Cool Tears and Tiny Campers Magazine - June/July 2019

Cool Tears Magazine

June/July 2019

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June/July 2019

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Vol. 7

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No. 6

Magazine June/July 2019

COV E R STO RY Tiny trailer rally wows two first time attendees

By Brenda Willis & Bob Phillips

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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ON THE TEARDROP TRAIL: TEARDROP CAST IRON PIZZA

By Sarah Tucker

By Marilyn McCray

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8 TIPS TO ENSURE A GREAT TIME IN A TEARDROP

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BASEBALL AND CAMPING

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SOLVING PROBLEMS ONE AT A TIME RESULTS IN GREAT TEARDOP BUILD

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By Contributing Writer

Editor Sarah Tucker Contributing Authors Marilyn McCray Bob Phillips Brenda Willis Greg Kroll © Copyright 2019 Cool Tears Magazine™ All Rights Reserved Cool Tears Magazine™ is a trademark.

Written materials submitted to Cool Tears Magazine™ become the property of Cool Tears Magazine™ upon receipt and may not necessarily be returned. Cool Tears Magazine™ reserves the right to make any changes to materials submitted for publication that are deemed necessary for editorial purposes. The content of this publication may not be copied in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Cool Tears Magazine.™ Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed within are not necessarily the views of the editor, publisher, or employees of Cool Tears Magazine™.

Mailing Address: Cool Tears Magazine 2600 NE Douglas St Lee’s Summit, MO 64064

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By Contributing Writer

By Greg Kroll & Bob Phillips

June/July 2019

Cool Tears Magazine

Letter from the Editor:

Change is hard Wow, what a hard and emotional summer this has been. First of all, I would

like to offer a sincere and heart-felt thank you to each and every one of our readers who reached out over the last few months to offer their sympathy on

the loss of my mother. Please know, that while I couldn't respond to all of them, each one was read and appreciated greatly. Your love and support was felt immensely.

Second, I spent many hours over the last few months thinking and praying about the future of Cool

Tears. While the industry is booming, I needed to take the time to really evaluate the direction of the magazine both personally and professionally. I have come to the conclusion that a monthly magazine is simply not feasible due to several issues and will be reverting back to the bi-monthly format that was utilized when the magazine was founded.

I look forward to being able to include more in-depth and high quality articles in each magazine and as

always would love to hear from you, the reader, on articles you would be interested in reading.

Thank you for your continued support of Cool Tears Magazine and I look forward to hearing from you

soon!

Until next time‌enjoy every sunset!

Editor Cool Tears Magazine™ sarah@cooltears.com

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June/July 2019

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June/July 2019

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On the

TeardropTrail WITH MARILYN

Marilyn McCray is a published author of a cookbook titled Canning, Pickling and Freezing with Irma Harding, the International Harvester’s fictional spokesperson. Marilyn and her partner, Jim Kerkhoff, travel in a beautiful teardrop to promote the book and she has graciously agreed to share some recipes with us in a regular column. Be sure to check out her book at https://octanepress.com/book/canning-pickling-and-freezing-irma-harding

TEARDROP CAST IRON PIZZA

Making personal pizzas is a production, baking one at a time over the camp fire. Slice and serve them one at a time, hot off the fire. This is a great way to serve your friends or participate in a camp cook-off or provide a demonstration of your recipe or Cast Iron cooking technique. Get creative with toppings.

Serves: 4 – 10 or 12-Inch personal pizzas, bring more dough and toppings for bigger appetites or more servings.

Additional cast iron skillets will streamline cooking.

Ingredients · Pizza sauce – use your favorite recipe or select a tasty prepared sauce · Use your mom’s special pizza dough recipe, a noknead recipe can save time (slice.seriouseats.com) or use par-baked, commercially prepared crust · Dry Aged Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone, or even Cheddar or Jack cheese · Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Prosciutto, olives, sliced mushrooms, artichokes

Variations Pesto, Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, or make it Southwest with Jalapeños Prepare before leaving home · Create the pizza sauce, pesto, cook Italian sausage or other ingredients as needed · Make the dough, divide and roll into individual balls, pack in individual plastic bags Refrigerate. · Place in a cooler · Grate the cheese, slice or dice toppings. Use small plastic left over/deli containers · Measure dry ingredients and seasonings, place in plastic bags – label · Assemble all the ingredients and equipment, include a large cutting board

additional steps.

Have all the equipment and ingredients within reach. A small folding table near the fire can simplify the cooking.

Assemble the ingredients, mix and match toppings. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, place 1 ball of dough in the pan and turn it to coat both sides of the dough. Flatten the dough on the bottom and work dough up the sides of the skillet or place par-baked crust in the oiled skillet. Aluminum foil or parchment paper can be substituted to avoid sticking. The pizza is constructed in the pan. Add the sauce in a thick layer, cover with toppings and cheese all the way to the edge.

Cooking Methods On the campfire – Cast Iron Skillet Prepare the campfire. Baking one pizza at a time over the fire. Place the skillet on 12 – 16 coals. Cook for about 10 – 15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Optional: cover with lid to melt cheese. A griddle or other skillet can be used as a lid. Coals can be placed on the lid to melt cheese faster. When done, remove skillet from fire.

Use a long-handled metal spatula to loosen the pizza and transfer to cutting board, cut into slices. Oil the skillet and add the next pizza. Repeat the process for additional servings.

Serving Suggestions Slice, scatter a few basil leaves over the top and serve immediately, one at a time hot off the fire. Buen In Camp apetito!

Remove dough from the cooler.

Follow recipe for June/July 2019 Cool Tears Magazine

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Tiny trailer rally wows two first time attendees

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June/July 2019

Cool Tears Magazine

TEXAS TINY TRAILER RALLY

B

By Brenda Willis & Bob Phillips

ob and Brenda Willis attended their first Texas Tiny Trailer Rally held May 16-19 and summed up their weekend with these words: “Wow! What a fun time we had.” They are already looking forward to attending the Fall rally.

“We have a 2018 NuCamp Tag Outback Edition teardrop camper and we’re having the absolute time of our lives,” Brenda said. “Bob is retired and I’ll retire in five years.

Our plan then is to sell everything, upgrade to a larger camper and RV full-time.”

of Princess Craft, attended the rally along with her two daughters, Lindsay and Jackie, “both of whom provided much assistance and fun at the rally,” Brenda said.

The Spring rally was held at the Johnson Creek RV Resort and Park in Ingram, Texas, hosted by NuCamp RV and Princess Craft RV. PJ Buerger, general manager

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June/July 2019

“PJ held two Tech Talks/Round Tables on Friday and Saturday mornings. She provided tips and ideas on how to take care of and maintain our campers, along with fun places to go in our campers,” Brenda said. “Princess Craft had parts and accessories for purchase

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TEXAS TINY TRAILER RALLY

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June/July 2019

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TEXAS TINY TRAILER RALLY

on display, and they offered a 10% discount during the rally.

Campers were kept busy with a variety of events. The agenda included a campground cooking class, presented by Kate Dunbar of Campground Gourmet; a beginner yoga class, a potluck dinner, craft class, beer and wine tasting, and a pancake breakfast.

NuCamp hosted a barbecue dinner Saturday evening with a dance following. It proved to be a special occasion for Brenda and Bob.

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June/July 2019

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TEXAS TINY TRAILER RALLY

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June/July 2019

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TEXAS TINY TRAILER RALLY

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June/July 2019

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TEXAS TINY TRAILER RALLY

“After dinner, the Porch Turtles Band provided live music, to which there was much dancing and laughing. Bob and I celebrated our 40th anniversary on Sunday, May 26, and the band played a special song for us. We danced to Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings.” The evening was simply fabulous.”

Saturday evening ended with a presentation of camper awards for Mods, Glamping, Outdoor SetUp and Best Vintage. Then campers rallied around a bonfire.

The Willis’s asked to extend a huge “Thank You” to Princess Craft RV and NuCamp RV for “a job well done.”

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sarah@cooltears.com June/July 2019

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8 Tips to Ensure a Great Time in a teardrop Cool Tears Magazine

June/July 2019

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CAMPING TIPS

By CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

ith a little preparation, camping in a teardrop trailer can be a blast! We’ve had our teardrop for over 3 years now and have taken it on many, many adventures. Here are 8 things we’ve learned along the way to help ensure your next camping trip goes smoothly.

Editor's Note: Over the last year, Cool Tears has brought hundreds of camping tips thanks to the guys at Camp-Inn. Tiny Camper, Big Adventure blog had a whole other set of tips that were so great, we had to share them in Cool Tears as well.

Our family has always loved camping and we have been on countless camping trips over the years.

However after a back injury made sleeping on the ground impossible, we knew we had to find an alternative if we wanted to continue camping as a family. In early 2015, we became the proud owners of a teardrop trailer. In the past few years, we’ve put a lot of miles on our camper and have had so many wonderful adventures. We’ve definitely picked up a lot of teardrop trailer camping tips on our outings.

We thought we would share some things with you about camping with a teardrop trailer that we wish someone had told us when we bought ours.

Tip #1: Before camping in a teardrop trailer, practice backing up!

Before you take your teardrop camper on its inaugural trip, take it over to a large empty parking lot and practice backing up. Practice backing up a lot! Trust me on this one.

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Kevin drove a delivery truck for years, so he is no stranger to maneuvering large vehicles, but he had trouble backing up our teardrop trailer at first.

And to be honest, even after 3 years, he still has a bit of trouble backing it into our driveway when we get home. The shorter turn radius actually makes backing up a teardrop more difficult that backing up larger trailers.

On our first camping trip, it took a lot of tries to finally get the camper situated on the pad at our campsite. Not a lot of fun if you arrive at the campsite after dark!

That being said, most teardrops are so light that you can maneuver it into place manually by picking up the hitch if you get frustrated trying to back it up perfectly with your tow vehicle. But it

June/July 2019

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CAMPING TIPS

is a good idea to practice backing up before you ever take your camper on the road.

Tip #2: Invest in an extension cord for your teardrop camper

If you are planning on staying at a campground with an electrical hookup, invest in an extension cord. It just might make the difference between camping in a teardrop trailer with electricity for the duration of your trip or doing without!

of money for a little piece of mind.

You will also want to have a way to secure your camper while you are on the road and at the campsite. We use a hitch lock while the teardrop is hooked up to our van for travel and we use a coupler lock on the ball while we are in the campsite.

Some teardrop trailers come with really short electric cords. The cord for our trailer is only about 10 feet long, which seems like an adequate length.

You can save money by buying these in a set on Amazon, or you can also find these locks locally at hardware stores or camping supply stores.

Tip #3: Make security a priority when camping with a teardrop trailer

Tip #4: A pull-through site makes camping with a teardrop camper easier

However, we have stayed at a couple of camp sites where the electric hookup box was situated in a weird place. We had to end up maneuvering the teardrop off the pad to make the plug reach the electric hookup. So if your cord is short like ours is, invest in an extension.

Campers are a pretty friendly lot and look out for each other, but my philosophy is better safe than sorry. We’ve never encountered any issues while camping in a teardrop camper, but have read many stories of these tiny campers being stolen.

So take precautions to secure your investment.

Start with insurance. You will want to talk to your insurance agent about adding your teardrop to your auto policy. That’s what we did with ours. It costs us about $12 a month I believe – so not a lot

Cool Tears Magazine

In addition, wheel chocks are a must-have when camping with a teardrop trailer on uneven ground. They will keep the trailer from rolling.

Just be sure to remove them before you go to leave your campsite. That was a lesson we learned the hard way!

Even after you have mastered backing up your teardrop trailer, it is still infinitely easier to get a pull-through campsite.

With a little preparation, camping in a teardrop trailer can be a blast!

We've had our teardrop for over

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CAMPING TIPS

3 years now and have taken her on many, many adventures. Here are 7 things we've learned along the way to help ensure your next teardrop camping trip goes smoothly.

There are many times we have arrived at a campsite after dark and we were glad for a pullthrough site so we didn’t have to try to maneuver the camper in the dark. It is much less of a hassle to be able to just pull in and be done.

Tip #5: Get a campsite near a bathroom

Most teardrop campers do not have a bathroom so you will want one close in case you need to use the facilities in the middle of the night.

With a little preparation, camping in a teardrop trailer can be a blast! We've had our teardrop for over 3 years now and have taken her on many, many

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I never thought this would be an issue. I never wake up in the middle of the night at home, so why should camping be any different? But for some reason, every time we camp, I wake up in the middle of the night having to go to the bathroom, despite having a great teardrop trailer mattress. I think it may be that I get cold due to having the fan on our AC unit blowing to get ventilation in the small sleeping place.

Whatever the reason for my waking up, a midnight walk to the bathroom in the dark is not fun! We didn’t bother to get a spot close to the bathroom when we stayed at the campground near Niagara Falls and regretted it.

Fortunately Kevin is a good sport and doesn’t complain about getting up in the middle of the night to walk with me to the bathroom. However, this summer, we are going to be investing in a privacy pop-up tent and a portable toilet!

But if you don’t want any more camping gear to lug around, just reserve a campsite near a bathroom.

Has you covered!

Trailer Cover, Shade and Tent Solutions for:

adventures. Here are 7 things we've learned along the way to help ensure your next teardrop camping trip goes smoothly.

Tip #6: Ensure there is adequate ventilation in your camper This is especially important if you have built your own teardrop. There have been stories of campers asphyxiating during the night while camping in a teardrop camper.

This is usually only an issue with homebuilt trailers that haven’t included adequate ventilation. When the camper is closed up for the night there is a danger of running out of air

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CAMPING TIPS

I have never heard of this happening with commercially built teardrop trailers, but we sleep with the windows open just to be safe.

Tip #7: Bring along an EZ-Up in case of bad weather while camping in a teardrop camper It is rare that we have a camping trip where it doesn’t rain at all, so we bring along an EZ-Up shelter to put over the galley area. This allows us to have a nice dry space for cooking if it is raining.

Our EZ Up is large enough that we can raise the galley lid completely underneath the shelter.

We have a 10′ x 10′ one and that is definitely enough room for a picnic table and our camp stove underneath.

Tip #8: Don’t pack more than you need when you are camping in a small trailer There is minimal storage in a teardrop. So you will definitely want to think long and hard about what you take along on a camping trip. Space isn’t usually an issue when when camping in a small trailer for a long weekend trip.

However, when you are gone for more than 4 days, things can get tight when you consider all the clothing, food, and equipment you need for the duration of the trip.

So we think long an hard about everything that gets packed in our teardrop and are continually re-evaluating our packing list to pare down. Plan your packing list carefully so that you only bring along what you absolutely need.

More than a few times having the EZ-Up has allowed us to cook our meals during inclement weather when camping with a teardrop trailer.

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June/July 2019

tinycamperbigadventure.com

due to the small sleeping quarters.

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and

C

camping

ool Tears has actually posted about football and camping before.

The two activities can make for an interesting combination, whether it means camping with fellow fans during a major game or event, camping in close proximity to a bowl game you have tickets to, or something as simple as bringing a ball to toss around during an outdoor excursion. But following up on these discussions, what about camping and America’s pastime?

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June/July 2019

Cool Tears Magazine

BASEBALL AND CAMPING

We’re talking about baseball, which may not be quite as popular as it once was, but remains a quintessentially American game, an iconic form of recreation in warm weather, and something plenty of people with an appetite for the outdoors undoubtedly appreciate.

As it happens, we came up with several reasons to link camping and baseball, and specifically to consider a summer camping tour roving from one American ballpark to the next!

First and foremost, it must be noted that the summer ballpark tour is already a tried-and-true tradition. It’s something people do for all kinds of occasions, from a summer road trip with college friends to a first vacation after retirement. You an find suggestions for strategic routes from city to city, lists of the best stadiums to visit if you can only make it to a few, and even recaps and accounts from people who have done the full, nationwide tour. Granted, most people aren’t doing it all via camping excursions, but the ballpark aspect of the experience is established, with plenty of blueprints out there for you to follow.

The real beauty of a trip like this isn’t just moving from city to city either, or the act of getting out on the road. One reason ballpark tours are popular is that each stadium is so different from the last.

Arguably more than in any other sport, baseball’s stadiums are unique. This is in part due to the fact that the actual dimensions of the field are not fixed, meaning each team can have a slightly

Cool Tears Magazine

different design, and the stadium around it can be built accordingly.

And when you factor in a heavy focus on concessions (now often including cities’ local favorites), occasional family attractions on the concourses, and the actual architecture of the stadiums, you really do get a different experience at each stop.

For those interested in the activity, betting can also be a perk of enjoying baseball from one city to the next. Betting on the MLB hasn’t always been as active as with some other sports, because there’s limited international interest and the U.S. has largely banned such practices. Now, though, there’s a spread of betting legislation allowing more and more states to support regulated, online betting sites and apps. So for anyone who likes the idea of placing a little bit of money on a game here or there (don’t get carried away, of course!), this is a whole new side of the ballpark tour concept. Some stadiums, or rather the states they reside in, will allow bets.

Finally, knowing that ballpark tours are common traditions, that each stop is different, and that some will allow you to place bets on the games, there’s one more thing to consider: the camping! If the idea is to take your camper from city to city enjoying America’s pastime, you’ll need places to set up and spend the night. And it just so happens that others with passion for life on the go have saved us the trouble of finding campgrounds near every MLB stadium. It’s a fantastic guide that gives you some beautiful places to stay, turning your ballpark tour into a one-of-a-kind camping experience as well.

June/July 2019

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Solving problems one at a time results in great teardop build

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June/July 2019

Cool Tears Magazine

TEARDROP BUILD

G

By Greg Kroll & Bob Phillips

reg Kroll started thinking about building his own teardrop camper nearly 20 years ago, but living in an apartment and without tools there was no way to fulfill the dream. When he and his wife bought a house seven years ago, the dream welled up anew. Then when his wife’s mother gifted them a 5X10 utility trailer, he knew it was time to get started.

Greg Kroll started thinking about building his own teardrop camper nearly 20 years ago, but living in an apartment and without tools there was no way to fulfill the dream. When he and his wife bought a house seven years ago, the dream welled up anew.

Then when his wife’s mother gifted them a 5X10 utility trailer, he knew it was time to get started.

Cool Tears Magazine

“Over the course of 20 years I had acquired some tools, and now I had a trailer and a place to build.

So with my wife’s permission and a $400 starting budget I started stripping the trailer and getting it ready to install a floor. I knew how big I wanted the floor to be. I had drawn a picture of what I wanted to build, but had no idea how to build it.

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TEARDROP BUILD

“I wanted to build an old-style teardrop, inspired by a woody surf wagon. I wanted a hardwood countertop for the galley and I didn’t want any shore power because I don’t like to camp in those kinds of campgrounds. I had an idea of what my needs were.

I broke everything down into individual problems that I needed to solve as I went along.”

The project slowed significantly when Greg took a new job that required him to be out of the country for weeks at a time. He had the walls up but then had to work a day at a time when he was home on weekends.

“I looked for parts and information surfing the internet from a hotel room. It became a little bit of an obsession. My windows came from a rv salvage/ surplus yard for $30 apiece. Because I couldn’t afford $700 doors, I had to figure out how to make those too.

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“I live within an hour of several rv/trailer-supply June/July 2019

Cool Tears Magazine

TEARDROP BUILD

businesses and vintage outlets where I was able to get the hinge for the galley as well as the door hardware. I would buy things like lights and a fan when they were needed and just keep on solving problems as I went along.

“I found a local man who had some live edge black walnut lumber for sale and he planed it down for me. I learned how to use epoxy and ended up with a gorgeous countertop.”

When Greg confronted problems he couldn’t solve, he turned to Jay Poore, who was also building a teardrop and had started a Facebook page called DIY Teardrop Camper Community. He stayed in close communication with Jay and said both he and the FB site were a huge help when it came down to problem solving.

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TEARDROP BUILD

“I finished construction of my camper on the 12th of June 2019 and had my first trip planned for the 13th – a 400-mile round trip to the Sturgeon River in Northern Michigan for an annual kayak trip we do every summer. It rained the whole trip up there and the first two days that we camped, but everything stayed dry! My wife and I agreed that we had the best nights of sleep that we have ever had camping.

“I built the camper in a one-car garage and my mud room, which resulted in just over a year of tracking sawdust all over the house. It drove my very patient wife crazy.”

Greg said the doors were the biggest individual challenge he had to solve on his own since most people either buy pre-made doors or cut them down from larger rv doors. The real challenge came in getting them to properly latch and making them waterproof.

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“The camper has two 12-volt rv batteries, a fantastic fan, two reading lights with phone chargers, and an overhead light. I can go two weeks without charging if I keep the fan to a medium speed at night. I think it is still pure camping when you cook outside and sit around a fire instead of hanging out inside a full-size trailer or motorhome watching television while you eat your breakfast.

“We are very happy with the way the teardrop came out and it looks very similar to the initial sketch that I did 15 months earlier.”

June/July 2019

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TEARDROP BUILD

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June/July 2019

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Time for a new adventure. Videos of builds, tips and tricks.

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