After purchasing my new 2003 Element I thought, wouldn't be great to have a matching "teardrop" trailer. Being an architectural designer I set to work. The design shown here is 5'-4" high (the height of the rear window on the Element), 10'-10" long to the propane tank (about from the rear bumper to the front of the Element windshield for comparison), 5'-5" wide with a 7" road clearance.
The teardrop was designed to be constructed of Tricel honeycomb with a fiberglass epoxy coating and matching paint. The rear door came down below the sink counter and overlapped two doors below that that hinge left and right.
The drawings show: 1) side elevation, 2) longitudinal section through the middle and 3) two rear elevations. The one to the left shows upper door missing and the half elevation to the right shows the teardrop closed. In all there were eight sheets of 24" X 36" drawings. I had two employees available to hire for 200 hours each from a local marine company. However, when I did some quick math their labor at $65 per hour would have been as much as the Element itself, not including materials.
The intended function was to travel around the coastline-of-the-world. My dream was larger than my pocketbook. Instead I purchased a Tentrax trailer. It's great for hauling things and okay for sleeping if there are two people. Trying to erect the rainfly by myself was almost impossible in the wind.
With two two-inch layers of memory foam for bedding I slept mostly in the Element for what turned out to be a 50,000 trip in 2004/2005 (about 35,000 with the Tentrax and the balance without). For the second part of the trip in 2005 I built a platform in the Element after removing both rear seats. There was a cutout place for my Engel MT35 dual voltage refrigerator (they're great- can be used as a refrigerator or freezer), a place for a battery to keep the refrigerator working when there was no electricity when camping, and storage beneath the platform for two suitcases. It worked exceedingly well and I slept without folds in my back.
The Tentrax worked fine for the trip. I never had any problems whatsoever. They are sturdy, well built and easily maneuverable. However, a new one is expensive. Mine with many extras cost $14K plus. I haven't used it since the trip. It's been garaged and is available to purchase at roughly 40% of original. At that price it's a good deal. I just don't use it and since it has matching wheels for the Element I'm hoping an Element owner will want it. I even added a full-sized spare on the tongue and scooter rack.
The teardrop is a bit complex to build but more simple than it appears. A builder would definitely need some carpentry and fiberglass skills. All four windows are the rear side windows of an Element. There is one each in the doors and a pair at the front of the teardrop. The taillights are Element taillights. I didn't determine the door and window gasketing or calculate the overall weight but Tricel is lightweight.
If someone can't tell what something is in the drawings email me. I'll try to remember but it's been nearly 7 years since I did the design. I can also email larger files if someone is interested.
Anyone interested in building one?
The teardrop was designed to be constructed of Tricel honeycomb with a fiberglass epoxy coating and matching paint. The rear door came down below the sink counter and overlapped two doors below that that hinge left and right.
The drawings show: 1) side elevation, 2) longitudinal section through the middle and 3) two rear elevations. The one to the left shows upper door missing and the half elevation to the right shows the teardrop closed. In all there were eight sheets of 24" X 36" drawings. I had two employees available to hire for 200 hours each from a local marine company. However, when I did some quick math their labor at $65 per hour would have been as much as the Element itself, not including materials.
The intended function was to travel around the coastline-of-the-world. My dream was larger than my pocketbook. Instead I purchased a Tentrax trailer. It's great for hauling things and okay for sleeping if there are two people. Trying to erect the rainfly by myself was almost impossible in the wind.
With two two-inch layers of memory foam for bedding I slept mostly in the Element for what turned out to be a 50,000 trip in 2004/2005 (about 35,000 with the Tentrax and the balance without). For the second part of the trip in 2005 I built a platform in the Element after removing both rear seats. There was a cutout place for my Engel MT35 dual voltage refrigerator (they're great- can be used as a refrigerator or freezer), a place for a battery to keep the refrigerator working when there was no electricity when camping, and storage beneath the platform for two suitcases. It worked exceedingly well and I slept without folds in my back.
The Tentrax worked fine for the trip. I never had any problems whatsoever. They are sturdy, well built and easily maneuverable. However, a new one is expensive. Mine with many extras cost $14K plus. I haven't used it since the trip. It's been garaged and is available to purchase at roughly 40% of original. At that price it's a good deal. I just don't use it and since it has matching wheels for the Element I'm hoping an Element owner will want it. I even added a full-sized spare on the tongue and scooter rack.
The teardrop is a bit complex to build but more simple than it appears. A builder would definitely need some carpentry and fiberglass skills. All four windows are the rear side windows of an Element. There is one each in the doors and a pair at the front of the teardrop. The taillights are Element taillights. I didn't determine the door and window gasketing or calculate the overall weight but Tricel is lightweight.
If someone can't tell what something is in the drawings email me. I'll try to remember but it's been nearly 7 years since I did the design. I can also email larger files if someone is interested.
Anyone interested in building one?
