Teardrop trailers may be closer to a tent than a caravan in size but what they lack in specification and modcons they make up for in charm and, of course, an incredibly low towing weight.
So light in fact, that Mini Coopers and motorbikes have both been known to tow a teardrop with ease.
These trailers have still got a fairly underground following in the UK but the Teardrop Club of Great Britain has been on a mission to change this.
This June Bank Holiday will see the largest gathering of teardrop trailers in the UK at Matlock in Derbyshire. This event has been organised to celebrate these little trailers and get as many teardrop fans in one place as possible.
Click here to see more pictures of Teardrop Trailer micro caravans
With this event in mind, we thought it would be a great opportunity to delve into the history of these unique trailers and find out a bit more about the growing teardrop movement.
Surplus aluminium
Teardrops are said to have originated in the United States, after the Second World War when aluminium was readily available and people were keen to make their own caravans to save money. Usually they were built in a teardrop shape; hence the name and the teardrop movement took off fairly quickly in the US.
Britain was slower to catch on to this movement but in recent years more and more UK owners found themselves on American forums searching for news and events here in Britain. To make it easier for UK teardrop enthusiasts, the Teardrop Club of Great Britain (TCGB) was formed.
All shapes and sizes
Teardrops now come in various shapes, sizes and weights so there is no standard model – many came about due to people with smaller vehicles simply wanting to tow without upgrading their car.
Members of the Teardrop Club have gotten pretty imaginative with their designs and many have self built their dream trailer.
Dave Moult is a prime example of this, a forum member and teardrop enthusiast, Dave has built four teardrop trailers and is always on the look for a new project. The club have hailed Dave’s ‘Copper Top’ (below) as on of the best home builds in the country.
Meanwhile Chris and Sue, of Retro Trailers, have saved an old and abandoned teardrop from the scrapheap and are restoring it back to its former glory. They build new teardrop trailers to the specific order of each customer and spend hours lovingly getting these units road worthy.
Teardrops in Matlock
TCGB have arranged gatherings all over the country and always get plenty of attention wherever they pitch up.
The club encourages questions from curious caravanners so if you spot one of these units on your travels we are assured they are a friendly bunch who would love to tell you more about this phenomenon.
Matlock in Derbyshire is set to have hoards of so-called ‘teardroppers’ descend on the area for the June Bank Holiday weekend to take part in the largest UK gathering of teardrop trailers. This event will be the perfect way for new and experienced teardrop enthusiasts to camp together and show off some of their innovative home built trailers.
For more information on the Teardrop Club of Great britain click here.
