Bambi Mods and Upgrades

[morgandc]

So what additions / upgrades have you decided are a must have? The Sport model appears to be missing some options that other models take for granted.

The current list that is evolving without having spent a night in it yet, and it may take awhile to work through

1. Front Wrap protectors
2. Fantasic Fan Upgrade / possible a 2nd
3. Upgrading some lights to LED, with additions in key areas.
4. Converter upgrade to one with a 3 stage charger
5. Inverter of some sort, perhaps entire trailer, perhaps a couple location specific ones.
6. More awnings if it is feasible
7. Addtl battery capacity
8. Solar panels
9. Portable freezer.
10. Remove the existing TV, and figure out how to mount one at the foot of the bed.
11. Generator
12. Dinnette cushion cover / changes to cussions to make them more comfortable
13. Memory foam topper for the bed.

[blmitch5]

1. Front Wrap protectors
YES! Before you tow especially in the winter, they will keep you from dings in the front.
2. Fantasic Fan Upgrade / possible a 2nd
At least one. We only have one and for our 19' we feel its enough.
3. Upgrading some lights to LED, with additions in key areas.
If your boon docking this will come in handy. Lots of online sources available.
4. Converter upgrade to one with a 3 stage charger
Not sure. Someone will chime in.
5. Inverter of some sort, perhaps entire trailer, perhaps a couple location specific ones.
Same as above.
6. More awnings if it is feasible
Yes. We're adding a side awning to help cut some heat in the summer.
7. Addtl battery capacity
Yes, having one will go fast. Or look into a Yamaha or Honda Generator.
8. Solar panels
Depends on how you use it. We have factory solar (bought it used and came with it) and it tops off the batteries but a quiet generator can help more than solar in my opinion.
9. Portable freezer.
We find our little freezer and fridge do fine but a Yeti cooler really works.
10. Remove the existing TV, and figure out how to mount one at the foot of the bed.
That one will take some time due to the set up of the 22'
11. Generator
See above on solar
12. Dinnette cushion cover / changes to cussions to make them more comfortable
I like ours but maybe cut memory foam and use that and recover. If someone plans on sleeping on it it will be more comfortable and cheaper than having new foam cut etc.
13. Memory foam topper for the bed.
We just bought one instead of a new mattress. I hope it works as well for us as it did for others. Costco has an instant rebate on them.

Good luck and have a blast!

[Ahab]

Front wrap is not needed if you have good mud flaps. We have one fan and it does a good job. Ours came with a 3 stage charger. Are you sure you don't have one? We changed all our inside lights to LED. Went from GR24 battery to GR27 and the Honda 2000i genny and for our use works better than solar. Changed 115v TV to 12v, don't need invertor. We use propane burners to heat food/coffee/tea when on the road.

[morgandc]

X5 hitch and brake controller INSTALLED. Keep the ideas coming.

[blmitch5]

Go to Ikea for storage ideas, rugs bedding etc. I love that place! Also rhino flex sewer hose, sewer hose holder, grey hose, white hose for clean water. The list can go on and on!

[Teton Stream]

Here is a good mud flap system that works with hitch:

Mud Flap System - Rock Tamers Llc 00108 - Splash Guards & Mudflaps - Camping World

[Wazbro]

3. Upgrading some lights to LED, with additions in key areas.
I thought LEDs were standard starting in 2012 or at least starting partway through 2012.

On the mudflaps that mount on the hitch, some hitches don't have enough room for them, check before buying.

[rodsterinfl]

Although I do not have a Bambi I am familiar with your model. My suggestions are: 1) get LED lighting. If you have white plastic bulb covers, switch to clear as you change out bulbs. I did that and it made a huge difference. The white lens covers blocked about half the light, 2) Inverters are nice but you will need more battery. I would consider a small unit powerful enough to run your TV or whatever few small items you want. The small ones can be powered through cigarette lighter plugs 300 watt or so max. SINEWAVE power output for electronics. (if you have those in a 2013 model) and skip the 1000 watt or larger UNLESS you absolutely need it. The power usage is enormous. It takes about 80 amps to run a 700 watt micro and you would really need at least two batteries. 3) If you plan on camping out without hookups then I would go for a generator before inverter power. I strongly advise Yamaha. They are rated at about twice the life of their Honda counterpart model and are direct drive versus belt drive. Your unit has a 13,500 BTU AC so I would probably consider the same unit I purchased, the 2400HC. It weighs about 75 lbs. but it can do the job and it is more effiecient than running two. It won the RV gen shootout test. It has a overload capability that is every bit capable of powering your AC.Unless you want a bigger one for running a lot at once that is. Also, a company called US Carb will install a 3 way power unit to it under warranty that provides gasoline, LP or natural gas use of the generator. It costs more but it is better that they do it for you as the carb is altered and, they are a Yammy dealer, 3) Living in WA I would think that the fantastic fan with rain sensor, reversible, would be great. Some places let you pick the color of cover - clear, white translucent, white block and tinted. I got a clear for the lounge area and one white for the bedroom (different trailer) but choice is good as I like light, 4) Camp in it and find out if you need any bed materials. Like the other post, I too like IKEA. It is a fantastic place for all things decorum related. I went for the first time this weekend. 5) The TV in the bedroom I believe is an option and so there is a way that they mount it. Someone on this forum should know where you could mount that TV. The trick is the HDMI and the cable. 6) If you do not have it, I have greatly enjoyed the Winegard antenna. My first camping experience I tried it and it was not so hot. I bought the digital TV wall power module and the new (to my camper) digital HD adapter for the antenna and it made quite a difference. I get the local stations wherever I am in HD for FREE! The new wall module sounds off to help guide you to the best signals and has a readout too. It helps to hear it though as mine is in a cabinet. 6) I purchased a nice staged battery charger for storage to hook directly to the batteries when stored bypassing the stock converter/charger system. That way I am not bound to one stage charging over long periods when it matters most and it cost me about $79.

I would not pay a bunch of money to upgrade the trailer until you have gotten to where you know what you would like. I have toyed with the solar idea and the awnings but they are quite and outlay. I would even hold off on the generator if you do not need to go off grid; however, I would probably recommend a generator over solar because solar is more weight (batterie(s)) and you can just skip it and go for the generator and not worry about clouds, tree coverings, etc.

Congratulations and enjoy. I boondocked for the first time this weekend at the super RV rally in Tampa - parking lot! It was great. I even ran the furnace.

[morgandc]

Thanks for the info, I was planning on 2 of the honda 2k generators with an lp conversion, but would love to get away with the 2.4k yamaha if I can run the air with it. I already have a mattress topper from the lat MH, I just want clean sheets this weekend

All solar and large inverters will wait while we evaluate for a season or two. I just love solar....in spite of itself.

[kd7trx]

Originally Posted by morgandc

would love to get away with the 2.4k yamaha if I can run the air with it.

We've been using a Yamaha 2400 for several years, and it runs the AC just fine. We don't have a microwave, but certainly no problems with any other light loads combined with AC on the Yamaha. It's also pretty easy to lift into the pick-up bed.

[morgandc]

Wow, the Yamaha ef2000 is only 44 lbs, the Honda EU200i 46.3 and the EF2400ISHC weighs 75 lbs! That 20% increase in watts is a 70% increase in weight.

[rodsterinfl]

Wow, the Yamaha ef2000 is only 44 lbs, the Honda EU200i 46.3 and the EF2400ISHC weighs 75 lbs! That 20% increase in watts is a 70% increase in weight.

Yep but if you check the motor, they use the same one for the next up model 171 cc. Bad part, more weight, good part, less strain. I did a load test for 30 seconds. I started the generator on propane then started my AC unit (11,500) and then the microwave for a 20 second cook cycle. It was running fine. The overload light began to slightly glow (dim) toward the last 10 seconds. The unit is designed for 2000 watts continuous but interestingly the write up on the shootout they were able to load it to around 2700 watts before it got upset- not that you would want to do that but it shows at least that it can handle a burst need for motors, etc. The review found that Hondas were quieter at idle but Yamaha was quieter under their test load.

[rodsterinfl]

It all depends though on what you plan to do. In my case I would not be cooking via micro and ac running and other stuff too all at the same time; However, I know that I can run my ac and do something else if needed without buying the bigger gen or spending an extra $300 or so for two. For some, they prefer two unit option. I bought a dolly at Harbor Freight to wheel it around instead of the $100 wheel option.

[mefly2]

Your list looks very complete !

LEDs will really cut the battery drain.

One FF will likely do the job ... open a window and you will have "fanful" flow through. Or, add a 12v counter mounted fan. (FF makes those, too). Another suggestion is a vent cover (dark one makes it easier to sleep in highly illuminated areas) to keep your air moving in wet weather ... try a week long rally in southern Canada with rain nearly every day ... some folks flooded the inside of their Bambis ... even with the auto closing / rain detecting feature on the FF.

Instead of a portable freezer, we chose a small icemaker that turns out cubes every ten minutes. We use it whenever the gen or shore power is available. The only negative side is that it draws other campers like a magnet! The cubes keep our coolers well-iced up.

We don't have enough available real estate on the roof of our 20 to make solar practical at this point (technology is changing every day), so, we got an EU2000i (and then a second one). One is sufficient to run the microwave and keep the batts topped off; however, two are necessary to use the AC and microwave... not sure about the heat pump though. We like the convenience of the light weight Hondas because it is a lift up into the PU box to store them. Wife really likes the convenience of the micro for quick stop / hot food and usually has fresh baked cinnamon rolls or cookies for me shortly after we set up camp!

Most of our camping is at unimproved sites or boondocking. We have a small inverter, but in several years, have yet to use it.

[campadk]

We upgraded about 6 of the 20 or lights in our Bambi. We just kept track of which ones we used the most and swapped them out for LED. This included the outside light (we like to leave it on in the evening), the lights over the table and the one over the kitchen counter. Thats it. All the rest of the many overhead lights, we never use (and they suck the battery dry).

We tore out the whole archiac 1980's TV, DVD, CD changer system which was a HUGE power hog in our 2005. An iPad with its little bitty battery is all that is needed. Still looking for a decent mount however to mount it on the wall by the bed.

Replace those bland white curtains with something colorful. Kate made ours herself.

Replace that noisy fridge fan with something quieter and more power efficient (still on my to-do list).

Buy a Link 10 monitor if you are a boon docker like us to monitor power usage and being efficient about generator usage. Our #1 upgrade!

Memory foam topper as per morgandc. Ok that was our #1 upgrade. Kate has ours arranged so she simply rolls it up during the day so the bed converts back to a couch (applies only to the David Winick version of the 19ft Bambi).

Inverter upgrade. Ok not so much an upgrade. But the Bambis don't come with an inverter. I have about 5 that are TOTALLY useless since they are not pure sinwave version. The crappy cheap ones (even the 400W units) can't even recharge an iPad unless your trailer batteries are at least 99% full. A good sinwave inverter will work down to 11V vs the cheapo modified sinwave.