New Airstream owner in Atlanta! Advice on floor plan!?

[Jpallad123]

Hello! Like everyone else at some point I am a longtime lurker and a first time owner/poster to the forum. I just bought a 1962 Bambi in great shape. Fairly new floors and everything is original except the curtains. To be honest, I never really considered a Bambi and was looking for a Globetrotter or Safari due to the nice mid-size. I felt the Bambi was a little small. However, I was able to get such a stupid deal on the Bambi I decided to purchase it because there's no major damage and everything looks pretty immaculate. I couldn't find any size that fit my price range in that level of condition. So my question is... does anyone have any advice on how to optimize the floor plan of the Bambi? Luckily, I'm single and just have a dog so it's not like I'm a family of four or anything haha. I don't want to change the general floorplan too much as everything is so clean and ready to go but one thing I was considering... how about taking out the "wardrobe" area above the heater (and to the left of the heater) and just keeping that as open space. Or a flip down counter extension for the kitchen. Any thoughts?

This is a very exciting community and I look forward to meeting many new people! Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the Forums!

I would not recommend any modification that removes storage space. Storage is at a premium as it is. Maybe I am reading too much into your post, but if you are trying to create "open spce" in the trailer, then maybe closterphobia is setting in--maybe you just really want/need a larger trailer.

Bambis are cool, and very in demand. It sounds like you got a screaming great deal on it...maybe the thing to do is to clean it up and resell it at a healthy profit. Someone who thinks their ideal trailer is a Bambi, and is willing to pay for it, gets to live their dream, and you get to take that profit and buy the trailer you really want. Win-win!

Now, you may not have really started digging into this trailer, and if not, I would recommend going through the trailer with the "trailer inspector's checklist" available on the Portal page. Having done this, you may realize that this is more of a project than you realized at first glance. Most trailers this age are candidatates for a total rebuild, and "original interior" just means that nobody has done the hard work. If this is the case (big project ahead), and this isn't really the trailer you want, I would say move full speed ahead with selling it. No sense in pouring a bunch of labor into a trailer that you don't really love that much.

good luck!

[dbj216]

Welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby. Your new 62 Bambi is a highly desirable trailer in the marketplace. As advised, I wouldn't modify it at all if it is original and in decent shape. I would do some restorative repairs if necessary, not cobble jobs, but real restorative repairs to make it look like it just left the factory. If you get the thing immaculate inside, and maybe polish the thing outside, this trailer would likely command a good price indeed.

You will have to post some pictures both inside and out for us to gander at.

Bambis and other small Airstreams are "cute" and handy little campers. They are easy to tow. It's a place to sleep out of the rain, but not a whole lot more. Airstream still makes 16' trailers. I'm not a fan, but many others certainly are.

David

[Bubba L]

Agree with all the above. Soon I will be helping a friend of mine with a shell off reno on a 63 Bambi. It’s all original inside and the shell is in great shape, but deteriorated floor and chewed up wiring. I’m a semi-purist. I have pretty well convinced him to renovate to original but with updated and modern amenities concealed. To use it you want to be comfortable and safe. And yes, the 61, 62, and 63 Bambi’s are some of the most sought after vintage ASs. Good luck