By the light of the moon...

Luna is my 2017 NuCamp T@B 320 CS-S (Clamshell/Shower) teardrop camper. I named her Luna because I love the moon. It comforts me. And, her shape and coloring rather looks like the moon. So, what better way to honor my tiny trailer sidekick than to name her Luna?

She had been a dream of mine for quite some time but only on the very distant horizon. Until 2019, when I travelled to West Texas for a solo camping trip in the Davis Mountains State Park. I'd solo camped there before in my truck. This time, I tent camped. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, during the night, a couple of strangers approached my tent and shone a light inside. We had a "discussion" about it, but it was a bit unsettling to say the least. So, when I returned home, I was much more serious about securing a small camper for my solo adventures. Then, the stars aligned and in March 2020, I found Luna. The COVID lockdowns would keep us apart until June 2020. But, we've had several get-to-know-each-other outings since then. I'm smitten.

She is exclusively for me as her tiny size makes her a little difficult for my husband to move around in comfortably. I find her quite comfortable and snuggly. I've slowly been making some minor aesthetic modifications to her like changing the seat covers from brown to gray, modifying her for a single bed setup, etc. But, for the most part, she's in almost-new condition as the previous owners took very good care of her. A lot of T@B owners make some significant modifications to their units, especially when it comes to personalization, ranging from interior painting and decorating to exterior wraps and decals. Some of the modifications are quite remarkable. My personal taste, however, is to keep it simple.

There's quite a following for teardrop campers of all kinds. There are several Facebook groups devoted to these tiny trailers as well as groups that gather for camping rallies. Everyone is very friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have, and, in most cases, you don't even have to be a T@B owner. You just have to have an interest. A couple of the better known NuCamp ambassadors and resources are photographers, Jenn Grover and Mandy Lea. They produce informative YouTube videos on their experiences with their little T@Bs. However, as with most of these productions, a lot of the information they provide is transferrable to non-T@B situations as well.

As camping as a whole has grown in the past few years, so has the number of female campers, especially solo ones. Because of that, several groups geared towards female campers have taken on the task of addressing issues specific to that demographic. Besides encouraging rallies where women can safely camp and fellowship together, they have a strong online presence providing valuable information ranging from things first-time campers need to have to how to back up a camper to how to cook a scrumptious meal in a Dutch oven. A couple of the larger groups are Girl Camper and Sisters on the Fly. These groups aren't brand or even tiny trailer specific, and many have local-based sub-groups that make it even easier to make connections with fellow campers. You don't even have to own a tiny trailer to take part in the fun.

Two of my long-time camping friends also have teardrop campers. One of them, Lisa Dempsey, received her brand new 2021 T@B CS-S as a gift from her darling husband last year. She writes about Mrs. Which Way in her blog Cluck Howl Crow. With luck, we'll be meeting up with a few other ladies for a camping trip in East Texas this coming June. I'll be sure to blog about that event. I also have several solo trips planned with Luna this year, starting as early as next week. God willing and the creek don't rise, I'll be sharing them with you!