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Fantastic DIY Tear Drop Build. You’ll Want to Get Building Yourself When You See These Pictures.

This post was updated on April 19th, 2024

TacomaBuzz on the Tacoma Forums made a top-notch DIY tear drop camper and took some amazing pictures of the build process.

We’ve featured many tear drop camper builds like this and this on DoItYourselfRV, and this one is right up there in terms of craftsmanship and quality. 

The builder claims it’s made of 60% recycled materials.

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Would you believe he said it took him about two months to finish the entire thing!?

The Process

Starting with a recycled trailer, he used 3/4″ standard plywood for the siding and 1/8″ Luan plywood for the interior walls.

Luan plywood is a great material to work with and is quite cheap. Curtis used the material in his renovation of a conversion van.

Some other materials used in this DIY tear drop camper:

  • foam board insulation
  • sheet metal exterior siding (from an old above-ground swimming pool)
  • salvaged windows (from another camper)

Recycling windows, siding, and wood paneling is a great money-saving idea. Larry used similar materials in his awesome DIY tear drop build.

As far as amenities, this camper lets you live in style.

TacomaBuzz added:

  • recessed lighting for the interior
  • roof vent with powered fan
  • TV jack
  • wiring for an exterior light

Take a look at some of his detailed build pictures below.

Preparing to Place the Walls

preparing to add the sidewalls
Getting ready to add the side walls.

Adding L-bracket Supports

adding bracing to the sidewalls
Using L-brackets to keep the sidewalls in place.

Luan Plywood Used for the Interior Siding

luan plywood was added to the interior
You can see the L-brackets on the bottom partially covered by the Luan plywood interior. Note the neat rows of screws. What a quality build!

Cross Members in Place

adding the two by four furring cross members to the diy tear drop trailer
Interior shot as the camper takes shape. TacomaBuzz decided to use 2″x4″ cross members rather than 2″x2″ for added stability.

Camper Ready for Insulation

luan plywood on the inside waiting for the insulation
Note the recessed cutouts on the rear where the rigid foam insulation will fit.

Adding the Insulation

adding rigid foam insulation to the trailer
Foam board insulation will keep the small space comfortable.

Vent Fan Added to the Roof

recessed opening for roof vent and fan
TacomaBuzz built in an opening for the installation of an electric vent fan.

Adding the Metal Siding

adding the metal siding is a two man job
Putting up the metal siding was a two-person job.

Siding Cut to Fit the Contour

sheet metal from a swimming pool goes on the outside
Once attached he cut off the excess metal for a nice, tight fit.

Siding the Roof

one piece of metal goes over the entire top
A single piece of the sheet metal covered the roof of the tear drop.

Adding the Vent

getting the roof vent in place on the tear drop camper
Getting ready to install the vent.

Look at That Quality Door!

solid construction on this camper door
Used hardware doesn’t have to look anything less than spectacular

Recessed Lighting

recessed lighting and spaced out screws attach the luan plywood
Nice shot of the interior with recessed lighting.

Ready to Roll

flashing installed and caulked ready to roll
Completed DIY tear drop camper after adding flashing to seams and caulking.

Want to see more DIY camper builds? Don’t want to miss a thing? Be sure to sign up to the DoItYourselfRV newsletter here.

Photos credit: Tacoma Forums

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