Dunedin resident Dave Carrick knows the answer, having just spent the past two and a-half years helping make a teardrop caravan for his daughter, Motueka sea kayak guide Amy Carrick.
"I’m pretty stoked about it," Ms Carrick said yesterday.
Teardrop caravans, in this case 2.7m long and 1.55m wide, first became popular in the 1930s, and their popularity surged again in the 1940s.
Such compact caravans are again strongly in demand.
They feature a small double bed inside the cabin, and a rear hatch reveals a kitchen—"one step up from tenting" an enthusiast recently said.
And the new generation caravans also offer a little more — in this case a rooftop solar panel, powering the caravan’s internal lights, cellphone charger and chilly bin.
And at the back of the insulated caravan is a cooker and kitchen to feed hungry travellers.
Ms Carrick will whisk the Dunedin-built caravan off on its road trip to Motueka today, and both father and daughter are happy with their efforts.
They did much of the caravan-making work together, and Mr Carrick, a mechanic, tackled some of the more challenging bits.
However some heat helped produce the required curves.
Mr Carrick will not be giving up his day job as a road service officer for AA, but enjoyed working on the home-built caravan.
"It’s good to see it finished," he said.
Ms Carrick initially aimed to make a tiny house, but is "pretty happy" with the caravan’s greater flexibility.
"Just being able to have everything with you, and having somewhere warm and dry to come to after your day’s adventure.
"It’s just nice to be packed up and and go wherever."
