Update 550 Ultra # 658 - Final Build Pictures Today

Hi Everyone,

Just received the notification from Craig that the final build pictures for our 550 Ultra # 658 is on-line. I guess that means she's done!

We're planning to name her the "Growler-Prowler" since lately, all of our camping trips have devolved into brewery/tap-house crawls!

Here’s how/why we ended up with a Camp Inn. I bet there might be some similarities to how/why you ended up with one, too:

I saw my first teardrop in the (in)famous Sundance catalog and I thought it was the cutest thing ever. At that time, it was just a novelty, until my husband and I started doing some long car-camping trips. Same thing as Craig – you start thinking about how many hours you spend unloading all the junk out the car, putting up the tent, setting up the camp kitchen, breaking down the camp kitchen, rolling up the (inevitably wet) tent, loading all the junk back into the car – when we’re on our own, we don’t usually stay in the same place for too long, so it was a lot of packing and unpacking. Originally, we thought maybe my husband could build a teardrop – I even drew out some plans – but the more research I did (trailer frames, leaking galley hatches, etc) the more I wanted to buy rather than build.

Everywhere we went, we kept out eyes out for tiny campers – we’d see teardrops and vintage canned hams once in a while – I think we even came across a Tear Jerkers campout at Nelson Dewey State Park in Wisconsin! Someone there gave us a Camp Inn brochure, and on our next trip north, we decided to stop by and check it out – beautiful! We made the mistake of “thinking about it” and it was another couple of years (and I don’t want to think how many wet tent roll-ups) before we finally committed.

In the beginning, we thought about an Airstream Bambi, but we really wanted something we could tow with my husband’s 2007 Subaru Outback (2700 lb limit). We looked at a CampLite and a T@b and an A-Liner and a Little Guy but they were so RV-junky compared to the Camp Inn. We even considered (not really) a VW Westfalia!

Our big epiphany happened last spring when my parents (who live in Gig Harbor, WA) let us take their PleasureWay campervan to the Olympic National Park for a week. It’s a beautiful camper that gets great gas mileage and it’s perfect for my parents, but without shore power, it’s just a headache – too many lights and a pain-in-the-neck to level. And the worst thing – we were in the camper all the time!

We thought we wanted something we could stand up in, something we could take our wet/dirty clothes off without getting everything all messed up. But for us, as tent campers, the most important thing is actually...camping! A teardrop really is the perfect camper. If I was going to live in my camper full-time, I **might** want a stand-up, but for getting out and enjoying nature, the next best thing to a tent (which is the next best thing to sleeping under the stars) is a teardrop!

 

Congratulation, "The Growler Prowler", I want to camp with you guys or at least follow you where ever you go! Sounds like you won't have any trouble Innjoying your new Camp-Inn. Cheers!



"Oh good ale thou art my darling, thou art my joy both night and morning"
Chorus from an old English folk song

Michael

 

Congratulations on the Growler-Prowler!

Perfect timing...it's finally getting to be camping weather up here. We were out at Chain O'Lakes a few weeks ago and stayed nice and toasty inside (w/o a heater) even though it got down to 34 degrees! You're gonna love it!

Enjoy!

 

Hi Michael! I'm sure we'll meet up one of these days – we always try to make it up to Port Townsend when we visit my parents. And if we can sync the trip with the Wooden Boat Show, all the better – there’s definitely an affinity between tiny trailers and sailboats! I can’t wait to take the teardrop to the OP again – there were a few places we couldn’t go with the “big bus.” I’d really like to attend a Northwest Gathering sometime – with all the boat builders and Boeing guys out there, I bet there are some great/wacky campers! Washington is a “free-fill” state (I’ve seen ‘em fill soda bottles and Gallo wine jugs) so we’ve always got a couple of growlers with us, just in case....

 

Hi Paige! I didn’t realize there was a Camp Inn so close to us! My husband (Tim) is a Schlapp (the old family farm is on Schlapp Road). Hope to see you and the Leigh-Z Inn soon.

 

Would love to see you folks on the OP, give us a shout when you're in the area. Yes you are right the Boeing guys are a creative bunch, I think PT's kinetic sculpture race owes a lot of it's fun to them.

Michael

 

I know the Schlapp name well...my neighbor's family farm is in that neck of the woods.

 

Congrats,
MDP
Mike & Denita

 

I was pretty nonchalant about the whole build process but now I'm positively chomping at the bit! It really is something to see your own, individual camper coming together - our inside cabinets look like they have a bit of a "raspberry stain" across them - we got a birch interior (instead of mahogany) so we were glad to see the extra color. I can't wait to see her in-person.

I really appreciate all of the "tips & tricks" here on the forum. We'll be doing mostly local weekend trips this year, but we hope to start taking longer, farther trips next year.

I've got most of my galley items assembled - for me, I guess that was the most fun. My "theme" is "made in the USA" a.k.a. "thrift store." One thing Aurora has going for it is some fantastic thrift stores! I'm trying to stick to things that won't melt and will be easy to clean. Of course, we're bringing a couple-three beer growlers (but those will stay in the Subaru).

We’re going to try to go mattress topper-free and see how it goes - we’ll have four nights right off the bat to figure out if the green mattress is “too firm.” I still haven't decided if I want to use a designated down comforter or our (rectangular) down sleeping bags (we're planning to bring our backpacking gear on long trips). Either way, I'm going to make a duvet cover.

I’m afraid I'm going to be fussy about keeping the bedding clean (bad experience with an Ackley-type dormmate in college) and I’m a little worried about the wet and the dirt getting into the bed. I suppose the best thing to do is relax and don’t panic! And don't forget your towel - and lint roller! I’m sure after a few days on the road it won’t be an issue anymore.

It will be interesting to see how we organize the cabin - usually, when we're car camping, we have a duffel bag for our clothes and it's always a muddled nightmare trying to churn up what we're looking for. After reading the forum, I'm thinking about getting some Eagle Creek packing cubes - if nothing else, to help with the shower-house shuffle.

There are some fantastic modifications on the forum, but I'm trying to resist the urge to purchase/plan anything until we figure out how we're going to use the camper. We completely remodeled our kitchen a few years ago and I know that what I was planning to put in cabinet X is often not what actually ended up in cabinet X.

I have decided on a few accessories:

- DC fridge - I hate worrying about ice! Hopefully, we'll be able to make it work off-the-grid. We got the solar hookup option (haven't decided on a solar panel yet).

- we have a 550 but we asked to have the 560 cup holder installed as well

- HyperVent for under the mattress.

- ElectroWarmth 12-volt bunk warmer (we didn't get the furnace option) - we'll add a small ceramic heater if necessary.

- Eureka Northern Breeze tent - I really don’t want to set up a shelter but I think it would be nice to have a place to hide if the weather/bugs/weirdos get too bad.

- Fantastic Vent Endless Breeze 12-volt fan (we didn't get the AC option, either) - we already have one and I think it will be nice to have if it's really hot/humid. We can also use it in the Northern Breeze.

- Tim's going to build some wood-slat garden pavers for the galley area for when the ground is super-mucky (I'll make a carry case).

- I'm also planning to sew new curtains and make some bolster pillows. I'd love to do a scotch plaid, but I'm not sure if I can find a suitable fabric.

- I'd also like to get some folding bikes

Otherwise, we're going to try to keep-it-simple! I like Bear's description of the "popcorn effect."

One unexpected side effect: now that we'll have the camper, I've gone through our camping supplies and if we aren't going to use it backpacking/canoeing/emergency and we aren't going to use it in the camper - get rid of it! Freed up a ton of space in the basement (I used to work at REI so I had a lot of unnecessary camping equipment!)

 

sounds like you have a good plan. We like the mattress without a topper and we have a cover made of upholstery fabric and use sleeping bags. Then we have a coleman tiny dust pan and brush that works great if we do get some sand in from the dog. We sit down in doorway of cabin take our shoes off and put them in a shoe bag so no muddy stuff. even with the dog we find it easy to keep clean.

 

Sure you are chomping at the bit to get it.
Anxious to see it.
You'll have to check out the mattress topper Becky got. we love it.

 

send photo of mattress topper thanks
looking for ideas

 

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