High-rise teardrop trailer makes standing-height base camp for four

Oregonian small RV builder Bend Teardrop has always had a little fun with teardrop trailer size and form. Its 6 x 12-ft (1.8 x 3.7-m) trailer has long served as something of a stretched limo for the teardrop market, a supersized tear with sleeping space for the whole family. The company builds that idea out even more with the new Tall Boy, using the same chassis as a foundation but adding extra height to go along with the length. The result is a four-sleeper high-roof teardrop with over six feet (1.8 m) of standing height. The Tall Boy works as a mobile lounge, flexible chuckwagon and cozy four-man bunk room, all without any lifting, swiveling or sliding necessary.

Since its founding in 2015, Bend Teardrop has designated its camping trailers by the size of the steel 'overland' chassis below. But that alone isn't quite enough to tell the story of the Tall Boy, since what sets it apart is height, as well as length. Along with the same 6 x 12-ft chassis that also underpins Bend's elongated family teardrop (just above), the 17.4-ft-long (5.3-m) Tall Boy has an aluminum-skinned tear-inspired body that stands a full 8.3-ft (2.5-m) high.

The Tall Boy's extra roof height won't necessarily help out on the road, as the trailer will likely stand taller than the tow vehicle, but it definitely comes into play positively at camp, creating an interior with 6.3-foot-high (1.9-m) ceiling. Bend also employs a more level roof than some teardrop makers, ensuring that the extra height can be enjoyed throughout most of the cabin.

Rather than sliding atop a bed through a compact side door, as in many teardrops, campers enter the Tall Boy cabin by stepping up on a retractable step and through a 5.8-foot-tall (1.8-m) door. They're immediately greeted by a sofa lounge opposite the doorway, providing sitting space that doesn't require stretching one's legs on a mattress.

At night, the backrest of the sofa seat flips up to separate the bench into two 70 x 26-in (178 x 66-cm) bunks. The main bed is located at the rear of the cabin, providing 71 x 54 in (180 x 137 cm) of sleeping space for two.

Alternatively, Bend offers several floor plans with a 71 x 80-in (180 x 203-cm) super-queen bed, including a two-sleeper floor plan with a front dinette set. Whatever floor plan the buyer goes with, Bend makes sure the extra size of its teardrop doesn't make things too dark or stuffy, carving in a tinted screened slider window on each sidewall, two driver-side porthole windows and a tall vertical door window.

The Tall Boy also includes the archetypal teardrop tailgate galley. Bend leaves it more as an open, equip-it-yourself space, offering a foundational build-out with a wide countertop, sink basin, upper storage shelves and cubbies, and LED lighting, but without equipment such as a stove or fridge. There's also a semi-hidden 'Speakeasy' pass-through door from galley to cabin.

Bend loads the Tall Boy with a few extra standard features that are optional on its other trailers, starting with a 200-W rooftop solar system. There's also a 2-in hitch receiver, brake system, AC shore power hookup and rear stabilizer jacks. Despite its extra height and length, the Tall Boy still maintains a dry weight just below 2,000 lb (907 kg), making it compatible with a wide variety of cars, SUVs and trucks.

Bend introduced its first Tall Boy prototype last fall (Northern Hemisphere), while it was also preparing to spin off a dedicated sauna trailer brand. The Tall Boy is available for order now starting at US$18,995, and options include a shore water hookup with kitchen faucet, a 19-L fridge box, an onboard battery system and inverter, heating and A/C, and a side-mounted exterior awning.

Get a better look at the Tall Boy's design and features in the intro video below.

Source: Bend Teardrops