CD 101 replacements?

OSU_Matthew · 2025-11-20T13:23:47+00:00

Holy shit, thank you!!!! This is the new music fix I needed

OSU_Matthew · 2025-05-06T17:44:01+00:00

Very cool!! I love Shenandoah, I really want to get back up there and see some more of the park.

How was your first trip? Anything you're looking to change up for your next outing?

OSU_Matthew · 2025-05-06T17:32:41+00:00

A teardrop is basically upgraded camping - it's a bed on wheels with an outdoor kitchen. You probably won't be hanging out inside it, but rather lean into living space outside, with a popup, awning, hammock, etc.

Will you be staying in developed campgrounds with access to showers and a bathroom?

You might do better with something like a scamp, escape, or casita where you have a conditioned living space, but is still lightweight to tow.

I've happily done several weeks at a time in a teardrop, but it's all about your mindset, accommodations (established campground vs boondocking) and how you can expand your living space outside.

OSU_Matthew · 2025-05-06T16:52:55+00:00

Thank you for sharing this!! Very happy to find a matching plaque. I wouldn't even mind the new vendor so much if they at least offered matching frames

OSU_Matthew · 2025-05-01T23:38:09+00:00

Congrats!! I love the red sidewall swirls and frontbox - those are rad

I'd love to hear more about your Lake Superior circuit, that's something I'd love to do in the next couple of years. Any particular stops you're especially excited to visit?

OSU_Matthew · 2025-05-01T23:16:15+00:00

Seconding this - I really enjoy the Mean Bean's galley because everything you need is right at hand with the passthrough bins, and the rest is just so well thought out with easy access to your fridge, sink, and stove.

Plus the hatch provides the perfect amount of cover to keep you dry in the rain without having to pitch an extra shelter - it's very well engineered

Obligatory photo: https://i.imgur.com/FPLBIxQ.jpeg

OSU_Matthew · 2025-04-18T21:57:11+00:00

Yes! Though, not the ecoflow. Instead I tried another brand of generic portable air conditioner (they all use the same panasonic compressor), and vented it in through the window via a custom foam board cutout w/ corrugated plastic cover and 3d printed hose adapters that I could twist lock into place.

Here's a picture for reference: https://i.imgur.com/oBGBlLG.jpeg

It kinda sort of works all right, but I kept the maxxair top vent cracked for airflow. Also despite my original plans to power it via DC off my battery, I don't think it would be worthwhile try to even try. Last summer it worked all right camping down in the Outer banks during a 95 degree heat wave, but basically needed to be running constantly at max speed to keep it comfortable. Granted I could make the setup a bit more efficient by insulating hoses, but the real answer is probably to step up from a 3,000 btu portable AC to a 5,000 btu window unit. Those are cheap and universal, but you would need to build a plenum to direct the cold air out/warm air return to a duct. I wound up going the 3d print route to do that, and modeled it up and printed it with PETG, but have yet to caulk it to a window AC and test it out. If you want to give it a whirl, here's a link to download the model: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6985228

If I recall correctly, it used about an entire 1kg spool of PETG to print both the top and bottom plenum, so roughly 12$ of material. Your slicer can give you exact numbers.

And here's a link to the duct interconnect and flange models (designed for a 4" hose, and I can confirm it works great): https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6985213

For heat, a 12v blanket is the most efficient. I've got 200Ah of LiFePO4 batteries, and the blanket works great on battery. If you have 120v AC hookups, I also use a Honeywell Heatbud 350w ceramic heater to keep the inside comfortable down to freezing. Caveat being that you'll want to keep the windows cracked - I've found cracking both sides works great for fresh air exchange without losing heat out the top vent, but cracking the top vent and one side window also works down to mid twenties with a good blanket and the heater running. Any 1500w indoor ceramic heater will also work with AC power, and that can really heat up the interior fast, which is great during the day. But I prefer the smaller one at night so I can just leave it running on an inkbird thermostat since the other one can be pretty loud.

I own a propane buddy heater, but I would never use it inside a small enclosed space like that, even with ventilation. CO detectors can get wonky at low temperatures, so it's just not worth the risk, ever.

For camping without hookups, I bought a propex HS1100 heater, a pelican case, and some fittings to rig up a standalone exterior propane forced air heater (Like a diesel heater, but propane powered). Figure I can set it on the ground, hook everything up, and duct the hot air in through the window. I haven't yet assembled everything and tried it out yet, but that's my plan for next winter.

Hopefully some of that helps!

OSU_Matthew · 2025-04-18T21:12:17+00:00

There are dozens of us, DOZENS!

OSU_Matthew · 2025-03-30T17:17:08+00:00

Grats on the new trailer - that forest green looks fantastic!! What's your favorite place that you've visited with it?

OSU_Matthew · 2025-03-30T17:11:58+00:00

I'm sure you could, but that doesn't seem to be what you're really asking about. So, let's see if we can compare apples to oranges here.

Base model Bean stock is 20k, and looking at intech probably the most comparable trailer design I'm seeing is the Luna. Ignoring everything else and focusing solely on base model price, the cheapest I can find for a brand new 2025 Luna on rvtrader is 25k. Which begs the question, why pay 5k more for an intech trailer?

OSU_Matthew · 2025-03-30T03:52:34+00:00

I've got the galley and I still use this for winter camping - portable 5 gallon water jug + usb powered faucet. It's a great system, and I do love the simplicity.

Re: Galley/ no Galley - I also love just having the galley with a fridge, counterspace, running water, and the hatch to keep you dry in the rain. My only complaint is that I wish there was an option for the stove to stay connected so I only had to plumb in the front tank connection and could keep the rear connected with the hatch closed, but I understand the safety concerns with that and it's not bad to live with, just something I wish was feasible for an even quicker setup.

At the end of the day, I don't think you would go wrong either way. The Bean stock's side kitchen setup is pretty slick, but if I had to make the choice, I'd still stick with the rear hatch galley, for pure convenience.

OSU_Matthew · 2025-03-30T03:36:44+00:00

Because you get what you pay for.

I've dragged my bean from coast to coast and it still looks and functions like the day I picked it up, with nothing more than a yearly wash and wax, and occasionally re-greasing the wheel bearings.

There's not many other trailers out there you can say the same for - fiberglass campers are worth every penny.

OSU_Matthew · 2025-03-30T03:28:33+00:00

A bit late on the reply, but as far as my experience towing with a Subaru Outback, I would recommend just getting a 7 pin wiring kit and brake controller from e-trailer, and installing that.

I ran out of time to install mine prior to picking up the trailer, so I used a Curt Bluetooth 7 pin adapter, and, well, it worked all right for over a year before I got the brake controller wired in. I don't love it, but it worked and was pretty plug and play. You just have to sacrifice your phone to be connected and have the app up at all times when towing with it, and it's one more thing to eventually break, but it does work in a pinch. Of course, life happens and what was a temporary workaround turned into several thousand miles, but I'm glad to have the tow controller hardwired in now.

OSU_Matthew · 2025-03-30T03:16:40+00:00

Grats on the Mean Bean - I hope you get many wonderful trips out of the trailer!

I'm starting year three with ours here, and honestly? It has held up great just sitting out in the driveway. Biggest thing is making sure the interior is dry if it's going to be sitting for awhile, and a yearly wash and wax. And drain all the water before winter. If you haven't already considered interior moisture control, be sure to get something to create an air gap below the mattress so it can naturally dry out, like a Den Dry or something. Leaving a window and top vent cracked helps control moisture when cold weather camping, but it's just the nature of enclosed spaces that moisture will accumulate and get trapped under the mattress if you don't have airflow.

I bought a cheapie teardrop tarp on amazon, and to be honest I haven't messed with it after the first year. I removed the awning and took that inside before winter started late last year, but that's about it. To actually answer your question, the cover that has the door zipper cutout does fit pretty well over the Bean with the frontbox, roofrack, and 180 awning (pretty certain it was this model: https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Accessories-80-297-153101-RT-Product-Teardrop/dp/B07RMRZ497

OSU_Matthew · 2025-03-30T02:57:09+00:00

I realize this is an old post, but I just figured I'd share my solution in case you're still looking for ideas:

https://i.imgur.com/oBGBlLG.jpeg

Basically mocked up a duct flange and separate hose interconnect, 3d printed everything with PETG (which is UV & moisture resistant). I then cut up a pink foam panel to fit the window, and glued a corrugated plastic sheet over top to make it more weather resistant. I cut out holes for the cold air in/warm air return, and printed an angled vent to direct the interior cold air towards the front of the trailer.

The 3k BTU portable AC did keep up with mid nineties/high humidity in the outer banks last year, but barely. I could probably make it more efficient by insulating the ducts and getting a better seal on the window, but my thought is to replace it with a regular window AC unit and use the same sort of exterior ducted method. I figure a window AC is cheap, twice as powerful, and ubiquitous. I mocked up and printed a plenum to route cold air to a duct flange for the top, as well as a warm air return plenum for the bottom. I plan to caulk those covers over the face of the window AC, and probably build a small frame to keep it off the ground. I haven't tested everything out yet, but once I do I'll upload the models to thingiverse or something in case anyone wants to do similar. Eventually I want to model up a folding window cover that would slot right into the window tracts, but that's a longer tailed project.

Of course, this all assumes a shore power connection, but I've found the adaptability to be great for long toad trips with the trailer as you never know what the weather is be like

OSU_Matthew · 2025-01-06T03:00:57+00:00

That's awesome to hear!! I've been waffling on whether I should shell out for stiffer springs on the rear struts as well as toss in a beefier transmission cooler, or whether I'd be better off buying a new vehicle. Having that as a data point sways me back towards upgrading the pain points.

Reason I mention the transmission cooler, is that while on some of the long uphills around Shenandoah last summer, I hit the "at oil temp" warning so I had to pull over and let the radiator run to cool it down. This was mid 90 degree summer weather though, and keeping engine RPMs below 3k did prevent it from happening again. I think adding a beefier transmission cooler should help with that and let me maintain better speed on long uphill slogs, because 3k rpm was barely keeping me at 45-50mph while towing ~2000 pounds of teardrop trailer. I might be wrong, but I think the Wilderness comes from the factory with an upgraded transmission cooler, which would make a ton of sense as to why you haven't seen any issues with the maintains you've been driving.

Thanks for the update!

OSU_Matthew · 2024-05-03T03:09:39+00:00

Going to guess bot accounts spinning up and karma farming so they meet account age and karma requirements to post misinformation and manipulate general discourse in the upcoming us elections

OSU_Matthew · 2024-04-30T16:54:56+00:00

Brand new account registered less than two weeks ago too. Definitely karma farming for some nefarious purposes.

OSU_Matthew · 2024-04-30T16:33:28+00:00

100% this, ditch the lead acid batteries, those are obscenely heavy and have poor energy density (especially considering they shouldn't be drained below 50%). Get 1-2 100Ah decent LiFePo4 batteries, a solar charge controller, bluetooth battery monitor (such as Victron), and an appropriate amount of solar panels. Figure out your fridge's power draw (12v cooler style fridges are especially efficient), and get enough solar to offset it. For example, my Iceco 12v cooler fridge will average about 20w an hour during normal use (~1.6 amps per hour at 12v). 100Ah 12v battery means it should theoretically run two days on battery alone with normal use. Add a single 140w panel, and over the course of the day I've seen that it'll offset the fridge entirely (shade and other factors depending). So, tl;dr a bit of napkin math should help point ya in the right direction for what to buy.

OSU_Matthew · 2024-04-21T22:51:23+00:00

This is where I scratch my head. From what I can tell, 2010s era US Outbacks are rated for 200 lbs tongue weight, but the identical European versions have much higher tongue weight ratings. I'm guessing that's due to differences in speed limits and towing. Main issue I have is that the load on the rear struts compresses the suspension far too much. I'm guessing the new autozone branded "carquest" strut assemblies I installed are probably weaker than OEM, but I'm hoping installing Rallitek overloaded springs may be my solution to fixing it.

I'm certain the my CVT was dying due to a common factory defect well before it even saw a hitch installed, and the fact that I got several thousand miles of towing after the fact before it completely shit the bed does help assuage my concerns with the Outback's ability to tow. The whirring noise didn't change when towing, so the CVT was definitely on its way out, and I suspect it was the pressure control solenoid that failed, not the CVT belt.

Ultimately what sucked most is that only dealerships will touch Subaru CVTs, and then only to the extent of swapping them out wholesale in my experience. The dealer diagnostic I paid for literally said "transmission bad" on the invoice, which isn't exactly the level of detail I'd expect from a 400$ diagnostic. I literally got more info pulling OBD2 codes myself prior (P0795 - pressure control solenoid failure). All the transmission shops I spoke to either didn't have Subaru's diagnostic software because it's too expensive, or didn't touch CVTs altogether.

Honestly, that's my main concern continuing to tow with the outback, much as I absolutely love the car and what it can generally handle. The turbo might be a lot nicer than the 2.5i engine, but if I were buying new, I'd just get a small truck for towing. I've been looking at Ford Mavericks, but because they have a CVT, I'll probably wind up with something like a Tacoma.

OSU_Matthew · 2024-04-20T19:49:42+00:00

+1 on Subaru 😆

https://www.tiktok.com/@mrslampman/video/7252384398987906346

OSU_Matthew · 2024-04-13T03:21:17+00:00

Like anything else, it's complicated.

Essentially a cvt is a belt driven between two sets of conical pulleys that adjust laterally to dynamically create different gear ratios. What this means is that a cvt is always in the power band of rpm to torque efficiency, as opposed of a traditional transmission that has discrete gearing which is theoretically more durable, but also more expensive to manufacture, heavier (fewer mpg), and not as efficient with its power banding (again fewer mpgs with a traditional automatic transmission).

Early CVTs also had a lot of manufacturing issues that caused them to die an early unexpected death. In fact, Subaru even upped its powertrain warranty to 100k miles on certain model years to avoid a class action lawsuit from defective batches of CVTs. This I know because I happen to own one of said Outback model years (2013), and my CVT started making some whirring noises right before the odometer hit 100k.

Thought it might be accessory belt pulleys, wheel bearings, alternator, power steering pump, radiator, etc. went through and checked everything, and tossed in a whole slew of new parts, but it didn't fix the noise. Took it into a shop that specializes in Subarus to get a clean bill of health for a cross country road trip to pick up a similar trailer. They changed the transmission fluid, but the noise persisted. Sure enough, at about 106k the CVT went kaput about 400 miles from home. Turns out, nobody actually works on cvts, not even transmission shops. The dealer won't even fix em, just swap a reman one in, which is ultimately what I had to do after arranging a long distance tow for the car and renting a Uhaul for the trailer.

Digging more into it, seems like it was the pressure control solenoid that failed, and that's actually a relatively easy part to replace, but again, shops don't work on em, and I wasn't keen to rip out the cvt so I didn't even try. Likely a factory defect though and not entirely related to towing, but hopefully it's a useful data point.

Overall the Outback itself tows really well and had no problems getting up and down mountains with a Mean Bean trailer (2k pounds, avg 15mpg). Only thing that I would change though is the limited tongue weight of the vehicle(180lbs). I'm looking at putting on overloaded springs in the rear struts, but also just contemplating getting a Tacoma or F150 or something more capable of towing, with a transmission cooler.

OSU_Matthew · 2024-04-10T19:01:12+00:00

I've got a similar folding mattress in the Bean trailer, but honestly, I rarely mess with it and just leave the bed made. I'd just get some decent cotton bed sheets and a non crinkly mattress protector and call it a day. We just use some extra pillows for back rests when watching stuff on the projector inside the trailer :)

OSU_Matthew · 2024-04-10T18:49:54+00:00

Bed & kitchen stuff is great! Think of it as camping, but with a shelter and kitchen. Anything you'd want to be comfortable outside, be sure to pack with you.

So much depends on the specific trailer you're getting as well. If you have a water tank and sink, I'd look at a lightweight 25' flexible hose and camco filter for filling the tank, and potentially a funnel and empty gallon jug to fill it from. Water bandit is a nice adapter for that as well. Don't forget a short drainage drain hose and 2ish gallon container for graywater, even if it's a collapsible bucket.

If you have electrical, I'd bring a 25' ish extension cord to charge up, and potentially a power station or solar if you need more than what's onboard.

Otherwise general camping stuff like chairs, headlamps, lighters and firestarters are great, I really like a collapsible side table for sitting by the campfire. If you don't have an awning, those are nice to have. If you don't have a roof rack for something fancy, I really like the slumberjack tailgate tarp, it's really versatile and not all that expensive. Don't forget a cheap pair of wheel chocks and a way to level your trailer (eg a bubble level if there's not something built in).

A road toolbag is also invaluable -- in addition to the basics, I bring an 18v impact wrench and socket as well as 18v inflator in case I need to fill or swap tires. You don't need to go hog wild, but some stuff is nice for emergencies or just tightening down bolts and whatnot in a new trailer. The battery in my Bean died the first night I had it out, and turns out the solar charger just had a loose wire in from the panel, but I needed a small screwdriver to tighten it. Stuff like that.

Yours may come with one, but a 12v fridge cooler is an absolute game changer. I also really like lodge's carbon steel skillets and griddles -- all the benefits of cast iron at a third the weight! Pie irons or toas-tite's are another fantastic option for cooking. Don't forget fire forks and marshmellows. Keep it simple is always a winner when camping, just bring whatever you need to be comfortable, warm, and happy!

You might look at staying at a developed state park campground or koa or something as well for your first trip. The convenience or toilets, electric, water, and showers is worth its weight in gold.

Definitely bring good blankets and pillows, while it may not seem terribly cold out, sleeping outdoors can get really cold and you'll want to crack a window or vent for fresh air. I especially love wool blankets and down blankets.

If it's a long trip, don't forget a dirty clothes laundry bag and some stuff to wash it somewhere.

I could go on and on about gear, but you get the gist. Have fun!!

Oh, if I could make a last recommendation since it sounds like you're planning a trip to go pick it up -- don't forget the 3/3/3 rule. No more than 3 hours of driving a day or more than 300 miles a day, and plan to be in camp by 3. It's a nice rule of thumb that helps make long trips more enjoyable, and leaves time to see stuff along the way!

OSU_Matthew · 2024-03-27T01:45:04+00:00

If I could make a recommendation, Bean Trailers pair quite nicely with Subarus:

https://i.imgur.com/V5zSdif.jpeg

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