Bambi 16' or 19' need your feedback?

[David Linck]

I love my 19' bambi [2007]..LS, LE edition.. I am single and downsized from a 31 foot 5th Wheel. Although it's small, I have everything I need for a comfortable experience on the road.. My TV is a Silverado diesel so it's effortless traveling in the mountains out here in the West.

[Silver Fun]

Hi Pete,
Just keep looking, you will find something you like.
I feel so lucky to have a 16ft Sport its a 2008, must be rare.
The "bathroom " is in the rear it spans the width of the trailer. Shower is spacious an separate from the toilet. I LOVE IT!! This trailer works wonderful for me. (I'm a girl ; ))
The L shape sofa in the front makes into the only bed. (Can be the only negative for some)
towing with a V8 Chevy - easy/breezy
It has separate black and grey tanks - a plus.
No wrap around windows,no worries I love the outdoors. Used to tent camping.

[Mrs_RedSHED]

We have a 16'. There are four of us. So far we pitch a tent for the kids about half the time but honestly, it is not bad at all sleeping 4 in the trailer.

We chose the 16' over the 19' in part because the dinette makes into a couch that faces the length of the camper. The couch fits all four of us on a rainy evening and we can watch movies together. The 19' dinette would have fit us all but it faces the "kitchen" which is RIGHT there in your face.

The wet bath is just fine. We haven't showered in it yet. We usually use campground showers anyway. We did use the little door for the outside shower to wash hair. No problems. I will say that we used to own a 31' and kept the dirty laundry in the bath tub. Very handy. Now in the 16' so far we are keeping the dirty laundry in the little bins at either end of the bed (but it must be dry...no mildew) . I may switch that to one of the plastic bins stored under the bed. Our little trash can is kept in the bathroom (yes, there is room on the shelf) to keep it from being kicked around and to keep the dogs out of it when we take them with us for the weekend.

I was a little afraid the 16' would be too small for 4 of us, but we spent a full week in it last fall and we were just fine! The single waste tank was just fine too.

Yesterday I purchased one of those fabric shoe racks to keep in the tiny closet. It has a couple of drawer inserts and I feel it will be great clothes storage.

I bought a collapsible dish drainer at Target that stores nicely under the little sink when not in use.

[TiaDalma]

Just brought home our new 16' Bambi--so far it seems plenty large enough for two adults. Things might get a bit tight when it's four people, three cats, and two dogs, but we'll see! And that will be very rare.

Love how easy it is to tow....

[LongShot]

Congratulations on your new 16; we went back and forth for a few months as well and we just brought this beauty home - our new 19 Flying Cloud. In the end, the extra tank capacities and separate shower was the deciding factor. Enjoy your new AS.

[MarcS]

What are you using for your TV?

[TiaDalma]

Originally Posted by MarcS

What are you using for your TV?

BMW X3 28i--plenty of power and stability so far....

[renderit]

Originally Posted by LongShot

Congratulations on your new 16; we went back and forth for a few months as well and we just brought this beauty home - our new 19 Flying Cloud. In the end, the extra tank capacities and separate shower was the deciding factor. Enjoy your new AS.Attachment 234964

Those are very nice! Congratulations! You hit the nail on the head, as have others. If you desire to NOT use campground facilities and use your own the 19 makes much more sense. Between the dry bath and tanks it rules.
We bought the 16 but were used to tent camping so it has worked out well for us. The only other I would consider at this time is the 20 which we always loved, but was just too much money for us. They are all fun though. Happy camping!

[LongShot]

Originally Posted by MarcS

What are you using for your TV?

Mercedes ML 350 Blue Tec Diesel, tons of power and and great mileage. We drive up into the mountains of North Georgia this weekend (from Tampa Bay) and averaged 18-20 MPG cruising along at a comfy 63 miles per hour.

[jmerrell]

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f48/...ml#post1082517

[Karrylou]

Tow vehicle issues: I just bought a 2015 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT truck to pull my 2014 Bambi 16ft. I was told it can't haul the Bambi because truck is too high in back and Bambi (tongue) too low! What do I do? Is that possible? New truck should be able to tow anything!What about a custom hitch? Please help any ideas??? Thank you I love my Bambi always a good choice😌

[remphoto]

Originally Posted by Karrylou

Tow vehicle issues: I just bought a 2015 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT truck to pull my 2014 Bambi 16ft. I was told it can't haul the Bambi because truck is too high in back and Bambi (tongue) too low! What do I do? Is that possible? New truck should be able to tow anything!What about a custom hitch? Please help any ideas??? Thank you I love my Bambi always a good choice😌

I seriously doubt what you were told is true. There are hitches with many different drops and surely one will fit. Worst case one could be extended by a welding shop given the relatively light tongue and trailer weight, or the hitch receiver on the truck could be lowered a little with shims/brackets.

[blmitch5]

They make all kinds of hitches that raise and lower.

http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Acce...pt-Shanks.aspx

Etrailer is a good site to look at.

[skykingpilot]

blmitch5 is absolutely correct. There are some really high quality hitches that you can use. Stop by ANY trailer shop and they will have more than one option right on the spot. Your choice of tow vehicles is terrific. It will have plenty of power and stability. The 16' is a really nice rig, (Almost bought that version but settled on the 19 for our use) and will give you years of wonderful experiences.

Practical hint: Your hitch is typically about 16-18 inches above the level grade, if you level your trailer on the pad it rests on, measure from the ground to the top of the point the ball will be at if it were hitched to the truck. Very simple way to know exactly how high you need your ball hright to be off of the ground. The weight of hte hitch on that trailer is insignificant and your trailer will ride nice and level. ENJOY!

[Karrylou]

Thanks for the info.

[Silver Fun]

For what it's worth, a 2005 Chevy Avalanche 1500 pulling a Bambi Sport.... rides like a dream.

[smsmith50]

Like you, I travel with my daughter, now 16, and this summer will be our 3rd with the 16 foot. I had a 25 foot first and never took it out because I was too intimidated by the size, the weight, the backing. I feel confident and capable handling the Bambi, and am working hard to learn all necessary maintenance and troubleshooting. I like the layout of the 16 better than the 19 in terms of the cozy back bed location. We show a German Shepherd and always have the smallest rig at the show site, but it has garnered us admiration and friendship. I love it and can't wait for spring to get it out of storage. Being a teacher, I have ample time in the summer to roam, and I do.

[Bruce B]

I see that this thread is getting old now but...
I can't resist adding my 2 cents.
We've had our 2012 16' international Serenity for about 4 years now and we love it! My wife and I travel South for part of the winter and spend 5 to 8 weeks at a time in ours (along with two 25 pound Scottish Terriers). Although there is no question that 16' is cozy at times, we love the size of the trailer. I prefer the bed "athwart ship" to the fore and aft orientation of the 19' and the International series has the lovely wrap around windows! I believe there were 7 16' Serenities made in 2012... They are pretty scarce.
We have no desire to get a larger Airstream for now. Maybe someday, but not for now... We are thinking of taking it on a lap of the USA.

[Sbb]

i feel same way about my 19'. It is about what works for you. BTW I tow with a 2013 2500 suburban with an 8" drop to level out my bambi hitch, no issues, it can be done!

[eliset123]

We traveled about 8 thousand miles this summer in our 16 sport. We left RI in late June and returned late august. Had a blast and the only thing missing was maybe the bigger bath and shower in the 19 bambi. I would highly recommend getting a solar panel to charge the battery when at parks with no hookups and colonial installed for about 1k. We had no problems other than I tire kick up that put a small half dollar size dent just above the underbelly and the trim on last day of trip.