Why we choose to camp Small with a Teardrop Camper

Whether you call it a teardrop camper, off-road square drop, or overland trailer the idea is all the same- Freedom. Not being tied down. Those words sound like some marketing campaign, but to us it couldn’t be more true. Sara and I are pretty spur of the moment people. The idea of hooking up a 28ft 5th wheel, and booking a concrete spot 2 months in advance is not appealing to us. If I happen to have 2 days off, we want to see how far we can drive. Angle Fire NM is 10 hours, Big Bend national park is 4, and Padre Island National Seashore is 3.5. Lets go! Cooler full of margarita mix, tequila, and food and we are good. Sunscreen, towels, cooking supplies, chairs, water, they are already loaded in the camper. grab the kids, a bike or 2 and we are good to go.

I know this is not how all people are wired, and there have been some downsides to our unplanned trips, but I have never regretted taking them. How often does the idea of planning a trip and carrying it all the way to fuision fizzle out before the travel date? How many times are you sitting around the house on a Saturday when you could be camping on a lake.

Teardrop Camper vs Conventional RV’s

I will be the first to admit (and I own an Off-Road Camper company) That Teardrop trailers are’t for everybody. Even with all the cool inventions that allow us to take hot water showers outdoors, and privacy enclosures for the post morning coffee rituals, some people just don’t have fun away from creature comforts, and that is completely fine! That is what 32ft fifth wheels are for. for the rest of us, the ones who want to slow down and connect a little more with the dirt under our feet, these convenient small rolling boxes are perfect. Don’t get me wrong- PIKE campers have the most comfortable mattress made and an AC. Im not crazy. Waking up hot, sticky and sore does not sound fun.

But outside of that, I think the 2 types of camping have different objectives. Large RV camping allows you to get away from home and go explore the outdoors on your schedule. Off-road Teardrop campers force you to be immersed in it.

Large campers can be so limiting. We usually tow with a 2022 Jeep JL. If not loaded correctly, even teardrop campers can be too much for it, much less a 24 ft airstream. Why not just get a bigger truck?because that is a slow creep away from our objective. We don’t want our camper or our tow vehicle to get in the way of the final destination. Even some of these new off-road campers are getting so tall, I don’t see how you plan on really getting into the back country. I have to replace my cell phone antenna on my ranch truck constantly due to it getting raked off by tree limbs. I can’t imagine pulling a 10ft tall camper through a forest. I really like the small Opus camper designs for this reason. I would love to design a simple off road popup. (sorry my mind wandered a little) I think again, it all comes down to the objective of the outing. Ours is always to see new country, go as deep as we can in up and around, pull out a chair and crack open a good IPA.

Simplicity. Simplicity. Simplicity.

Our lives are so complicated in 2024! I so wish I could go back to a flip phone, but I would loose business, friends, connection with my grown kids etc. I live a pretty simple life in a simple small town and it is crazy. I can’t imagine being in corporate America in Downtown Dallas. I (we) need a break, a slowdown, a reset, more than ever. Small off-road campers allow that. It might be hard at first to disconnect, but it is is needed. Even large tech CEO’s are going back to smart-less phones and not allowing their kids on screens. That has to tell us something.

Teardrop campers are great. Come join us. We will be sitting in a chair next to a stream with a cold IPA.