Mean Bean Trailer - long term ownership review!
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2024
- After three full years with our @BeanTrailer trailer (which we call Rowan) I wanted to put together a video that shares our thoughts on the whole thing. I go over a lot of questions people have including things like how much it cost, has anything broken, would we do it again, what could we change, how many people does it fit. I even answer the question of "where is the bathroom". Hopefully this review is helpful to those researching fiberglass teardrop RV trailers of their own. This video is not sponsored in any way; just done for my own enjoyment. I would love to hear your questions or feedback - feel free to drop a comment.
You can skip through the video to specific chapters here:
Intro: 0:00
How we chose Bean: 0:58
How do we use our Bean?: 3:54
What do we tow our trailer with? 4:35
Walk through review at camp: 5:20
What do you do when nature calls? 8:08
Where do you store your trailer? 11:10
HOW EXPENSIVE IS THIS? 11:42
Our FAVORITE part of the trailer: 12:15
How many people does this fit? 14:30
What would I change if I built my trailer today? 15:35
Would I buy this again in 2024? 17:50
Has anything broken? 18:40
Where can I see a Bean? 20:15
Great review. Thank you. We purchased a Black Bean late last summer. Have had nothing but positive things to say about it. The attention to detail and the fit and finish are incomparable.
I can’t deny I’m a tiny bit jealous of the Black Bean. The kitchen and the cloud suspension 😍. In my mind I’ve been thinking about raising my garage door and going to a black bean setup (this also involves a lottery winning).
For anyone wondering, we sold a very luxurious Lance trailer we had for about 6 years or so, and downsized into the teardrop. We had purchased the Lance new when our kids were small, because it had the bunk beds. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Lance Trailers. Very good fit and finish with those. As our kids got older, one always wanted to sleep in a hammock or a tent outside instead of the trailer. Ultimately, they outgrew the bunks and are now in college, so we downsized to the Bean. We realized that our camping was always about being outside, and that we were towing a bunch of extra space and items that we did not need. When we sold the Lance, I cleared out so much “junk” that I had forgotten about, stuff that I put into it 6 years prior and then never touched again. Simplifying life so that you can spend time in the beauty of nature is what the Bean is about. Everything you need and nothing you don’t.
If you like camping in a campground with your TV outside and cable, Bean is not for you. But if you camp to be outdoors, and just want the comfort and convenience of a nice bed in a very well-insulated and beautiful interior, a kitchen that can produce some amazingly good food if you enjoy cooking, and the ability to go just about anywhere you want without having to reserve spaces 6 months in advance, you are a Beaner.
“But there is no bathroom.” There are so many other options for that too. There is a very handy outdoor shower system available, as shown in the video. You can put a shower enclosure on the roof rack and now you have a private bathroom. I had grown tired of the hassle of emptying tanks and all of the other maintenance that comes with owning a larger trailer. Most people have no idea how much work goes into a trailer, until they own one. I have a high level of mechanical and engineering aptitude, and owned a very well made trailer in the Lance, and even I got tired of all of the work that went into camping. With a Bean, set up and take down are 5 minutes each. It just makes camping enjoyable again.
@@spammersbiteme Your experience with the Lance parallels our experience with our cabin cruiser boat we had while my kids were growing up. My kids have great memories on that boat but I don't have good memories of pumping out the head and cooking in the tiny galley. As our boating trips evolved we stopped using the galley and head and started taking care of those needs outside the boat. That is why when I designed Bean there was no way those features were going to be included. Thanks for the validation that it was the right path to take. I am glad you are enjoying your Black Bean!
I wish it was $28k now....just priced one out and just over $41k now (with the base kitchen). Unfortunately the Mean Bean only seems to be available now with the 2" ball hitch, at least on their website builder thing. I've spent several hundred nights in hotels over the decades, I'm tired of them.....just want a small travel trailer that I can boondock with (I live in Tucson, AZ) and that'll hold up. So far Bean is at the top of the list.
Thanks for watching! Yeah - pricing now is tough but I am seeing a few trailers pop up for sale on the Bean trailer Facebook groups and have seen a few good deals pass through! The Max Coupler hitch is not typically optioned for the Mean Bean. They only had it on the Meaner Bean so it was a custom "a la carte" option that I added that cost a couple hundred bucks (the exact number escapes me). Bean has proven to be extremely well built and nice to live with every day. I do intend to make more videos; but they unsurprisingly take a lot of time to stitch together in a way that I would be happy with posting :) Thanks for watching!
What a great long term review! Love to hear all the details and feedback from camping in Mean Bean for over 4 years now.
Glad you were able to enjoy it! Putting this together I realized just how much information I’ve amassed over the years and have a lot more to share. 21 minutes is a lot of information to get through.
Your trailer looks great for being 4 years old!
It sure does - thanks for checking it out Mark!
Doing it right! Proving that you dont need a Ram 3500 and 5th wheel to take the family out for great memories
Great review, you are right on the fact that there arent many reviews on these trailers. I like seeing honest reviews from long term owners! Thanks for taking the time and I hope there are more future videos of you guys taking the trailer out!
I have a few more ideas of videos I think can be useful; I will definitely be posting more! Thank you for watching.
Thank you for doing this. We have #504, similar setup. Love the Bean, worth the extra $ to get a solid machine.
Really appreciate you sharing with us!
Thank you so much for this review. Can't tell you how helpful it is.
I think these trailers are dope. The best for off roading. I have a voltage 5th wheel and I’m limited to where I can go.
Different tools for different jobs. There are a lot of nice things about the big toy haulers; but that’s just not a good fit for the way we get out and go camping. Thanks for watching my friend!
Great video! Super thorough and informative. Nice drone footage, too!
Great video, very helpful. Thanks man. Have fun out there.
Awesome trailer and fantastic review. Thanks for sharing your story. Our family will pick up a Bean Stock 2.0 this summer, and we are stoked!!!
How awesome! It is such a well built unit; it’s nice to know that this will last for years and years to come!
Great long term review! Will you all be making any more videos?
Yes! I have my next video filmed; now to cut/edit and color. I have a few different ideas for future videos so as we get out I will record a bit more videos with those video ideas in mind. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the Bean Review - retiring in coming months and contemplating a purchase. Nice to hear from long term owner.
Honestly sounds like an amazing way to start retirement! Part of why we got the LX 570 last year was to make traveling further and longer with the Bean easier.
We purchased a 2023 Toyota 4Runner Offroad and have outfitted back end so far - ARB 63qt refrig on ARB slide, Victory 4X4steel floor upper and lower molle panels and cargo shelf above refrig, and Jackery pack and solar panels. Plan to take off tent camping up through west in June/July and contemplate a bean either sooner or later this year. I 68, have had couple back surgeries, knee replaced, and a big toe fused. Getting old sucks. Ha Ha, but generally still good mobility. The additional headroom compared to other teardrops seems valuable for me at 6 feet tall. Again appreciate the review. Doug in Texas@@RowanAdventureCompany
Thank you so much for this. A great in-depth user review. I’m looking at a mean bean and the biggest issue is our garage only being about 83 inches tall clearance. So I’ve been asking them about options and they said that using the classic bean tires and airing them down a bit will let it go that low. I’m 6’1 with size 13 feet and curious to know how I’d fit while sleeping…
Glad you enjoyed it! I have a 96 inch garage. With the roof rack on the Mean Bean they put it at 83 inches. With my iKamper that is about 13 inches closed. Are you intending to use a roof rack? I had the height discussion on another comment here on the video.
As far is length goes - you would be totally fine. Plenty of space. The Bean Owners Facebook group has had a lot of discussion about different height and comfort. There are Bean owners that are taller than you and sleep/fit no problem. Depending on your location Bean has an ambassador program where you can meet up with a Bean owner if they are in your area and you can check them out and get some questions answered.
This is a great video. I've been daydreaming about a Bean, but I've been holding off because it's such a big investment. I also have young kids and wonder if we would feel too confined in a teardrop. I'm really excited to hear your family still loves and enjoys it after 3 years of use.
We only added the awning room this last year and it has been a really nice flexible space to add if we need it. The big thing about camping for us is to really be outside enjoying the scenery. The Bean lets us make it easier to have a ‘base camp’ where we can set up and then go off road exploring (which is another activity we enjoy doing)
Love the long term review! My family and I also live in Utah. Are there trails out there that you Mean Bean just couldn’t handle? Are family doesn’t do anything crazy. We just want to get to dispersed campsites and such. Cheers!
I have not tried to push too hard but at the same time I have not necessarily been too prissy with where I have taken it. It is meant to be driven off road, it is meant to be enjoyed! I have done a few scouting drives through the mountains (Wasatch-Cache national forest and San Rafael Swell) before taking the Bean. I will also get out if I am going down a forest road and it looks tight to make sure I can get through and that it is passable or that I would be able to back up if necessary. If you want to get more wild the Meaner Bean would be better suited for that. I have definitely taken the Bean in a ton of places a traditional RV would never dare or attempt to go.
Thanks so much. We don’t do anything too crazy but we definitely like to get away from the crowds. We are doing our first run this coming weekend. Can’t wait!
Awesome video and perfect timing as we just ordered the Bean Stalk 2.0 last week. Should be ready early July. My wife and I will be driving from Canada (near Montreal) to pick it up and spending three weeks in Utah.
That sounds like an incredible time! The mountains will be open and amazing during that time of year. You will be able to join the Bean There app which has a ton of camping sites loaded by other Bean owners to find some good spots. You will love the trailer.
@RowanAdventureCompany Since we don't know the exact date we will get our Bean Trailer, are there always campsites available in July-August or should we plan and book in advance?
@@RichardPilon There are a lot of "dispersed" sites; which are basically open/free boondocking options. We have not personally scheduled a lot of camping sites that are at designated areas because that is not really the kind of camping we prefer. You will want to start booking those kinds of sites now though because they can fill up.
@@RowanAdventureCompany That’s good to know, thanks!
That’s awesome! If you have any questions that I didn’t answer; feel free to ask!
Hi RAC, Do you know the dry weight of your Bean? Also, did you have to buy mounting hardware to attach your rooftop tent to the Bean brackets? If so, could you tell me where you got them? I like your setup. Between the rooftop tent, the Bean and the "sunroom" you have attached to the vehicle, you could go camping and open up a B&B all at the same time.
I have never weighed the Bean on a scale. Bean lists the Mean Bean with a dry weight of 1850 pounds; but that will increase as options etc change. I believe the trailer is a little over 2000 pounds dry weight. iKamper lists the tent at 165 pounds which I would say is pretty accurate. The roof rack and cross bars were an option done by Bean. They use Thule cross bars and mounting rails. The tent uses the factory iKamper mounting brackets. It has held on just fine; but you don't want to be jumping around or anything in the roof tent.
@@RowanAdventureCompany Thanks for the additional info.
Thanks for the great review. I’m afraid that it’s not good for camping in the hot summer weather
They have an air conditioner option now. It requires the more expensive lithium battery upgrade and I believe it makes it so you are not able to have a roof mounted tent. They use a really slick top line Dometic unit though. I have a friend with that same unit in his small imported Japanese camper van and it is the best you can get. You also can get the outdoor shower room and be able to rinse off easily. We have the ARB awning mounted to our vehicle with the room option to get some shade when we don't have any available. At night it is as simple as putting the Maxx fan on low and blowing the air "out" and having the side window cracked open.
Great unbiased review. How tall is your garage? I have an iKamper as well and wondering of it will fit in my garage.
It has been a bit since I measured but I am 99% certain it is an 8 foot (96 inch) height. The Mean Bean + roof rack/rails is 83 inches; and I think the iKamper is about 13 inches with closed dimensions.
@@RowanAdventureCompany Thanks so much for the response. I have the same garage height so it looks like the Meaner Bean will not fit unfortunately. I was thinking maybe deflating the tires too make it fit but not sure if that is a good idea or worth the hassle. Thanks again much appreciated.
@@jimf.625Deflating the tires would get old and kind of ruins the idea of the "get out fast" that is the big draw to the teardrop, but it would only add a few minutes to the process. I would not want to store the tires as well; that would not be good for the sidewalls