Safari 30' bunkhouse owners club!

[WineStream]

I had some time this morning so I decided to find a way to find a mid-point for all of us. Google helped my by pointing me to: http://www.geomidpoint.com/meet/. It generated the point "M" in the attached picture.

Not setting anything in stone, but food for thought...

Personally, we love the St. Louis area. There's a great place for kids (and adults!) there called the City Museum. Aside from that, great parks, food, shopping, the arch, river, ...

There is also a group here on the forums that organizes an "AIR Midwest" rally every spring and fall. They usually do it in southwest MO / northwest AR area so that would work as well. Easter (and therefore spring break in our area at least) falls in mid April this year, so totally camping weather and allows time off of school for kids w/o special excuse.

Although not geographically central to all of us, if anyone would like to travel to western PA, there is a July 4 rally at the Pennwood airstream park every year that is well attended by many Airstreams.

[DaveMc]

That looks awesome to us, we were talking about this last night! Spring break is tough for us to break away-- it's right before our county fair and we've got animal projects getting ready to show. Sometime in the front or back end of summer would be ideal. We plan on spending about 3 weeks on the road for the big summer trip, so we've got a pretty wide window to work a rally into. Anyone have thoughts on how many days? 3-5 range? We're open to anything. Thanks for the map and keeping things moving!!!

Dave

[cliffcharb]

Still leaning towards summers. Our spring break is in early March which is pretty early compared to the rest of the country.

[DaveMc]

Picking up the idea again for the bunkhouse rally-- we've settled on a summer trip that includes the first three full weeks in June. Pulling out June 4th or 5th, returning June 24th or 25th. Our general thinking is to do a mid-size loop northeast of us through Mississippi/Tennessee/Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma. We'll start to firm up exact places/route over the next month or so. The idea of 3-4 nights in one location appeals to us. 2 nights in one spot feels like we've only got one good day to explore the park/area. We'll have a lot of flexibility to plan around a rally date/location. How does general timeframe work for other BH folks?

[WineStream]

Originally Posted by DaveMc

Picking up the idea again for the bunkhouse rally-- we've settled on a summer trip that includes the first three full weeks in June. Pulling out June 4th or 5th, returning June 24th or 25th. Our general thinking is to do a mid-size loop northeast of us through Mississippi/Tennessee/Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma. We'll start to firm up exact places/route over the next month or so. The idea of 3-4 nights in one location appeals to us. 2 nights in one spot feels like we've only got one good day to explore the park/area. We'll have a lot of flexibility to plan around a rally date/location. How does general timeframe work for other BH folks?

We don't have anything firm for next year other than 4th of July at Pennwood in PA; so MO / TN in June could work for us.

[gwydir]

DaveMac - We would be in for the Rally/Caravan you described. We will be coming out of Colorado. Sounds like a great route and a good time of year to be there. Awaiting details. Thanks for initiating this.

Cheers, Rod and Kathy
and Natasha (the Bunkie)

[DaveMc]

Looked a little closer at parks in Tennessee last night. Anyone been to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Spencer, Tenn? See this link for park info: http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/fall-creek-falls. Looks like there's tons of campsites and tons of stuff to do for all ages. It looks about 2 hours east of Nashville. If this is a little too far east for the western folks, we can pull back closer to Missouri. Our tentative calendar puts us there from Sunday June 18th and leaving on Thursday morning the 22nd. Anyone have thoughts, suggestions, alternatives, etc?

Rod & Kathy-- we're switching our route around to head north to Manhattan, KS for a few days and then head east from there. If you guys are interested in seeing the arch in St. Louis, and a little of Kentucky, we can meet up in Kansas and mini-caravan it over east.

Look forward to firming things up and getting ready for an awesome summer!!!

Dave

[WineStream]

Falls Creek looks pretty good. Typically state parks are pretty good campgrounds. There's an Airstream-only campground nearby to there as well (http://www.tcpconline.com/index.html). I've never stayed there, but usually the AS parks offer cheap stays with excellent hookups for a very cheap price as long as you are in an Airstream, of course.

We might want to join in on some of that trip if you're making an informal caravan ;-). St Louis is a favorite of ours (check out St Louis RV Park (https://www.stlouisrvpark.com/) in downtown...urban camping at its best). I would be interested in the SP in TN that you mentioned as well as the AS park.

Not to derail your plans further, but in case you weren't already planning it...the Corvette museum is in Bowling Green KY and just up the road from that is Mammoth Cave. I haven't been to the museum, but the caves are pretty neat (go in off hours, though as it gets busy). Cost for the caves isn't cheap, either.

[Buhbells]

So it's official; were looking for an 05 or 06 Bunkhouse. 😊

I got all excited seeing a few listings and then saw they are all sold. I'll walk the fine line of cursing you that have them and taking notes.

[DaveMc]

They are worth the wait! Ours needs a pile of work, some cosmetic and some more serious. Not surprising for an 12 year old trailer. Cost TBD at this point, but will post details here as they develop in an effort to help add to the common knowledge of the community. I think your 40K range is good, buy as far below that as you can (like low 30's) to give you room to repair/update things. My own sense is that low 40's is what it takes to get one of these older bunkhouses fixed up right, assuming normal wear and tear. I'd rather do more of the updates and repairs myself to know that they're done the way they should be. I'm sure we'll all keep our eye out for you. I spent months on RV Trader and Airstream Classifieds looking for the right one to pop up!


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[cmrdgrs]

Originally Posted by Buhbells

So it's official; were looking for an 05 or 06 Bunkhouse. 😊

I got all excited seeing a few listings and then saw they are all sold. I'll walk the fine line of cursing you that have them and taking notes.

I'm sure this is in the thread someplace and I probably overlooked it... but, how many 05 & 06 Bunkhouses did Airsteam make?

I really like the updates they made to the new bunkhouses in production, especially the elimination of the mouse fur from the walls

Good luck in your search and welcome to the bunkhouse section of the forum.

[DaveMc]

78 units, I believe. It'd be neat to know how many are still out there. I imagine at least a couple met an untimely end.


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[cmrdgrs]

Originally Posted by DaveMc

78 units, I believe. It'd be neat to know how many are still out there. I imagine at least a couple met an untimely end.


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Thanks DaveMC for the reply. I was hoping to meet some of my fellow bunkhouse owners at some point in the future, but the loose dates being looked at here on the board for a bunkhouse rally won't work for my schedule. Have fun if you all meet! Maybe another time will be right for me and DH.

[seanmeyer]

Wow. So glad to have found this forum thread.

I just purchased our 2005 30' Safari Bunkhouse a few weeks ago. It's our first Airstream. First camper really. We're going to be selling our house this spring and setting out on our year long, perhaps a lot longer, traveling adventure.

Right now I'm trying to figure out a good tow vehicle solution. I have an old 2002 Chevy Suburban that I used to go pick up the Airstream from down in Texas. It did great towing it back to my home here in Evergreen, Colorado. Until, at least, I hit the Rocky Mountains. Going up I-70 west of Denver the Suburban seemed to get really bogged down. I had the accelerator mashed and I was still slowing going up steep inclines.

I'm thinking a 3/4 ton or 1 ton pickup. I'm wanting to bring my motorcycle along in the bed and the cab will be crowded with my wife, our three kids (ages 5, 7, 9) and a 50 lb dog. So a truck with a big payload is important. I'm not sure on whether I should go diesel either.

My cash budget is no more than $30k. We don't want to have a payment. I'd love to hear y'alls recommendations as I'm a novice when it comes to towing.

Thanks y'all. We can't wait to get started on our full-timing adventure in our new Airstream.

-Sean

[photo-travel]

Originally Posted by seanmeyer

Wow. So glad to have found this forum thread.

I just purchased our 2005 30' Safari Bunkhouse a few weeks ago. It's our first Airstream. First camper really. We're going to be selling our house this spring and setting out on our year long, perhaps a lot longer, traveling adventure.
.........

I'm thinking a 3/4 ton or 1 ton pickup. I'm wanting to bring my motorcycle along in the bed and the cab will be crowded with my wife, our three kids (ages 5, 7, 9) and a 50 lb dog. So a truck with a big payload is important. I'm not sure on whether I should go diesel either.

My cash budget is no more than $30k. We don't want to have a payment. I'd love to hear y'alls recommendations as I'm a novice when it comes to towing.

Thanks y'all. We can't wait to get started on our full-timing adventure in our new Airstream.

-Sean

Hi Sean,
Congratulations on your Airstream Bunkhouse, and on your decision to go on your traveling adventure. We did the same back in 2010: Purchased a Bunkhouse, sold our house in Texas and set off for a year on the road.

We end up selling our cars and purchased a GMC 2500 Diesel truck.
That truck was awesome. We hauled the "Silver Whale" over the rockies and over a Tetons pass, and Alaska no problem.

Also, breaking power is just as important as hauling power. Get a truck that has some breaking aid mechanism. Dodge trucks have "Jake Brake", GMC/Chevy have the Allison Transmission. It is a white knuckle experience to come down a 10% incline for 10 miles stepping on the brakes and still gaining speed.

Hope this helps!

[cmrdgrs]

Originally Posted by seanmeyer

Wow. So glad to have found this forum thread.

I just purchased our 2005 30' Safari Bunkhouse a few weeks ago. It's our first Airstream. First camper really. We're going to be selling our house this spring and setting out on our year long, perhaps a lot longer, traveling adventure.

Right now I'm trying to figure out a good tow vehicle solution. I have an old 2002 Chevy Suburban that I used to go pick up the Airstream from down in Texas. It did great towing it back to my home here in Evergreen, Colorado. Until, at least, I hit the Rocky Mountains. Going up I-70 west of Denver the Suburban seemed to get really bogged down. I had the accelerator mashed and I was still slowing going up steep inclines.

I'm thinking a 3/4 ton or 1 ton pickup. I'm wanting to bring my motorcycle along in the bed and the cab will be crowded with my wife, our three kids (ages 5, 7, 9) and a 50 lb dog. So a truck with a big payload is important. I'm not sure on whether I should go diesel either.

My cash budget is no more than $30k. We don't want to have a payment. I'd love to hear y'alls recommendations as I'm a novice when it comes to towing.

Thanks y'all. We can't wait to get started on our full-timing adventure in our new Airstream.

-Sean

Welcome seanmeyer! Congratulations on your purchase!

Agree on the PP comment about stopping power on your truck. DH and I installed an exhaust break on our 2000 Excursion and it was one of the best improvements we made to feeling safer while towing our Airstream BH over the mountains and dealing w/steep grades. We also feel our Hensley Hitch has saved our lives in some pretty scary situations when we've had to break hard and maneuver unexpectedly due to close calls with deer/elk on the hwy. Don't scrimp there either. I promise you it will be the best $3,000 investment you ever made for your family's safety.

Safe travels on the road. Can't wait to hear about your adventures!

[seanmeyer]

Thanks for the replies y'all. At this point I'm thinking we'll likely end up with a Diesel Crew Cab. Probably a 1 ton for the extra payload for carrying my motorcycle. You guys made an excellent point about the extra stopping power available with the diesel exhaust brakes.

The Airstream came with an equal-i-zer hitch and I didn't get any noticeable sway at all on my one trip using it. Is that on-par with the Hensley hitch or would the Hensley hitch be a worthwhile safety improvement? $3000 seems pretty steep for only a marginal improvement.

[SCOTTinNJ]

My 30' tows better than my 25' did, both with equalizers. I wouldn't jump at the Hensley yet. Tow with what you have first. Especially with a 1-ton.

[m.hony]

Maybe I would buy a ProPride if I had the money.
The Equal-I-zer performs well, as did the EazLift before.


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[photo-travel]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

My 30' tows better than my 25' did, both with equalizers. I wouldn't jump at the Hensley yet. Tow with what you have first. Especially with a 1-ton.

I echo this advise.
First tow with your new truck, then decide. If you end up with a long bed, that will improve sway/handling. I had the Hensley, and it was super smooth tow, especially in freeways with cross-winds or 18 wheelers passing you by.

But...

You pay the price:
- Hooking becomes a super precise NASA level maneuver.
- Backing up becomes even trickier