Teardrop Camper Executive

Teardrop campers have come back into vogue after a long hiatus.

Conceived in the 1930s, the aerodynamically shaped tiny caravans have found renewed interest from a variety of buyers, from those who own a classic or vintage car and see a teardrop as the perfectly styled camper accompaniment to those who simply like the teardrop for its retro looks, light towing weight and low price.

With their entry-level models, most teardrops can be towed by any car that has a legal tow rating.

There’s also the small matter of canvas — or rather, the lack thereof — that makes a teardrop a much easier camper to set up and pack up. There are no poles and ropes and no wet canvas to dry out before it rots.

Run by Frank Scenna in the western Sydney suburb of Blacktown, The Teardrop Camper Company has been in the business for 10 years.

Frank originally took up his factory space to build hot rods with his son as a hobby after retiring as a senior engineer in the private sector.

He built a teardrop camper to tow behind a hot rod and soon people were asking him to build them one. This is a familiar story in the camper trailer industry; once his handiwork became known, more requests flowed in.

Ten years later, he’s still building them out of his Blacktown premises and has just opened a showroom to display his finished products.

JUST FOR STARTERS

The $10,800 Executive is one up from the base model in the five-model Teardrop Camper range.

The base camper is a new model, the $8500 Nipper, which is a departure from the other models in that it’s a more squared-off camper with a rear-opening door in the mould of the A’Van Weekender and Jayco J-Pod.

One above the Executive is the Grange at $13,675, with the range-topping Grand Tourer priced at $18,385 (plus on-road costs).

The camper is built on a 75mm x 50mm RHS galvanised chassis with leaf-spring live-axle suspension and 15-inch alloy wheels, with a standard 50mm coupling and a swing-away jockey wheel.

With most vehicles able to tow The Executive up to its ATM of 750kg, electric brakes are usually not necessary but can be fitted if required for around $500.

The body and internal furnishings are built of pine wood (with two coats of polyurethane on the internal timbers), with the body insulated and then sheeted in 3mm aluminium composite. The mudguards are gel coated fibreglass.

NOT SO SQUEEZY

Getting inside the camper is done via the lockable doors on each side. The doors are in two parts, an outer polycarbonate tinted window section and an inner lockable security grill with flyscreen mesh.

With both outer doors open and screens locked, this gives you good flow-through ventilation while not having to worry about anyone getting in the wrong camper while you’re asleep.

When open, the doors are secured by fitting the stretch cord loop attached to the body over a button attached to the outer door.

Like any such teardrop camper, getting inside to sleep does mean you’ll have to be reasonably nimble. You’ve got to sit on the bed and shuffle back and then swing your legs in.

The Executive has a 1880mm x 1460mm x 75mm Durafoam caravan mattress that seems thick enough to get a good night’s sleep, although a mattress topper might add more comfort for those who feel the need.

With a 12v cigarette plug socket on the rear wall you can keep your equipment charged and there’s a LED strip light overhead and four 240v power outlets.

A roof hatch with fan helps to keep the camper cool on hot days, but there’s no internal blind to keep the camper interior dark for a sleep in.

Storage is covered off with a shelf at the rear of the room.

Speaking of storage, there’s a lockable aluminium checker plate storage box up front on the drawbar, as well as storage space found in the kitchen unit at the rear.

TIME TO COOK

You get to the kitchen through a gas-strut assisted lockable hatch at the back of the camper. The hatch has a sail track on its lower edge so that you can fit an awning (although this is not supplied with the camper).

On the hatch’s underside is a 12v LED light, while a four-pole 240v outlet sits in the kitchen.

The kitchen has a preparation bench of a decent size which also serves as the top of the two storage lockers. The right locker is a clean, squared-off space while the left locker houses the deep-cycle battery.

The locker hatches are all beautifully precision-cut, but the timber would chip very easily and could do with some capping around the periphery.

Above the kitchen bench is a shelf with a rod across its lip so that you can keep food, condiments and so on, secure on the shelf while travelling.

The Executive’s electrics are capped off with LED tail lights, a 240 volt 15 amp inlet plug, an Earth leakage device, 5amp Ctek charger and a 60Ah deep cycle battery.

Not surprisingly, The Executive towed easily behind the Fiat Panda Twin Air tow vehicle. On the freeway, it was easy to cruise along at 100km/h, with no stability problems.

With its long hitch to wheelset dimensions, the camper cuts in more than it would otherwise but this helps stability. It also takes away the need for stabiliser legs at camp, as the weight of gear in the kitchen sits just behind the wheelset and won’t be enough to tip the camper.

And as you’re lying ahead of the wheelset inside The Executive, that’s not going to result in any see-saw action either.

VERDICT

The Executive appears a very well-built camper that gives you a well-equipped entree into the teardrop camper market. It offers all the basic hardware you need with plenty of scope for your own improvements.

WE LIKED:
>> Good value package
>> Very well made
>> Ample storage

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Lack of interior blind for roof hatch
>> Kitchen locker covers easily chipped
>> Like all teardrops hard to climb in to

TEARDROP CAMPER COMPANY THE EXECUTIVE

Travel length: 4000mm (13ft 1in)
Body length (open): 2400mm (7ft 10in)
External body width: 2400mm (7ft 10in)
Travel height: 1700mm (5ft 6in)
Interior height: 1100mm (3ft 7in)
Tare: 330kg
ATM: 750kg
Ball weight: 30kg
Body: Timber frame with aluminium composite sheeting
Chassis: 75mm x 50mm RHS galvanised steel
Suspension: Live axle and leaf springs
Brakes: Optional
Stability Control: Not available
Wheels/tyres: 15in alloy/205/75R15
Fresh water: Not available
Battery: 60Ah deep cycle
Solar: 10w panel with regulator
Air-con: Not available
Gas: Not available
Hot water: Not available
Cooking: Optional swing-out cooker
Fridge: Optional
Microwave: Not available
Toilet: Not available
Shower: Not available
Lighting: 2 x LED
TV: Optional
Price: $10,800 (plus on-road costs)
Options fitted: None
Supplied by: The Teardrop Camper Company, Blacktown, NSW