Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) teardrop camper review
@Indigotheteardrop in Beaufort, NC.
In January 2020, my spouse and I bought a Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) teardrop camper kit, and we built the camper between February and July 2020. We lovingly named her “Indigo” and sold her in December 2021 prior to an overseas move. I thought it might be helpful to others to hear an unsponsored review, and hear more about the experience of building and traveling with our CLC camper, Indigo.
Indigo’s first trip, to Lake Norman! Here is the kitchen (“galley”) set up.
How did we decide to buy a kit?
My husband and I are avid travelers, and we had been tossing around the idea of purchasing an RV for a number of years. We thought it might allow us to travel more often, more spontaneously, and have trips more focused on being fully immersed in nature.
We had some strict requirements:
we were on a budget (looking at under $5-$8k if possible)
we had two Priuses that we loved and we didn’t want to and could not afford to upgrade, so we wanted a van or a very lightweight RV that we could tow with our existing vehicles
we wanted it be cost effective, so not only a low initial cost, but nothing that would require a lot of gas to drive it, a big storage unit, or something that required us to book more expensive RV camping spots
we wanted it to be lightweight so that we could easily maneuver it
we wanted it to be an upgrade from tent camping, but nothing too fancy (like water tanks or electricity) that would require ongoing maintenance
no pop ups or tent component of any kind - this ends up being really limiting in weather in our experience having both grown up with pop up campers
Naturally, with these rigorous requirements, we didn’t find anything for a long time. We were open to the idea of building our own, and although both of us are into art and design, neither of us have experience with such a big and complicated build. Thus, when we found the CLC kit, it felt like the perfect fit for what we are looking for.
What I liked about the CLC kit was that it was reasonably affordable and fairly priced for what is included. It felt reasonably doable by a team of two people, and reasonably beginner friendly. The headquarters is in Maryland, so it was drive-able for us, where we could go see the floor model, and go pick up the kit (saved us some money on shipping).
July 2020, the day she was D.O.N.E.
How much did it cost?
Base kit $2995 (CLC) (*It was 2749 when we purchased)
Insulation $345 (CLC)
Roof fan $279 (CLC)
(4) mushroom vents $49 (CLC)
Jackery portable battery $219 (Amazon)
mattress $229 (CLC)
Trailer $189 (Harbor Freight)
Vehicle registration
= $4,305
I consider all of the above items to be essential. You could customize and add other things (electrical, storage box, kitchen shelving, etc.) but the listed items are the things you need for it to function.
I would buy all of the above again, with the exception of the insulation. Yes, it is pre-cut so that it will fit into the camper. But a few problems — the color is black and makes the interior really dark. The material shows scratch marks really easily, and the chemically smell of the insulation never went away, even after over a year of use. I also worried about moisture getting in between the cracks. I don’t think it’s a bad option, but I wish I would have gotten quotes for spray foam insulation instead, and considered other insulation methods.
I tried just a cheaper thin foam mattress from Target at first. We didn’t find it comfortable enough, so we purchased the foam/air hybrid mattress that CLC sells (it’s very hard to find from any other retailers), and added the foam on top and this combo was very comfy.
I was worried about additional or unexpected costs with the kit. You will need a lot of Popsicle sticks, plastic cups, paper towels, gloves, trash bags, painters tape - all of this adds up, but wasn’t a huge cost. Tools wise, you will need a sander, a jig saw, clamps, saw horses. We re-sold our clamps at the end of the project. We were able to borrow all other tools at no cost, but should be an additional potential cost to consider.
Bonus tip: CLC runs 10% off sales periodically throughout the year, so I’d wait to buy if you can until it’s on sale.
Our last trip with Indigo, to Asheville, NC. This was our favorite trip, a bittersweet farewell.
How long did it take to build?
The CLC website estimates about 250 hours. I think that is a fair estimate, it probably took us a little bit longer being relative newcomers to building. We started in May 2020 and finished in July 2020, working a lot of hours during this time (it was a great quarantine project).
Interior decor. Hung some artificial plants, fairy lights, and a trio of plastic picture frames without glass of NC nature (mountains —> piedmont —> beach). You can see our trusty Jackery battery on the ledge. Not pictured decor - indigo colored bedding and curtains.
What would you do differently?
This is very much an epoxy resin and stitch and glue method skillset that you are building, and it’s not really wood working. I don’t think safety around epoxy resin can be stressed enough, and to be fully prepared for the materials you are working with. I would research how to be and stay safe around epoxy, like wearing a mask, gloves, and staying ventilated. I had trusted adults in my life try to give us supplies to use (ex. paint rollers) that weren’t resin epoxy safe, so do your research, and choose your supplies carefully. It’s messy work, be organized, do your research, wear the safety gear, and stay safe.
And with epoxy resin, you have to be at the exact right temperature for the resin to cure appropriately. Too cold outside, and it won’t cure. Too hot outside, and it will cure very quickly. I imagine most people will be building in unheated garages, so a rookie mistake we made was thinking that we could start right away in Jan and we could not due to the temperature.
I also underestimated how much space we would need. We built in a one car garage. In the beginning phases, you have a wooden mold around what will be the camper, and you have to flip this mold in all different directions. That space gets really tight when you are constantly flipping the camper around. So - the more space, both horizontal and vertical space, the better.
What CLC could do better - I think they have an exceptional product for a fair price, and that they have made it beginning friendly, which is miraculous considering what the end result is. I think for the most part the instructions from the instruction manual with pictures were pretty clear to follow, but there were some parts where it was not clear, and they could improve the clarity of the instructions.
Thanksgiving meal prep in the galley, November 2020, in Asheville, NC.
Would you recommend it?
Yes, with the caveat being, you must enjoy the building process in order for this to be worth it. If you just want to have and use a camper, I think this would be a lot of work for someone to take on. You can purchase a fully built CLC camper for $20,495. (You can also take a class, and do a blitz build with guidance). It was a lot of fun to build, certainly emotionally and physically challenging at times, but I learned a lot, and it was really gratifying work. I
In addition to the build, we also really enjoyed using her. She was exactly what we were looking for: lightweight, easy to physically maneuver by just one person, didn’t add to gas cost significantly. She was very high quality - fully waterproof, very strong and sturdy. She didn’t even scratch when a widow maker sized branch fell on top of her during a hurricane once. We were able to just jet out to the mountains for the weekend, only needed to attach her to the trailer and go. Very simple set up and take down, not a lot of work. Not a lot of maintenance.
She is small enough that 99% of places let us rent tent camping spots or parking lot spots (which are cheaper), but she also technically met Harvest Host criteria (we kept a porti potty in our car - you have to be fully self contained to be in Harvest Host), so we had access to a lot of really affordable spots.
Indigo was just really adorable and lovely. Be prepared for stares, honks, smiling, and new friends. People are very curious. She is a very lovely design, and I think that resonates with a lot of people. It was a part of owning Indigo that I really enjoyed, that we had this way to connect with like minded folks.
Overall -
I have a lot of really lovely memories from Indigo. We had Thanksgiving Dinner 2020 just the two of us, using Indigo up in Asheville. We went to 4 different states. Many nights spent snuggled in, watching a movie on an ipad. So many extra adventures we were able to go on. Given the choice, I would make the same decision to buy this kit again, and I would recommend it to others.
September 2021, Asheville, NC. Our first week long camping adventure.
Who might not do well with this camper?
If you are a really light sleeper, you might need to upgrade to a bigger RV. Indigo didn’t block out ambient noise well, and she acted like a drum for precipitation, amplifying the sound, which made it hard to sleep at times.
The fan works incredibly well, and works for slightly warm nights. I’d still prefer A/C in US South summers, however, even with how well the fan works. She is well insulated, and we found the joys of winter camping for the first time, no issues in the cold whatsoever.
There is plenty of room inside for people of any height or size. That being said, if you flail your legs around while you sleep, you are likely to hit your legs on the camper, as that section where your legs are is quite compact.
This is a giant step up from a tent, but it’s not a replacement for a hotel room.
What was the resale experience like?
We sold her because we were moving overseas. We listed her on multiple platforms in fall 2021, and it took a couple of months for her to sell. We saw some sold comps around $12k, with the professionally built one going for $21k new, and we included any and all extra camping gear people might want with it. We ended up selling her to a very nice man for $8k, which I think is fair, maybe slightly less than what she is worth. Many people wanted to buy her for around $5k, which I totally understand wanting to get for that price, but that would essentially be at cost for materials only. So, althought it was not impossible to sell, and we did turn it for a profit, it sat for a while, and I don’t know that it is as easy to re-sell as a standard non-homemade camper might be if that is a concern.
