Bean trailers are among the friendliest, curviest towables on road and trail, but the latest model gets a little extra spice and edge. The limited-edition Black Bean arrives blacked-out from wheels to roofline, flashing a wicked look that's complemented by extra off-grid capability. The nasty new teardrop has an increased ground clearance, upsized off-grid lithium battery and room for two fridge/freezers. Roll it deep into the wilderness and stay off-grid a little longer — just be sure to park it in the shade.
The 15.8-foot (4.8-m) Black Bean drew us in with its sheer-black suit when we walked past Bean Trailer's stand at the Outside Adventure Expo earlier this summer, but the new limited edition actually has more of a tuxedo motif ... at least when you look at it from behind or above. A marine-grade white gelcoat roof provides a stark contrast with the black body, making the model pop that much more.
From the side view, though, the 15-in wheels, 30-in all-terrain tires, stand-on fenders, tinted windows and black end caps lend a stealthy, all-black look, leaving the metal table rail and white propane tank looking extra bright in contrast. And the styling looks particularly impressive against the sun-drenched white of the Bonneville Salt Flats just hours from Bean's Salt Lake City HQ (pictured at top).
For those that don't dig the black look, Bean also offers the Black Bean in white, grey and olive green, as well as customizable color options for an extra $1,000. Each color represents a Raptor coating on the single-piece fiberglass body, which speaks to a hardwearing all-terrain design that contributes to the trailer's increased capability, which goes along with added storage and uprated equipment.
The off-road-ready Black Bean gets a lift around its Timbren 3500 torsion suspension, offering 20 full inches (51 cm) of ground clearance, 3 in (8 cm) more than Bean's Meaner Bean off-road trailer. The steel chassis takes on a full powder coating, and the trailer hooks up to the tow vehicle with a Cruisemaster DO35 multidirectional articulating coupling.
Another major addition comes up front, where Bean has worked in a full-width, Armadillo-coated storage box as standard. The new box comes with a slide-out tray sized to fit a 71-L Dometic CFX3 75 dual-zone fridge to give the trailer extra refrigerated space in combination with the 52-L Dometic fridge in the galley.
The other side of the large front chest houses the uprated electrical hardware, which starts with a 210-Ah lithium battery pack instead of the basic 100-Ah AGM battery that comes on the Meaner Bean. The electrical suite also includes a charger and Victron battery management system and can be upgraded to a 420-Ah lithium battery with 2,000-W inverter and the ability to output power to work as a home backup supply during power outages.
The available LightLeaf solar panel is curved to match the front of the trailer and doubles as a protective cover for the optional front window, preventing kicked up rocks from cracking the glass during off-road towing. The panel plugs into the battery via a port on the top of the front storage box and can also remove from the trailer to realign with the sun.
An available 1Up dual-bike carrier rides atop the front box for convenient mountain bike hauling.
Around the other end of the trailer, Bean focuses on giving nomadic chefs more space to work with. The countertop runs the full width of the galley with help from a flush cover atop the larger, deeper Torva sink.
Bean has long saved countertop space by using a slide-out stove, and it takes the concept a step further with a fold-and-slide 22-in Partner Steel stove that tucks away neatly next to the fridge/freezer and folds up and out, positioning so it's facing inward or outward, for use under the tailgate or on the side of the trailer. The latter position frees up access to the entirety of the galley countertop. A side table attaches to the rear side of the trailer for more prep space.
The upper galley cabinets include a handy pass-through from galley to cabin. The interior itself gets some new trim options and includes a 58 x 78-in (147 x 198) mattress, remote-controlled fan and lighting, drop-down cupholders, cabinets and drawers, and an optional 58 x 23-in (147 x 58-cm) bunk bed to sleep a child or pet. The main bed can also transform into a bench for use with the available pop-up dining table.
The Black Bean retails for a hefty $37,900, and additional options include heat, an instant hot water system, and iKamper and Tepui rooftop tent models. For those interested in a closer look, the 19.5-minute video below provides a walkthrough of Black Bean features and options that's even more thorough than the one we received at Outside Adventure Expo.
Source: Bean Trailer
