(Part 2) Best products from r/TeardropTrailers

I chose wood mainly because I like the aesthetics of it over aluminium. Metal is obviously going to be more durable and require little to no maintenance.

My base layer on the sides is 3/4" plywood, and I used redwood boards over that for my siding. Redwood (and cedar) hold up outdoors with no issues and naturally resist fungus and mold. I "finished" the siding with multiple coats of tung oil, and every 6 months or so I add a couple more coats on to keep the wood healthy.

You can very well seal the wood with a marine spar varnish (sealer and finish) and rarely if ever have to touch it up. The best part about marine spar is if it needs to be touched up, you just add more on, no need for sanding like polyurethane requires.

Here's a photo of my siding. Lemme know if you have any questions!

here is a pic of the moulding it's a bendable rubber style that's paintable that I attached with an air nailer and its been awesome and looks great imo

Here is the Amazon link

We bought the short queen of this model for our cargo conversion: Zinus Memory Foam 8 Inch Green Tea Mattress, Queen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q7EV29G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qgdaBbT81CA57. Its super comfy and a great price.

The biggest problem will be the AC unit.

Even the most efficient models I've found draw around 5-6 amps @110v. That gives 550-660 Watts draw and which equates to around 45-55 amps @ 12v. Also most inverters aren't 100% efficient, so assume 90% efficiency.

That makes that 125ah battery get sucked down to 50% (remember you never want to drain a battery below 20% and 50% is recommended) in little under an hour.

Now for the other side of the equation. The solar panels. A solar panel rated at 100W will provide 100W of power when sun is shining on it directly at a 90' angle. Unless mounted on a system that keeps a panel pointed at the sun, you will need to assume a charge curve over a daylight period that looks like a bell curve. With you only getting peak power during a few hours of the day and with varying degrees less toward dawn and dusk. For a flat mounted panel (like most campers have) assume 10 hours of usable light with 6 of that close to peak. Now the math comes in, how long will it take you to fill the battery bank you have back to full (with no other usage during the daylight hours). Out of that you should be able to determine the number of panel watts you need. That's before you start to calculate things like How many days of runtime do I calculate for when it's cloudy.

My Teardrop for example has a 250W panel, feeding a 160AH battery. All I run off it is a Whynter 62Q fridge (4.5a @ 12v), LED lights and a Fantastic vent fan.

Hey, congrats on starting your build! I'm up here in Edmonton too - just started mine about three weeks ago.

We have a 10' trailer, but the front 2' will be outdoor storage rack.
8' is more than long enough - just elevate the galley. So your feet go under the galley to use the whole 8'. The mattress you buy isn't even that long - so I don't see any issues here.

Door we are making from scratch. Window we went to pick-n-pull and found one off a truck canopy.

p.s. to remove cost, maintenance, and hassle - we aren't doing power. Just get the stick-on lights and a side vent... no need for a powered vent.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B006R5LND0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Good luck, post some photos!

I have experience installing exactly 1 pair of struts on a hatch.

From what I remember, I stood on a scale and then weighed myself holding the door up. I found a pair of struts to hold this weight, plus maybe 10 extra pounds. I came pretty close to a perfect match for lift weight. (i had a fairly heavy wooden hatch) I did find that when it got close to freezing outside, the hatch wouldn't stay up.

Mounting was a huge pain in the @ss. It was alot of trial and error on my part. There is math/geometry to measure and almost perfectly align them. I can't remember what resources I used now, but it's definitely not rocket science. You can do it if you brainstorm for awhile.

Here are links to the hardware I used. Just cheap generic-ish auto struts and mounting hardware.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y3H1AQE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004713BR2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BRF38Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

photo of heavy @ss wooden hatch on my former heavy teardrop which I sold https://photos.app.goo.gl/q7uk3x6TkcQ4pZT82

This is the meter, hookup is pretty easy. bayite DC 6.5-100V 0-100A LCD Display Digital Current Voltage Power Energy Meter Multimeter Ammeter Voltmeter with 100A Current Shunt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013PKYILS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_Ou3gAb7RH4KPW

Here are the ones I bought for my son's car camping setup. I thought they were pretty good. Peyou Car Window Shade,【2019... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NZSDB5M?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I used Herculiner Bed Liner. Very pricey, but I'm confident that this will last. It's the stuff with the little rubber chunks mixed in. I put a couple of coats on the bottom of mine, which is still being built.

http://www.amazon.com/Herculiner-HCL1B8-Brush--Bed-Liner/dp/B0002TDUW4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418011751&sr=8-1&keywords=Herculiner+Bed+Liner

When does this moisture show up? Does it have to rain or is it just due to humidity?

My Internet guess is fairly new construction and no venting.
At least crack a window (I used passive side vents. https://imgur.com/Cif4DHQ you can see one side in this pic.)

Also during the damp, misty, foggy months I use an air dryer. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Ironwood-Pacific-DryWave-Moisture-Environments/dp/B000BTAQIG

I also mounted my "cabin" portion to my frame via little plastic pucks, screwed. That lifts the wood off the metal a titch so any moisture can drain or dry out rather than wick into the wood.

You should grab a drink and a cigar and go out and just sit and think like a raindrop and mentally go over and over how you sealed it, how you layered stuff and thinking like a rain drop see how you would get inside to have a pool party in the far back corner.

I’d love that book for a coffee table reader but it’s a bit pricey, $24.30 on Amazon.

I didn't see your charge controller at all at first and was going to say you need one.

I see you have it outside the trailer, on the underside of the solar panel from what it looks like. That charge controller would probably be best placed inside your trailer, near your battery. The reason being is that your solar panel (and 12v charger) plugs into the charge controller. Your battery then also plugs into the charge controller. Then you get a single set of leads, obviously also on the charge controller, that you run your load off of. You can split that load all you want, but everything leads back to that charge controller.

You can see it in the image here

and here

6 leads. 2 for solar panel, 2 for battery, 2 for load.

I use a climateright 2500 model. It's 120volt so I must be plugged in. HVAC is doeable on 12/24 volt but you gotta have a hell of a lot of battery...in my case a prohibitive amount. What I did do today however was install a 12v fan. I modified the base to hide the wiring, it looks great! Caframo Ultimate 12V Cabin Fan, Small, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00144A5HE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_4Z1yUHyqsvcoi

I used one of these for extra light in my trailer. Easy to install, durable and still watertight after 3+ years.

What about getting a legal-sized file holder and use duck tape to redirect airflow upwards? Something like this Rubbermaid wall file holder

I went with two of these. easier to water seal, and make snap on blinds for. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IAARZ14/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1