Mean Bean, a new molded FG teardrop!

[Yellow Boler]

It looks like it has a name mr. Bean would love. And its light enough he can pull it with his mini. Maybe it comes with a sheep poster so you can count them to sleep.

[Yellow Boler]

I think the big advantage of these small teardrops are that they allow you to be more versatile than larger trailers. You can go more backroads places for instance without worrying as much about turning around because you can just unhook and wheel your trailer around 180 deg by hand if needed. When you get to your campground you can move it around by hand to your desired location and view. And it forces you outside more which is what some people like about it, which is what your supposed to be doing when camping anyways. But it is much more comfortable sleeping than a tent, up of the ground, warm and dry, hard walls to keep critters out. Plus you don't need a big tow vehicle. You can use a smaller more efficient car if desired. It is a big step up from a tent. If you are going to say it is just a glorified tent you could say the same about any small trailer like my boler for instance.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Yellow Boler

I think the big advantage of these small teardrops ...Plus you don't need a big tow vehicle. You can use a smaller more efficient car if desired. It is a big step up from a tent. If you are going to say it is just a glorified tent you could say the same about any small trailer like my boler for instance.

Weight may be less of an advantage than you'd think for many teardrops. According to the website the Bean teardrop weighs 1650#. That's 300# more than my Scamp's empty weight. While there are teardrops that weigh less than a basic 13' molded trailer, many are not.

In my mind, the difference between a "glorified tent" and a travel trailer is (1) stand-up headroom for dressing and moving around and (2) inside galley for hot meals in bad weather. Some would add (3) inside toilet and shower. You can have all three in a Scamp 13 for well under 1650# unloaded weight.

[tua]

I met the owner and his wife several years back when he was still doing the molds for Happier Camper. They were going around checking all the Happier Campers for a production error. Mine was ok, and they left me with information about their Bean and a "Bean Bottle Opener".

The unit was cute and the owner and his wife were very nice.

What really surprised me was that the teardrop Bean is quite a bit heavier than the Happier Camper HC1 Travel Trailer.

[Yellow Boler]

Jon in Az- Those ar good points and they are nice to have if you need/want them. Before I had my boler I used an suv tent that you could stand up in and also have access to the inside of the vehicle from the tent. Now that was versatile. Now that I have the boler I don't go as many back roads as I used to because that thing would be bouncing all over the gravel roads. I kind of miss the versatility of the tent. But its nice to have the trailer for everything else. Its always a compromise. I don't know about the weight of the bean trailers but I saw a video of a teardrop that they could move it by hand. Also you can park on the side of the road with less worry because it is not as wide. If i can find the video i will post it.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

It seems like there roof and side wall joint is one of the better ones i seen in a tear drop. They don't talk much about the floor. what does it look like underneath?

[Yellow Boler]

Here is the video I was thinking of. Gives a comparison between their teardrop and their scamp as they own both.

https://youtu.be/TQVRAYa0G3s.

[Mikmay]

So I’ve been told by sources that know the Bean is not all molded but rather flat panels fg fused to the molded channels.I have been to the Sterling plant and have seen the flat panels but did not see their build process .if you look at the video of the cross section you can see the fg build up were they are joined together.

[ZachO]

It's all about deciding which way to compromise for your specific style of camping, and what feels like a "hassle" to you. To me, the "hassle" of towing a trailer is not worth the, to me, minor convenience of a teardrop over a tent. I bought a tent I can sit up in, and I use a cot to get me off the ground. I'll admit the cot is a challenge in the west, since nighttime temps are almost always cold, but all the same, I've got a comfy tent, sleeping off the ground, no trailer. I can go anywhere my truck my can go.

No, I don't have a set up kitchen, hard sides etc. For my style camping that's ok. The times I'm farthest into critter country, I'm backpacking in a tent anyway. I don't frequent the type of campgrounds that get raided by habituated animals, with my tent or trailer.