Discovering the elegance and appeal of CarbonTear teardrop trailers

I have never been a fan of trailers—any kind. A friend persuaded me to try out CarbonTear. Although I was skeptical, when I saw their trailer, I thought it looked so good that I would at least give it a try. Since then, I’ve become a huge fan of trailers. For now, I'm just a fan of teardrop trailers. You have to start somewhere.

I wasn't a fan of trailers for several reasons. Firstly, I could not manoeuvre them. On the road, you have to remember the truck speed limits and the fact that you're towing a trailer. This is very important on certain bumps, curves, or intersections.

On the other hand, camping trailers also frightened me because of their size and instability. I always imagined how such a trailer would simply fly away in the wind on an uneven road. I even had the impression that I had a slight phobia.

"You'll see how it drives, but I won't tell you anything more," said my friend, who convinced me to borrow his CarbonTear trailer, which he had tested himself. I looked at it and thought: "It’s so pretty that I might as well try it." So, I scheduled a test drive.

I have already written an extensive article about CarbonTear trailers, including an interview with their creator, Piotr Goral. Despite the name, the trailer's construction is made of steel and wood; specifically, the chassis is steel with independent suspension, while the body is largely made of ash wood.

The whole thing resembles early teardrop designs from the 1930s when Americans started travelling without being tied to motels. The trailer is finished with aluminum details made in a factory in Lublin. Everything is in a pre-war style.

The idea of a classic teardrop is travelling with a small trailer equipped with two to three sleeping spaces and a kitchenette in the rear part, similar to the trunk of a vehicle. Inside, there are a few shelves and cabinets – that’s it. You travel towing a small, light trailer with your car, stop wherever you want, and rest at any time. With a teardrop, you don't go to campgrounds; although you can, you don't stay in one place for several days. You get up every day and move on.

Therefore, great attention is paid to the driving properties of CarbonTear trailers during their construction. In such a trailer, how it drives is more important than how it feels to be in it.

After hitching the trailer to a Volkswagen Tiguan, I set off on my first journey with some trepidation. In the city, the only inconvenience was the creaking sound from the hitch ball and the small play felt during braking and acceleration. Other than that, no problem.

Over time, CarbonTear began to win me over more as a vehicle. It handles amazingly—however strange it may sound. The suspension with independent arms, dual shock absorbers on each wheel, and coil springs are fantastic.

How CarbonTear behaves on road bumps or when taking tight corners faster left me astonished and relieved of my related fears.

Concerns about driving the vehicle and trailer combination disappeared with each passing hour, but those related to maneuvering remained. CarbonTear is small enough to fit in many places but large enough to be well visible in the mirrors. The Volkswagen TrailerAssist system proved to be a big help.

The CarbonTearz GR Gravel, the specific model you see in the pictures, measures 15 feet 8 inches in length, 6 feet 8 inches in width, and 6 feet 8 inches in height. It weighs 1874 pounds, with a maximum allowable mass of 2425 pounds. Although it's typically higher, it has been lowered in this example so it can be towed by many cars without additional permits.

Also necessary is the ample ground clearance of 16 inches, which gives a sense of security when driving off paved roads. The last thing that would happen is scraping the underside of the trailer on obstacles. There’s no worry about braking because every CarbonTear has an overrun brake, regardless of the GVW.

CarbonTear offers a unique atmosphere for two reasons. Firstly, it captivates me with its simplicity. This is not an alternative to a classic camping trailer but to the trendy rooftop tents. The only difference is that we have a few cabinets here and a kitchen, and entering the interior is much easier.

The mattress is 6 feet 5 inches long and 4 feet 7 inches wide, just right for a couple or a small child. Inside are more cabinets than needed, as well as good lighting and a sound system. The latter is surprisingly good for a trailer, but the creator classifies it as a premium model, so it makes sense.

To maintain the 1930s atmosphere, an old-style radio player is installed inside, although it still features a USB input and Bluetooth module. USB ports are also plentiful in other parts of the trailer – inside and out.

The trailer's cabin is neither cramped nor too low. It's comfortable, even more so than an average rooftop tent, and thanks to the doors that open on both sides, we can easily get out. With thick walls and small windows that can be covered, I felt much more isolated from the surroundings than in a tent, which provides a sense of security during travel.

When locked from the inside, the trailer becomes impregnable by traditional means, as certain travellers discovered when sleeping in a French parking lot, potentially facing uninvited guests at night. The problem is that the ventilation proves insufficient when sleeping in the trailer in higher summer temperatures, requiring you to leave the doors slightly open – the roof window is not enough. This raises another issue: the too-narrow side awnings.

Mechanical ventilation (along with heating for CAD 2150) can be purchased to solve the problem. The trailer's insulation is amazing. On a cool night, I slept in my underwear without a sleeping bag and wasn't cold.

However, what offers the most positive experiences is the exterior construction of the trailer. Not only can you see the wood, but you can also smell it, so those who love that might simply fall in love. The sound system plays phenomenally with the doors closed, as the acoustics of the room without corners are incredible. The lighting is pleasant and non-straining, although the switches could be dimmer, as they are distracting at night.

Despite its small thickness, the mattress proved exceedingly comfortable, and it is upholstered with a pleasant, non-staining fabric. It has such a texture that entering the trailer straight from the beach won’t mean you sleep on the sand afterward. A large storage compartment is hidden under the mattress, where a table can be pulled out to sit on a rainy day. Outside, there's also an 8-foot x 8-foot awning, although it’s an option for CAD 1075, one that I would forgo.

The trailer's shape creates its exterior atmosphere, which attracts attention. The tested model had an elegant but unobtrusive colour. However, a red, white, yellow, or bright blue one would be a real hit wherever it appeared. Yet, even the tested one garnered enough attention, with people often giving it curious looks and silently asking, "What is this?"

However, thoughts and whispers cease when the rear hatch is opened. This reveals the kitchen, with a large countertop for meal preparation, a two-burner stove, and a sink. The trailer has clean water (15 gallons), a tank for dirty water (8 gallons), and a boiler that heats the water in the sink and for the shower. The shower can be connected to an external outlet. The battery has 120Ah and 12V power, or we can connect to 230V power.

The kitchenette has its own lighting and sound system, although, unfortunately, there is no control for volume or the radio. But today, we mostly listen to music via Bluetooth, so we have such controls on our smartphones.

The sink and stove are, of course, compact. In the former, you can wash a small dish or two, and on the stove, you can place two small pots. However, the idea of the teardrop is not to prep meals on-site—it’s more of an emergency solution or for preparing a quick breakfast before continuing on the road.

The rear area also has shelves (at the top) and cabinets (at the bottom). The lower pull-out cabinets can hold a lot of items. In the front of the trailer is a spacious, aluminum, ventilated compartment – usually intended for a fridge and some small items, like tools. The unpainted walls and lid well insulate the items inside from the sun’s rays. Unfortunately, the lid of this box leaning against the trailer's front wall causes paint damage, but this issue has been solved in the latest trailers.

Outside is a roof rack made of polished aluminum tubes on which you can mount a tent, providing additional sleeping space for two to five people. Of course, it’s important to remember the weight of such a tent and the regulations, as those concerning trailers can be complex. However, the roof rack extends CarbonTear's potential for travelling with the whole family.

CarbonTear seems to Be an expensive trailer. Like the one tested, the GR Gravel version currently costs CAD 30,500 net or CAD 37,350 gross.

However, there is a reasonable response to complaints about the high price: "You can always buy a wall clock cheaper than a Swiss wristwatch." However, I see the comparison to a classic camping trailer differently, as watches are not my world.

In Canada, you can buy various cars, including the three-wheeled Morgan Super 3, with two seats, no roof, and a decent front windshield, with an engine of 118 HP, like the one in the picture below. Do you know how much it costs? Converting from pounds, just over CAD 91,000. Do you think people who buy it shout that it’s too expensive?