What teardrop to buy?

Roamey

Good comments on construction. Follow up on Adzel. Why do you prefer it to fiberglass or aluminum; all are waterproof. 

KBaggins1

I am assuming that adzel is the material that the T@B walls are made of ? I kept the piece of wall that I cut out to add our outside receptacle (2014 models mostly do not have one) and this is what the walls are made of outside to inside : A layer of chopper gun fibreglass about 1/16" thick, a layer of luan plywood about 1/8" thick, 1" of white styrofoam, another layer of luan plywood and then the textured vinyl wallpaper about 7 thou thick. The aluminum framework ribs are bonded in there at the appropriate spacing. Much better than stick built, but not quite up to the structural strength of a fibreglass egg style camper. The roof on our T@B is an aluminum skin over more ribs and stryrofoam and nice birch plywood finishing on the inside. Overall we are very happy with the way the T@B is built and love the fact that it is watertight without the need for a yearly caulking application.

Sharon_is_SAM

KBaggins1, per Marvin at the factory:  the ceiling of the Tabs is actually a 1/8th inch ply with a veneer.   I believe a coated paper veneer.  Not wood - but it looks like wood.

atlasb

Speaking from our own experience,  as new owners of the 400, We love it!  There were some issues with our first one ordered and NU Camp took it back to the plant.  They made a new 400 for us and delivered it 1000 miles to us.  The new one is night and day form the first one.  The customer service is above and beyond any other that we have seen from most any company.  The quality is also above and beyond.  Everyone has their preferences on style, features etc.  and there can be problems with any product (even top of the line auto's).  At the end of the day, it comes down to what you need, what you want and what you get.  This is our third Pleasant Valley / NU Camp product and we value both the service and product.

ericnliz

Thanks for sharing these important, pertinent points to those that might be "on the fence". I also can attest to the superb customer service shown by nuCamp! For those of you in doubt, all I can say is that you came to the RIGHT place!!

Tabaz

You'll find the perfect model for you both only after seeing each one in person.

Roamey

@atlasb, well said. 

roguebooks

@atlasb @Roamey @ericnliz Makes me feel very confident that after all these months of research, and getting to know and hear from forum members on several different sites, we have found the right trailer for us. Looking forward to getting inside one in the next few weeks when we head south from the hinterland of these north woods. I plan on ordering exactly what we want at that time. Glad to wait in order to not settle.

roguebooks

We were going to opt out on the graphics but baby brother (age fifty-eight and a black belt) stated last night to me, Get the graphics, it will match the truck better...The graphics are what make the trailer.  Now I am rethinking my position on having no graphics. Anybody get a 400 with no graphics? Seems a bit busy to me with that Matte Black Metro.

Ratkity

@roguebooks I'm so glad you were able to come to a solid decision. When it comes to options, I know some can be pricy. My rule of thumb is to calculate what my budget allows and go one level up from base. Never regretted it! 

Go for it all!

jgram2

@roguebooks, I searched on 400 and found this post

T@b 400 Pics with no graphic- oops, thought I grabbed it all.

jkjenn

@roguebooks

I think in terms of off-roading it depends on what your definition is. If it is a little higher clearance to go down rougher forest service roads, the Outback will do. It is to real off roading none of the standard RVs will do, you would want something with less to break, like the T@g off road version or one of those marketed for serious off-roading. The problem with most serious off-road trailers is that they are not meant for standing. 

This would probably be true of any trailer, but the more they bounce down a road, the more frequently you need to check and retighten screws and the more likely you are to sustain damage from things bouncing around. 

I take my T@b, that has the same axle and clearance of an Outback, down forest service roads and other boondocking spots but would not consider it a true off-road camper. Not like the M416 trailers with Rooftop tents and similar set-ups.

jimdermodycdn

Tongue weight is an issue on the nüCamp 400.  I'm sure the tongue weight is around 160 in Europe for the 400 (seems to be the standard there). Lost in translation for the nüCamp 400. If we decide in the future that our T@B is too small it will likely be the Hymer we move up to. If the specs are the same for the North American model and the build quality is the same as the European models. 

roguebooks

@jkjenn, I use the term off-roading loosely. We will use our T@B much the same way you use yours. Basically, we would like to be away from people and most campgrounds. I would not have a problem hauling our trailer along a nicely maintained two-track.

jkjenn

roguebooks said:

@jkjenn, I use the term off-roading loosely. We will use our T@B much the same way you use yours. Basically, we would like to be away from people and most campgrounds. I would not have a problem hauling our trailer along a nicely maintained two-track.

As long as you are willing to go really slow, you should be OK with the Outback. I read today that the 400 comes standard with the pitched axle, so it might be worth inquiring what the difference in ground clearance is. Princess Craft in TX has the best video tour, on YouTube,  I have seen, yet of the 400. The sales lady really does a nice job of highlighting the quality touches in the unit.

Roamey

I saw Hymer mentioned and explored on Web. They recently bought RoadTrek and seem to be doing some business with Camping World. Like the European T@B, many of their smaller trailers don't have showers. It will be interesting to see if that changes for the U.S. market. 

roguebooks

@jkjenn, we are pretty set now on the 400. Will know for sure in about three and half weeks.

roguebooks

After months of research and looking firsthand at many brands including the LGMax, T@B 320’s, T@B400, Eggcamper, and the Armadillo, the final decision came down between the Oliver Elite 18.5 and an Airstream Sport 16. On 09-20-2017 we put a deposit on an Airstream 2018 Sport 16 and would have been taking delivery around November 1. In my joy and need for sharing good news with my friend in the neighborhood, I was informed that I would not legally be allowed to park my Sport 16 in the driveway when not traveling. Seems it is a violation of a Melbourne city ordinance. Because of all the Florida native trees we had planted on our property there would be no way around this predicament. That bit of news changed everything so I quickly cancelled my order for the new Sport 16 as I was not ready to make such a drastic life change, if at all possible, that I was not prepared for.  Considering we would have to move if we wanted a trailer as much as we thought we did I began to research again the differences between the remaining two trailers on our list. Because I had previously rejected the Sport 16 I decided to go back over the reasons why and all the posts I had read and saved regarding it. The last thing I wanted was to spend my valuable time returning again and again to the dealership to have my Airstream repaired or critical items replaced. The quality control issues became again a major problem for me and the disagreeable price of the Oliver Elite 18.5 became more justified. The fact that I would have to spend a great deal of time boon docking the Ollie appeared to be the better choice due to its more durable construction and ground clearance. Knowing the Ollie was first designed by serious hunters and fishermen desiring a more robust life of sport in Canada and Alaska made me believe again that the Ollie was the one. The fact that we would have to leave our home and basically start over insisted we have a trailer we could live with, and, in.  As much as we preferred the comfort and design of the interior of the Airstream Sport 16 we came to believe it was more a cosmetic thing like lipstick, and the AS Sport 16 certainly had to be minimally constructed due to its price being $15,000 less than the Ollie, not to mention it being sold through dealerships who also need to make a profit. It became a scary proposition to own this Airstream and rely on its performance to keep us on the road.

I contacted Oliver again and had my quote updated to a 2018 model. We ordered the trailer and it will be ready sometime in March of 2018. My wife and I decided we would put our home up for sale this coming January and hope to close on it as near to the delivery date as possible.  In the meantime we are pursuing plans to build a climate-controlled storage garage and driveway on one of our vacant lots in Apalachicola. This would provide us a place to store our belongings safely and give us a place to park our rig when we required a needed break from the road or maybe take a trip by air somewhere. Trying to make life simple enough to make wiser decisions regarding where to eventually live, so no additional setups will be required in other states. The Ollie should give us a reliable home to travel in for what remains of our lives.  Adventure awaits, and we shall attempt again to charge the fire. Thanks to all for the help.

Homebodyatheart

@Mike, congrats on making your decision. I looked at those online, but for us it didn't make sense. Can you install a septic/sewer dump outlet and fresh water outlet on your property, too? That would make it perfect for staying put for a while if you wanted to. Enjoy your journeys!

roguebooks

yes.

Freshaire

@roguebooks.  It sounds like you and your wife have quite a change coming in your life.  How exciting for you both!  Enjoy this grand country and your adventures!