Teardrop trailer a smart RV for fuel-conscious recreational folks ROLLING HOMES

Teardrop trailers have been around almost as long as automobiles used for family recreation. While some of those trailers on the market are genuine antiques well suited for use behind a classic car or street rod, companies are also building brand new teardrops, some modern and some retro. Today's fuel prices, and the economy in general, are driving the growth in teardrop trailer interest and buyers are finding out how much fun they can be.

A teardrop trailer is an enclosed bed on wheels that usually includes a lockable storage or utility trunk at the back of the unit. A teardrop lacks the shower, kitchen and other amenities of a full-size fully self-contained RV, but the teardrop isn't meant to be a functional alternative to an RV. A teardrop excels at being an alternative to pitching a camping tent.

Little Guy Worldwide (www.golittleguy.com) is one of the more energetic manufacturers of teardrop-style trailers in a wide range of sizes and optional equipment.

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The company's smallest unit is the Travel Mate Lite, designed for towing behind a large motorcycle, which weighs about 360 pounds empty. Even the company's largest model, the 6-Wide Sport, weighs less than 1,600 pounds empty. These weight specifications make the Little Guys towable by a whale of a lot of smaller vehicles already parked in people's garages, so no major tow rig investment is needed.

A typical Little Guy includes an aerodynamic body that's rounded up front and tapers to a point in back and has a pair of side access doors to the sleeping area. The doors are fitted with screened opening windows for ventilation and there's usually a crank-open roof vent as well.

The hatch in back opens upward and reveals a decent-sized trunk space. Some units use the space for storage only, but most include shelves and cabinetry set up as a kitchen space that accommodates a portable camp stove, plus utensil, pot and pan, dish and food storage.

This design dates way back to the earliest days of camping, and sure enough, the system works just as well today.

A teardrop is your portable sleeping space around which you enjoy your camping time. Cooking on a camping table or using the trailer's facilities and enjoying the camaraderie of a great campfire are part of the fun of time outdoors. At bedtime, the Little Guy means you have a warm, dry, comfortable bed that's away from the critters and up off the ground. That means a lot to someone who's had his or her fill of tent camping.

Inside there's a mattress in full, queen or even king size with the foot area extending back below the trunk/kitchen space. Some units include a few storage cabinets inside but the majority of the space is kept available for comfortable sleeping.

The Little Guys are built with a steel or aluminum chassis and a body framed with a plywood floor and walls, plus a wood-framed roof and end walls, all of it sheathed in a laminate skin. Fiberglass insulation helps moderate temperature extremes inside the rig. The single-wheel rubber-torsion-suspension axle can be fitted with optional electric brakes as dictated by local highway laws or owner preference.

The Little Guys are available in 4-, 5- and 6-foot-wide models so buyers can choose however much sleeping elbow room they need. Speaking of comfort, Little Guy has available an optional heater/air conditioner that can help keep the trailer more livable in adverse climates when parked in a campsite with shore power.

In addition to being lightweight and aerodynamic, the Little Guy trailers are very affordable. At the lowest end, the Travel Mate Lite is priced at $2,995, and at the higher end; for example, the 6-series Wide Sport can be had in basic form for $6,995. Buyers can select from a variety of options, not available on all models, including a small 16-by-60-inch storage platform on the trailer tongue that's real handy for firewood or other necessities or a larger 60-by-72-inch platform for hauling motorcycles or a quad. There's also a power roof vent, tailgater packages, and oddly, a spare tire option (should be a standard feature).

The company recently introduced a new model called the Lil' Rough Rider that's designed for off-pavement travel and can be towed by a Jeep or other small 4WD rig. The Rough Rider includes larger tires and more ground clearance built into its suspension along with the usual array of features and amenities.

It may not be the place to hang with friends on a rainy afternoon, but a teardrop trailer is a terrific move-up step for those looking for some camping civility to replace the occasional rigors of tenting.