Jess and Todd Palmer not only travel tiny, they live tiny. The couple from upstate New York currently live in a cute, blue 200 square foot tiny house they built themselves. They run a website documenting their life in the tiny house. They also offer a tiny house consulting business that features how to find land, building versus buying, and how to downsize your belongings for more minimalistic living.
Photos courtesy of Jess Palmer
Jess and Todd also own a colorful teardrop trailer covered with a Dream Machine IPL beer logo decal. The bright green and blue decal from the Magic Hat Brewing Company in Vermont was not the couple’s idea, but it just happened to come with the trailer.
The teardrop’s original owner actually won the teardrop during a grocery store promotion. Jess and Todd then purchased the trailer from the original owner on Craigslist.
“When Todd found it online he told me (before I saw it), ‘We can paint it a different color.’ But when I saw it, I loved it and we agreed to keep the Magic Hat decal!” Jess says. “It’s fun and kind of psychedelic looking. No need to paint it!”
The trailer had only been used four times and the couple purchased it for $9,500. It didn’t only come with the fun logo, but also a roof rack, lighting under the floor, a DVD player, TV, and a sound system. The standard-sized teardrop also has a queen bed, galley kitchen, and air conditioning.
The couple came across the classic, round trailers while doing research for their tiny house build. They wanted a little camping trailer they could tow with any car since they didn’t want to upgrade to a large truck. The camper is large enough for them and their two dogs.
Jess and Todd are experienced tent and hammock campers and they love that the teardrop is easy and convenient. They like to take it up into the Catskill mountains for camping under the fall foliage.
“The camper makes us feel as though we are glamping rather than camping. Other folks with teardrops stop us to chat about how convenient and fun the trailers are. Everyone seems to agree it’s nice to be able to tow without a truck. Ours is extremely colorful so we get a lot of attention with it!”
