Utah's Bean Trailer is back, this time with its first non-sleep-in camping trailer. The rugged, little Bean Pod still features teardrop-like sizing but replaces the sleep-in cabin with a sprawling multi-compartment gear storage setup. Couple that with a paddleboard-accommodating roof system, motorbike-hauling front deck, carrier-ready hitch receiver and tough, 4x4-grade foundation, and this tiny trailer is the ultimate support vehicle and base camp for the multi-adventure backcountry escape of your dreams.
Tent-top gear trailers have become a common sleep-in caravan alternative, offering a lighter, cheaper, more gear-friendly platform for camping and thrill-seeking off the beaten path. Some are modular from the wheels up, while others feature a more fixed configuration.
The new Bean Pod falls in the latter category but sets itself apart with dedicated storage solutions for multiple types of sports equipment, including dirt bikes, bicycles and stand-up paddleboards – all on the same trip. Other trailers might limit you to carrying one or two styles of large gear and/or resorting to leaving the rooftop tent (RTT) at home to make room for multiple sports gear options.
In place of the dual-door sleeper cabin common in teardrop, squaredrop and other "drop"-sized trailers of different shapes, the new Bean Pod houses a large cargo compartment accessible from the left and right doors. It features a shelf with dedicated air compressor tray and a large storage floor, along with tie-downs on the wall and floor panels for keeping everything secure as the trailer bumps and bounces down off-road tracks. The front wall includes a slide-in 4-ft (1.2-m) folding table and bench set from Lifetime Products, a fellow Utah brand that's a staple of rugged-but-affordable outdoor folding tables and furniture.
The main compartment doesn't take up the entirety of the trailer's interior, and Bean dedicates a side-access compartment to the galley drawer. The introductory model features an Iceco fridge, Dometic Go water storage and faucet system with removable inset sink basin, cutting board worktop, and dual-burner Cook Partner gas stove that fits atop the drawer.
It's a simple, decentralized kitchen design that delivers everything an outdoor chef needs without inbuilt components or hard connections, making for a more flexible cooking system that can easily be used off the trailer as well as on.
A functional extension of the galley, the tailgate compartment includes a drop-down gate that doubles as a long worktop and cutting board of its own, offering plenty of extra space for food prep and general campsite tasks. Inside, the wide storage area has an upper shelf, narrow lower storage floor and underfloor compartment. Bean stores a Goal Zero Yeti 500 power station and electrical switch panel on the left side of the shelf, leaving the rest as open cargo space. It installs a MOLLE panel below the shelf for lashing on additional gear, as well as an external MOLLE panel on the hatch door.
Even with that high-capacity cargo-hauling body, Bean expands overall storage capability with a front tongue-top deck designed to carry bicycles and even motorbikes, whether via aftermarket rack or simply strapping down to the integrated deck tie-downs. The deck area also carries a full-size spare tire. In back, Bean drops on a 2-in hitch receiver for installing a separate carrier for bicycles or other equipment, adding gear-hauling capacity beyond the already highly capable trailer itself.
And Bean still isn't finished packing in cargo space. Instead of simply topping the Bean Pod with a set of crossbars, Bean adds a raised roof rack similar to what you might see over the bed of a pickup truck. This creates yet another gear-hauling space, this one capable of tying down oversized gear like kayaks, paddleboards or surfboards, which can team with the bicycles and general camping setup to support an amphibious land/water multi-sport adventure. Of course, the space could also be used for a shoulder-season multi-sport excursion, carrying skis or snowboards to complement the bikes for an all-out mountain-to-valley adrenaline push.
The rack itself is designed to carry a rooftop tent, completing the camper part of the equation. Bean offers its own options, like the pictured two-person hardshell wedge from fellow Utah brand Sterling Adventure Co, and has also made the rack to be compatible with virtually any tent on the market, allowing buyers to choose their own favorite RTT product.
The raised roof rack also increases height enough to hang an overhead awning, another item buyers can order from Bean or buy on their own. MOLLE panels close up the open sides of the upper storage space, providing a mounting solution for additional gear and accessories like shovels, jacks or Rotopax canisters. Pod lights mounted on the rack provide exterior area lighting at camp.
A shower box hung on the driver's side wall houses a Geyser Systems portable hot shower unit. The trailer also includes a 76-L fresh water tank mounted inside. The introductory build does not show a shower tent, but it shouldn't be too hard to mount one to the roof rack to deliver a private shower/bathroom space. And with all that interior storage space, a portable toilet will fit in quite easily.
In comparison to Bean's teardrop lineup, the 1,400-lb (635-kg) Bean Pod trades in the fiberglass shell for an aluminum body with overhanging rain gutters delivering leakproof performance. It rides on a custom independent air ride suspension and oversized 33-in all-terrain tires.
Bean has given a (rather thorough) sneak peek of the Bean Pod and plans to host an official public debut at the Midwest Overland Off Road Expo (MOORE) in Springfield, Missouri this weekend. It has not yet published a full spec sheet or price list but estimates the trailer will retail between US$19,999 and $28,000, depending on configuration. Those who can't wait can put a $250 preorder in now to reserve an earlier spot in the build queue, but we'd be inclined to wait until it's clear exactly how much the different configurations and features cost. Bean plans to begin taking proper orders in fall 2025 (Northern Hemisphere).
You can take the full sneak peek walkthrough in the five-minute video below.
Source: Bean Trailer
