Escapod Topo2 MTB Teardrop Camper Trailer Review: Comfy and Ready to Bike

With the rise of HOAs that treat houses like set pieces more than homes, the need to store a camper inside a garage or within a fenced-off space in a quarter-acre plot of land is becoming all too common. This is why tiny teardrop campers are becoming wildly popular, but these minuscule size trailers usually come with some huge drawbacks. This is where the like the Escapod Topo2 and its latest version—the MTB—really starts to shine. Especially if you’re really into mountain biking while you’re camping.

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Escapod-ing the Normal Teardrop

First, let’s quickly start with who Escapod is. Co-founded by Chris and Jen Hudak, the husband-wife duo wanted the perfect camper in the teardrop format. The issue was that everything they were looking at just didn’t fit the needs they had. That’s when they came up with a wild idea: let’s build our own. June of 2016 rolled around and the first Escapod Topo was built in Hudak’s mother’s garage.

That’s not to say it was entirely perfect, but it was close enough to meet their needs and even to start to manufacture to sell them others. Soon enough, the couple opened a 20,000 sq-ft manufacturing facility in Utah. Enough capital had also come in to allow them to create the next version of the Topo, the Topo2. What sets it apart from the original is mainly in the construction of the body and frame. Rather than utilize plywood and aluminum sheeting, the Topo2 body comprises of a large structural piece of molded fiberglass that also integrates the tongue box and allows for 42.5 inches of headspace in the cabin.

Additional strength over just the composite comes in the form of a PET plastic core whose material comes from recycled milk cartons. This comes at a cost of build time and richer materials, but you end up with a much stronger cabin without the weight penalty of a steel or even aluminum structure. This also reduces the need for sealing panels as the body is one whole seamless unit.

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Fiberglass is also used for the main doors (including the large clamshell at the rear) while the shelving and cabinets of the cabin are made from HDPE and honeycomb composite materials. The cabinet doors inside the Topo2 cabin space are made from birch.

Another unique feature of the Topo2’s clamshell door is its hinges. Rather than pull straight down and creating a fulcrum point that keeps the lower portion of the door just ajar enough to let dust in, these hinges pull both down and in towards the main body. This removes that issue with dust as it creates a better seal against the body.

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The body is set on top of a hot-dip galvanized steel chassis, which you can immediately see thanks to the fenders that are integrated into it poking out of the sides. This custom frame allows for a full-sized, 6-inch-thick memory foam queen bed mattress to fit within the confines of the Topo2 body. This means there is no sacrifice to bedtime comfort, especially for those taller than 5 feet (including your 6-foot, 1-inch, 289-pound author, size 15 shoes included). All told, the Topo2 comes in with a dry weight of just under 2,000 pounds, well within the trailer towing limit of most vehicles like the Ford Bronco Sport, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Outback, or even some minivans. All of those can tow at least 2,200-pounds and possibly more.

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Unique Suspension, For Campers at Least

The key feature that both the Topo and Topo2 utilize is the independent trailing arm suspension with coil springs over shocks. This allows the Topo2 to not only be more stable off-road but also give it 5 inches of wheel travel. You’ll also gain 21 inches of ground clearance thanks to the addition of a pair of General Tires in 265/75R16. Depending on which model of Topo2 you get, that will either be the General Grabber AT/X tires with a set of aluminum Vision Wheel Manx 2 Overland on the Voyager, General APT tires on Vision Wheel Soft 8 steel wheels for the Nomad, or General Grabber X3 tires on aluminum Vision Wheel Savage wheels for the MTB.

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The Topo2 is also made for nighttime camping thanks to its very (and we mean very) bright LED outdoor lights. During our camping trip, it made spotting the Topo2 much easier during a nighttime run to the bathroom. The galley is lit up thanks to a dual-color LED light strip mounted to the clamshell door that is either a bright white or a night vision preserving red.

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The MTB: Made for Mountain Biking

The latest version of the Topo2 is the MTB, a teardrop made just for those who like to off-road on two wheels and under their own power. The major changes from a Topo2 Voyager and Nomad mostly come down to the included amenities. The Nomad is made for those who already have a lot of camping gear while the Voyager is meant to be a home-away-from-home from the start that includes a solar panel, roof rack, and other standard utilities. The MTB we were given for the weekend was packaged like the Voyager and included the larger 240 ah lithium-ion house battery, 2-kW inverter, MaxxFan Deluxe 10-speed rooftop fan, ARB 63 Fridge/Freezer, and door and window screens.

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Additionally, the MTB will come with the Switchback Hitch, a swing-away carrier that can lock in three positions and allows the user to store two mountain bikes on the 160-pound capable Kuat Ion ebike rack at the same time. This hitch also becomes an accessory plate that allows the mounting of a Rotopax water storage tank while the Feedback Sports Mechanic Clamp Head mounts to the upper tubing when needed for bike repairs or easier tire mounting. For those that might be unfamiliar, the clamp holds on to the bike by the main tube between the seat post and steerer tube or the seat post itself, whichever is more convenient or even there, like in the case of step through bicycles and some ebikes.

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Of course, to get pro-like service, you’re going to need tools, and this is the second part that makes the Topo2 MTB different from the Voyager and Nomad. In place of the knife holder, the galley now features a full Feedback Sports Team Edition tool kit. This kit includes 26 essential tools for mountain bikers like chain link breakers, Allen and Torx wrenches, pedal wrench, spoke wrench, valve core tools for both Presta and Schrader valves, and much more. But the spacious galley cabinet and drawers still allow storage of all your cooking gear and even a Medial Points Abroad medical kit. The cabinet door also functions as an outdoor table that attaches to either fender thanks to a set of cutouts on each.

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You also still have room for the included dual gas burner Eno Millesime 2 hob that sits on the other side of the cooler space. Due to the windy conditions on our trip to Moab, Utah, we didn’t really get a chance to try out the hob nor the standard Roam eight-foot awing. If you need power, you have access to a 120-volt outlet in the upper left cubby hole if you have a cooking tool that needs it like a blender. If you need to clean your hands or food, the included stainless-steel sink gives you the water you need and is matched by the stainless-steel surface counter. That same 21-gallon fresh-water tank feeds a shower head attachment that has a conveniently magnetized base. That part attaches to the left-hand outer wall of the Topo2 MTB that Escapod placed a steel plate within the body’s cavity. It’s located just beside the “T2” of the body decal. The hose end mounts on the other side of the tool kit to a port for freshwater to come out of.

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Windy Moab Weekend

Despite the weather's best tries during our weekend trip with Escapod, it was a very comfortable stay. As temperatures dropped below 50 degrees and winds kicked up to over 15 mph, your author stayed warm and comfortable throughout thanks to the included Aqua-Hot heating system. This system also heats up the water for the shower and faucet, making it a perfect dual-use system. The mattress and thought-out design of the Topo2 interior made living in it as easy as a hotel stay, including the 2-kW inverter and its 120-volt outlet as well as the pair of wireless charge points in the integrated nightstands.

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Helping us keep an eye on battery usage and state of charge was a Simmarine Pico battery monitor, which was able to predict just how long we could depend on the battery. It also showed when the battery was being charged by the Lightleaf solar panel. That panel is normally mounted to the galley clamshell, but that could also be moved to where sunlight was thanks to the included extension cable. While sleeping or laying down, the large openable Stargazer window allowed your author to watch the stars during the night or just cover it up like you can with the light blockers on the doors.

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Installation of those blockers is easy thanks to the magnetic attachments and could be stowed away in the headboard when not used. The doors also had bug catchers installed and helped keep the dirt and bugs out when the doors were opened during the daytime.

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If there was one complaint, its that the doors don’t lock open or have some sort of catch to prevent a gust of wind from catching them and slamming them open or shut. This is something we experienced thanks to the windy weekend in Moab. A simple bungee cord would work well in this instance and hopefully something Escapod will implement in the future of an otherwise excellent teardrop camper.

Pricing of the Topo2 MTB hasn’t been announced at the time of this writing, but the Topo2 starts at $33,990 for the Nomad and $43,990 for the Voyager. With the standard features we were shown, expect the MTB to be priced higher than the Voyager, but most likely not by much.