How to build a Galley Hatch/Lid for your Teardrop Trailer

Oregon Trail'R is a small company that builds very high-end teardrop campers. It's just my brother and I, so we only build 12-15 trailers/year at this point, with more than enough demand to keep us very busy. We regularly get consultation requests from folks who are building their own teardrops. We fully support the DIY community and offer several products to help them in their quest to build their own teardrop camper. See our website for details- www.oregontrailer.net
This video, and the ones to follow serve as a general help guide for how we do things. Building a galley lid is undoubtedly one of the most daunting tasks in a teardrop trailer build, but if you plan it carefully, you will be fine. You will obviously have to tweak our process to serve your design, but we hope showing our process will aid your build and take some of the mystery out of building your own galley lid from scratch. If you enjoyed this video or found it helpful, please give us a thumbs up, subscribe, and check out our other build videos. More to come as we find time!
Don't forget to check out our website, Facebook, and Instagram pages for more info-
www.oregontrailer.net
OregonTrailR
OregonTrailR
Feel free to make requests for how-to topics in the comments section...

[@Batalia122]

I'm currently restoring a woodie teardrop and your video helped in putting together the galley hatch.

[@jeredshofner5504]

Thanks for producing the video series. I am impressed with your manufacturing process. The videos help me with my DYI trailer. If I every buy a commercial one, Oregon trail will be the first place I look.

[@secondact7151]

It has been a while since you posted this, but I want to let you know it just helped me immensely. I just bought an unfinished home build from someone else. The side doors and the galley door are essentially the only things not finished. Most of the material is there. The only things lacking are my own skills, tools, and abilities. But watching this I see a drill, hand sander, and circular saw. Check, check and check-I have all three. First, I need to put my big girl gloves on and make an assembly jig to gain some confidence and just go for it.

[@OregonTrailR]

So glad to of help! This is exactly why I made these videos. I built my first teardrop in my backyard in 2007 with basic tools, and I was able to get quite a bit of help online, though youtube was in its infancy at that point and had no teardrop related videos. I referenced tnttt.com constantly, and if you don't know about it yet, check it out! Huge help! You'll do great, just try to think a few steps ahead, and take your time! Rushing almost always leads to mistakes. Good luck, and remember that mistakes are ok, so long as you learn from them for the next build!!!!

[@raulf100]

nice one lads, good to see people happy to share their ideas to help others

[@OregonTrailR]

Thanks Chris, this is one of the more complicated parts of a teardrop build, and we are happy to share some of our hard-learned techniques to help the home builders get through this part unscathed!

[@geezerdombroadcast]

That was fun. I can't tell you how proud I am of you as "hot shits", entrepreneurs, builders, and video makers I might add. That was really a lot of fun, great techniques, great product, great idea to introduce to the world over, and over again. All the "(bling addicts)" out there should try hangin out in one of these babies for a long weekend in the cascades, the high Sierras Cape Cod, Nova Scotia, etc et al. It's so mellow, so comfortable, so unobtrusive, so attractive, so fanciful so "cheep", yet sexy as hell at the same time. People are captivated,and charmed by these beautiful campers. Good for you guys , I hope you continue to be successful, The world needs these tiny campers, more than they need 75 foot long $300,000 motor coaches at 2 miles to the gallon.

[@cholojoe2154]

Excellent video very simple way to keep the lid from leaking, thanks.

[@StevenBagley]

Thank you! Great video that fills in some of the holes in my blueprint. Hopefully I'll have my teardrop finished in the next week or so!

[@OregonTrailR]

+Steven Bagley Awesome, very happy to help! Good luck finishing out your build and have fun camping!!!

[@JuanSanchez-uw4tz]

I really enjoyed your video! thanks! it is what I was looking for. greetings from Argentina

[@OregonTrailR]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@fingerfunny1]

Really good video ill for sure reference this when I build mine.

[@OregonTrailR]

+Trenton Puentes Thanks for watching and good luck with your build!

[@cschnitker8865]

Fabrications are really state of the art. I can tell a lot of time has been spent on prep and research in this shop.

[@OregonTrailR]

C Schnitker Thank you! You are, of course, quite correct! We put about two years into R&D with our prototype back when we started, and we are always looking for improvements!

[@dvzrodantes]

los felicito, son mi modelo a seguir, mi referente... gracias desde Argentina

[@experimenalbob]

You are awesome! Greetings from Brasil!

[@donnamalinski5780]

Great video's, thanks for sharing

[@HjalmarLink]

The design for my own trailer started out simple, but it keeps getting more refined after watching these videos! I like the way your hatch allows a continuous, uninterrupted roof edge profile. Could you tell us more about your drainage gutter? Is it extruded aluminum J channel with a Trim-Lok seal?

[@castillo-event-service]

Tolle Arbeit Jungs! = nice job guys!

[@BARBAQUED]

Wow craftsman

[@thereisnoplan5085]

You mention a good gutter system could you show what you do to ensure a good gutter system.

[@Professorvapes]

wow loved this vid I am in the uk and trying to figure out what hinge you used on the hatch and how I could get hold of one.

[@grantbartlett1286]

I have a hatch of a Vistabule Teardrop I don't need. In Southwestern WA . Might make someone's build a bit easier. Comment for details.

[@donaldswink6259]

I would love to work with you guys building those trailers. I plan on building one next year and I’m in a wheelchair.I do have my sister and her husband to help out when ?I need them.

[@jaypollard4470]

Great vid!,would love to see how u guys put your skin on the rest of the body,cheers!

[@OregonTrailR]

Thank you! I'll try to remember to get the cameras rolling next time we are installing the skins!

[@bambambundy6]

The hinge you use is new to me. What kind is that? Great video, very informative! Thanks!!

[@OregonTrailR]

Thank you Aaron! We are happy to sell these hinges locally, but we don't have time to deal with shipping them... You can find them here- teardroptrailerparts.com/Hinges___Aluminum_Trim.html, model HT06. Good luck!!!

[@baja5000]

so how does it seal under that hurricane hinge?

[@wilpatricio]

Sou muito fã do seu trabalho, parabéns, me diz, qual e este material, placa branca de acabamento externo, o que e?

[@terrygoyan]

Great video!I love your manufacturing techniques. anyway you can show how you use vacuum to hold the underside of the panel in place? That must require a decent seal around the perimeter of the panel.....

[@OregonTrailR]

+Terry Goyan Thanks! After I have the "roof" panel glued and fastened to the outside of the frame, I drill a 2.25" hole in it and stick the end of my shop vac into it. Then I glue around the perimeter of the inside of the frame, lay the "ceiling" panel in, turn on the vacuum and it sucks the panel tight enough that you cannot move it. Then I nail it off and shut off the suction, easy as that! Make sure your ceiling panel is oversized enough (at least 1/8" all around) so that you don't have to align it perfectly, which would be quite difficult (maybe easier with two people).

[@xuchen3997]

Impressive work. What kind of the aluminum skin do you use? It looks very flexible in your vedio. I build my teardrop camper last fall. The only aluminum skin I found are heavy and difficult to bent. Again, Thanks for sharing your vedio. Very helpful!

[@OregonTrailR]

Xu Chen Thank you! We use .040" thick mill-finish aluminum sheet, which is flexible enough to bend, but not without effort. Our FronTear has a very gentle radius over the galley lid, so it's pretty easy. Much more difficult on our TerraDrop model!

[@nameofdane]

Thanks for the video! This one is getting bookmarked for sure. Do you have a link to anywhere I could found more information on the hinge you used? I'm unfamiliar with that type. Thanks again!

[@waysaunut]

Nice video, But I was surprised to see no insulation in that lid

[@OregonTrailR]

phillip, we build these lids in batches ahead of time, and given how many different options we have for lighting, sound, etc (which require us to fish wire through the lid’s interior in different areas), we choose not to obstruct the bays with insulation. We consider the galley to still be the outside of the trailer, as that is true whenever it is in use, so it’s much less important to insulate that area than the cabin where you will actually spend your time.

[@waysaunut]

Thanks for the info

[@YusufCantal]

Very good if you want i can come to the aid :)

[@jann.9069]

you sale the aluminium skin powder coated & t molding if not where i can buy? Thanks good job

[@matthewkurtzer542]

awesome bulid! what kind of hinges did you use!? and are they waterproof?

[@OregonTrailR]

Matthew Kurtzer, we use an extruded aluminum "hurricane" style hinge. Does a great job of keeping water out when installed with care...

[@mghattendorf]

This is a good video, BUT an audio dialogue so one can focus on what you are doing in the video versus focusing on a scrolling 1/2" text box would be the bee's knee.

[@OregonTrailR]

I hear ya, but for me it was just easier to type it all out. I don't have a super clear speaking voice, so I'm sure if I would have given the information via spoken dialogue I would have had people asking for text instead ;)

[@mghattendorf]

Understood. How or what do you make the 4 curved ribs out of in the beginning of the video that go into the jig? Thanks for the quick reply.

[@OregonTrailR]

mghattendorf Those are made of Baltic Birch plywood and we cut them on our CNC router.

[@mannatuu]

Love them . However too much aluminium dust going on there for me....allzeimers territory.

[@jeffroberts1284]

What kind of hatch props are you using? they look like the break-away type? where might one purchase a set? great video!

[@OregonTrailR]

Jeff, these are stainless steel marine hatch props. We love them, super easy to install, zero maintenance, very little to go wrong. They even have a stainless cable inside to prevent the hatch from opening too far! They are available here- www.oregontrailer.net/store/p7/Galley_hatch_support_springs_-_%28Pair%29_-_Marine_grade_stainless_steel.html

[@MrJunior964]

OregonTrailR what kind of adhesive are you using to fix the aluminum to the lid?

[@OregonTrailR]

I use Loctite Seal & Bond to glue the skin to the wood hatch, and ProFlex RV to seal the trim and hinge to the aluminum skin...

[@OregonTrailR]

And if you can't find the Loctite stuff, Big Stretch Clear is essentially the same thing.

[@jeffroberts1284]

Thank you so much...I know there has been talk in teardrop groups about aluminum oil canning. I was wondering if you've had any issues. That's why I asked what kind of adhesive you used. Thanks again.

[@rickyherbold]

No insulation in the hatch?

[@OregonTrailR]

Our earlier trailers had insulation in the hatch, but it made wiring much more difficult, and made it nearly impossible to add additional options to the galley lid (post lid assembly). We have folks changing their minds on options well into the build, and removing the insulation from the galley lid allows for that. My personal teardrop has an insulated galley lid, my brother's does not, and we don't notice a difference in livability between the two. The real noticeable difference is that he can add our new side-lighting option to his galley lid, and I cannot. If it were very important to the end-user to have insulation in the hatch, we'd be happy to add it.

[@billybob7474]

3:11 Mosquitoes

[@PUTDEVICE]

Why no insulation in the door / lid.

[@OregonTrailR]

We have done it in the past at special request, but we normally don't for a couple of reasons. The first is that it makes it very difficult to run wires through. We avoid splicing our wires everywhere possible because that can easily lead to a future issue, and we don't run wires through the lid until after it is installed on the trailer. Also, sometimes people will decide they want us to retrofit things like speakers into the galley lid, and we can't do that if the space is filled with insulation. The other reason is that the galley is sealed off from the cabin, making the galley itself a captured air-space, which is what most insulation is, just not on a micro-level (and admittedly, not as insulative). That is what works for our trailers, and we have no strong feelings about whether other people should do this on their builds... Thanks for watching!

[@PUTDEVICE]

OregonTrailR thanks for your answer. :)

[@daniellamontagne5475]

Moto