My little red teardrop got sold.

    The little red teardrop pulled out of the yard today for its last trip. The man that bought it knew it was to far gone to camp in but he wanted the trailer frame and the pattern. He had stopped last week and looked at it and got the price (250$). His plan is to disassemble it and rebuild it out of cedar planking . I showed him what I considered  my design flaw of the hatch. Plus drew out how to do chuck wagon doors.

 

 The wife and I both had mixed feeling about it being sold but I think this young man will use it as a guide and make one live on inspired by what we enjoyed.

    It gave us 4 good summers of camping but has spent the last 2 slowly falling apart in the yard. The roof had a small leak the hatch was broke and I had robbed the good tires off it for the BBQ smoker.  I had wanted to rebuild it but I have to much going on .

 

  I know his picture is 2 years old , I feel bad it was still there when we hooked it up :( .

My standy trailer became a squatty.

       It has been 2 years since I wrote about my standy trailer . It had a very short life after it was built. It wobbled badly going down the road in fact it was never camped in . I tried changing how the weight was distributed ,tires, checked the springs. Nothing worked it was a failure. But it looked great and had a good set up for camping .

          I finnaly had to admit it was just to tall for its length. I couldn't bring myself to just let it go. So I made it a squatty like the old grasshopper teardrops of the 70s.

    As you can see all I did was remove one of the side panels and reshaped the ends . I added a storage box to the nose put in a cem toilet  a fridge and sink . Now it pulls like a dream at any speed . I replaced the cushions with memory foam the bed is a full Queen. last summer my brother used it for 2 weeks in Florida and me and the wife spent 4 days down there in it after him. The air will run you out. But you have to use an easy-up awning and cook out side no big deal .

    I love it ,I get 18 mpg with my jeep and the convertible pulling it. Stable as it can be. The one problem is MY WIFE HATES IT she refuses to camp  in it . Since we got the big camper she wont go in this one . The Fun Finder is nice but my truck gets 9 mpg and it is a pain for short trips of less than a week.

     What she wants to travel

  What I want to travel in.

The cost of a Camper !

     A lot of people  think a camper is to big an expense .For some it may be but I want to give a rundown on why for most it can be a great long term investment.

      I will use our Fun finder 210 as an example because most people would never consider much less . As a base line cost lets use 6500$. This is about what we have in ours. This includes purchase price, insurance, tag and some chairs and what not.

    Trips to Big Lagoon S.P. 2 stays, 23 days total cost 512$ added gas 180$ total cost 682$. Hotel cost 265$ a night X 23 = 6095$ . Savings on 2 trips =5,413$

   We spent 26 day camped at various state parks and lakes this year. Cost 546$  for site, gas around 200$ so 750$ or so. Flea bag hotels in those areas are 80+ or 2080$ or more. Savings 1330$

    These numbers are for one year and do not include the savings to family that have stayed with us or after us. A ruff guess would be they saved 1500 to 2000$ this year using our camper.

  The wife and I have saved 6,713$ in travel cost plus 2000$ more for our kids. The Larger Fun Finder has been a great investment in its first year . Next year it will cost us less than 500$ in maitence .insurance and tag.

    I do not think a new Camper is worth the additional cost but a 3 to 7 thousand dollar used camper for a famly that will use it 2 weeks and 4 weekends a year over 5 years is a no brainer.

   We did spent 1500 $ camping this year which is a lot but it was less than 150$ a month. My dear wife is the one that saves for travel out of her meager check and she is happy so I am to .

   If we keep Camping with family like we have been for 4 more years the savings will exceed 30,000$ on a 5500$ camper that will still have a value of 4000 to 5,000$.

P.S. While we love the Fun Finder we will be rebuilding our red Tear Drop this fall for quick trips With Out Family !!!!!!!!!

Been busy with family and work.

     I know I haven't posted in a while but have been working a little more. Have been doing the haunted house this month glad I took it to do have made a little extra.Not much but it has helped,first 2 weekends I made very little but last weekend made 200 and hope this weekend is better.

 

It is a kid friendly venue that has a lot of families and teens coming

 

 

though but a lot of the younger ones tend to stay outside and wait.I know 200 may sound kinda low but at 3.00 or less a item it takes a lot to get there.Doing this has given me a chance to get back into the swing of doing funnel cakes and shaved ices again.

   Have had to deal with family issues all month.My son seems to always have a meltdown of some sort in October so he has been at the house.my daughter had her car stole 2 weeks ago, my mom came down for a week.My stepdaughter is due in a week due on the 30th.And I have to get ready for a bike rally that starts the 30th .So as soon as November gets here im going to drag the wife into the teardrop for 3 days some where for conjugal relations because with a packed house and other folks issues we NEED some us time.Sorry for ranting,thats what blogger is for isn't it venting commenting what you think.OK got it off my chest im good.

I hope everyone has a fun Halloween just remember thanksgiving is a month away.But the good news I have CANCELED CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

A cache that holds a 1/2 ton and is livable.

     Most of us would love to have a shipping container buried somewhere as a fall back.A concrete bunker is a dream for the average prepper.Even if we have a house and a nice lot we cant put in anything this big without drawing attention.We need to think outside the box.Or in this case inside a box literally.
    
     OK if you have read my posts you know i love teardrop campers.Most teardrops are outfitted to be comfortable to sleep in and provide storage for camping gear.If you do a web search for homemade teardrops you will find a lot of plans for a 4x8 teardrop.Now what is the connection between a cache and a teardrop ?

     Imagine a 4ft wide 4ft high and 8 ft long box.This is how a teardrop starts then we add curves and a hatch make it aerodynamic to tow.Forget the curves and hatch think 4x4x8 storage crate.For what we need it takes 5 sheets plywood 10 2x4s 5 tubes silicon 2 gallons paint and a roll of 6mil plastic.Around here the cost will be 150$.I think most of us can build a crate to this size.Use the 2x4s as bands on the outside on both ends and the middle run 2 on the inside in the corners that will be the roof for strength.Caulk all seams inside and out paint  inside a light color use the rest in multi coats on the outside.Cut a hatch door in roof or side depending on how it will be buried.
    
      OK lets assume you built this 4x4x8 ugly thing.Dig a hole 5x5x9 a person can dig this hole by hand in 2 or 3 days easy (OK not easy but cheaply) get someone you TRUST to help you lower it in.Line the hole with plastic taping seams and carefully not to rip it.Once in the hole cut a 4inch hole for an air tube .Back fill the hole make a lip for the door.

     Now you have a grave with an air hole and door right?Had to get that in before comments were made.What it can be is a place that is 128 cubic feet of storage.In one end load a row of 5 gallon buckets they will go 4 wide 3 high make another row that's 24 buckets of food.Now make a shelf 14 inces off the floor add 8 buckets on top of it.OK you have 32 buckets put guns solar panel fishing rods on top I hope you stuffed the gaps between the buckets with items.You will still have 6 foot of floor space to sleep on so add a foam mat some led tap lights pillows a CD player a jump pack for a little power.

     This isn't a perfect answer but it is doable at a low price.It give you a second place for preps it is warmer and cooler than a tent it is a place to hide till trouble passes.I will not bug out to the woods but i will not fight to the death for a house.This gives me an option to hide and reclaim whats mine later and still have my supplies.Mine will be under a mower shed .

      I wrote this to make people think.Even when bugging out isn't possible plan on a fall back.We all want to thrive but never forget first we must survive.

Homeless Relitives are getting old!!!!!

        For the last 2 and a 1/2 weeks my wife's oldest granddaughter has been staying with us.This girl is 29 and has been homeless and crashed on more couches than she can count.Her and her new husband lost their apartment last month lived in their car for 2 weeks before he got back into tile work.The car blew the heads he borrowed his moms car for now,The new job was to work out of state for 3 weeks so we got Brandy.After I threw my son out i swore i was done with house guests but i gave in and agreed to give her a chance.She has not been a problem but her lifestyle and spending habits are at the root of her problem.This girl burned the roads up for a week till the ball joints broke on the car.I had it towed to my mechanics shop my buddy is fixing it for 200 anyway her other bad habit is small spending 5 here 10 there it was adding up.
     After a few days of staying at Granny's she was antsy to GO and called a friend ,no problem shes 29 .Friday before she went to work(part time as a waitress) I asked her how much had Chuck sent her in the last 2 weeks.The sum was 300$ OK what do you have to show for it? Your sleeping here eating here and we take you to work now i know you gave us 40 for gas but what else did you have for the rest?She looked at me and said nothing it just went The cost to tow and fix your car almost right.Yea i think i see your point.
      OK chuck has to have his mom,s car fixed and back in a week so I have a friend that has a long wheel base van that runs its a old work van but for 1000$ and a little fixing up inside it will get them a place to sleep and a way to work.Chuck her husband will be back in town in the morning I will pitch the van idea.Otherwise i am hauling them and the teardrop to a campground and wishing them luck.2 week loan of my camper is all i will do.A van fixed up for under 1400 or homelessness.Am i being to hard?

We got a camper!

   Well  me and the wife found a camper we could agree on.Its not new but it is an 06 in perfect shape and everything works perfect.

   It is a funfinderX that is 23 ft long but only weights 3340Lb so it is towable with my jeep.We have loved our travels in our teardrop but for long stays and parks with limited shower/bathroom facilitys it was rough on the wife (which made my life rough).So now we will be using both.

    When we go for over a week we will take the larger camper but for just 3 or 4 days we will be using the teardrop.We plan on taking the funfinder out to the lake in 2 weeks for a shakedown trip.Pulling something this size will take some getting use to and i had a few issues pulling it the 140 miles back home.My jeep sliped a little in and out of overdrive on flat ground so i had to switch it off  and  drive at 60mph droped gas milage to 11.That is to low it should have been 14 to 16 mpg, time to tune the motor and change the transmission fluid and add a cooler.The cost now will be recouped after 1200 miles so well worth it.
       My post 3 weeks ago was that we were lookig at a new camper I just could not do it.We do love the retro but we got this one for 5000 and it will last us for 5 to 10 years and still be sell it and recoup 2500 to 3500$ .You got to look at total cost and 300 a year in deprisiation is livable.Just for the record for years i saved change when i had the gas station at the end of shifts loose change went into a 5 gallon bucket.Last month i cleaned out my junk room and found i had 2 buckets of change the grand total at the bank was 5049.21 .I GOT A CAMPER!!
    PS  yes the tellers though i was a nut job!!!

Health can change any plans.

     Sorry i haven't been posting much lately.Right after New Years my wife had a questionable series of mammograms about 5.The first of February she had a biopsy inconclusive.This week she had a lumpectomy to put every thing to rest and we are waiting on the results.Now the breast doctor told us the biopsy didn't show cancer but she had radial scaring and a bad family history of breast cancer so he wanted to be sure.
     Now that's not what the post is about.But back before Christmas i had purchased a travel package to Orlando for a 3 nite stay at one of those travel time shares for idiots.Yea i was going to have to sit though a sales pitch but for 149$ i will get 100$ n Bass Pro cards and a 4 nite cruise (found out to take the free cruise it will cost 360$) Not a great deal but OK. We were to go down 1/24 and stay at this park http://www.floridastateparks.org/wekiwasprings/default.cfm for a few days then go to the time share.After that we had talked about going to http://www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda/default.cfm and Key West.I was looking forward to this winter trip and so was the wife.Thank goodness we had a window to change our plans we canceled the day after the first mammogram.
     Now after 6 weeks of waiting we hope that this will be put to rest by Wednesday and she has a follow up on 3/5 i think .After that the wife asked me when could we leave.She is itching to go some where warmer and sunny.When we first started going camping she did it to humor me but the last year she has been the one with wander lust.If her health holds i think we will be going even more.
     

CADES COVE foggy morning

Fog was rising before we left but made for a differant visit.

Here is the two animals that I wanted to hide from.The smaller one is capable of running at top speed all day long.The large one isnt as fast but is louder and more annoying!!!! ;)

Never thought i would get a picture of this!

   

A nice toy to show up in.

        This was posted on the tiny yellow teardrop blog.I am a huge Fan of teardrops and the Crimson Tide of Alabama so i had to post this pic!!!!!!!

     I like the little guy teardrop but it is just to much for my pockets. Come to think about it the graphics probable cost more than  my teardrop did to build. I know i have posted i was going to build a 5 wide teardrop and will be this winter. All the work on the lean to and garage has been for a place for my hobbies and projects.

    P.S. Check out Christina,s Tiny yellow teardrop blog or her posts on the Tiny house blog.http://tinyyellowteardrop.blogspot.com/

A Quick update.A little rant

    Well it looks like the Mountains are on hold. With the government shutdown the Smokies,s will not be open and we stay in cades cove campground.Have you noticed how the news keeps telling us about how we are suffering because of this shutdown?If it wasn't on the news would we even notice? I mean really.The main inter action most people have with the federal government is the withholding line on their pay stub!I BET THAT WILL STILL BE THERE.I was watching the news and they had a woman speaking on how outrageous it was that she was losing money on fulow she was a FEDERAL EMPLOYEE!!!!!  Welcome to America ladie it is a land full of layoffs rollbacks and pay cuts in the real world.
    Now i favor the shutdown it is not just politics it  is an action to stop a bad law.3 of our kids were going to be reduced to part-time status so the company's they worked  for could comply with the law.When actions of those in government turn full time jobs into part time and only add new part time then cry over a weeks losing pay don't expect me to care.


   SIDENOTE    It has been 7days since we decided to Quit smoking i have had 9 cigarettes.7 with morning coffee and 2 after nonya dam business.

Fall is almost here.Time for the mountains

   Around here we have been having great weather.Crisp mornings in the high 50s and days in the high 70s. Still a little warm to be Fall but super nice.This year me and the wife haven't spent as much time camping as we have wanted but we are planning a trip to the Smokies in 3 weeks.This year we have camped with the kids and sister-in-law,but we haven't gone alone yet and will be taking the family with us to the Smokies.We haven't took any of the kids to the mountains in 7 years so it time.Even though it sounds expensive its not to bad I pay for 1 tank of gas and the campsite.They pay for the gas to get there and what they find in the shops.Some how I always seem to get STUCK with one restaurant bill for everyone,Oh well i am use to it:).

Doonsday preppers tonite on TV.

        Tonite is doomsday preppers on the discovery channel.I love watching this show some of the people are either crazy or made to look like they are.Now we know most preppers are not as dramatic as they ar made to look.Most people that prepp are generalist there is no one thing that is all consuming that they prepp for.Around here tornadoes are the main weather threat and so i use my basement and storm cellar for storage.Now i don't know about anyone else but my food prepps are 3 levels and cost is an issue

Level 1 is 30 days of food that we use everyday

level   2 is got more caned meat vegetables soups spaghetti's sauces and other single dish items about 90 days worth

level 3 i hope is still unused when i die its wheat rice beans noodles flour corn sugar honey powdered milk and other long life staples  i only  have maybe 6 months worth of calories for me and my wife.

     Now i know this is nowhere near what a lot of people have but i feel comfortable with 8 to 12 months food on hand.I treat prepping as a hobby it allows for other hobbies i love.

Camping makes use of a lot of  my prepps

Solar energy learning its limits

Gardening growing some fresh vegetables (ps didn't plant squat this year)

History i think our future will resemble our past

Shooting i love target shooting out of 15firearms i only bought 2 at a store.(when someone needs a loan i take firearms for collateral if i get re payed fine if not fine ).

Beer brewing and Distilling.learned both from my exwifes grandfather.(i do not drink)

   I guess i became a prepper because it includes a lot of things i liked anyway.I started prepping by accident it was more of a name change than anything.When i first quit working it sure made the first year a lot easier used a lot of supplies up and are SLOWLY putting them back.Did you just wake up and start worrying or were yo almost there before you even heard of prepping?

no sleeping on the beach

  Some people just cant keep up with us old folks.


the family hoped a seagull well you get the idea

    My step daughter took a nap as we played in the sand.

our spoiled grandson Noah

The little one was wide open all day even as his momma was snoring in a chair. Its funny you have kids when your young but there no fun until you get thegrands.Ever wish you could have skiped kids and gone straight to grandkids? I have.Hear is my sister in law building a sandcastle in the surf.It was more like a hole with sea water in it.


digging is useless on the beach

 Everyone needs a break even an unemployed fat man like me it was nice to have some of the family togeather with us.Normaly me and the wife camp alone but i think we will be inviting our son and linda to go with us on more we had fun.The bigest reason we cant is they work durring the week and i do the BBQ on the weekends.If i worked a regular job i couldnt afford or have time to enjoy life.Unlearn and live!
     It is amazing what you can do when you owe no banker and keep what you earn.STARVE THE BEAST and OWE NO BANKER!!!!!!!

Packed up and ready to go

    Well every thing is loaded except the ice chest. We have let the kids use our teardrop camping so i stripped it down and repacked it for our trip.For some reason the wife is acting like we are going to be in the middle of nowhere she basically wants to take the house with us.This is only going to be a 10 day trip  I do not need  a suitcase of my own we are going to the beach so what if i wear my cloths more than once.Men and women do not think alike if i have a change of cloths I'm good for a week.
   Back when i first got divorced i kept a change of cloths and a shave kit in my truck box because i never knew when id take off somewhere or a cutie would let me sleep over a weekend.
   It seems i have won we have one duffel of cloths and just normal camping gear loaded.{I think i really lost i just don't know how yet}This trip should be fun next weekend we have her sister and our son and his wife coming down for 4 days.I payed for the camp sites and all i asked was Saturday morning we go to the navel air museum. None of them have ever been,The Pensacola navel air museums is a must if your anywhere near it.Oh and its FREE!!!will be back on the first

The 4th of july BBQ and dreams of vacation

   I have survived the 4th of july BBQ  rush barley! The smoker has been in constant use since monday.I smoked 48 boston butts and 45 slabs of ribs and sold out in 5 hours between wensday and thursday.

my red smoker and tank that became my extra smoker

I had to use both pits to handle the butts and ribs but i got it done.The new pit wasnt finished i had to use 2x4s to hold the grate decks up till i get to the weld shop but it did ok for the holiday.
    I think i worked harder this week than i have in a lonnnng time but the payoff was worth it.Me and the wife are planning a trip to the gulf the 14th going to try and get some of the kids to come down too.We will go to big lagoon but i think we will b going to some other areas also.I know i will have to carry the wife to gulfport one day for the casino,s.I dont gamble like i use to.
      We will be taking the teardrop this trip the new standie is still untested and we dont want to be that far away and have problems.Had a man stop by and look at my teardrop he plans on building his own soon .I have known his son for years and i think we will do build at the same time.he wants a 4 wide and i want a 5 wide.

Here is the new standie pop up salvage

   OK here is a pic of what i had to work with.

before any work

striped ready to work on

back quarter panel and upright support



front panel and top radius



almost finished

Well there it is.It is water tight and painted.I still have a little caulking to do and silicon on the seams.I will be taking it on a 50 mile trip on the 8th just to see how it pulls .When i bought it i was going to make a 5 wide teardrop but i couldn't see wasting a salvageable little trailer.All total i have 150 in the trailer + 143 in rebuilding supplies so for 293$ I have a nice tiny trailer or a man cave for the backyard:}

Laying out my new standy camper.

      Ok when i start anything like this i have to sit and stare at what i have to work with and where i want to end up. First is structural strength so it wont fall apart going down the road.Second is utility,It has to work for what we need camping.Third is i want it to be aerodynamic so it pulls good and gets decent gas milage.
     I began the work day with a POT of coffee staring at the stripped pop up running differant layouts and ideas through my mind.The sun was out and hadnt got hot yet so i was moving slow.I decided that the main component was going to be the walls and roof supported by 2x3s as cornner posts.

roof on bent supports

    The frount of the roof will have to be cut off the rods replaced with 2x3s and the windows/walls reattached.The heigth of the roof will be about 3 inches lower but i will be able to stand with ease.



got to save the door and windows

   If i can save the sides and most the roof this is not going to cost 500 total. As the first pic shows i have the sides down  then i took the roof off and cut it off about a foot.
      Ok 2 trips to lowes and six hours of sweat later i had the walls plum to the cornner 2x3s with 1/4 inch bolts in 4 places for strength.My daughter helped me set the roof back on, it was big but lite.It was screwed in with 8 self tapping screws along a strong aluminum seam.

My teardrop build took a U turn

      The last post i did was me telling you i had a old pop up trailer.I got the trailer to do a 5 wide teardrop.This pop up was a storm victim a large branch landed on it during some straight line winds the tree smashed flattened a brand new Z300 parked beside it.Since it had been 6 weeks i stop ed and knocked to find out if they wanted to sell the camper.All i was looking for was the frame and axle,the man told me insurance had totaled it and he was going to scrap it.I asked if i could make an offer instead.he asked how much?I wanted it so i offered 150$ .He wrote the bill of sale found me the spare all the owner manuals and helped me get it hitched in 15 minutes i had it home.

slides removed

    The picture doesn't show but its leaning a foot to the right from bent lift struts{it was up when hit}.The roof only has about a foot of damage.The inside is in good shape a little water damage, the wall panel's and door is perfect.So instead of a teardrop I'm going to build a lite standy.I have a sink a fridge an ice chest stove and a place for a potty already.I will only have to redo the nose and rear and cut out the crushed part of the roof and support the walls.So i am now building a standie!!!!!!                                                    PS it will wieght 1300 lb or less