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yakman · 10-02-2007, 04:38 PM

I think that it could end up with some sort of cult status as a vendor/festival trailer. It would certainly draw people over to what you were vending to just check it out. Love the looks, just don't like the price tag or weight. Oh yeah, that's another issue.. if I remember correctly the GVWR on it doesn't allow for much heavy cargo. One good sized motorcycle may put you over the mark. If I can dig up some data I'll follow up with a post.

Cheers,

Doug

rhoward · 10-03-2007, 01:53 PM

based on airstream's website:

NCC Net Carrying Capacity W/out options or fluids = 1285
(if I'm translating that correctly)

doesn't seem like a lot of weight once you put all your stuff in there. I don't have a motorcycle, don't know how much they weigh. most i would put is a 4-wheeler, and a 4 wheeler is about 750, so that doesn't leave a whole lot more. Hard to imagine if my gear would weigh over 500 or not. i have a full size pickup so quite a bit of weight can be in the bed instead of the BC.

by the way, I'm new to the forum. have been searching for info on the basecamp. Seriously considering buying one. guess i'm the stereotype that was described earlier. 28 years old, weekend warrior. 90% of it's use would be weekend trips where I haul tail to one place on friday and stay there all weekend and then come back. i travel and compete/hunt with my german shorthaired pointer and usually take a 4-wheeler, so i've been roughing it with just a tent. this is still roughing it but still a step up, definitely don't mind the roughing it, that's part of the enjoyment.

I know it is expensive but I can't seem to find anything else at any price range that fits what i want. I want something that will go with me anywhere my 4x4 will go. And prior to reading all the posts on here about the BC i had assumed I would be getting what i paid for in airstream quality, but I'm questioning that now.

martinto · 10-03-2007, 07:14 PM

Rolled a 800lb + Harley Road King Classis, with lots of accessories up the ramps, tied her down, loaded heavy weight coolers in the SUV, small picnic table and chairs, camping stove, and all the incidental "stuff" you go camping with. Oh, by the way, I bought a different set of ramps with a center run, at about 50-60 lbs...pulled it all with a GMC Envoy in-line 6. No problemo. Had to shift into 3rd a few times when in the hill country of Texas. Never skipped a beat, didn't seem stressed at all. Other than a few warranty items, this is pefect for the weekend camp & bike tour getaway.

Good luck and safe travels.

rhoward · 10-03-2007, 07:56 PM

where did you buy yours from? I'm going out to DeMontrond in Spring to look this weekend. They have three.

Do you have the tent? What is your opinion?

martinto · 10-04-2007, 07:00 PM

Got mine at Demontrond. Not the sharpest characters on the Basecamp, but then again, it was new to them. Make sure you nail down all the accessories and such that'ssupposed to come with it.

Tend came with it. Worked our real nice...adds some good room off the back and not difficult to set up.Suggest you put an indoor outdoor carpet in the floor area of the tent.

If I can figure out how to post a pic here, I can show the BC loaded with the bike, unloaded and with the tent assembled.

martinto

bobfowler · 10-04-2007, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martinto

Got mine at Demontrond. Not the sharpest characters on the Basecamp, but then again, it was new to them. Make sure you nail down all the accessories and such that'ssupposed to come with it.

Tend came with it. Worked our real nice...adds some good room off the back and not difficult to set up.Suggest you put an indoor outdoor carpet in the floor area of the tent.

If I can figure out how to post a pic here, I can show the BC loaded with the bike, unloaded and with the tent assembled.

martinto

You'll note that with the tent on the back, there is a pretty big gap in the area of the inside of the trailer quarter panels and the tent (next to the steps). We bought a pair of tube shaped pillow forms at Wally World to cram in there to keep the critters at bay.

yakman · 10-06-2007, 10:18 PM

Martinto,

Is there room for only one bike? I was mistaken on my thought that the capacity was on the light side. Maybe Airstream should pair this with Harley Davidson dealers? If it can only fit one bike, that would be a downer for it. Let the boys at Orange County chopper have at one for an episode or two and see if sales take off at all?

cheers,

Doug

skihut · 10-06-2007, 10:30 PM

I am totally new to the world of RVs and Airstream, but I am no idiot. After looking at pics of the BaseCamp I quickly came to the determination that one could buy an old horse trailer, put some folding beds in it, put in a platform for your sink/plumbing, buy yourself a colman camp stove and you'd have pretty much the same thing. Heck, I just might do that myself.

yakman · 10-09-2007, 09:33 PM

Skihut,

Just for kicks, spec out your build of the AS basecamp using a horse trailer. Pick an aluminum horse trailer and add to it. I'm curious as to what $ figure you'd end up with.. You could use anywhere from 60 to 90 bucks an hour for your labor figure.

cheers,

Doug

yakman · 10-09-2007, 09:37 PM

Oh btw,

FWIW, We drove past JC over the weekend and I only saw one BC sitting on the lot. There were umpteen in August!

bobfowler · 10-10-2007, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakman

Skihut,

Just for kicks, spec out your build of the AS basecamp using a horse trailer. Pick an aluminum horse trailer and add to it. I'm curious as to what $ figure you'd end up with.. You could use anywhere from 60 to 90 bucks an hour for your labor figure.

cheers,

Doug

Hmmm... Interesting exercise. From a quickie google search of horse trailers (new), a 14' trailer would be about $15K to start. I used 14' because the last two feet of the base camp is pretty much wasted space eaten up by the doors and folding stairs.

This 15 footer is available for $15,900 (MSRP of $19,666) and would probably make a nice enough conversion, but the empty weight is moe than the Basecamp loaded - kinda kills the idea of towing it with a smaller vehicle. There would be a bit of interior to rip out and remodel. Figure that it would cost another 5 grand to outfit with appliances and furnishings, not to mention time.

bizcamp · 08-05-2008, 03:17 PM

I bot mine from Colonial and it was origianlly sold for 28k, I paid 15.5K and it was only slightly used. Since the news hit that AS is discontinuing the model the prices seem to be moving up. There are not a lot of them for sale but I did see Colonial just sold one for 30K new.

Basecamps are perfect for someone who wants convience of towing, parking and accessability. I get curious onlookers everywhere I stop and the overall response is very positive. I have noticed that each one of the interested parties are not AS aware. They don't seem to have a built in bias and are just looking at the BS for what it is. The mobile lounge is a hit and very easy in all respects. I challenge you to load an ATV or two motorcycles into a regular airstream.

I think anyone that wants to get off the ground but do it in style should consider a used BS asap. Rare now, rarer later.

A comment on overall quality is in order. I own #23 and asked around and it seems that the first 20 might have had the typical new model flaws until the kids on the production line got the hang of the new construct. I would not be afraid of quality issues with the later numbers. The first ones of any new product tend to have early production flaws as the manufacturing line figures out the reality of a new process.

Another comment on the plans, you can still see them if you google airstream basecamp and go to the dedicated website. There is a whole sales brochure for the complete picture.

Bizcamp

dustysrq · 03-10-2009, 09:22 PM

My wife & I bought a basecamp in 2007. We've driven it cross country from FL to CA & back 2x. We're in our mid-30's and this is perfect for our trips.

We wanted something that was easy to pull and that we could easily pack with our supplies. We preferred the open doors in the back because we could haul larger items for our trip.

We're campers... not RVers... which is what most Airstreams are, tow behind RV's. We used to camp in tents, now we've got a shell that keeps us from the elements. We haul bicycles & we like the options we have with the camper.

During our journeys we've only seen one other while we were on the west coast. We paid around $22K for it (NEW) and that included a lot of the options/upgrades..storage bags & tent.

We've gone on weekend trips and even parked for a couple weeks in the wilderness. We cook outside, in fact, I removed the gas burner and modified the shelves on the inside. We'll probably make more small adjustments to it as the years pass.

We both think it's funny that so many people on this forum are negative about the basecamp. We feel the BaseCamp doesn't fit into the "normal" airstream style, but then again, my wife & I don't fit into the "normal" airstream culture either... so it suits us just fine.

It is an efficeint use of space, it pulls GREAT, I don't sacrifice much on MPG and it's different. Sure, the cost per square foot may be higher than a comparable model, but I don't measure my life or experiences by $/sq ft

Anyother basecamp owners interested in starting our own forum/club/group?

pmclemore · 03-11-2009, 10:10 AM

Good looking rig, Dusty. Glad you found your way to a great time wherevever you go.

Pat

martinto · 03-14-2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dustysrq

My wife & I bought a basecamp in 2007. We've driven it cross country from FL to CA & back 2x. We're in our mid-30's and this is perfect for our trips.

We wanted something that was easy to pull and that we could easily pack with our supplies. We preferred the open doors in the back because we could haul larger items for our trip.

We're campers... not RVers... which is what most Airstreams are, tow behind RV's. We used to camp in tents, now we've got a shell that keeps us from the elements. We haul bicycles & we like the options we have with the camper.

During our journeys we've only seen one other while we were on the west coast. We paid around $22K for it (NEW) and that included a lot of the options/upgrades..storage bags & tent.

We've gone on weekend trips and even parked for a couple weeks in the wilderness. We cook outside, in fact, I removed the gas burner and modified the shelves on the inside. We'll probably make more small adjustments to it as the years pass.

We both think it's funny that so many people on this forum are negative about the basecamp. We feel the BaseCamp doesn't fit into the "normal" airstream style, but then again, my wife & I don't fit into the "normal" airstream culture either... so it suits us just fine.

It is an efficeint use of space, it pulls GREAT, I don't sacrifice much on MPG and it's different. Sure, the cost per square foot may be higher than a comparable model, but I don't measure my life or experiences by $/sq ft

Anyother basecamp owners interested in starting our own forum/club/group?

My wife and I also own a basecamp and enjoy it for many of the same reasons you state. I've not gone as far with mine, but when we've traveled, it's an easy tow, easy tent set up, and fits well with our style of camping. I've actually carried a 800lb motorcycle in it...a bit of a tight fit, but it all came togeather well. Had the normal issues with leaks around the dorr seals...all fixed. And other incidental issues. I relate that to my friends who run with traditional RV's and Motorhomes...all have maintenance repair issues they deal with from time to time...it's all relative. Don't know how to start of forum but would be interesting is such.

Friday · 03-18-2009, 12:19 PM

Ours is still sitting in Vegas waiting for me to get time off to go get it...

I hope it works well for what we want. We live in a rugged mountain area, and pulling a big trailer just isn't in the cards. We wanted a small living space, some cargo hauling capacity (mountain bikes), and good towing. For the price we got it for, I don't think there is anything comparable.

As for a separate forum, it might be neat, but there doesn't seem to be much interest on this sub-board. It would seem like this would be the place to go for all things Airstream...

bizcamp · 03-19-2009, 10:18 AM

Nice to hear more buzz about the GreenRV movement. Basecamps=Less is more!
Could I suggest that each owner tell us the serial number and what you like about this gem!
We already are a club, we just haven't finalized it!
Let's make some memories, let's tell our stories!

BizCamp

martinto · 03-21-2009, 06:48 AM

We are interested in a BC owners club to share experiences. There seems to be just a few of us sharing experiences, but there again, there's not that many BC's on the road. What we like...

light weight, even loaded with a motrocycle...easy to pull with a 6cyl SUV
No worrys re maint on plumbing, etc. We stay at sites with facilities and there's plenty of them.
the modular concept, folding seats/bed, storage nets galley cabinets.
the tent extension is really a plus. Easy to set up in about 10 minutes, and we use the area for dining/storage etc.
It's been easy to improvise small improvements to our liking.
It really draws a crowd...nice way to meet folks.

We're heading back out in a couple of weeks for the 1st time this year. Will share more "experiences" later

Dennett · 04-03-2009, 11:40 PM

Hi Dusty,

Our reasons for buying the Basecamp are very much like yours. We love camping and often take our toys with us (pedal kayak and/or electric mountain bikes). Now with the Basecamp, we can also take our two Yamaha Serow trail bikes and explore even more of the wilderness. Demographically speaking, we’re newly retired (early 60’s and late 50’s) and live on Vancouver Island.

We will be posting more Basecamp pics and adventure stories in the months and years ahead. Judy and I look forward to reading Basecamp tips and adventures from the rest of you!

Regards to all,
Dennett Netterville

Dennett · 04-03-2009, 11:46 PM

Friday, I see from your March 18th post that you have not yet picked up your new ’07 BaseCamp in Vegas. Is there still time to cancel your order for the Kelty tent? The SUV Sportz tent (about CA$350) that fits our VW Eurovan Camper is a well-made and less expensive option for the BaseCamp.

Regards,
Dennett