The Journey to the TOPO2 Teardrop Trailer
What started as a passion project in mom’s garage evolved into an obsession to Build the Best Damn Camper Known to Man.
Like many of our innovations in the past, the TOPO2 concept was born because we recognized that there was a better way to make a teardrop trailer. Over the last 5 years, we refined our original TOPO Series trailer to an industry-leading level. While there will forever be small ways in which we can make it better, it will never be exponentially better than it is today. The manufacturing processes and materials used in this style of teardrop trailer were established long ago. They rely heavily on craftsmanship and restrict true innovation.
We’re not alone in that challenge.
The RV & teardrop trailer industry has grown significantly over the last 100 years, but the innovations in materials, build processes, and part selection has lagged behind. We’ve noticed that while there are a lot of great teardrop trailers in the world, they’re mostly constructed in a similar way: an internal wood or metal skeleton, with an exterior “skin” of aluminum or composite. Additionally, many of the commonly used fixtures (stargazer windows, doors, lights, knobs, etc.) come mass-produced from the same third-party vendors and unfortunately share a host of shortcomings.
If our mission at Escapod is truly to Create the Best Damn Camper Known to Man then we had to start questioning our own manufacturing techniques and processes.
So, we quickly started drawing inspiration from the automotive industry. The manufacturing techniques, materials, and processes of the automotive industry are constantly improving and pushing innovation. They’ve already solved some of the challenges we’ve been working to solve: water management around doors and hatches/trunks, finishes that are long-lasting, and materials that are easy to repair.
Our wheels began spinning.
The vision began to take shape. Lists of desired features turned into notebook sketches. Sketches turned into refined drawings. Drawings led to computerized images. Computerized images became 3D printed models.
The TOPO2 project started because we wanted to build something that had never been built before. We wanted to create a teardrop trailer that was more capable and more usable than anything that has ever existed. We wanted to design a trailer that was lighter-weight yet had more usable space; that had a cleaner aesthetic yet was more durable; that was easier to use yet more feature-packed.
And so, the TOPO2 was born.
