Fans of the Airstream Basecamp

[Andrew T]

So if a vehicle is around our place for a while it is very likely to wind up with a hitch on it. I've been driving a 1.6 Litre 6 speed manual Kia Soul that was traded in while the Jag is away for the winter. I got to thinking it would be great to compare drag between smaller aero trailers.

It is very stable due to the very short rear overhang and wide stance. Last week I towed the Basecamp to the Toronto show with it. I was very impressed with the aerodynamics of the BC. The little Kia towed it 105 kph 65 mph in 6th gear, Amazing! It was also very stable with no buffeting when passing or trailing trucks.

[Andrew T]

[Andrew T]

Sorry I posted the wrong photo 9.7 Litre/ 100 Kim's towing. 24.2 MPG.

[OTRA15]

Great looking rig! Does the Kia have a brake controller installed, and how easy was it to integrate the controller into the tow vehicle's wiring harness and computer?

Thanks

[Elkabong]

Hello All,

Newbie here. We just got back from our local Airstream Dealer and got a walk thru of the new Basecamp. It was vastly roomier than all the youtube videos we had reviewed before seeing it "live". Very nice and liked it better than the 16' Bambi. We are now planning on purchasing one however I need to do some construction (or de-construction) to have it fit into our side yard. The issue I have is my roof eave. If any owners here have an opportunity to measure from the ground to the top of your Basecamp that would be appreciated. I have read the specs and they indicate with A/C a height of 8' 6.25". That measurement is not what I need because the A/C unit is installed in the middle and my roof eave will not overhang that far out (to touch the A/C unit). If you know the height of the A/C unit only, that would suffice too and all I would have to do is subtract that from the factory specs. Thank you for your assistance!

[OTRA15]

Welcome to the forum! Did you check the owner's manual linked in Post #118? Guessing the height without A/C is there.

Good luck!

Peter

PS will look also. Right you are, just the spec WITH A/C. I seem to recall a post discussing the new Basecamp without A/C being available and will keep looking. There are some other threads which started before this one, and the earlier posts may have the info.. Your dealer should be able to supply the dimension IMO.

PS2 the earlier posts here discuss the A/C being optional and there may be some heights mentioned:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f404...ng-156584.html

[Gail Miller]

My Basecamp came in and I brought it home yesterday. I had the wireless Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller installed on the camper and it worked well. I drive a Toyota Land Cruiser (same V8 engine as a Toyota Tundra) and the camper felt heavier than I expected and I could tell my engine felt the extra weight. Took me considerable time to back it into my carport (which is 10 feet tall), but mainly because I wanted it in there 'just so' and I had surgery on my left shoulder a month ago and I seem to fine tune backing with my left hand/arm :-) It is plugged into shore power here at home and I am keeping low heat on via the air-conditioning unit. I will travel with my two dogs, both weigh 100 pounds and I am working (in my head) on setting up my bed at the back of the camper. I will not make the whole back end into a full size bed. More later folks :-)

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by Andrew T

So if a vehicle is around our place for a while it is very likely to wind up with a hitch on it. I've been driving a 1.6 Litre 6 speed manual Kia Soul that was traded in while the Jag is away for the winter. I got to thinking it would be great to compare drag between smaller aero trailers.

It is very stable due to the very short rear overhang and wide stance. Last week I towed the Basecamp to the Toronto show with it. I was very impressed with the aerodynamics of the BC. The little Kia towed it 105 kph 65 mph in 6th gear, Amazing! It was also very stable with no buffeting when passing or trailing trucks.

Impressive! I'm not surprised at the stability, given the minimal rear overhang. However, I am surprised that you were able to pull 6th gear with a 1.6 litre engine, at 65 mph. That tells me that the Basecamp has very low aerodynamic drag, even for an Airstream.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by Andrew T

Sorry I posted the wrong photo 9.7 Litre/ 100 Kim's towing. 24.2 MPG.

Those are very good numbers Andy. Off the top of your head could you give us a possible short list of other vehicles you have set up that get 20+ MPG numbers when towing smaller Airstreams. Thnxs

[Jazgrass]

Originally Posted by Gail Miller

My Basecamp came in and I brought it home yesterday. I had the wireless Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller installed on the camper and it worked well. I drive a Toyota Land Cruiser (same V8 engine as a Toyota Tundra) and the camper felt heavier than I expected and I could tell my engine felt the extra weight. Took me considerable time to back it into my carport (which is 10 feet tall), but mainly because I wanted it in there 'just so' and I had surgery on my left shoulder a month ago and I seem to fine tune backing with my left hand/arm :-) It is plugged into shore power here at home and I am keeping low heat on via the air-conditioning unit. I will travel with my two dogs, both weigh 100 pounds and I am working (in my head) on setting up my bed at the back of the camper. I will not make the whole back end into a full size bed. More later folks :-)

Gail, what weight distribution / sway hitch did you choose ?
Thanks,
Jaz

[Andrew T]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Great looking rig! Does the Kia have a brake controller installed, and how easy was it to integrate the controller into the tow vehicle's wiring harness and computer?

Thanks

A brake control is a absolute necessity so yes the Kia has one installed. Tekonsia Prodigy P2. Installation was simple in this vehicle as it is in most. Often the hardest part is to find a break light light signal.

The brake control does not tie into the abs computer but the computer will compensate for the trailer brakes automatically.

Andy

[Gail Miller]

I did not put a sway bar on it. My Toyota had a factory tow package on it.

[Gail Miller]

Originally Posted by Jazgrass

Gail, what weight distribution / sway hitch did you choose ?
Thanks,
Jaz

I did not put a sway bar on it. My Toyota had a factory tow package on it. I am NEW to the camping world, but pulled horses years ago. Do I need to look more into 'weight distribution'. I read about that .... need to go back and study!! This is one reason I joined the forum :-)

[xrvr]

A weight dist hitch can have a sway bar built in, some don't. Don't confuse a sway bar on a hitch Assembly with a sway bar on the tv suspension.

[Andrew T]

Those are very good numbers Andy. Off the top of your head could you give us a possible short list of other vehicles you have set up that get 20+ MPG numbers when towing smaller Airstreams. Thnxs

Sorry I am so long answering this there are not many vehicles that tow over 20 MPG to the US gallon. Our 2010 Jetta Diesel has consistently over the last 7 years but of course it was cheating a little.

Recently we picked up 5 16' Sports on the same day from JC so we thought this would be a good opportunity to compare 4 cylinder tow vehicles and we happened to have 5 at our disposal. The table below compares the economy and performance.

[Andrew T]

Here is the rest of the article:
4 Cylinder Tow Vehicle comparison
Recently we had a unique opportunity, it turns out we had five 16’ Airstreams ready to pick up at the Airstream factory in Ohio all at the same time. A little checking and we realized we had access to 5 different 4 cylinder tow vehicles. We thought this would be a neat comparison test. We had a 2015 Subaru WRX, 2012 BMW X1 and a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan all with 2.0 Litre Turbocharged motors. We also had a 2014 Cadillac ATS with a 2.5 Litre naturally aspirated motor and our 2010 Jetta. Every vehicle had a 6 speed transmission (manual in the WRX) except the BMW which had an 8 speed. The northbound trip home from Jackson Centre was 303 miles, most of Interstate 75 from Toledo to Jackson Center is under construction while they expand the road to 3 lanes so we had plenty of different surfaces and lots of narrow lanes to run though and the usual strong crosswinds coming across the open fields of Ohio. When you can run different tow vehicles along the same road at the same time with identical trailers it is a great comparison test as it removes most of the variables that normally come with checking fuel economy etc.
On our drive home we ran the first 90 miles at 60 MPH (97 KPH) and tried to avoid hard acceleration etc. so we were looking for the best mileage possible. When we filled all the tanks the BMW and Jetta were almost equal with the others not terribly far behind. The next tank we ran higher speeds 65-70 MPH and had more stop and go driving while we detoured around a traffic tie up. This substantially reduced the fuel economy in all the gas powered vehicles but the Jetta hardly changed. This is why we may not see many diesel powered cars in the future. They may get much better mileage in real world driving however on the EPA and Transport Canada tests where very little throttle is applied there is not as much of a difference.
Not that it matters much but the 16’ Airstreams weigh in at 2980 pounds they have an 8’ wide body. The 3600 pound 22’ Airstream actually tows a little easier as it is 7’6” wide.
Subaru WRX 2.0 Litre Turbo 6 speed manual; This Subaru is a car I have driven on numerous occasions, as a solo vehicle it is a great combination of practicality and performance it has extremely tight handling a solid body structure and suspension tuning that is almost a perfect balance between handling and harshness. As refined as it is the surge of turbo boost gives it just enough unpredictability that it is great fun to drive. Towing the 16’ Airstream it is kind of like “what trailer” it just seems to pretend it is not there. You can toss the Airstream from lane to lane decelerate hard into corners do what you like it just stays solidly planted. 0-100 KPH acceleration is 13 seconds including a 2nd to 3rd shift at 95 kilometers per hour. To put that in perspective a test in 1971 with a Plymouth Belvedere with a 426 Hemi needed 13.6 seconds with an Airstream weighing only 800 pounds more. For some the manual transmission would be a negative but before discounting the manual entirely it is worth a test drive it shifts so nicely and launches so easily it is pretty easy to accept the manual and the CVT automatic would just seem out of place in this car.
Cadillac ATS 2.5 Litre 6 speed automatic: The Cadillac is closest to WRX in handling likely 95% of the WRX’s capability with a smoother ride, it is a wonderful chassis that feels like it was carved out of a solid brick. Though the engine is larger not having a turbo gives it less total power, for the 16 Airstream it is more than adequate. Most of the time the Cadillac tows the Airstream nicely in 5th gear however one neat thing I discovered is that if you manually shift into 6th on cruise control it goes as fast as it can without shifting down. In the case of the 16 Airstream setting the cruise at 100 it would tow at 93-94 KPH in 6th on cruise control. The 16’ Airstream is 8’ wide and I know the 7’6” wide 22’ Airstream tows easier (it is always a challenge for people to understand that the longer trailer tows easier). I thought this would be an interesting comparison test to see what the speed difference would be in 6th gear on cruise, as it turns out it tows the 22’ 99 KPH in 6th. If find this little Cadillac to be a very impressive car we knew that already from our experience on the race track with it. My only complaint is the ridiculously complex dash and electronics package. Maybe I am just too old, it used to be I could get in any car and know how it worked. One thing that would have my father shaking his head is that other than the Jetta the Cadillac is the least expensive vehicle in this group.
BMW X1 2.0 Litre Turbo 8 speed automatic: The BMW X1 is in a new market segment where the vehicles are taller than a car but not as tall as a crossover SUV, think Subaru Outback or Volvo Cross Country. The Jetta is 58” tall the Tiguan is 67” tall and the X1 is in the middle at 63”. All low riders compared to say an F150 at 76” or 250 at 81”. The Beemer is the most well rounded vehicle in the group, interior space of an SUV but close to car like handling the quickest 0-60 time towing and the most economical of the turbo engines it is also the most expensive car in this group but the value is there. The handling is excellent but with a more supple ride. Of course on a BMW the tight body structure goes without saying. Though it does not have the sports car handling solo of the WRX or the Cadillac stability towing is as good with more comfort and the interior is easily the quietest. With 8 gears to choose from the turbo spends less time in boost mode giving this all-wheel drive fuel economy as good as the front drive Cadillac sedan. If you can afford it you will love this car.
The Tiguan: would have seemed like an excellent tow vehicle if I had not driven the WRX and BMW first. It is the tallest vehicle in the group and the only SUV it also it has the softest suspension tuning which is still relatively firm in this group. So still controlled and stable but your not going to throw it into a corner like the Cadillac (boy does that sound backwards). The Tiguan has nice 225/55R x 17” tires but they are on relatively narrow rims which gives them some side-sway so wider rims or tighter sidewall tires would really help. Still I don’t want to sound like it did not work well, you could not feel a transport pass and it was composed in large dips even when crossing the centre divide in construction zones. In the end height and soft suspension will likely make this the most popular tow vehicle even if it is not the most dialed in. It was also the least fuel efficient but that is to be expected with its height and all-wheel drive, Interesting it uses more fuel than our 8 speed Chrysler 300 with the 3.6 Litre V6.
Jetta Diesel: The Jetta is the most proven vehicle of this group, we have installed hitches on a couple of hundred of these since 2006. This includes some commercial clients who are towing enclosed cargo trailers substantial miles with them. This Jetta since we have had since new and it now has 175,000 Kilometers on the clock with about half of that towing, generally it is towing trailers considerably larger and less aero than this 16’ Airstream, larger units that we would send a customer out with and it just keeps clicking along. How much longer we have it I am not sure as VW has not decided what they are doing to fix this generation Diesel. As it is there is not much to complain about, The Jetta has a relatively long overhang compared to its wheelbase but it has excellent suspension tuning so the ride is comparable to the Tiguan, handling is not quite as stable but still very good. Solo you can drive it like you stole it and still get 1000 kilometers on a tank full.
Summary: Each of these vehicles has its own set of strengths and weaknesses but all are quite capable of handling Aerodynamic trailers in fact the 16 felt overly easy for most of them. Pretty much everyone’s favorite vehicle was the one they owned which makes sense. As the most impartial of the drivers as I only owned the Jetta I would have to say the WRX is the car I enjoyed the most and would likely

[Jazgrass]

It's happened , my BC will be here Wednesday ! I have lots of details handled, BUT still can not come to the final decision on the weight distribution /sway hitch brand.
I got info on both the Blue Ox and the Hensley swift cub. My total lack of experience makes this a tough one. My dealer sells Blue Ox so that's the path of least resistance. In a "fact finding " conversation a Blue Ox owner made the following comment. You will have to hand crank that tongue up really high to take the tension off the Blue Ox tension bars And they still hold a lot of power... Ok Blue Ox folk, what do you say ? Alternatively is anyone using something different on a Base camp or Bambi that they would like to discuss...
Thanks ,
Jasmine

[Bborzell]

Originally Posted by Jazgrass

It's happened , my BC will be here Wednesday ! I have lots of details handled, BUT still can not come to the final decision on the weight distribution /sway hitch brand.
I got info on both the Blue Ox and the Hensley swift cub. My total lack of experience makes this a tough one. My dealer sells Blue Ox so that's the path of least resistance. In a "fact finding " conversation a Blue Ox owner made the following comment. You will have to hand crank that tongue up really high to take the tension off the Blue Ox tension bars And they still hold a lot of power... Ok Blue Ox folk, what do you say ? Alternatively is anyone using something different on a Base camp or Bambi that they would like to discuss...
Thanks ,
Jasmine

I am towing our Basecamp with a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a V6. It has the factory tow package that handles 6200 lbs. and 620 lb. hitch weight. I am also using a solid aluminum 6" drop hitch with no anti rattle device; more on that later.

I installed a Prodigy 3 brake controller and no weight distribution or anti sway device. After some 300 miles through a windy rainstorm, freeway driving among big rigs and a fair amount of driving over poorly maintained freeways, I have confirmed my decision to tow the Basecamp as is. That is my decision based upon my vehicle performance as well as actual driving experience with the combination. I know people who tow a 5,800 lb. Oliver without a w/d or anti sway setup and I have seen anti sway hardware on utility trailers. Everybody's mileage seems to vary on this topic.

Included in the Jeep package is circuitry that is supposed to sense sway and deliver a signal to the trailer brakes to add some drag. If it has come into play, I have not had any such indication. The Prodigy display shows when the trailer brakes are being applied and I have never seen anything other than the standard "0.0" reading on the brake controller unless I have applied the brakes on the Jeep.

One thing that bears mentioning is that the 10% general rule regarding either net or gross towing weight relative to hitch weight does not apply here. Conventional wisdom would suggest that the loaded weight of a Basecamp at some 3,500 lbs. would result in an assumed hitch weight of 350 lbs. Because of the single axle, the 2 propane tanks and the up front fridge combined with the readward axle placement, the hitch weight on the basecamp is 420 lbs.

In my view, this hitch weight specification would put the Basecamp beyond the tow capability of several smaller vehicles that are rated at 3,500 lbs. but which expect to see no more than 350 lbs. hitch weight.

As for not using an anti rattle device in order to make solid contact between the drop hitch and the receiver it slides into (most people install these in order to eliminate the "clunk" when accelerating or decelerating), it is my impression that single axle trailers of this weight tend to transmit road shock that is not negated by the trailer suspension on up to the tow vehicle frame when the trailer wheels are displaced by road irregularities.

Since the tow vehicle has already passed over the irregularity in the road and the tow vehicle's suspension has already handled it's job for the tow vehicle, the road shock that is transmitted from the trailer through the rigid receiver connection is felt in the interior of the tow vehicle. This effect is not as pronounced with dual axle trailers that tend not to porpoise the way some single axle trailers might. Anti rattle devices work well with bike racks, small utility trailers and possibly dual axle trailers. I don't think that they are well suited for my setup.

What is your tow vehicle and what are it's tow capacities?

[xrvr]

I don't know how much experience you have towing, but your opinions may change as you gain more knowledge.

[Bborzell]

Originally Posted by avionstream

I don't know how much experience you have towing, but your opinions may change as you gain more knowledge.

I won't waste your time with a summary of my experience as it is apparent that your opinions are all that counts to you.