{Spring Camping / Kayaking Trip to Lightning Creek}

We miss our little teardrop trailer lovingly named P-Pod! (Three “P”eterson’s in a Pod) (We sold it after purchasing the Airstream) Below are some of our tiny trailer travel adventures and a few reasons why mini RVs’ rock!

Benefits of Traveling with a Teardrop Trailer
•    Organized
•    Conveniences of Galley: Cooler, Stove & Counter
•    Lights, Fan & Battery Power
•    Keep Mosquitoes & Rain Out
•    No Setup – Just Jump On In
•    Pull with Any Vehicle & Get Decent MPG (We AVG 32mpg)
•    Easy Parking Lot Camping while on the Road

{Paisley waiting for some milk!}

{Galley or Kitchen Trunk}

Many Teardrops have cabin cabinets & galley cabinets for organization. We opted for a more open design. Many teardrops with the cabinets are very dark and confining. We wanted a bit more headroom  I installed a small shelf with sliding doors for small items then the galley trunk housed our battery, stove, gas, cooler, water, food & utensils. We borrowed a mattress from the couch in the Airstream that served as a sitting area and folded out into a bed. Paisley slept in her Moses basket on top of the galley trunk. We stored all our stuff in the trunk of our car.

{Lightning creek in the Spring is NO JOKE!}

Shortly after this pictures was taken I was flipped by a massive wave. I managed to get back on the boat and keep my paddle. Eventually I righted the boat and got back in. After my swim I was a bit timid and the river was SWOLLEN with tons of log jams. About 1/2 through the river there is a big S turn then a MASSIVE log jam the size of a house. For some reason me being the rookie I took up the rear. I ended up flipping, getting back on the belly of my boat and heading straight for the log jam. I knew I needed to get back inside the boat and away from the jam. In the process of getting back in the boat I had dropped the paddle…so I ended up doggy paddling to get to the shore just before the jam. Spent the next hour searching for the paddle but no dice. Moral of the story: stay away from creeks in the Spring and don’t let the rookie take up the rear!

{Shae, Paisley, Alyssa & Nolan enjoy the river}

{Our muddy drive home from the creek}

{Paisley helping daddy finish the P-Pods interior}

{Fresh Paint, Lights, Fan & Storage}

To power the P-Pod I used a car jumper battery…one I picked up from Habitat Humanity thrift store for $20. It came complete with aircompressor, LED light and a 12V outlet. I wired it up to power the fan, interior lights and porch light. Then when we had shore power I would charge the unit. I was eventually going to replace this temporary solution with a more elaborate system but our power needs were minimal & this worked great!

{Propane Stove, Cooler & Food Storage}

Coming from a Ultra-Light backpacking mentality have the convince of a two burner stove, 5 gallon water jug, cooler and tons of storage is awesome! Our little galley wasn’t anything super fancy (Our friends teardrop has a oven in it) but it sure functioned well!

{Cool Evening at Camp Meeting}

{Paisley left her Moses Basket to cuddle with Mommy}

{Visitors! 6 People in a 4×6′ Space}

Camp Meeting Sabbath lunch was suppose to be a picnic…but the precipitation had other plans. So we dinned in the P-Pod!

{Picnic / Potluck Lunch}

{The Ladies got to sit inside…}

{Packing for our Mid-West Trip Summer 2011}

I originally started the P-Pod for a road trip to the mid-west summer of 2010. I started on the trailer about 3-weeks before our journey and we even spent travel money of the trailer justifying, “we wont have to spend money on motels.” The 3-weeks came and went and the trailer was only about 90% complete. I tend to be a bit of an optimist and sometimes not super practical. I should of at least given myself 4-weeks…

{On the road…}

The P-Pod pulled like a dream! From Idaho to Nebraska we averaged about 32mpg with our VW TDI!

{Paisley exercising during a stop…}

{Walmart Parking Lot Camping}

With a Teardrop you can easily and comfortably slip into a parking lot to camp. Walmart work well because they are everywhere and they generally allow overnight trailer parking.

{Getting Ready to Return Home}

{Midwest Sun Set}

{“Trailer” Parking}

We love Teardrop Traveling! Everything about it fits our lifestyle: simple, functional & fun! While we are looking forward to our Airstream Adventure we miss our little P-Pod! When we settle down again I am definitely going to build another one (with some minor improvements and Ill give myself at least 4-weeks).