Here Are All the Reasons Teardrop Campers Are All the Rage

Teardrop campers, also known as teardrop trailers, first became popular in the 1940s, when they were typically DIY creations. Today, many and varied commercial models of teardrop campers are on the market, ranging from sleek, retro-stylish versions to rugged campers engineered for off-roading and rugged terrain. It’s not difficult to understand why teardrop campers are all the rage. You can easily tow them with a regular vehicle, they’re small enough to store at home, and they boast an efficient, aerodynamic design that cuts way down on fuel costs (compared to larger RVs). If that’s not enough to explain why teardrop campers are perhaps the perfect camping vehicle, here are some more reasons. 

Are You Looking for an Upgrade From Tent Camping?

Tent camping can be great fun, but there’s absolutely no shame in deciding that your hardback days are behind you. Maybe you never really enjoyed sleeping under flimsy canvas on rough ground in the first place — that’s perfectly fine, too. Yet, RVs have some major drawbacks as an alternative to camping. They’re expensive to buy, store, fuel up and maintain, and can be tricky to navigate on all but the smoothest, straightest roads. Also, camping in an RV can feel disconnected from the outdoors.

Teardrop campers offer an ideal balance between the pros and cons of tent and RV camping. Is it glamping? No! But you can definitely deck out your camper in a stylish way and add some home comforts, if that’s your thing. 

With a teardrop camper, you get to sleep inside a hard-sized cabin, on a real mattress, but you’re not living inside it. You can cook and spend all your daylight hours outdoors, sit around a campfire in the evenings, and then nestle inside when you’re ready for a (truly restful) night’s sleep. Plus, setting up camp with a teardrop trailer takes a matter of minutes — you can’t say that about either tent or RV camping! 

Teardrop Campers Are Rugged Enough for Deer Hunters

Teardrop campers are relatively lightweight and very compact, which is one of their major selling points. But don’t let that mislead you into thinking they’re too flimsy to handle more rugged and remote outdoor adventures. Shop wisely and you can find models engineered to handle even the most extreme terrain. Missouri-based HYK Outdoors, for example, has a range of hand-crafted teardrop campers to handle light, moderate or extreme terrain. These teardrop campers have a steel-welded frame, rhino-lined steel fenders and bigger tires for higher clearance and better traction. You can customize these campers with power, cabin, chassis and galley upgrades, plus add-ons like a fridge, stove, mattress or water system.

The more rugged models of teardrop campers are best-sellers among elk and mule deer hunters who need a vehicle that can handle the deep wilderness and take a beating. On overnight hunting expeditions, teardrop campers provide a level of comfort that’s otherwise impossible to achieve. Could there be a better way to restore your energy levels for a second day of outdoor action? 

Why Fly Fishers Love Teardrop Campers Too

Avid fly fishers know that the best opportunities are far away from other anglers. Rugged teardrop campers can handle those deep backcountry adventures where you can get away from the competition and have those prime, undiscovered fishing spots all to yourself. Some models are customizable with a built-in stove, ideal for cooking the freshest, most delicious fish you’ll ever taste. 

You Can Tow a Teardrop Camper to Hard-to-Reach National Park Sites

Anyone who loves to camp in national parks knows that in-park campsites tend to be limited in number and super-popular, making it hard to get a reservation. You can improve your chances of scoring a prime campsite inside even the most popular national parks when you’re camping in a teardrop trailer. It’s compact enough that you’ll never need to seek an oversized RV space or fuss over finding a site that’s easy to park your vehicle in. Plus, a compact camper gives you plenty of extra room in your campsite for setting up chairs, a shade canopy and other comforts. 

Let’s say you want to camp inside the ever-popular Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park has 10 frontcountry campgrounds, and only one of them welcomes RVs with no size limits. One is for tents only, and all the others enforce maximum RV and trailer lengths. Teardrop campers are allowed in all but the tent-only campground, giving you so many more options when it comes to booking a site. 

Some national park roads, along with scenic byways nationwide, can be off-limits to oversized vehicles because of weather or dangerous conditions. For example, Zion National Park’s Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel is subject to traffic controls that ban the largest RVs and require a paid permit for mid-sized ones. A teardrop trailer can be small enough to escape these restrictions. It also just feels a lot safer to tow than a bigger trailer on mountain roads, which is a plus if you have a nervous driver in your party. 

Teardrop Trailers Are Great for Winter Camping

Plenty of people enjoy camping in winter. When the weather’s too cold for you to even consider tent camping, you can still go ahead with a camping trip when you know you’ll stay cozy, warm and safe inside a teardrop camper. Its compact size keeps the interior space cozier, without any major heating costs, compared to a larger RV. With the right gear, it can be very comfortable inside, even when temperatures drop below freezing outside. 

The right gear should definitely include a Pike Trail Sleeping Bag Liner, made from soft, breathable cotton to keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. It’s very compact, so it won’t take up your valuable storage space. Likewise, the Pike Trail Pocket Blanket folds into a pouch small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, yet offers an additional layer of warmth that you’ll appreciate anytime you’re camping in cooler weather.

Do You Love Paying Less?

Compared to larger campers and RVs, teardrop trailers come with considerably lower gas prices. Burning less fossil fuels is also good for the environment that you love. Maintenance and repair costs on these uncomplicated vehicles tend to be minimal, too. 

If you love saving money and shopping smartly (and who doesn’t?), then be sure to browse the outdoor gear at Pike Trail. The products are top-quality, thoroughly tested and researched, and yet still offered at very affordable prices. Just like a teardrop camper, Pike Trail gear is ruggedly designed and perfectly pairs with a pull-behind camper! Check out our sleeping bag liners, pocket blankets and soon to be launched ultralight camp chairs for your next adventure into the backcountry.