RV Review: Bean Teardrop Trailers – The coolest teardrop ever

By Tony Barthel
The readers of RVTravel.com are some of the coolest people I’ve met in the RV industry. Your recommendations of RVs to review have been terrific in helping me to find all kinds of great rigs I might not have otherwise come across. But recently, I saw an advert for the Bean teardrop trailers while watching a YouTube video and I’m going to lead with the fact that this is, by far, the coolest teardrop I have ever seen.

And it has a lifetime warranty. For real. 

Bean teardrop trailer

If you’ve seen teardrop trailers or read about them here, you may feel that you’ve seen it all. In fact, I almost didn’t look at this trailer when I saw the ad because, well, I had preconceived ideas of what I would find. 

And, to be honest, this is a teardrop trailer. That means there’s an interior with a bed and a kitchen at the back that is revealed by opening the hatch. None of that will surprise anybody. 

But it’s the nuances that make this the coolest teardrop I’ve ever seen. 

The tour of the Bean teardrop trailer

Starting at the front of the trailer, all Bean teardrops (there are four different models: the Classic Bean, the Mean Bean, the Meaner Bean, and the Bean Stock) come with a large platform. In the center of it is a battery box and a receiver hitch where you can mount a bike rack or other storage provision. 

The large, flat surface can be used to stand on if you need to get to the roof or, more likely, to store things on – like boxes or totes and such. There is a raised rail and openings around which you can hook straps or bungees or whatever. 

Each side of the trailer has a door. You may be surprised by what’s inside. No, seriously. 

First of all, if the cushions are folded for travel you’ll find a cover under them which provides storage under the floor. 

The cushion reminds me of a futon and it can be arranged to form a couch or a queen-sized bed. No surprises there. 

On the front curved wall of the trailer is a cubby. There are contraptions on either side that have hooks for keys and such, and a pocket that would work for a smartphone or a wallet. Smart. Overhead you can outfit the trailer with a high-performance fan ($425) that can work for both intake or exhaust. This would be a great thing to make sure to check on the options list. 

The back interior is really special

But the back of the interior of the trailer is what makes this trailer stand out. Bean has four cabinet doors that open up to reveal rails into which hanging plastic baskets can go. What’s so very cool about this is that you can get to those baskets from the galley as well.  So you can load the trailer from the back and access it from inside. 

The cabinets are an attractive laminate that gives the interior of the trailer a high-end feel. The ceiling and front wall are a padded material – furthering the quality feel of the trailer. 

Below those cabinets are two large drawers. This little trailer has more cabinet and drawer space than some much larger trailers I’ve reviewed. And the cabinet space is accessible both inside and out. It’s absolutely brilliant!

The Bean trailer in this review is the Bean Stock, their least expensive model. As such it’s more rudimentary and simple than some of the more elaborate versions of the trailer. But there’s a lot to be said for that. 

You should know that accessing the kitchen outside at the back is made easier by an automotive-style latching system. With it, you turn the knob and open the door. This is far better than the latches I’ve seen on some other teardrops. 

Standing at the kitchen you see the wall of cabinets which, as mentioned before, are the backside of the cabinets you can access from inside. 

There’s a large, flat surface that you could use for prep and whatnot. 

Bean teardrop trailers have several kitchen options

Bean offers a number of options to customize your trailer, including kitchen options. The Bean Stock is essentially just those cabinets and space below. There are four kitchen options from none to a $2,499 upgrade with a pressurized water system and 12-volt cooler. What floated my boat was the model with the optional ($1,299) basic kitchen, which the company calls the Base Plus. 

If you opt for the basic kitchen, you have all the basics which are mounted below the main prep surface in the back. Looking at the trailer to the left is a slide-out drawer with a two-burner cooktop, which is fueled by a two-gallon propane tank attached to the side of the trailer. The cooktop is on a healthy drawer slide that latches in the out position. 

Below that are two seven-gallon water jugs. To the right of the stovetop is another slide out that contains a collapsible bowl. Just put one of the water jugs on the countertop and it can open right into that bowl when the bowl is opened. 

If you only camp part-time, a trailer that’s this simple is really going to be nice. That is to say, you’re not spending so much time maintaining and winterizing and de-winterizing the darned thing. 

Lastly, on the far right (on the camp side) is a large Coleman cooler. You could also opt for a 12-volt refrigerator instead. 

What’s more…

The floors and walls of the trailer are all one-piece laminates of man-made waterproof material. It’s durable enough that the trailer carries a lifetime (limited) warranty against leaking. This is literally the only RV I’ve ever seen with a lifetime warranty. 

An interesting thing about the Bean teardrop trailers are the options – and there are a lot of them. I have already mentioned the high-performance fan with remote. But there are also racks, awnings, an outdoor shower, battery options, solar options and much, much more. 

You can really customize this trailer in a lot of ways. However, I actually really like the dead simplicity of this model. Yes, yes – I appreciate the luxury features in my own trailer. But if I had the means, I think having something like this as a second RV for weekend exploring or off-road camping might be a lot of fun. 

And for many of our readers, that’s exactly what they’re looking for. So I think you’ll do yourself quite a favor if you at least use your bean (see what I did there?) and check out these slick little teardrop trailers made in Utah.

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.

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