All Good Equipment: Building Trailers That Last, with Sustainability in Mind

I built my first teardrop trailer in 2015 for my family. My wife and I had spent six years living aboard boats — three of those with newborn twins — and in that time, I learned how much materials and design affect the lifespan of anything exposed to the elements. Poorly chosen materials fail quickly, while well-chosen materials can serve us reliably for decades.

That first trailer set the pattern for everything I’ve built since: make it durable, make it repairable, and choose materials that will return to the earth rather than linger in a landfill for centuries. These materials include wood, wool, and aluminum. We stay away from fiberglass and use very little plastic. In addition, everything is straightforward and fixable so you can renew it easily when desired.

Materials Selection

• FSC-Certified Okoume Plywood (BS1088)
  The primary structure is marine-grade Okoume plywood. It meets the BS1088 standard for marine applications, offering the highest strength-to-weight ratio among marine plywoods. The material is FSC-certified, meaning it comes from responsibly managed forests. Its light weight reduces towing energy demands, and its resistance to moisture makes it ideal for long-term outdoor use.

• Sheep’s Wool Insulation
  For thermal insulation, we use minimally processed sheep’s wool to insulate the trailer’s walls and ceiling. It provides effective insulation in both hot and cold conditions, regulates humidity to prevent condensation, and is fully biodegradable. Wool is easy to work with, and off-cuts can be used in full, eliminating insulation waste that typically occurs with Styrofoam boards.

• Bare Aluminum Cladding
  Our exterior cladding is aluminum that is installed without chemical coatings or paint, allowing it to naturally oxidize over time. This anodization process forms a stable, inert surface layer that resists corrosion and extends the material’s usable life. At the end of service, aluminum is fully recyclable.

• Minimal Plastics and VOCs
  We avoid fiberglass and most plastics in construction, limiting the amount of material that will persist for centuries. Paints and sealants are chosen for low volatile organic compound (VOC) content, improving both indoor air quality and environmental impact.

Radically Practical by Design

Every design decision is made to serve the real needs of someone using the trailer in the field, not the perceived needs of someone seeing it for the first time on a showroom floor. We call this being radically practical. Our design philosophy embraces simplicity, which is our defense against obsolescence.

It means avoiding the latest trends in materials, finishes, and features if they haven’t proven their ability to last, to be repaired repeatedly, and to remain useful decades down the line. It means saying no to overcomplication — no built-in electronics that will become obsolete, no specialized systems that can’t be fixed without a service technician. What’s left is a trailer that just works, and keeps working out in the rugged places where it’s designed to be used.

Repair, Sentimentality, and Longevity

The physical durability of a product is only half the equation. The other half is whether people want to keep it alive. Sentimentality is a powerful driver of longevity, and the only way to earn that kind of loyalty is through a design that is so compelling, so genuinely useful, and so reliable that its owner feels both a deep desire and a quiet obligation to keep it on the road.

A Measured View of “Sustainability”

To paraphrase Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, “There is no such thing as a sustainable company.” I agree. Manufacturing anything for sale has an environmental cost. The best we can do is minimize it.

For me, that means:

• Selecting materials that will naturally degrade rather than persist indefinitely.

• Reducing reliance on plastics and synthetic composites.

• Designing products that are worth maintaining, not discarding.

At All Good Equipment, we're trying to build our trailers as sustainably as possible by using materials that endure and won't harm the planet. 

We're trying to make it easier for our customers to get out and enjoy nature and their outdoor adventures – to escape their city life and everyday routine, and to unplug and unwind. We hope our trailers help them do this more often, and to more beautiful places around our country.

At All Good Equipment, we believe that the best way to be sustainable is to build things that are made to last. Our trailers are a testament to that belief, designed for a lifetime of adventure.