Hello from Austin TX

Jay & Valerie

Jay & Valerie

Ranger
Donating Member
Hello all from Austin tx

Not a camp inn owner yet but considering getting one. I work in the tech industry and wife runs a daycare in our home. My kids are grown and only 1 left at home so Wife and I are wanting to get out camping and looking for a solution that meets our needs. I like to ride dirt bikes and we are thinking of getting a quad for the wife. We want to go find places to camp and ride around the country. Teardrops seem like an excellent choice if we can figure out how to bring the toys with us.

Went and checked out some T@G teardrops today but was not impressed at all. The camp inn stuff seems like it really is the best quality and well thought out solution in this space. We really like the 560 design but it is expensive. The extra couch/bunks are really nice.

Some questions I have for you all...

What made you choose a teardrop over regular trailer in the same price range...one with a dinning table, bath and shower, etc? I saw a number today that were new at 11,000.

What made you choose the model (550 or 560) you chose?

Do you camp where it reaches 95+ degrees? Does it keep cool enough without ac?
do you camp where it gets into the low 30s at night? Are you warm enough without a furnace?
Do you stay in campgrounds or primitive camp for a week at a time or so? Do you have enough power and water for those trips?

If there is anyone in the Austin area that would be willing to meet for lunch, my treat and let us check out your camp inn up close, that would be awesome.

Thanks
Jay T.
JavaJack
 
Welcome Jay!

Hmm, what made me pick a teardrop over anything else? Some of it is styling. Many friends and relatives have travel trailers, and yes, it's a home in miniature; but mostly impersonal. Also I was looking at gas mileage, teardrops are pretty aerodynamic. You also don't need a huge tow vehicle. For me, I was upgrading from a tent--so a teardrop was a huge leap in comfort and convenience. fyi, a CampInn does have a dining table (outside) and a shower--err--spray hose attachment--it's just that the water is room temp. (You didn't specify that you wanted a HOT shower, lol)

When I was going through my decision making process, I had narrowed it down to a T@b (or tab-like), vs. a CampInn (yes, specifically a CampInn vs 'any teardrop'). For the reasons above, and the fact that a CI holds its value quite well, I went with CI.

Once I decided on a CI, I had already been to CampInn-CampOutt, and had seen the 550 and 560 in person. And I loved them both; for me though, the couch/bunks although wonderful and I'm sure I'd use the couch if I had it--I didn't need that. Everyone will have their own reasons for one vs. the other and both are wonderful for those reasons.

Keeping cool; I do have the AC (which needs shore power). I've used it twice--once just for an afternoon nap, and once when it was humid AND hot. If you don't have horrid humidity to deal with, the fantastic fan is, well, fantastic. It keeps you comfortable.

Keeping warm; I don't have the furnace. to stay warm, there are multiple strategies... a partner that likes to snuggle (human or dog), excellent blankets, bunk warmers that truckers use (plugs into your 12v), 12v blanket, or if you happen to have shore power, a ceramic heater. any of the above or a combination work great. And usually you want to keep a window cracked anyway--even if it's cold--to let out the humidity.

I haven't been primitive camping myself for that long of a stretch; but from what I've read here, when I do get ready for my long haul trip, I'll likely invest in a solar panel. As for water; everyone is different. It's one of those "it depends" questions. Do you use bottled water for drinking and cooking? and the on board will be for washing up only? or the on board will be your only water source? then you'd have to determine what you normally use in a normal day, and see if it'll last.
 
Welcome to the forum.

I choose a teardrop because it fits in the garage, Camp Inn for the quality.

To stay worm: 12 volt blanket when no electricity, small ceramic heater with electricity. Dog uses me to keep warm.

AC: wish I had AC a few times last summer. I don'w do well trying to sleep with high heat and humidity at night. Fantastic vent is wonderful for moving air. This fall I purchased a New to me teardrop with AC, will see how well it works.

Boondocking: have managed 3 nights without battery running out. Teardrop battery can be easily charged using the car hookups for about 30 to 45 minutes. Cheaper then investing in a solar panel.

I choose the 550 because of price. I also use the front storage space daily, like a headboard/night stand.

I love the looks of the 560 though. Someday I might invest in a 560.

As for finding Austin, Tx Camp Inn teardrops to tour, contact Camp Inn, they can refer you to local owners.

Jean
 
Welcome, Jay.

Heat - No problem. Keep you CI in the shade; a tree or an awning works wonders. If you want, the AC option is always there. We've done desert camping and were just fine (That's SPRING TIME for the desert. We're not nuts.).

Cold - Camped in Yosemite Valley on New Year's Eve. Colder than youknowwhat outside, but toasty indoors without a heater. You just have to get things going a bit, like that 12 volt blanket. Works dandy.

We have a classic 550, but the 560 has a lot of great things going for it, too.

As for price...in this case you really do get what you pay for. This is the best out there, hands down and trust me, we did three years of research before purchase. All American made products, no off-gassing, solid, sturdy, well built...the best fun you can have in a can.

You can pay less, sure, but you'll end up with a mini version of those ghastly snow-bird monsters: all glue, laminate and plastic. Our sister bought one of those, invited us to a sit-down...and the fumes nearly killed us in less than six minutes. I do not exaggerate.

And then there's the joy of hauling one of those light weight things down a lonely highway in a high wind. That's not exactly the type of adventure anyone in their right mind wants to take on. CI's roll along as if it were dead calm.

But I'm not biased. See for yourself. Camp Inn is simply the best, so why settle for ok?

Sue and Jim (says)
 
Our 550 is brand new and still wrapped, sitting in our very cold garage, so I can't comment on how we use it in heat and cold, but I can comment on why we chose it over another type of camper.

I love the teardrop's simplicity and elegance. And I love that the Camp-Inn is made of wood and metal. It's solid and substantial. You're right--they are expensive. For the money, I felt like one of the things we were getting (in addition to quality) was flexibility; while not totally custom, you can get one with all the bells and whistles, a stripped down version, or something in between.

We camp to be outdoors, so having a dining table, seating, etc., inside was not important to us (we are pretty much fair weather campers). At some point, if we think we really need it, we'll invest in a canopy that can offer some protection from bugs and the elements.

We love that the kitchen is outside, completely separate from the cabin.

As for bathroom amenities, we weren't interested in maintaining a plumbing system.

Additionally, we wanted something we that could tow with our existing vehicle and would fit in our garage.

We chose the 550 over the 560 for the classic teardrop shape (we do not have the front storage box).

Good luck with your research!
 
AsheWolf said:
What kind of self-respecting Texan would be seen in something as small as a teardrop?
Click to expand...

LOL...well, I am a transplant originally from So. Cal. There is some truth to "Everything is Bigger here in Texas" but the CI is just so functional.
 
OK. Just kidding. We bought the 550 teardrop after doing a bunch of research. It had the perfect combination of features, craftsmanship, style and resale value. We are long time tent campers, so the Tear is a big upgrade from the ground. But we still want to spend our time outside. Cooking outside is a big deal to me, as is sitting around the fire and stargazing.

We had rain, sleet, snow and temps in the twenties. Body heat was adequate for us. In fact we learned that minimal bedding and pillows are key. And you must keep some ventilation going even when cold. These little ham cans are tight. I am not a fan of gas combustion heaters so we don't have a furnace. We have acquired a 12 volt as well as a 110 volt electric blanket for future trips. If the weather gets that bad….. have teardrop, will travel.

I love a nice airstream and maybe as we get more ancient, we'll go that route, but that's a whole new layer of…can I make it up this road? Is there somewhere I can turn around? Can I make it under that tree limb? Can my marriage survive trying to take backing directions from my wife? I have a backup camera on my Tacoma. I can back up and squeeze a gnat against the trailer hitch without harming the gnat. I can back up without having to figure out "which left" my wife is telling me to turn.

We have the AGM battery and a solar panel. We've never tested it for a week, but after a full night of lights and movie-watching and running the fan, the lowest our battery got was about 11 volts. An hour of sunlight with my solar panel and we're back at 14+. And again, a bit of time running the tow vehicle and you're charged back up full. I'm glad I have the battery isolator for peace of mind.

I carry drinking water in excess of what we need and use the 8 gallon tank for washing stuff and not much else. Our gray water tank is still relatively pristine and I plan on keeping it that way.

We have a side tent and set up a Go Anywhere toilet there. Showers are still our weak link. I do have a couple of this solar camp showers that are great when the sun shines.

Good luck.
 
Thanks...I think I have come to the realization that a teardop is they way to go.

Both my brother and sister each have a giant class A motorhome and my dad has a Class C. While they are all totally awesome and very cushy...they are very big, require off site storage...get horrible gas mileage, and generally limit where you can go.

When talking with my sister the other day, I tried talking her into meeting me in New Mexico (11 hours for her, 11 hours for me) so we can go have some off road fun. However, one of her objections is gas would be too much. Now, she does use her motorhome all the time for weekend get aways but she does not really go more than 4 hours away.

I can't see paying for a big motorhome, paying to store it and then not use it because it is too expensive to operate. Plus, if you need to run to the store for quick groceries, etc. you can't really do that with a motorhome all hooked up.

Toyhaulers and full size trailers are nice but then they are big and heavy and like pulling a sail behind you. If you are going that far, might as well get a full motorhome.

Tent camping is just too hard with the weather being unpredictable, more work setting up, hard ground (unless you have a big air mattress).

So, that leaves a teardrop. My biggest challenge was how to get the toys out. If I can fit the quad in the back of my truck and use a hitch motorcylce carrier with a receiver in it for my bike, I can then hook up the trailer to that.

One of thing of note...when I did a family camp trip with my dad, brother and sister over Thanksgiving last year (I was the only one in a tent by the way), everyone spent most of the time outside by the fire. So, what is the point of a motorhome if all it really is is a bedroom for sleeping?

The only real drawback I see is that with a motorhome, you can take turns driving and make pretty good time without having to stop. However, we have an extracab truck so the back seat can be set up as a bed so one person can rest while the other drives.

So, I think a teardrop is the way to go, at least for the foreseeable future. It seems to solve almost all of our issues. As for quality, while I have not seen one in person yet, from what I can tell, the CI far outshines everything else out there. We saw some T@B/T@G over the weekend and the quality was just not there.

Wife and I thought about building one ourselves (have all the tools) and my wife is quite handy in the woodshop. She built a full on dining set from scratch for our daughter and it was awesome. She has also built cabinets, cubbies, etc. So, we could do it but don't really have the workspace in our garage for a long term project. I also think CI has so much more knowledge of the little things you don't realize you need until you get out there.

So, I think I am 90% there, just need to figure out some details and also determine how we want to pay for it.

I still want to see one in person though.
 
We're in San Antonio and have a 560 Ultra. LOVE IT! It fits in our garage w/o a problem (yeah, we camp in it in the garage, too)! All the quality stuff has already been addressed, so, I'll just hit our rationale. We had a Class A motorhome all picked out...and then realized it totally was not us. We camp to be outdoors, but after a 27 year military career spending way too much time on the ground or hitting it after parachuting my back talked me into a respectable bed. Besides that, we're on a journey to simplify our lives a bit and focus on experiences as a family. Our 560 fits the bill better than we could have hoped. The longest we've spent in a raindrop is 3 weeks...there wasn't one thing I missed about home!
 
Jay,

I thought about building one too, until I read that it takes three tries to get it right. Forget that. I wanted to spend my next three summers camping - not building. :)
 
Uh Huh Dan. When you "camp" in the garage…. Is it voluntary? Because sometimes our house gets too small and I get assigned to the teardrop for some period of time.
 
AsheWolf said:
Uh Huh Dan. When you "camp" in the garage…. Is it voluntary? Because sometimes our house gets too small and I get assigned to the teardrop for some period of time.
Click to expand...

Ha! Yeah, that's what most people wonder...but the truth is, I just sleep better in that 560! At least that's the story I'm stickin' to!
 
Hi Jay,

We spoke earlier in the week. Cyndi and I look forward to your visit this weekend to see "Rollin' Rosie."

The replies you got from the forum members were great. Hopefully a little hands-on time will reinforce them.

Timothy
 
Thanks Tim for letting me check out your trailer. I was blown away by the quality built into th CI product. It exceeded anything I have seen even into the class a motor homes in terms of craftsmanship and components used.

I understand why the CI is more expensive than others on the market. While I have only seen the T@G and T@B in person, it blew those completely away. The videos and pictures I have seen of others don't come close to the CI product.

Valerie and I need to give some real thought to our decision.
 
I have a 560 Ultra on order (july delivery). Can't comment on any of these topics with first hand knowledge so all I can say is if you are 90% there the COOL factor should be good for the other 10%.
MDP
Mike & Denita
 
Thank Tim,

When you sent in the wheels, did you already have the tires mounted as well or did you just send the rims and they put on the tires?
 
Well, we have decided that we do absolutely want to get the 560 Ultra.

Now we just need to pull together the cash. We opted not to take a loan because we worked too hard to get debt free (thanks Dave Ramsey). So, it may be a little bit before we can place an order, we will become part of the CampInnite clan at some point soon.

We have already created a list of things to sell to raise additional funds. Like Dave Ramsey says, sell everything so that the kids think their next.
 
That sounds very wise Java Jack. Stay out of debt and sell everything not nailed down. I went to a seminar years ago where I learned that your necessities should take 55% of your income. If it takes more you need a cheaper house or cars or a higher paying job. It was very interesting and I have tried to strive for that. Good Luck. I will tell you that it is very difficult to control the urge to shop while waiting for your teardrop.
 
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