Radically Practical

Practicality isn’t synonymous with bare bones or cheap. Bettman says it embodies being honest about how a product will be used.

It’s an idea influenced partly by his experience living aboard several boats in varying states of repair. Sailing was ostensibly the point, he says, but maintaining the boats could consume as much time as enjoying them. He didn’t want camping to become the same thing.

Bettman also works in the Bay Area technology world, where he has designed products involving cutting-edge technology and medical applications. He appreciates what technology can do, but he also understands the complexity it can introduce. So when he designed his teardrop, he set up some rules.

“No circuit boards, no visible LED indicators, nothing where the trailer itself screams for my attention while I’m trying to focus on the woods,” he says.

That reasoning also explains why All Good Equipment doesn’t chase feature counts. Bettman says it’s easy to look through a product catalog and imagine that more features will make for a better experience, but those features often reflect an aspirational version of camping rather than how people actually camp.

“Being radically practical means sitting down with yourself and saying, ‘I’m going to be honest, and ask, ‘What do I really need?’” he says. “My response focused on connection to nature, durability and longevity.”

The result is a camper Bettman describes as a “little practical life support system,” offering enough comfort and security to make camping easier without becoming the experience itself.

That distinction is important. An RV with a living room, indoor kitchen and an array of switches and controls, he reasons, might tempt him to stay inside, but a teardrop pushes the experience outside.

Built To Go, Built To Last

Simple doesn’t mean lightly engineered. In fact, Bettman’s determination to remove unnecessary complexity made the teardrop’s materials and construction even more important.

“When I built this for myself, I wanted it to last forever. So I went and sourced the best possible materials,” he says.

One of those is BS 1088-grade okoume marine plywood, a material used in custom yacht building. Bettman selected it for its strength-to-weight ratio and ability to withstand camping’s abuse. He estimates it is about 30% lighter per panel than Baltic Birch plywood, which keeps trailer weight down without abandoning wood construction.

It also delivers the aesthetic Bettman wanted. The darker wood and its mahogany-like grain create an interior palette inspired by the warm browns and greens of the forest.

On the exterior, All Good Equipment uses unpainted aluminum cladding, which supports longevity. There is no paint to fade and no decal package to peel. Bettman points to vintage aluminum-clad teardrops from the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s that remain on the road as evidence of the material’s staying power.

The company also insulates the walls and ceiling with raw sheep’s wool, which Bettman says helps manage moisture and condensation and reduces manufacturing waste. The material is also biodegradable.

The emphasis on natural materials is deliberate. Bettman’s years around boats left him keenly aware of what happens to fiberglass and other plastics after their useful life ends. Despite plastic’s utility, Bettman wonders if it’s essential for every recreational item to be made from substances that take a millennium to decompose after disposal. He prefers to use materials that can age gracefully.

Bettman references wabi-sabi, the Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in simplicity, imperfection and the signs objects acquire through use. His family’s own prototype, now about eight years old, carries bumps and marks from years of camping, including reminders of adventures with his children.

“It’s almost a record of our exploits in the woods,” he says.

Quality Up Close

All Good Equipment teardrops for 2027 start at $24,500 and weigh 1,080 pounds dry, with a tongue weight of approximately 110 pounds. Their compact dimensions allow the trailers to fit in a garage stall, and their light weight opens towing to a broader range of vehicles.

That was intentional from the beginning. Bettman designed the first trailer to pull behind his 1971 Volkswagen bus. Since then, he has seen All Good Equipment teardrops pulled by older Toyota pickups to a Toyota Prius. The lightweight, low-drag design also makes the trailer attractive to EV owners.

Bettman says the trailer’s details surprise people most.

“This trailer may not have all the bells and whistles, but it’s got a really good bell and a really good whistle,” he says.

Bettman argues that compromises become clear the closer someone examines a mass-produced product. Fasteners, joints, materials and other details can reveal decisions made to save money or speed production. He wants an All Good Equipment teardrop to produce the opposite reaction.

“The closer you get and the deeper you look, the more you’re rewarded that the quality is throughout,” he says.

For now, maintaining that quality is intensely personal. Bettman and his brother-in-law build every trailer.

“The person who designed the trailer and has been camping in them for over a decade is also the person who assembles the trailers,” Bettman says.

He acknowledges that may change as the company grows but says he intends to remain heavily involved in manufacturing.

“As the owner, I get to not cut corners,” he says. “Honestly, that’s a great privilege, and it’s a matter of pride for us.”

Designed Around the Campsite

All Good Equipment designs trailers for beyond the campsite, according to Bettman.

Consider the galley: Bettman initially contemplated building the cooler and stove directly into the trailer, as many teardrop manufacturers do. Camping in California bear country changed his thinking. At destinations such as Yosemite and South Lake Tahoe, food must be kept in a bear box or secured elsewhere.

Making the cooler and cooking equipment portable solved the bear issue, but Bettman discovered another benefit. Campers can move the cooler, stove and other equipment wherever the gathering happens.

“You’re not beholden to the trailer,” he says. “It doesn’t become the epicenter of your experience.”

Rather than adding heating and air conditioning equipment, Bettman put greater emphasis on insulating the structure itself. California provided an ideal proving ground, with conditions ranging from freezing temperatures in the Sierra Nevada to Central Valley heat, coastal weather, rain and sun.

A freestanding, adjustable table is also included with every trailer to serve as an extension of the galley counter, a coffee table near the campfire or wherever it’s needed. When not in use, it stores beneath the mattress.

Going Smaller

Bettman sees former owners of larger RVs and converted vans discover they don’t use all the space and features they once thought they needed. He also sees former backpackers, who already understand the value of carrying less, now want a comfortable bed and greater weather protection.

The trailer’s minimal weight and reduced air resistance make it an appealing choice for EV owners as well. Then there are people new to camping who appreciate the security of a hard-sided shelter.

Bettman believes those groups converge around a broader desire for simplicity.

“Consumers already live with extraordinary levels of technology and complexity,” he says. “Camping can offer an escape from that.”

For some, a teardrop provides enough comfort to make that escape approachable without importing all the complexity they’re trying to leave behind.

“There’s a security aspect to it that new campers appreciate,” he says. “There’s a simplicity aspect to it that old RVers appreciate, and there’s a practicality that old backpackers appreciate.”

Seeing people encounter the trailers in person has reinforced that belief.

At All Good Equipment open houses and trade show appearances, Bettman watches visitors peer inside, climb onto the queen-size bed and investigate how much functionality fits into such a small footprint.

“It’s really fun to watch people’s eyes light up as they think about the possibilities,” he says.