to expect.
Enjoy your camper and embrace new adventures!
We now have a camping resources page for new campers. You might want to check it out.

Happy Camping!

First Year Summary and T@G Modification

Year one of camping is under our belts! We bought a new T@G MAX XL and it was pretty much good to go. However, we have made a few modifications.

First Year in our T@G

We purchased our teardrop, a T@G MAX XL, in September 2016. So, it has been a year now since we became teardroppers. Being new to camping in general and never previously having owned any type of camper. We learned a lot in this first year and have implemented T@G modification. Additionally, in the past year, our camper has been towed 3,430 miles on eight camping trips to five different states (AL, GA, FL, TN, & AR).

There were not any exceptionally long trips this first year for two reasons: 1) we had to figure out what we were doing and 2) we are actively working toward a knee replacement for my husband and it precludes long trips planned well in advance. Our longest trip lasted a week. We expect much longer trips next year.

Our T@G is really well-designed and is comfortable and functional, despite its size, but we did make a few minor changes.

1) Removal of the Headboard:

We had our dealer remove the headboard at the time of purchase. My husband is 6’3″ and he really needs the extra space. The headboard was nice, but comfort trumped utility in this instance. He is able to sleep very comfortably with this T@G modification.

2) DVD Light-Blocking Panel

My big guy cannot stand any light while sleeping and the light on the DVD player is quite bright. One of the first things he did was to make a panel to block the light. It attaches with Velcro and works very well. This T@G modification may appeal to those sensitive to light while trying to sleep.

3) Head Protection, Cabin and Galley

My husband’s height has caused some pain on a couple of occasions because the open shelving over the head of the bed had some hard edges. Bumping his head motivated him to look for a solution. He installed foam padding attached with glue strips. There have been no injuries since this was done.

He also shortened the length of the hex studs on the galley door. They were longer than necessary and he had scraped his head on them before the mod.

4) Greywater Drain Access

Having to crawl around on the ground to attach the hose to drain water from the sink was not one of my favorite things. A lady on one of the teardrop Facebook groups posted that she has a solution to provide easy access and I immediately requested the modification for our camper. Her solution was lower to the ground. We raised ours upon the recommendation of a plumber so it would be less likely to get caught on a curb or on uneven terrain.

5) License Plate Holder

The original way the holder was mounted was flimsy and hung low to the ground. One of the first things we did was to purchase a black plastic tag holder and mount it appropriately 1 1/2″ higher to the lower frame using the existing screws.

6) Naming the teardrop

We had no idea how camping would be for us and did not have a name for the trailer initially. After a little experience, we named it Endeavor and had the name installed on the back. There is an older post that describes the naming process and installation.

7) Inexpensive and easy air antenna

We purchased an air antenna at the time we got our camper and tried to use it several times. It did not do a great job, but we were often not in high reception areas. I saw a post on a Facebook teardrop group a where a gentleman was using a co-axel cable about 6″long to attach to the cable receptacle with the outer insulation stripped off by about 2.5″. It worked fairly well the one time we tried it and is more compact than the one we purchased. I am not sure how useful it will be as reception is not usually strong at campsites, but I like its simplicity.

8) Memory Foam Cover

As many campers have suggested, we installed a memory foam cover over the mattresses Ours is a 2″ cover and we also use a mattress pad for comfort and an added layer of separation from the memory foam itself for allergy reasons. It has made our bed quite comfortable. I don’t think the mattresses alone would have been adequate.

T@G Modification Reversal

We had a diffuser over the air conditioner because the constant blowing of air directly on us was annoying. It was a plastic traylike apparatus that was rather flimsy and stuck out quite a bit. However, we seemed to have more issues with condensation using it and it was an obstacle to be avoided. I managed to knock it down and break it the second trip it was used and we decided to not replace it.

Under Consideration

My tall husband has to stoop when under the galley. We checked with our dealer about the possibility of adding the Outback wheels to raise the overall height. This would get us electric brakes as well. It is a little pricey, but the bigger issue was a concern about the width and getting it into our garage. We still may do this at a later date.

Summary

In conclusion, our first year in Endeavor was wonderful and we have not make a lot of changes. We are happy with our T@G modification. Looking forward to year two!

Camping Checklist, Don’t Forget Your Important Items

As new campers, we have found a checklist to be vital. We also use a checklist for food on each trip. This is our camping checklist.

Our camping checklist was very critical to the success of our camping trips when we first began. However, we did not use it as much later because many of the items are stored in the camper and footlocker.

Currently, we have a much smaller list of the optional items we are taking and the items that must be added to the cabin for transport.

Camping Checklist:

Tent/shelter with poles and stakes
Binder clips if attaching tent to Trailer
Ground cover/rug
Fuel for stove
Lighter
Chairs
Table
Water hoses (2)
Power cable with adapter
Privacy tent
Porta-potty/tissue
Co-axial cable
Leveling blocks
Hitch locks
Flashlights
Extension cord
Duct tape
Heater (if cold)
Electric blanket (if cold)
Bucket if no sewer for dishwashing
Box of assorted tools
Outdoor fan (if hot)
Awning

Cooking Gear

Most of the following is in a large footlocker that is always packed.

Frying pan
Cooking pot
Plates, bowls, cups, glasses, cutlery
Paring knife, spatula, cooking spoon
Coffee maker
Toaster
Corkscrew
Tablecloths (2)
Salt/pepper/spices
Plastic storage bags for leftovers
Foil
Paper towels
Cooking spray
Sponge, dishcloth, scrubber
Dishwashing liquid
Cooler
Water for drinking and cooking
Trash bags
Food

Clothing

Daytime clothing
Sleepwear
Rainwear, if applicable
Extra layers for warmth
Swimwear, if applicable
Shoes: hiking, flip!flops
Hat
Sunglasses

Personal Items

Sunscreen
Towels & washcloths
Soap
Insect repellent
First Aid kit
Medications
Toothbrush & toiletries in shower bag for each person
Hair dryer/flat iron
Makeup
Bikes, locks & helmets
Laundry bag
Laundry detergent

Other Items

Camera
Campsite reservation
Games
Tablet
Electronics chargers

We hope this list is helpful to you new campers because camping is more fun when you have brought what you need. If you would like to view more of things we have learned, we have a camping resource page you might want to access. The page will be updated as we have more information to share.

Wishing you safe and happy travels!

Camping in Relative Luxury

Coastline RV Resort in Eastpoint, Florida was certainly camping in relative luxury for us because of the amenities offered. It was our third camping trip and we were there with friends for six nights in late February. Coastline Resort is a small campground with 30 sites on Apalachicola Bay and they also have Coastline Campsite nearby with 14 sites and fewer amenities.

Our campsite is in the photo below. We used an EZ Up tent because they do not allow a tent with a floor to protect the grass. All sites have a patio, grill, picnic table, Wi-Fi, cable television and 20/30/50 amp service.

Camping in relative luxury at site 19 — Coastline Site 19

Many owners of very large RVs book sites for a month or more. However, we were the only teardrop and the photo below will give you an idea of how small we were relative to our neighbors. Many were curious about our camper and very friendly.

Luxury Camping

Coastline offered some amenities that we lack in our Little Guy (LG). There is a recreation building with a full kitchen, which we were encouraged to use. We prepared several meals in the kitchen and watched movies on Netflix in the evenings. Few of the other guests used the facility as they had large fully-equipped motorhomes or trailers. It was a very nice place to hang out with our friends.

Camping in relative luxury with a recreation area — Recreation Area

There is also an exercise room, laundry room, screened porch, and pool. It was a little cold yet for the pool, but I did lay out in the sun once. The real luxury for me, however, was the bathrooms. They were just a few feet from our site and very, very nice. In addition to the tiled men’s and women’s bathhouse, there were two ADA-Family bathrooms that were seldom used. A photo is below.

Camping in relative luxury in this bathhouse — ADA Family Bathroom

The Surrounding Area

The area has been described as being similar to “old Florida” without the development found most places. Also, it is fairly isolated and the view from the bay is beautiful. I took the photo below from the campground. Highway 98 is between the bay and the campsite and there is some traffic, but not like in more populated areas. The towns of Carrabelle and Apalachicola are approximately 15 minutes away and St. George Island is about seven minutes away.

Camping in relative luxury with an amazing view — Sunset from Coastline Resort

Things we did on our trip:

Saw a play in Apalachicola. We saw “Oystertown Revisited” our first night in town at the Dixie Theatre. You might not expect much from a small town play, but the story of the town and its history was very entertaining and included funny moments and great singing. We thoroughly enjoyed it!
Had delicious seafood and heavenly Apalachicola raw oysters. We visited restaurants in Apalachicola, St. George Island and Carrabelle. (Blue Parrott, Paddy’s Raw Bar, Up the Creek Raw Bar, Fisherman’s Wife)
Rode bikes. We rented them on St. George Island and rode in the State park there and around our campsite at Coastline. (We now have a solution to take our bikes next time we go camping.)
Shopping. There is interesting, but somewhat limited shopping in Apalachicola and St. George has a good selection of island wear.
Visited Veteran’s Memorial Plaza. It is dedicated to soldiers from the South who fought in the Vietnam War. The statue that is in the park is below.

Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve

This was our rainy day activity. There is a film about the Apalachicola estuary, which is a term I did not know. It means where saltwater meets freshwater. Estuaries are very important for marine life and the famous oysters in the area. The Reserve also has exhibits, a beautiful nature walk and a walk to the bay. All of this free; I have paid many dollars in other places to be entertained much less.

Bald Point State Park

This was about an hour away mostly along Highway 98. It was a very small park, but had some beautiful views. Had a delicious lunch on the way back in Carrabelle at “The Fisherman’s Wife.”

Our friends have an airstream and are so much fun. They are pros at camping and have taught us so much!

This trip was probably be the easiest camping we will ever do, but we did have one rainy day. Our friends have said, “what will you do when it rains” and I have always said, “we will go somewhere”. This was our first rainy day camping and our longest trip so far and there were a few lessons learned.

Camping in Relative Luxury, Lessons Learned

Plan the night before what you will do if you wake up to pouring rain. My husband got up while I was sleeping with no umbrella and was working on making coffee. He was drenched! While he was in the recreation room, I located where we could have breakfast (amazingly, at the local Mexican restaurant). We should have been prepared to just get up, get in our car, and go.
More days camping requires more patience and effort than fewer days. This was our longest trip in the LG and for that reason, it was a little more challenging than the previous 2 and 3 day trips. It is definitely more work traveling in a teardrop than in hotels.
It is really great to have your bikes on camping trips. Our friends had their bikes, but we had to rent them. This inspired us to really search for a good option to haul our bikes. However, we plan to bring them on our next trip to Hillsborough River State Park near Tampa. It will be five nights at Hillsborough and one night on the way at Stephen Foster Cultural Center State Park.

If you would like to read about our camping adventures, see our page States Visited, a Campsite Resource.

This trip, camping in relative luxury, we had a great time! So, we look forward to more adventures!

Teardrop Camping, The Decision to Buy a Teardrop

Why would a tall man and a professional womañn want to buy a teardrop camper with no toilet? Actually, it was a very logical decision.

My husband and I love to travel, but traveling as we have done in the past is quite expensive and we could only afford a limited amount of that kind of travel. I just did not see anything in my future that would fill the kind of time I would have on my hands.

A friend had recently begun camping with her husband and suggested we give it a try. I had only been camping a couple of times in my entire life and that was tent camping. I dismissed the idea at first, but she kept bringing it up. Occasionally, she would send me pictures of campers. At some point, miraculously, the idea became appealing. We began to consider it an option and my husband and I did some research on line.

Must Haves

A large bed. My husband is 6’3″ and we are both miserable in anything less than a queen.
An air conditioner. Neither of us can sleep if it is too hot and we keep our home very cold at night.
We have an Acura MDX and wanted something it would pull without any issues. We did not want to purchase another vehicle just to pull a camper.
A toilet, and preferably a full bathroom.
A high-quality product that would hold up well to our travel plans.

Various Considerations

Our requirement for a lightweight camper eliminated the majority of campers. Even most of the pop-ups were quite heavy and we felt they would not hold up well over time. It also takes a good bit of time to set them up. Of those that were lightweight, many did not have an air conditioner or a toilet. We finally settled on a Forest River R-Pod 179. It was perfect, with its queen bed, wet bath, and air conditioner. It was pushing it a little on the weight, but if we adjusted the towing package on our vehicle, it would work.

However, we did not consider storage of the camper when we decided on the R-Pod. The R-Pod is too tall to fit into our basement and we live in a neighborhood with covenants. To have an R-Pod, we would have to build a place for storage or pay rent for storage off-site. That seemed like too much for a couple who were not sure they would like to do very much camping.

Our research had also identified the T@G, a teardrop manufactured by NuCamp. I loved it when I first saw it, but when I suggested that we might purchase it, most everyone looked at me as if I were crazy. (I did mention that my husband is 6’3″). Also, it has no toilet and I am a professional woman not known for “roughing it”.

Man sitting behind teardrop camper — My big guy and our new T@G

Our Teardrop Choice

Once we had to consider trailer height into our search, A teardrop was the only type left standing. Anything else required construction or ongoing rent. My husband came around and was even enthusiastic. One thing that did help with the decision was seeing where a couple of other tall men had bought the T@G.

We had to give up some conveniences, a toilet in particular, but it enabled us to have a camper that met all of our other requirements and it weighs just under 1,000 pounds. You can move it around manually. That ultra light weight means that gas mileage is only minimally impacted and our Acura is well equipped to pull it.

The Purchase

We purchased a new T@G XL from Southland RV in September 2016. They had a great selection of small campers and Shonn, our salesperson, was great.

A big plus with the T@G XL is that it has a king-sized bed. In fact, it is basically a bed on wheels with a galley in the back. The interior is really nice with multi levels of lighting, a TV, air conditioner, storage under the bed, cabinets, a stereo/DVD player, and windows with shades and screens. The galley in the back has an electric ice chest, microwave, two-burner stove, storage cabinet, and sink.

One great thing about the T@G is its “cuteness factor”. It is adorable. Everyone that sees it, remarks how cute it is. In a world of big RVs and pop-ups, it is uncommon in the Southeast, which is our area of the country. The

A Blog as Well

I have named this blog, “Teardrop Camping Adventures” because it will be a real adjustment for us and adventure sounds so much better than adjustment. For my husband, the adjustment is because it is so little and he is so big. For me, not having a personal bathroom or even a toilet for days at a time will be challenging. However, I am sure that with our level of commitment, we will make those adjustments and have wonderful adventures!

If you would like to follow our progress, there is a resource page that includes many of the cool things we learn on our adventures.

More to come….