Live Simple Live Free: Gear for your teardrop

Teardrops are made to be kept small and light plus they are generally used for weekend camping trips. This doesn't mean you can't improve them. They are perfect for those long weekends at the campground because everything is all packed and ready to go except the food. Some people even take them on the road when they are traveling because they can be pulled behind most cars. I have even seen them pulled behind a motorcycle. So here are a few additions you might consider to your teardrop for those long weekends.

Consider building in the Camp Chef Outdoor Oven. It comes with two 5300 BTU burners and a 3000 BTU oven. An all in one unit to handle all your cooking. It only weighs 35 lbs and can run off your 20 lb propane bottle or those small 1 lb propane bottles.  It cooks up to 5 hours on a single 1 lb propane bottle. Cook your favorite recipes that you use at home since the oven heats up to 400 degrees.  Matchless oven ignition and nonstick enamel cooking surface make it a welcome addition to your teardrop kitchen area.

Portable ice makers can sure come in handy around the campsite. You might consider adding one to your kitchen area of the teardrop trailer. They weigh around 30 lbs and take 12 volt DC or 110 Volt A/C. Some of the A/C ones use as little as 200watts so an inexpensive 400W inverter would be fine. You can run the ice maker until you get enough ice to fill your cooler for drinks then turn it off to save your battery. These ice makers start making ice in 7-10 minutes and the water is supplied by filling up there tank. No water connection required.

Slow cooking is the way to go when you are camping because you can let it cook while you relax. There are 3 ways you can do crock pot cooking in your teardrop kitchen. The Coleman propane crock pot runs off a 1 lb propane bottle and will cook on low for up to 10 hours. Stay away from the 12 volt crock pots because the power draw will drain your battery. Instead, consider purchasing a thermal cooker. The thermal cooker is heated on your propane stove to boiling for 15 minutes and then placed in its thermal pouch to finish cooking for hours. This saves a lot of fuel and your time. So, select a thermal cooker or propane powered crock pot for more flexibility in your teardrop kitchen.

Teardrop campers are designed to fit two adults but what happens to the children? If you need more room for the kids, try an SUV tent. The tent can be connected to the side door of the teardrop trailer and keep the children close to you at night. This makes it convenient to check on the children at night without letting the bugs into the tent or your trailer. So, when you need extra sleeping space with your teardrop trailer, check into adding a side tent designed to connect to an SUV.

When you cook outside like you do with a teardrop trailer, the weather becomes a factor. Don't forget the  tarp because it is a necessity when the weather changes and you need to rustle up some grub. The tarp will provide a dry place to sit while you cook and keep you dry from that unexpected rain shower that just happened to pick dinner time to arrive.

These are just a few of the enhancements you can add to your teardrop or build in when you are building your own.