Cool Beans Campers Has One of the Best Layouts I've Seen: Australia for the Win Again!

Folks, the name Cool Beans is bound to mean very little to most of us, considering this Australian camper manufacturer doesn't seem to be exporting their machines. However, this team is built up of passionate souls with decades of experience manipulating base materials used in teardrops, and a turnkey unit is going for no more than $45K Australian, which is roughly $29K American (at current exchange rates), so worth taking note of, for sure. Why should we care about a camper built only in Aussieland? Well, because it's that dang good!

Nonetheless, if you never make it out there to pick one up for yourself, a Cool Bean machine still has some pretty neat tricks up its sleeve and can stand as downright inspiration for your very own project.

If you haven't seen the image gallery yet, I urge you to do so. It's here that you'll notice one of the most stand-apart features of this camper: that amazing galley at the rear. Yup, it's this feature alone that caused me to bring this team and their work to light.

The best way to understand what Cool Beans has achieved here is to take a little trip through imagination. I want you to picture yourself in the middle of the action, with that rear hatch overhead, the kids running around, and your soulmate watching you work your magic in the kitchen.

Now, to whip up those amazing outdoor meals, Cool Beans devised the galley in such a way as to maximize space. To do that, they've called upon slideouts to accommodate the fridge and two-burner top. Best of all, if you're in the prep stages of the meal, with lids down, you'll create a U-shaped countertop where you can cut and trim whatever you caught while fishing or hunting if that's your thing.

If you're vegetarian or vegan - we have canines for a reason, people - replace the hunks of meat with carrots, potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes. There's so much room that you could very well leave a bowl of lentils soaking in the corner overnight.

As for the remainder of the outdoor kitchen, there are plenty of sliding cabinets where you can hide your dry and canned goods, seasonings, and utensils. Your water tanks will also be accessed from here, and power outlets let you hook up a portable speaker and recharge devices.

If you looked closely, you may have noticed an array of galley arrangements for these teardrops, telling me that your needs, whatever they may be, will be met. Personally, I feel it's one of the best teardrop galleys I've seen; top 10 for sure.

Now, galley and all aside, the rest of these units are no less amazing. Interiors are spacious and include storage essentials that blend beautifully into the space, while LED lighting is there to help out whenever the moonroof overhead isn't letting in precious sunlight. Kick back on the full-size bed, turn on your reading lights, and manage your electrical setup. Go ahead, take that siesta.

Upon waking up, you head back outside to relax the bladder and then head to the galley to begin filling it back up. As you do, take a step back and really take in the exterior beauty of a Cool Bean. Let the colors, shape, and trim of these units enter your visual cortex and dance about.

As you do, be sure to notice the fully welded chassis - made in Aussieland - the aluminum siding and roof, leaf-spring suspension, and all those marine-grade stainless steel fittings. Spare tire mounts, a nose-cone storage bay, and even a roof rack with awnings can be spotted, too. I wonder if we can throw a rooftop tent on these buggers. If that's the case, we could be looking at a rather solid family-ready camper.

Oh, and all that goodness doesn't end there. One neat aspect of how Cool Beans does things is that they really take the time to ensure you have everything you need to venture into the wild. So, as you're sitting there marveling at how a Cool Bean is built and what it can do, be sure to note the presence of an electrical system from ITech, including battery and inverter, plus all the hookups you could ever need. All that's missing is the solar panel.

The only downside to this story is that it doesn't look like you can get one of these bad boys outside of Australia. So what we're really left with here is the inspiration for a teardrop camper done right. If you do live in Australia, lucky you; you have access to one hell of a brand and machine. Let's not forget that you can customize your future Cool Bean before it hits the assembly lines, and that's worth considering no matter where you are in the world.