Anyone go from teardrop to AS Sport?

[driftwood1]

We camped all over the country for 6 yrs. in our home-built woody Camp Inn 550 clone. Never even thought of going to a larger trailer until that day 5 yrs ago when my wife and I came across a used 25 ft Safari at an unbelievable price. I agreed to purchase it, with the caveat that we keep the teardrop and still camp in it. However, once we got a taste of the Airstream with the indoor bathroom and foul weather friendly digs, I sheepishly report that the teardrop has sat pretty much idle. We have taken it out three times in 5 yrs since the AS purchase... just too many conveniences to pass up. I still go down and pet my teardrop in the basement on occasion and keep it in maintained... have even added more features to it just because it is fun to work on.

While I can't imagine ever parting with the tear, we can't resist the siren call of the Airstream when it is time to hit the road....

[NoResults]

Also had a Camp Inn 550. Great trailer and the owners took care of any problems. They are in Wisconsin and one of the owners flew out to Portland to take care of a problem on another owners trailer. Talk about service.
\
I do like have a bathroom as I get older. Dave

[Tincamper]

We loved our teardrop but wanted space for our dogs. Intended to get a Bambi but decided on a 25 foot Flying Cloud. It's now my happy place and the dogs are having a great time!

[gordyfj49]

Originally Posted by fishbisquit

My wife and i have had a teardrop for the last 3 years and have been loving camping in it. We love that it's so easy to tow, fits in our garage, fits in almost any camping spot, easy to go off road boon docking and basically just easy. However we've had our eye on a sport 16 for a long time. Our last trip we had a little bit of bad weather and that is really where the teardrop fails. No place to retreat in bad weather. Also we travel with a dog and more and more we are thinking it would be nice to have a climate controlled secure place to leave her when we need to. Also starting to want to plan some trips to wetter places like the NW corner of NA. Just wondering if anyone else has "upgraded to an AS from a teardrop and what you experience has been? Especially interested in all the new things you have to deal with like weight and size. Are the creature comforts of an AS worth the extra work?
Thanks,
Dave

Hello,
We bought a 2017 16' and love it. We just traveled 7000 miles across country and it was terrific. Made many stops and all worked well.

[Joannadannna]

Started with a Campinn teardrop (beautiful workmanship) to a Northernlite all seasons truck camper (the places I could go) to my current FC 23cb. The most noticeable transition is space and quality. Both Campinn and Northernlite were much better built than my AS by a mile. I love the space and vibe of my AS but the quality is a disappointment.

[LeatherDog]

We went from a T@b CS Sofitel to the 28' Tommy Bahama. Miss the outdoor kitchen but love the extra space for us and the dogs, especially when it rains! The longer trailer is much easier to back-up than the T@b.

[texasvette]

Originally Posted by LeatherDog

We went from a T@b CS Sofitel to the 28' Tommy Bahama. Miss the outdoor kitchen but love the extra space for us and the dogs, especially when it rains! The longer trailer is much easier to back-up than the T@b.

Oh, thanks for saying that about backing it! I know we are not the only one having problems backing but it feels like it. My husband will usually say “ ok folks, grab a chair and a drink, the show is about to start”. We have actually unhitched a couple of times and pushed it in, another reason we need an Airstream, lol.

[patnal]

We went from a T@b to a 16’ Bambi Sport, then to a 25’ Flying Cloud. We loved the t@b but I needed a bathroom and ours didn’t have one. We kept the t@b and eventually gave it to our daughter and son in law who love it. Bambi was great at first but the bed was too small and the wet bath was a pain to dry out after using. But having a nice sized bathroom and someplace to sit during rainy days was nice. We still miss the fun part of having a small trailer, so easy to tow and park and move it around. And the coziness of it. But as we got older the larger trailer works out so much better for us. If you can afford to hang onto your teardrop I’d recommend going bigger and see if you like it, but keep the small one just in case!

[jrodgers73]

We moved from a T@B Teardrop to a 2017 Basecamp last fall. For 2 people and 2 dogs the Basecamp is perfect. At 6'3" the Teardrop was just too small for me and I couldn't relax in the trailer. We just took our first extended trip in the Basecamp to Tybee Island (off of Savannah, GA) and it worked really well for us. Towed well without the need for a new vehicle and has a bigger bed than the Sport. Granted you have to change from dinette to bed mode each time you want to do so but making the bed in this compared to the Teardrop is super easy. I highly recommend making the switch to either the Basecamp or the Sport.

[Sparkle]

I had a wonderful Treeline teardrop for 3 years. It had two ARB awnings with tent surrounds. All was great except in rain. I go camping every 3-4 weeks all year around. Camping during Thanksgiving of 2016 was cold and rainy so I made the decision to get an Airstream Basecamp. Unbeknownst to me and all the other 2017 Basecamp owners, it came with a myriad of problems: leaks, refrigerator venting, doors not fitting and swinging open while towing- ad nauseum. These are well documented in this forum. So after a year of THAT, I got a 16’ Sport and couldn’t be happier. It tows like it’s not there behind my Toyota Tumdra. It’s perfect for me and occasionally my 3 cats. Going from the teardrop to the BC was a little daunting, but an easy transition to the Sport. I’m a single retired woman and got what I could handle by myself. I love it! The best parts? Indoor bathroom, heater and a place to make coffee inside first thing in the morning. The rest is lagniappe (Louisiana-speak for a little something extra).

[Gimper7171]

Good advice from others. We have camped far and wide with 3 Airstreams , a early T@B and a Tada. Our current 22' Sport works well although it is a 2008 so make the bed down each night. Figure we make $5 each time in lieu of buying a 25. The 22' bath room is the best of our 5 trailers which included a 27 and 24. Still the new T@B with wet bath is very high quality with redundant systems and costs half as much as a new 22 or Nest. That said we are sticking with the 22. Good luck!

[hollihan]

We went from tents, to 550 Campinn to 22 FB Sport, to 27FB Int Signature, so consider yourselves warned! Seriously, it has been a great path for us becuase our plan is to "full-time" with the 27FB IS after I retire the end of this year. We absolutely loved the teardrop and i sort of wished we kept her for quick trips up North for fishing. But having the inside bathroom, a spot to make that morning coffee, and sitting in to read when weather is wet have all been the aspects we absolutely love about the Airstreams. And the quality of the trailer from the guys at Tiny Camper, well only Airstreams can sort of hold a candle to them. BTW, the resale value of the 550 was, well amazing.

Towing is more of a challenge, backing up - we had to get a lot better at it since we could no longer muscle it into the perfect spot after sort of getting close to the right spot, we now have to pay for storage, and everything is not only bigger, but a bigger deal - setting up, prepping for trips, preparing to tow, maintenance... But we have too have a dog, a 35 lb setter and it is nice to have her sleep in the trailer with us at night now (no, not in the bed). Rambling a bit here, but no regrets and the pluses far ouweigh the negatives.

Going from 22FB to the 27FB - another learning curve for sure, but still very happy with the path. We really considered the t@b too but thought we needed a bigger step up in size to be sure we were ready for the "full time" lifestyle.

Best of luck to you.

[Joannadannna]

Reading about all the CampInn teardrop owners is pretty wild. CampInns are a rare and special breed. I’ve yet to find any class RV that compares to the quality these guys put into their work. My fondest memory in my teardrop was a few yards from the ocean with my dog (note pict). We fished and dog napped by the tide.
My truck camper could have put me in the same spot, but I was too skittish about it’s weight and flat lining my truck tires. The Airstream I wouldn’t dare to hold up so close to the breaks. The best of both worlds would be to own both AS and CI.

[TouringDan]

When my wife and I go camping, we camp in our Airstream. When I camp by myself, I prefer the economy and simplicity of traveling in my VW Golf (with bicycle and kayak) and camping in a tent. I have thought about getting a teardrop but the tent works just fine without the cost and travel complexity of towing a teardrop.

Dan

[Beach Bum]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

When my wife and I go camping, we camp in our Airstream. When I camp by myself, I prefer the economy and simplicity of traveling in my VW Golf (with bicycle and kayak) and camping in a tent. I have thought about getting a teardrop but the tent works just fine without the cost and travel complexity of towing a teardrop.

DanAttachment 315296

We had a camp inn 560 for 4 years loved it. Quality and customer support was A+. But after a 10 week trip to the Canadian Maritimes we decided we wanted our own bathroom. We bought a 30' FC.

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[Silver Belle]

We have a Tag XL and a Bambi sport 16. I love them both. We spent 3 months in the teardrop. It’s nice though to have a bathroom and shower with Bambi