A few weeks ago we profiled T3 Sport Trailers, a Beaufort SC based manufacturer of teardrop trailers specifically designed for triathletes. We hoped to include this interview with the first article, but our schedule didn’t allow us to interview the owner until this week. After talking to Jeff, we are excited to fill in a few details about the trailers.
When we met Jeff, the owner and maker of the trailers, he brought along a demo model of his standard trailer. This trailer is called the 410 Retro and you can check out the spec sheet for more details. The 410 is the basic model, but since all the trailers are custom built, the sky truly is the limit of what can be done. The trailer weighs about 1100 pounds and has a tongue weight of about 110 pounds. Bottom line here is that you don’t need a special tow vehicle or serious modifications to use the trailer. Our Subaru Impreza has plenty of power to pull this model, so even if you’re driving the average sedan, you shouldn’t have any trouble towing the 410.
Jeff started his triathlon life a few years ago as a way to improve his health and change his lifestyle. Since many triathlons feature campgrounds on site or very close, Jeff got in the habit of camping. At the Festival of Flowers Olympic distance triathlon, Jeff found himself without a place to camp. He ended up spending a very uncomfortable night in his truck and turned in a poor performance at the race the next day.
It’s important to know that Jeff has a background in home construction and spent almost a whole career in the mobile home business. So it was a no brainer for Jeff to use his experience to solve his camping problem. After looking around the industry, Jeff realized no one manufactured teardrop trailers specifically for triathletes. He designed and built the first 410 Retro to meet this underserved need.
The T3 Trailers are designed to get you through a weekend away from home. They’re designed to hold all your gear until you arrive on site. The most useful, in our opinion, feature is the electricity. The trailers are able to plug in to 110V at a campground or run off deep-cycle marine batteries if no power is available. The trailer comes with a reversible exhaust fan, but you can add a small split system HVAC unit if you need more climate control. With the fan and normal use of power, the battery will hold for an entire weekend. Of course, if you have more electrical demand, you can have Jeff install additional batteries to meet your needs.
We have arranged for T3 Sport Trailers to provide a test model for us to use and review. We probably won’t get to the review soon, we simply don’t have any races scheduled that would allow us to test the trailer in the next few months. But rest assured, as soon as the scheduling works, we’re going to bring you a full review of the teardrop trailer designed for triathletes.
Check out the more detailed pictures here: