this ultralight teardrop trailer by earth traveler is made from chicken feathers

new mexico-based startup earth traveler has revealed its latest teardrop trailer using an ultralight composite made from chicken feathers. featuring a skeletal archway and designed to put minimal strain on the engine and wallet, the T250LX weighs only 298 pounds and can be towed by fuel-efficient vehicles including electric cars.

images by earth traveler

‘the genesis of the idea to design and build an ultra-light trailer was conceived during a camping trip in new mexico in 2014, when the excitement of our first summer camping trip was to turn to dismay when we faced the reality that the tent was extremely hot during the day and at night the wind was causing the tent to collapse on us,’ comments earth traveler founder and artist angel irlanda. ‘our car at the time was a fiat500, so I decided to find an RV that our small car would be able to tow, but none were available on the market. thus, I then decided to design and create our own ultra-light RV with similar sleek curves and stylish design as our fiat 500.’

the earth traveler teardrop trailer is able to achieve an impressively light weight whilst also maintaining a decent level of strength. according to irland, the feather-based material – which provides insulation and weather protection – offers a strength that is similar to carbon fiber when set in resin. meanwhile, load-bearing structural elements are made out of traditional composite and corecell.

the four-person fiber trailer is essentially a traveling tent platform which can be adapted to suit the needs of its inhabitants. the trailer features full-length gull-wing panels that open at the front and rear to expand interior headroom and space. customers can also add on compatible tents to increase their living space as well as kitchen amenities, UV awnings, and off-road components.

overall, the teardrop by earth traveler are a hybrid between a teardrop trailer and a pop-up one. Its intrinsic semi-modular design is hand-built, custom-made, lightweight and can sleep up to four people. ‘since cars vary significantly in their power and tow capacity, I designed the interior of the teardrop trailer with a semi-modular concept for the planned amenities with the objective of keeping the weight at a minimum and also avoiding unnecessary add-ons that could compromise the weight. in this way customers could be able to customize their own teardrop trailers according to the capacity of their vehicles,’ irlanda concludes. 

project info:

name: teardrop trailers

company: earth traveler