Teardrop caravan makes for smiles

The staff at Jetstream who hand-build the little
teardrop caravans that make the smiles (from left)
Linda Shangashe, Khanyi Ntinga, Sar Ngonfo,
Alan Holmes and Gugu Mtshali

PINETOWN hosts a five-month-old factory where the staff think they are building teardrops, but as the beaming faces at last weekend’s Shongweni Expo showed, they are actually making smiles.

The Jetstream teardrop trailers are the brainchild of Barry Olivier and Brenden Keating. Olivier had crafted a classic plywood teardrop trailer for himself.

He said these minute caravans first became popular after World War 2, when young honeymooners started using them. “They were started for love, but spending hundreds of hours to lovingly build these classics is not viable, so I got together with Brenden — who builds high- speed boats — to mould SA’s first teardrop caravans using fibreglass.

A folded sheet of fibreglass ready to for the mould.

Keating said they fell in love with the project from the start and their Jetstream teardrops have already proved popular at events like the recent White Mountain music festival. “We can make 10 a month, but while the word is still spreading, we are only making to order,” he said.

Keating added that the monocoque construction of the cabin comprises four pieces that are moulded using the same techniques that render high-speed boats almost indestructible on open water. “These teardrops may be small, but they are very tough,” said Keating.

Olivier said a car with a 1 300 cc engine could easily pull a teardrop caravan. “We have two models, the Classic weighs less than 500 kg and easily goes over the central hump of a jeep track, the XT weighs 560 kg and can go fully offroad.

“This will allow a whole new generation to start caravanning,” he added.

he kitchenette of the Jetstream has bright LED lighting,
a washbasin, gas hob and 130-litre ice box.

In keeping with the demands of the Fomo generation, the teardrops have 220V, 10 amp electricity provided by a 80 amp-hour deep cycle battery. Five LED lights illuminate working areas inside and out. A queen-size bed faces an optional DVD screen linked to a DVD and radio player and stereo sound. Four large storage compartments swallow a weekend’s fashion and the rear folds open to reveal a kitchenette with sink, a gas hob and insulated, 130-litre ice-box.

“We use an ice box as it is more efficient and lighter than a fridge,” said Olivier.

Other optional fittings include a roof rack, running boards and side table. A fire extinguisher and spare wheel with jack come standard.

'Ooh, a snuggle buggle!'

Olivier said while one guy wanted just a shell with a bigger ice box to go fishing with, a construction company had ordered a teardrop with separated sleeping berths for two workers on remote sites. “Women, however, take one look at the luxuriously kitted interior and go ‘ooh, it’s a snuggle buggle’,” Olivier said.

Prices for a basic Classic start at R82 700 and the XT costs R89 900.

The waiting list is currently four weeks.