Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Building a Vardo : The beginnings...

I've decided to build my own vardo.  This little blog will chronicle the journey.

First up: Why a vardo?

Because I decided that tent camping it no longer for me, I want to go camping when I have time, which is in the fall and spring. In Texas with it's unpredictable weather means I want a roof over my head.

So I started to look around, and at this point I started to feel like Goldilocks.

This is to big:


I started by looking at various travel trailers.
What I found was basically a hotel room, tv's dvd players, cable hook up... the works. I kept expecting to find a jacuzzi tub in one. Where is the fun of that?  I don't want to camp out / live in the trailer, I just want to have a place to run into when the weather gets nasty and a place that's dry to sleep.

This is to small. 

So I started looking at smaller trailers and found Teardrops!
Cute: A nice bolt hold if the weather changes. But the downside is that you have to craw into bed.
Without a place to sit with a book, or invite someone in or even stand up and stretch.
Sooo not for me.

This is just right!

That's when I discovered Bowtops and Vardos:

Honest Truth: I spotted them watching the My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding on Youtube. 

Now here is a travel trailer I can relate to!
A bed, room to move around, and it doesn't look like a big white box!
Color! Style, PERFECT!

Now I'm not quite sold, so I start reading:
  • How to Build a Bowtop by Walter Lloyd 
    • (Which I had to Interlibrary Loan from England so if you want to read it, off to the library you go!)
  • The New Gypsy Caravan by Timothy Lemke
  • Go House Go from Portland Alternative Dwellings  
  • And I've got Small House Book by Jay Shafer on order

And decide that Bowtops are nice but Vardo's are Victorious! 


Links:
As soon as I figure out links I'll get these too.

So I started doing more research.  Trailers....

But that's a whole other post.

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