 Camping
Goes Retro
Article by MIKE SCHWARTZ / The Press-Enterprise On the Net
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Mike Pari thinks he knows a potential goldmine when he sees
one.
In this case, it's in the form of a tiny, towable,
airfoil-shaped trailer that was the rage back in the 1940s and '50s. Pari, an
Ontario general/electrical contractor, wants to start a factory dedicated to
these miniature bed-and-breakfasts on wheels called teardrop trailers. Eclipsed
nearly a half-century ago by hefty RVs and motor homes, the streamlined tow-alongs
are making a big comeback among the camping crowd, says Pari, who already has
built two prototypes in his home workshop.
It was love at first sight when he first glimpsed a teardrop
only two years ago while camping at Mount Shasta.
"I thought, 'Whoaaa!' when I saw it. Everyone who walked
by wanted to buy it," he recalls. "So we decided to get into it."
These little blasts from the past at first tend to perplex
motorists who spot them. How, some may ask, can anyone stand up or move around
in one or carry enough gear to bivouac in style? Others may wonder if it's
really a rolling kennel for the family dog.
Hardly, insist aficionados. Teardropping, as owners fondly
call the pastime, dispenses with the hassle of towing a ponderous RV or setting
up a tent.
"When we go to a campground, no one comes and talks to
you in a big old motor home. When you've got a teardrop, everyone comes to see
you," says Julian resident Jackie Long, a co-founder of Southern California
Touring Tears, a loose-knit group of teardrop owners - about 300 strong - who
hold spring campout gatherings.
Warm, Cozy Nest
Basically, a teardrop is a compact camper trailer that
provides a comfortable bed for two, sheltered from the elements and hard ground.
A cushy mattress typically covers the entire inside floor. Some have surprising
touches of luxury such as wood-paneling, drawers, window curtains, lights and
built-in CD players.
"Why do we do it? It's a great way of camping. And it's
all about the good people we camp with," says Jackie's companion, Brad
Romaine.
Although the cabin lacks room for stand-up dressing or
hygiene, many campgrounds have bathrooms with toilets and showers.
The chuck wagon-like galley can be used for quick rest-stop
snacks, camping picnics, breakfast eggs or tailgate parties.
A typical teardrop is about 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 8-10
feet long, says Romaine. Some "stretch" models, however, may measure
6½ feet wide, 5 feet high and nearly 12 feet long.
The Art Deco teardrop shape goes back 50 or 60 years. New
trailers built from original plans feature that same retro style.
Some owners relish hitching them behind a classic car, a
hot-rod, a Corvette, a Chrysler PT Cruiser or some other nostalgia-evoking
vehicle.
Long and Romaine own a vintage '56 Benroy teardrop, towed by a
1956 Ford F-100 pickup.
The beauty of teardrops is that owners don't need huge,
gas-guzzling trucks or SUVs to tow them, she says. Just about any small vehicle
will do - from VW Bugs and family mini-vans to Geo Metros, Jeeps and even
"trike" motorcycles.
Post-war Diversion
The origin of teardrops is somewhat obscure. But the first
ones likely were built in the early 1930s in Southern California. Their
popularity soared after World War II, fueled by returning vets restless to
travel on shoestring budgets, plus better roads and affordable towing cars.
Post-war builders often used war surplus steel for the
chassis, and covered plywood frames with aluminum from scrapped combat aircraft.
Outfits like Norwalk-based Kit Manufacturing Co. sold more than 4,500 finished
Kit Kampers between 1946 and 1947. Flush with success, the company soon stopped
making the $595 trailers in favor of pricier 8-by-14 "standup"
coaches.
By some estimates, about 35 manufacturers built teardrops
until 1961 - either complete or as kits. Then, in the 1960s, the trailers seemed
to disappear as the RV and motor home craze kicked in.
A few intrepid enthusiasts never gave up and home-builts
remained a popular option. In the September 1947 Mechanix Illustrated magazine,
Riverside resident Howard Warren published a do-it-yourself plan for a teardrop
very much like the Kit Kamper.
It's hard to say how many of the lovable little trailers were
based on that plan and others over the decades. But that basic design remains
popular even today.
Modern Revival Under Way
The trailers' resurgence in Southern California began in the
mid-'90s, inspired mainly by an active band of teardrop builders and campers in
Northern California, and a need for light campers that could be towed by
smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, says Dave Locke, a Yucca Valley
owner/builder.
"We've had a 37-foot motor home for many years,"
said Locke, who retired from the California Department of Forestry in 1996.
"Nowadays we spend maybe two weeks a year out in the motor home and up to
60 days with teardrops."
Locke has assembled 18 trailers from scratch and restored 5
others since he and his wife, Deane, were bitten by the bug in the early '90s.
Nowadays, teardrop buffs can buy from RV makers such as
Oregon-based Cozy Cruiser Manufacturing, Inc., which touts the trailer as
"the new old fashioned way to camp." Cozy sells its Standard Classic
teardrop for $8,495 and it's Classic Deluxe for $9,495.
Or buyers can seek out a growing list of do-it-yourself plan
providers such as Kuffel Creek Press in Hemet, or builders like Locke. His
$6,200 base price for a 4-by-8 can put a family economically into a teardrop.
Options such as roof vents; an aluminum storage box; leveling jacks and tail
lights can boost the cost to $8,500.
Teardropping newcomers Mike Pari and his son, Gabe, plan to
display their prototypes at the LA County Fair in Pomona this month. At $9,500
it's pricier than many.
"But we're building the best one on the market," he
boasts. | 
