It Doesn’t Have to Be a Daydream: Our First Year with a Teardrop Camper
Mid-pandemic we got an itch to renovate a used camper. We were tired of being stuck at home and missed traveling. Over the course of our relationship, John and I have both grown to love spending time outdoors together; specifically, camping and hiking. And if we’re able to camp by one of Minnesota’s 11,000 lakes, even better.
A lover of all things vintage, I had my sights set on renovating an old 1950s Airstream. However, after quickly realizing the potential money pit of that endeavor – with those super old campers, you don’t really know what you’re getting into in terms of water damage and internal structure – John had the idea to build a teardrop camper from the ground up!
This led to the birth of Gimli, our blue teardrop camper (que Lord of the Rings music).
The Maiden Voyage
After a year of (John) learning numerous carpentry skills and buying new tools, becoming a regular at the local hardware store, our garage serving as a (e’hem…really sawdusty) workshop, and (both of us) dreaming about the many adventures this will bring to our family, we finally set out on our maiden voyage in June 2022.
A Successful First Summer of Tear-dropping
The first summer/fall with Gimli was a success! We camped in Minnesota 3 times, Wisconsin 1 time, Colorado 1 time (but 7 nights), Nebraska 1 time, and Kansas 1 time. You may be wondering how we accomplished sleeping in such a small space with a toddler. The answer: a bunk bed! He has a little bunk that hangs above the foot of the double bed where John and I sleep. It’s tough to get a quality photo in that small space, but it’s coming soon!
What’s Next
It was a long journey to get to the point where we can claim we’ve camped in 7 different locations, but we still have a lot we hope to accomplish with Gimli. One goal I have for this blog is sharing what we’ve learned so far, such as:
- Pros and cons of building our own camper
- Guest posts from John about the specific tools he used and carpentry skills he learned
- How we stay organized in such a small space
- Teardrop camping with a toddler
- Favorite camper gear and supplies
- The plan behind our galley kitchen design
- And more!
It’s now winter here in Minnesota, but I’m looking forward to sharing a lot of teardrop content in the months ahead and as we reenter camping season in the spring!
“If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they’re not, I’d say we were taking the long way around.” – Gimli, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring