Our new T@B Trailer

For several years, Pat and I talked about getting a teardrop trailer/camper. We had seen the traditional teardrop style, and thought it was cute. A traditional teardrop trailer is small, and the inside is just a bed (can’t stand up in it). The back hatch opens up to a galley kitchen. Some are very basic, whereas others are more elaborate, with air conditioning, a refrigerator, sink, cable TV…the sky’s the limit on customizing these. Here is one made by a company called Cozy Cruiser:

We looked into them several years ago, but at the time, weren’t ready to purchase. So we kept taking our road trips and staying in motels as usual. This past weekend, we attended the 2009 Missouri Route 66 Association’s Annual Motor Tour. There was a couple on the tour, traveling with a teardrop trailer, decked out in a Route 66-theme. How cool!

Route 66-themed teardrop trailer

Not only cool, but for sale too. We were very interested in it, and thought we might catch up with the owners again and talk about it.

During the tour, one of the passport stops was at a town festival in Strafford, Missouri. There was an RV display with a full-size RV, a camper, and a teardrop-esque trailer, called T@B.

While not a “traditional” teardrop, T@Bs have the same general shape of a teardrop, but taller and longer. It’s exterior dimensions are: height –  7′ 9″, length – 15′ 6″, width – 6′ 7″. It’s interior height is 5′ 9″. This particular model has a toilet compartment inside. Other features common to all T@Bs are a dinette which converts to a bed, interior kitchen with stovetop and sink, and cabinets. Options include fridge, flip-down TV/DVD, air conditioning / heater, porta-potty, awning, screenroom, and more.

Here is the dinette area:

T@B Mini-rally at Summit Lake State Park - Indiana

And the kitchen area:

Camping at Little Farm on the River - Rising Sun, Indiana

Another passport stop was at a Route 66 RV park / motel, and we talked to the owner for a while. He highly recommended Scamp or Casita. Both fine trailers, but we preferred the teardrop style. The T@B combined the best of both worlds: teardrop shape, but bigger inside, with a kitchen and seating area. On our ride home, I was searching the internet on my smartphone for trailers, but that was challenging!

When we got home Sunday, we started searching…continued Monday night…Tuesday, I found a Yahoo Group for T@B owners. I joined, and started asking questions. Pat found out that Dutchmen was discontinuing manufacture of the T@B, but the enthusiastic and friendly members assured us that purchasing a T@B was a good idea and we would have loads of fun in it. The members are also very knowledgeable and an amazing resource for all aspects of owning a T@B. Pat and I talked alot, asking ourselves if we wanted a traditional teardrop, would we really be comfortable inside it? If it rained as we had to cook in the open galley in back? Not that there’s anything wrong with them…they’re still cute, but the lure of the T@B keep pulling us back.

So, we finally forged ahead with wanting a T@B, searching new vs. used. We made a few contacts through Craig’s List, but they were very far away. We ended up finding a dealer with new 2010 T@B models, right here in Indiana! Their prices for new were very reasonable, far below what we had seen elsewhere on the internet for new models from dealers.

By Wednesday, Pat and I were so enthralled, and seeing the price for the new T@B, decided to plunge headfirst. We’d been corresponding with Deb at Tiara RV, and so once Pat and I made a definite decision, I called Deb, and the deal was in motion.

Here is the one we selected:

We made an appointment to pick it up Saturday. Now, here it is, Saturday morning, and we’re getting ready to head out. I slept well last night, but I guess I was so excited, I woke up at 4:00 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep!

So, I’ll post more of my own photos later when we get home with our new baby!!

Here she is!!

This cool motel sign was in front of the RV dealer. We pulled up with our red T@B and the dealer had a yellow model on display out front. How well they coordinate with the sign!

T@B - TQ Teardrop Trailer

Stay tuned for our travels with our “Cherry Bomb.”

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11 Responses to Our new T@B Trailer

  1. Jim says:

    How exciting for you both! This ought to make for some really enjoyable road trips. What’re you gonna tow this behind?

  2. JimmyBean says:

    I don’t know If I said it already but …Hey good stuff…keep up the good work! 🙂 I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks,)

    A definite great read..Jim Bean

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  4. Shereen Horton says:

    we have a t@b an want to be in a club. do you have any suggestions?

    • Jennifer says:

      Hi Shereen, I am not aware of an official club with membership dues, but I started an online group for owners of the TAB and TADA trailers, which you can find here: http://tab-tada.ning.com/ Signing up is easy. You are welcome to join us! We have a forum, photo gallery, chat, and more.

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  6. Nancy Duggan says:

    I LOVE your T@B Trailer and want one of my own! You purchased yours in Indiana? May I have the name and contact info. for the dealer? I live in Virginia and can’t find a dealer anywhere!

    Lucky you…I know you are enjoying it!

  7. Ann says:

    I now own the Route 66 teardrop. Boy, was I surprised to see a pic of my trailer on your website.

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