Utah's Escapod already builds some of the market's sleekest composite teardrop trailers. Now it's turning its attention to offering a trailer tailored to the needs of mountain bikers, ebikers and other cyclists. The all-new Topo2 MTB features an integrated ebike-rated hitch rack, along with a veritable bike workshop. Combine those bonus features with the Topo2's existing multifunctional amenity set, and you have a towable multitool too bike-specific to call a Swiss Army trailer – Swiss Daysaver teardrop would be more accurate.
The Topo2 MTB is a product born from the very roots of Escapod, a husband-and-wife-built company founded around the objective of developing the perfect teardrop to tow along to mountain bike races and adventures. During the company's near-decade of existence, the husband half of that co-founding duo, Chris Hudak, has proven the consummate tinkerer, continuously improving upon the design to offer the best possible teardrop trailer he can put out.
The biggest improvement in Escapod's timeline was undoubtedly elevating the Topo design from a classic aluminum-skinned wood camping pod atop a standard ladder frame with torsion axle to a single-shell composite body married to a custom-thinned and lightened galvanized steel chassis cushioned by an in-house-developed independent suspension, i.e. the launch of the Topo2. Escapod has since expanded the Topo2 into a two-model lineup comprising the base-level Nomad shell and the more fully equipped Voyager. The MTB debuts as the third model in the series.
"Mountain biking – and being able to easily access all kinds of rugged places to ride – is what led my wife Jen and I to create the Escapod brand in the first place," Hudak said when announcing the Topo2 MTB today. "We built out the very first model a decade ago to fuel our own weekend mountain biking adventures, and that design inspired us to start a company. So building out the Topo2 MTB is in many ways coming full circle for us. This is more than just a comfortable place to sleep – it’s the ultimate mobile base camp for riding."
To step teardrop micro-camping up to "ultimate riding base camp" grade, Escapod starts by integrating a convenient swivel bar into its rear-end design. Dubbed the Switchback Hitch, the unit includes its own hitch receiver and a bull bar with Rotopax mount for fuel or water canisters. It locks in three different positions and is also removable for times you don't need it.
Escapod fills out the actual hitch receiver on the Switchback Hitch bar with the all-new Piston Ion platform rack from Küat, which will also be making an official debut this week. The dual-bike rack is ebike-ready and can carry up to 80 lb (36 kg) per tray. Each of the two trays features Küat's super-fast, smooth Piston arms at each end, clamping down around the bike tires in seconds. The arms deliver a secure means of transport without getting close to touching the bicycle frame.
Escapod further enhances the Topo2 MTB's bike-friendly capabilities by attaching a Feedback Sports slide-action clamp to the bull bar. Much like a bike repair stand, the clamp holds the bike steady off the ground for repairs and maintenance.
The big advantage of the swivel hitch isn't so much in carrying bikes but in swinging them out of the way at camp, providing clear access to the galley without having to unload bikes – particularly helpful for a quick lunchtime pull-over. And not only is the galley fully equipped for cooking meals with a slide-out dual-burner stove, large rectangular sink, cooler or fridge/freezer, and stainless steel worktop, it also teams with the repair clamp to create a mini-workshop.
Instead of holding knives, as on the standard Topo2, the cutting board/cabinet door above the sink houses a full Team Edition bike tool kit from Feedback Sports on its inside face. So it functions as a cutting board on one side, a bike toolbox on the other, keeping the full tool set within easy reach of the repair clamp. And the long stainless steel counter can double as a wipe-clean work bench for wrenching on bike components.
Beyond those bike-specific additions, the Topo2 MTB provides a comprehensive home-away-from-home in the wilderness. Its 23-in (58 cm) ground clearance swoops over the most rugged of roads, perfect for getting to deep backcountry trail heads and dispersed camping. The outdoor shower lets riders clean both themselves and their bikes after a particularly muddy or dusty romp, and a thoroughly insulated, heated cabin provides a comfortable space in which to retire at day's end. An onboard electrical system and 79.5-L fresh water tank are also included.
We had the opportunity to use the Topo2 Voyager as a mountain bike base camp last year on a trip through Idaho and can confirm it's a super-convenient rig for biking adventures, even without the new all-bike additions. It tows lightly, leaving plenty of carry capacity for bikes and camping gear. At camp, it sets up immediately with little effort, an advantage when your two- or four-wheel adventure runs a little later than expected and you want to get ready in a hurry before darkness sets in.
Once set up, the Topo2 can stay put and hold your camp spot for the entire trip while you bike straight out of camp or drive the tow vehicle to trail heads a little farther away, unlike a truck camper or base vehicle-mounted rooftop tent. The memory foam queen mattress within the quiet, fully insulated shell is a more comfortable place to lay aching legs than a ground or rooftop tent, and the tailgate galley keeps you organized for quick meals and quicker cold beverages.
Even though we were towing with a pickup truck that makes a great bike-hauling camping rig in its own right, the Topo2 streamlined the trip for added convenience while offering more sleeping comfort than the rooftop tent on the truck.
Our simple Allen four-bike hitch rack (like this one, but purchased a few years ago) worked great for transporting bikes over hundreds of miles of highway and dirt road, but we couldn't open the Topo2 tailgate with the bike rack installed, even when fully tilted back. The rack's tilt function does work with the tailgate on an SUV, but the low-dropping Topo2 tailgate gets blocked in.
This wasn't a big deal when camping in the same spot for a couple days, but removing all bikes and the rack itself was certainly inconvenient when trying to quickly grab food or drink out of the galley while on the road. It isn't a shortcoming of either the Escapod or Allen design, just the type of incompatibility you get when combining components that weren't specifically designed to work together. Other tilting hitch racks may or may not run into the same problem aback the Topo2.
But with its new MTB hitch rack system, Escapod eliminates such problems for future teardrop travelers by swiveling the rack and bikes completely out of the way for full galley access. By integrating it into the trailer chassis design, Escapod appears to provide a more streamlined solution than you'd get by mounting a standalone swivel attachment, like Küat's own Pivot, to a hitch receiver – an option we considered on our trip but decided against so as to save weight and pull the bikes closer in to the trailer.
All in all, the Topo2 MTB won't be the most universal teardrop camper out there, as not all shoppers need those bike-targeted features, but it does promise to dial trips in like no other for passionate mountain bikers, gravel riders, roaming ebikers and two-wheel adventurers. And there's certainly a considerable demo crossover that should be quite excited about such a trailer.
Escapod announced the US$53,990 Topo2 MTB today ahead of a public debut at this weekend's Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. We'll look to get the full standard equipment and spec sheet after the official premiere.
Source: Escapod
