Smallest possible tow vehicle for a 16' Sport Bambi?

[ASDreamSF]

I'm considering purchasing a 16' Sport Bambi for full time living. Ideally it will spend most of its time parked in a RV park or in someone's backyard. My goal is to live as inexpensively as I can in an extremely desirable urban area so that I can enjoy what the location has to offer even if I can't afford the price tag.

Because I will be in an urban location, and my tow vehicle will also be my daily driver, I need a smaller vehicle that will be easy to maneuver and park in tight spaces.

I looked at the Sport as well as the Nest and Basecamp, as they are all Airstream's smaller, lightweight trailers, and the Sport's layout appealed to me the most. It really does an amazing job of maximizing space. However, it is definitely not the lightest of the three models, which leaves me with the conundrum of how I am going to tow it?

The largest vehicle type I would be happy with would be a crossover/small SUV. The Ford Escape has a tow rating of 3,500 lbs, which seems pretty good, and is relatively small. I'd love to be able to tow with an even smaller vehicle, like a Honda Element or a Jeep Renegade, but I'm not sure if that would be possible.

If anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences, I'd love to hear them!

[AlinCal]

Sorry I'm no help here, I just learned here today you cant even tow a 19 with a ford f150 without a fancy wd hitch.

[GMFL]

From what I’ve read on this Forum a VW Touareg that has visited CANAM can pull the earth

In all seriousness the Touareg may not be a bad choice.
Wow I can’t believe I just said that.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by ASDreamSF

I'm considering purchasing a 16' Sport Bambi for full time living. Ideally it will spend most of its time parked in a RV park or in someone's backyard. My goal is to live as inexpensively as I can in an extremely desirable urban area so that I can enjoy what the location has to offer even if I can't afford the price tag.

Because I will be in an urban location, and my tow vehicle will also be my daily driver, I need a smaller vehicle that will be easy to maneuver and park in tight spaces.

I looked at the Sport as well as the Nest and Basecamp, as they are all Airstream's smaller, lightweight trailers, and the Sport's layout appealed to me the most. It really does an amazing job of maximizing space. However, it is definitely not the lightest of the three models, which leaves me with the conundrum of how I am going to tow it?

The largest vehicle type I would be happy with would be a crossover/small SUV. The Ford Escape has a tow rating of 3,500 lbs, which seems pretty good, and is relatively small. I'd love to be able to tow with an even smaller vehicle, like a Honda Element or a Jeep Renegade, but I'm not sure if that would be possible.

If anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences, I'd love to hear them!

You didn't ask, but...

Zoning will probably prevent you from squatting in anyone's yard for more than a few days. And a 16 is a very small Airstream to full time in. Do some more research...

I fulltime in a 25 footer, and it is more complicated and costly than you expect.

[kendrick.l.j]

I see that this is your very first post so the best advice I could offer is to not buy anything until you have spent several months throughly researching your idea. How far away is the closest campground? How long will they allow you to stay? What is the cost of renting a spot? What will you do if your 16 footer is in the shop for weeks? Do your friends have the necessary hook up’s already in place? Dump station and power, water? As was mentioned, a hole bunch of places have very tight zoning law that prohibit back yard camping. I’m not sure what size the refrigerator is on a 16 footer but it is small, you’ll need to go the grocery store almost daily or eat out every meal which gets very expensive.
I understand why you are trying to find a cheaper way to live especially in the Bay Area but full timing in a 16 footer may not be quite as doable as you think. 16 footer as great for a couple of days but the walls may start to close in on you very quickly.
Keep researching, keep reading the forum. The more you learn before you jump into the deep end, the better. I’m not saying it can’t be done I just want you to be able to make an informed decision before you do anything.

[Len n Jeanne]

We had a 16' Bambi and liked it a lot. But-- it has very little storage space. This would be even more of an issue for living full-time.

We towed it with a Tacoma with a cap (canopy, topper) on the back. The pick-up truck gave us much more storage space. Around here, a Tacoma is considered to be a small truck.

For full time, you might consider going a bit bigger, and then looking for a used AS and TV to stay on-budget.

The 16' Bambi fridge is half-size and fits under the counter. It has a wet bath which is useable, but mostly on a dry, windy day as otherwise the humidity really builds up in a small enclosed space if you have to keep the doors and windows shut.

If you have a particular tow vehicle in mind, it will come with specs on towing capacity.

In our experience RV parks in or near big cities tend to be either really expensive or a bit dodgy. You might check out the monthly rates of any place you would care to stay in.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by ASDreamSF

I'm considering purchasing a 16' Sport Bambi for full time living. Ideally it will spend most of its time parked in a RV park or in someone's backyard. My goal is to live as inexpensively as I can in an extremely desirable urban area so that I can enjoy what the location has to offer even if I can't afford the price tag.

Because I will be in an urban location, and my tow vehicle will also be my daily driver, I need a smaller vehicle that will be easy to maneuver and park in tight spaces.

I looked at the Sport as well as the Nest and Basecamp, as they are all Airstream's smaller, lightweight trailers, and the Sport's layout appealed to me the most. It really does an amazing job of maximizing space. However, it is definitely not the lightest of the three models, which leaves me with the conundrum of how I am going to tow it?

The largest vehicle type I would be happy with would be a crossover/small SUV. The Ford Escape has a tow rating of 3,500 lbs, which seems pretty good, and is relatively small. I'd love to be able to tow with an even smaller vehicle, like a Honda Element or a Jeep Renegade, but I'm not sure if that would be possible.

If anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences, I'd love to hear them!

The Escape is a compact car. The only thing I use the hitch for on mine is a bike rack. Mirrors would need to stick out 3 feet to see around the airstream.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by ASDreamSF

I'm considering purchasing a 16' Sport Bambi ...

The Ford Escape has a tow rating of 3,500 lbs, which seems pretty good, and is relatively small. I'd love to be able to tow with an even smaller vehicle, like a Honda Element or a Jeep Renegade, but I'm not sure if that would be possible.

If anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences, I'd love to hear them!

The tow rating of any vehicle you look at will be calculated based on the strength of the hitch receiver. For example, you should have a minimum of 10% of the trailer weight on the hitch. If the receiver is only engineered to carry a maximum of 350 lbs then it follows that the maximum size of the trailer will be 3,500 lbs. If you can find a competent hitch shop they can strengthen the receiver so that you can carry more tongue weight with a weight distribution hitch. The strengthening is so that the receiver can resist the twisting forces of the WD hitch.

Another factor to consider is that the Airstream trailers are more aerodynamic than any other SOB trailer and require a lot less engine power to pull.

[Johnnyooo]

A Ford Escape is not adequate for towing a Bambi 16'... It would be a struggle to pull and you would have to be careful with how much you load into your car and the trailer... Not enough of a cushion in the weight ...I tow with a Toyota 4Runner.. 5000 lbs weight capacity... 500 lb tongue weight

[ASDreamSF]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

And a 16 is a very small Airstream to full time in. Do some more research...

I fulltime in a 25 footer, and it is more complicated and costly than you expect.

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

I understand why
you are trying to find a cheaper way to live especially in the Bay Area but full timing in a 16 footer may not be quite as doable as you think. 16 footer as great for a couple of days but the walls may start to close in on you very quickly.

Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne

We had a 16' Bambi and liked it a lot. But-- it has very little storage space. This would be even more of an issue for living full-time.

For full time, you might consider going a bit bigger, and then looking for a used AS and TV to stay on-budget.

Thank you for the concern.

I have been researching "alternative" dwellings, like tiny houses, shipping container houses, campervans, RVs and trailers for about a year now. Originally I was set on living out of a campervan disguised as a plain white cargo van so that I could park on the public streets near where I work for free. I couldn't find a model that I liked in terms of layout, specs, and price, so I started looking into trailers instead. Compared to a campervan like the Roadtrek SS Agile or the Hymer Aktiv, the Airstream Sport 16' is roomy!

Living out of a small space is preferable to living in my family home indefinitely, or renting a room in a house with a dozen strangers (which is what I could afford if I wanted to stay close to the city) or moving to a less populated area with a lower cost of living (I could probably afford a three story house in Nebraska, but I don't want to live in Nebraska). I work full time and like to spend a lot of time outdoors, so all I really need out of a "home" is a place to sleep, cook meals, shower, and safely store my personal belongings, and I'm a minimalist so I don't have much.

It's not ideal, but I'm being realistic and trying to be creative with how I can afford to live in an area I love when I'm low income. I'll never be able to afford rent or a mortgage on a house, but I might be able to make payments on a trailer and a tow vehicle.

[YippieKiYa]

Here you go.

[SuzyHomemakr]

Another thing to remember is the "tail wagging the dog" phenomena. Too light of a tow vehicle can cause the trailer to make driving unstable and unsafe.

Many smaller cars that have listed tow capacities really aren't meant to be used for consistent towing. All the money that you save with the smaller car can go out the window quickly if you blow out the transmission or warp the frame.

Besides, someone with a truck can always make some cash on the side!

[dst]

Originally Posted by GMFL

From what I’ve read on this Forum a VW Touareg that has visited CANAM can pull the earth

In all seriousness the Touareg may not be a bad choice.
Wow I can’t believe I just said that.

I towed a 23FB with my Touareg and it was a great combination. I just got fed up with the 3L dieselgate and the "fix" removed what little engine braking was available. My issue became payload when the trailer was loaded and all three of us where in the vehicle. Seems like I had 7700 towing, 620 tongue weight. The Germans derated to 8% of capacity instead of 10%, but the thing was built like a tank. I just don't like exceeding published ratings to prevent any issues if there is ever an accident.

[JohnTF]

This is a good example of what I call the chineeze-a-faction of America ,
Buy the cheapest anything you can find , even if it causes you to spend 10 time as much in the long run - replacing often , because the cheap tools etc. break often .
Now you want to tow with the least you can - this is setting yourself up for catastrophic failure , you put a weak link in a chain , then try to stop momentum that the small car will get moving - NOW TRY TO CONTROL , STOP - THE WEAK LINK [ small car ] FAILS - creating catastrophic failure / accident .
In engineering - the term is called HEADROOM , min. to operate correctly - then add 20% headroom .
You want the tow vehicle to control whats being towed , not the towed / trailer to over power the tow vehicle .

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by AlinCal

Sorry I'm no help here, I just learned here today you cant even tow a 19 with a ford f150 without a fancy wd hitch.

AND an easy start and a trip to Andy to install all of it!

Seriously, I had a Honda Element, loved it, and added a 2" receiver. But the Element is limited to 1500 pounds towing.
I used the receiver to tow a garden utility trailer.

Once in Colorado I saw a guy living in a 16' trailer with a Siberian Husky! I couldn't imagine doing it, but he seemed happy enough. It was a real campground, though.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by JohnTF

... then try to stop momentum that the small car will get moving - NOW TRY TO CONTROL , STOP - THE WEAK LINK [ small car ] FAILS - creating catastrophic failure / accident.

My trailer brakes alone will stop my Airstream and the tow vehicle. Heaven help you (and the rest of us) if you rely so much on your tow vehicle to stop your rig.

[RudiDundas]

I tow my 16’ International Signature Bambi with a 2017 VW Touareg. It is six cylinder, so don’t expect great gas mileage. Tops 23mpg without the trailer, 12-15mpg with trailer. My Bambi is 3500 fully loaded. Touareg s rated for 7200. I have towed the trailer over mountains with no prob. And it is a reasonable city and urban car without the trailer. I have found it to be a perfect TV allowing me to maintain only one vehicle for towing and regular driving.

[Foiled Again]

Actually, if you have been thinking about it that long, you might have "alumanitis" which is a near chronic condition.... but can just wear itself out. A 4K panel replacement after a hit and run accident (I was parked!) dampened my enthusiasm... fiberglass repair about 1/10th the cost.

Look at every brand of "egg trailer" starting with Casita and Scamp, and the Oliver, and Happier Camper and... Fiberglass is lower maintenance and much cheaper to repair a ding. Paint it silver if you want. Truly these little pods lose almost no value and sell in a day or two AND are a much safer way to test the waters before paying the Airstream premium.

Also consider a box truck - used and smallish - as a disguised camper.

In SoCal buying land and subletting 4 other tiny house/cabanas might work, but wouldn't be that cheap. Recently saw one old run down motel remodeled into attached tiny houses.

Happy trails

[galaxiedelux]

Hi,
I live in my 22' Bambi Sport pulled with a 2010 Audi Q5, and I've been loving it.
I've towed her through the rocky mountains a few times, even the Coquihalla in winter, and the Q5 was great with it. I do have a pretty heavy duty anti-sway hitch though, which I think was worth the cost. And the Q5 is a 6 cylinder and has a good tow capacity, which I think makes the difference. I did a lot of research, so far things have been safe and good and I ran it by the RV dealership first and got the go-ahead. I will admit that I like to un-hitch though and not do too much towing.

When I first got her I had her parked outside my parents' house in Calgary for 3 weeks and no one said a thing. That being said I didn't have water/sewer hooked up.

A few years ago when I was living in CO I almost bought an AS to live in and my friends were going to let me park it and hook everything up in their back driveway, but they lived in a township that didn't have crazy bylaws.

What I'm finding now, after being on the road for a bit and dry camping and parking in campgrounds, is that it's really nice to be fully hooked up. I've lived at burning man with limited water supply and so thought I could be good with the water usage and whatnot, and maybe since I'm hooked up I'm using a bit more water, showering and cooking and washing dishes, but I'm having to dump the tanks about twice e week.

There is certainly enough space in the 22' for me and a big reason why I went up to the 22' is to have an actual bathroom rather than a wet bath. It's also one of the reasons I stopped going after a used Interstate or van. I'm not sure I could full time it with a wet bath. I lived in Italy where I had a wet bath and I vowed to never do it again, and that was an actual tiled room.

Also, I bought her from a dealership in BC, where I'm parked at a really great campground with her now, and the dealership actually comes out this way to do repairs, so that's really nice.

So, these are just some of the things that I'm finding along the way. But I'm doing it! And I'm doing it with a smaller tow vehicle. Being parked, hooked up and un-hitched is a really nice thing, I'll say. Although after a few weeks I am itching to get back on the road.

Anyway, I think anything is possible! And you can make your dreams come true. So best wishes your way.

Meg

[cando]

We travel a lot with our 25 ft. Airstream and have met people pulling a 16 ft. Bambi with a Toyota Rav (although he was looking at getting a Tacoma for better towing) and a Jeep 4 door Wrangler. The Jeep guy was satisfied with towing the 16 ft. but he felt that was the maximum he could tow with the Jeep. We also have cousins who pull their 16 ft. with a F150 and they love it. They don't even know that the Airstream is behind them