Frantic, defeated, and penniless Chris desperate for some good news. The dreams of the mighty Bear Pod were held delicately in the balance. Would Chris find the funds he needed to finish the project? With so many large, unanswered questions lingering in the air, it was tough to find the motivation to keep on building.

Chris came through the front door grumbling with a worried expression. He hadn’t heard from Hiker Trailer, the folks who owed him a quote for the siding. Chris occupied his time by building out the kitchen, complete with countertop, shelving and a small drawer to store the propane stove.

After scoring a great deal on hardware floors, he even added a touch of luxury, but the enthusiasm and hope began to wane like a dying headlamp. He still needed answers and the hourglass wouldn’t stop dripping. Despite his frustrations, he had already put in too much time, effort and money to turn back. Chris had to dig deep and get creative, fast.

Learning How to Google Search

Ever since discovering that the Five Star RV Center wasn’t going to provide the used parts Chris needed, he turned to the Internet. However, each search result yielded frustratingly huge price points.

Until he unlocked the secret code of search-engine mayhem. It turns out that looking for teardrop-specific products resulted in huge markups on pricing. The same exact item for a cargo trailer? A fraction of the price.

Instead of searching for the trendy, “teardrop camper items”, he simply devised a way to search for the same product, but for a cargo trailer. A rooftop vent with a fan? $180 for a teardrop model and $35 shipped for the exact same model on a utility trailer. This quick hack worked like magic, and the curse started to lift.

Finding the Craigslist Unicorn

The design of the back hatch, often a complicated piece of hardware on a standard teardrop, eluded Chris since the start of the project. Neil, John and I proved useless at finding a solution.

Chris tried everything in his power not to build a door. Anyone in the construction industry knows that a door, although simple, is actually one of more complicated items to specify.

Hardware, locks, latches, material and size all need to align to create a functional door. Layer on a door built to jostle down the dirt, and things get complicated.

Hopeless, Chris turned to Craigslist to see if he could find some salvageable parts from an old, beat-up camper. Instead, he found a Craigslist unicorn. You know what I’m talking about. That one item you don’t ever think anyone would sell, but they just happen to be selling exactly what you need for just the right price.

Like a sign from the virtual stars, a cargo trailer manufacturer had a door come into their warehouse with a scratch down the middle. Not good for a brand-new trailer, but perfect for a home-build. Chris snatched it up instantly. He had found a road-worthy door, with hardware and framing that matched his exact dimensions. Slowly the Bear Pod was looking less like a wooden box on wheels, and more like an off-road worthy home.

Hiker Trailer Makes a Call

Out of thin air, Chris got a call from the folks at Hiker Trailer << https://www.hikertrailers.com/&gt;&gt;. The receptionist apologized profusely over the phone, explaining that requests just for siding aren’t typical in their custom build shop. Hiker Trailer was excited at the prospect of a home build, and gladly cut each piece of siding to order. All Chris needed to do was come down to the shop and pick up the material. Elated, he shot over to the north Denver warehouse.

As soon as he got a warm day, he threw up the siding with his dad, Neil. They were nervous, since neither one of them had any experience with this kind of work. Their nerves weren’t misplaced, it turned out to be quite a dangerous task.

First, the roof plate needed a break, or bend, in the metal. Usually this would be calculated and done with a rather large machine called a press break. Chris’ dad had countless tools in his shop, but a press break was not one of them. Ingeniously, they wedged spare two-by-fours to between the shop ceiling and the roof of the camper, forming a custom-bent metal roof piece.

Next, they trimmed the pieces to fit. The cutting reminded the team that this was still no easy task. The aluminum siding gummed up router bits and shot hot sparks, burning right through even dense clothing. Battle scars were firing up fast.

With guts, grit, and all the safety gear the shop had to offer, they eventually got the Bear Pod sided and looking sharp.

Unwrapping the Gift of a Lifetime

After the siding, the rest of the teardrop trailer came together rather quickly. A few added luxuries, like some milk-crate shelving and prayer flags on the interior made the Bear Pod feel like home. Her old 12-inch cart wheels were replaced with some lightly used 15-inch Jeep wheels.

The axel turned out to be less worrisome. Instead of needing to weld, we discovered we could simply unbolt the old axel, shift the tires to where the weight would be correctly distributed, and re-bolt the axel. All that was left were a few minor details in the kitchen and peeling the protective plastic off out the exterior. John and I stopped by the shop and chanted until he unwrapped the whole thing.

What we saw just wasn’t simply a camper, but a true labor of love. I don’t think anyone expected the Bear Pod to come out looking so good. It was time to hit the road.

Can Anyone Build a Teardrop Camper? Short Answer: No

At the end of the build, we discussed if building a teardrop camper is something anyone could do. In short, no. You need a variety of home improvement skills to get the job done, including familiarity with wiring, welding and working with metal.

It isn’t the just the skills required to put the pieces together. Since there are so many unique issues with a camper build, it takes the foresight to be able to solve complicated problems. Not just the problems that arise naturally, but also the problems you create when you make a mistake. We certainly have a new found appreciation for the price tags on these mobile toys.

A Look at the Numbers

There’s a story in the numbers. At the time of publishing, the Bear Pod has the following tallies.

In the end, this campfire tale became a reality. What started out as a dare turned into a gift that grants a lifetime of adventure. The Bear Pod takes to the road this April.

Want to follow the Bear Pod adventures? You can find Chris on Instagram at @bearabound.