Bambi 20' vs. Bambi 22'

[Victory4Troy]

Hello All,
We are in the process of trying to find and buy a 20' or 22' Bambi (or 20' Flying Cloud). We were thinking newer Bambi or older Flying Cloud to get to a similar price point. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! Where I live in Los Angeles, there are only TWO 22' Bambi's available (a 2017 and a 2019...nothing newer at all). Because of this the dealer isn't really negotiating on price at all. Before deciding to go with the 22' we did want to at least walk through the 20' but there isn't one to be found for MILES. In fact, the only 20' I have been able to find for sale is a Flying Cloud in Washington DC. That's a long way to drive for a walk through! Am I doing something wrong in how I'm going about this? I thought I could find a dealer and go through all the various models and types and I'm finding out that simply isn't the case. I hate to plunk down that much money without at least doing my due diligence. We had been leaning towards the 20' because of the galley size but a) can't find one to even look at b) much less buy and c) to get one would apparently have to order a new one having never been in one. Apparently wait time for the new ones is 4-6 mos. Any help or guidance anyone can provide would be very much appreciated. thanks,
-Karen

[GetawA-S]

Blame it on the pandemic!
I will repeat the refrain: Buy your second trailer first.
The first Airstream we looked at was a 20RK, many years ago. We loved the practical kitchen with the rear view, but the dealer put us off with his “What monthly payment can you handle?” approach.We spent the next five years in an SOB, until the Florida sun and the parachute effect made us see the value of the Airstream design.
Our 22’ Bambi was nice, except for the roar of the A/C and the lack of storage: bumper, overhead, and hitch.
Back in the market, we realized the inaccessible under bed storage and driver side dinette of the 20’ Caravel would always be an irritating compromise. Our 23’ FC hits the sweet spot for us. If you are a light sleeper, the ducted air is a necessity.
In short, don’t rush into a purchase out of desperation to get something/anything. The stock will catch up, impulse buyers will reconsider and offer barely used units for sale, and you’ll have a clearer idea of what will work for you in the long term.

[kpfate]

Karen,
We love our 2018 22FB Sport! We bought her slightly used this past June and have had her out on a few trips with no real issue. Yes, the AC does over power the sound barrier, but there are ways around this. Good luck in your search and welcome to the forum!

From, another Karen :0)

[SYC2Vette]

Love the galley in our 20' FC/FB. In fact like it so much better than any other layout we would not consider any others. So I think it comes down to how important that is for you. We did convert the bed platform to a tilt up for better access, but other than that it is perfect for us for now. The 20' was hard to find even 2 years ago. They would sell almost immediately after arrival at dealers, and we finally purchased a lightly used 2017 for about the same price as a new slightly discounted 2018 1,000 miles away, but at that time they were the only two we could find.

[PB_NB]

The layout of the 22'FB is quite different from the 20' in the Bambi and Caravel line up.

Some of the things we considered were:

1) The location of the seating area is on the wrong side of the trailer for most back in campsites with the 20.
2) The washroom is right in the middle of the galley in the 20'.
3) The washroom orientation means you need to have short legs or sit sideways so you can close the door in the 20'.
4) The bed is wider in the 22' and has the space to make it even larger and go to a full queen with a little work.

Note that the 2019 and earlier Bambi/Sport 22'FB is narrower by 8" so that can make it a bit easier for towing with mid size tow vehicles. I am not too sure about the older 20' trailers.

[waninae39]

go as big as you can afford

[Victory4Troy]

Thanks all! We are about 20 years and two retirements away from our ideal trailer. We need something we can tow using a vehicle that can also be used for a city commute and that we are able to park in small and crowded CA lots. I love the 23' trailers but it's just at the edge of our tow capacity with our mid-size SUV. So a larger AS and a dedicated TV will have to wait until later.

Of course, it may be 20 years and after retirement until we can ACTUALLY FIND a decent 20' or 22'...

THANKS PANDEMIC.

[AbbyA]

You should be able to find some YouTube tours of the 20. We have a 2018 Flying Cloud. We really like the galley. There is no issue with leg space in the bathroom. PB NB, I think you may be remembering the 19? The bed is small, so you need to think about that.

[SYC2Vette]

Colonial has really good video "tours" of the various models. The Airstream model designation can get a bit confusing especially with the Bambi designation. The current 20' Caravel is the same as the 2017 Flying Cloud Bambi in the video. The new Bambi line is a lower priced and optioned version of what is now called a Caravel. At least that's the way I see it. With older trailers I believe the term Bambi generally is used for single axle trailers.
https://www.colonialairstream.com/co...stream-videos/

[Victory4Troy]

Thanks again for all of the input. After pricing everything 9-ways from sunday...we put a deposit down for a 2021 22' Bambi today. Now we wait to see how long it takes for it to arrive.

While we wait I'm going to try and figure out how to configure the "not as nice" galley since i won't be having all that wonderful counter space from the 20'

[PB_NB]

Originally Posted by AbbyA

You should be able to find some YouTube tours of the 20. We have a 2018 Flying Cloud. We really like the galley. There is no issue with leg space in the bathroom. PB NB, I think you may be remembering the 19? The bed is small, so you need to think about that.

I went and had a look at the floor plans and it looks like you are right! The 19 CB looks pretty tight with the bathroom door closed. The 20 FB does appear to have more leg room in the photo on Airstream's website.

[PB_NB]

Originally Posted by Victory4Troy

Thanks again for all of the input. After pricing everything 9-ways from sunday...we put a deposit down for a 2021 22' Bambi today. Now we wait to see how long it takes for it to arrive.

While we wait I'm going to try and figure out how to configure the "not as nice" galley since i won't be having all that wonderful counter space from the 20'

Congrats on the new trailer!

It should be fun figuring out how to best use the space in the 22. There are some great ideas on this forum on simple little improvements that can make things really work well.

[smsasf]

While you have already put down your deposit It is not my intention to rain on the parade. But I will add, as a new 2020 Bambi 20’ owner that I looked at 16’, 19’, 20’ and 22’ as well as FC 23’ for about a year and a half before deciding. Went in all a number of times and looked at all the Colonial videos as well. My views relative to the 20’ and 22’ Bambi since those were your primary targets:

Caveat, I am single so bed size was less an issue.
I vasilated back and forth on the 20’ separate seats dinette vs the 22’ elongate U diner style dinette. On the 22’ you have one window at your back if you sit in the U and you look across at the galley wall on left and smaller window on right. On the 20’, while you have the door to the other side, you have the two large windows right at the table. I ended up liking that better. I would have prefered the dinette up front like the 19’ and 16’, but could not use shower well in 16’ and did not like corner bed sticking out in 19’ and I prefered the sink in same compartment as toilet and shower.
You do have the wrap around windowing on the front bed 20’ and 22’ as opposed to smaller windows in rear beds, although I do not lay around with curtains pulled back that often. But I did with front window up a couple times, especially in FS Cosmic Campground, NM.
On the toilet, one poster mentioned something about knees against door. I am about 5’ 11’ and my knees do not hit door. Lavatory seems fine to me, but that is just me. The toilet sits a bit higher, so I did buy a small 2-3 inch tall floor step up. One thing that frustrated me is the owners manual,claims there is exhaust vent in bathroom and there is none. The trailer buildout sheet listing all the items (lime you have on auto) also said there is one, there is none. What they have done is cut out a piece of door frame at top and I suppose they expect you to open roof vent right outside the door and run that fan.
Galley. Well, I suppose I am like you in some ways. It was the counter space that finally made me choose one model, the 20’, over the 22’. I would have been frustrated with the reduced counter space of the 22’. The 20’ has the large counter space between the refridge and can rack and the gas cook top and the sink is at trailer back end out of the way (although there is the counter space to the left of the sink where I set dry dishes and glasses and such). I like having the large extra counter space where I can sit some things for preparation, place plates on it to serve, or set some “hot plate” pads to set pots over on.
Just bought trailer in June. Did three 3-5 days trips in June-August and just completed a 52 day trip out west from NC couple weeks back.
Yes, few times I had shore power and ran AC it is loud, but I typically sleep soundly.

[smsasf]

One of the positives about the 22’, I think, is that the furnace ducts near the floor will be closer to the table and bed area. I’m fairly certain the furnace will be below the microwave which is below the gas cook top. So if you do cool to cold weather camping as well and use furnace that will be better. On the 20’ the furnace is likewise positioned below the microwave and gas cook top and you can see where that is located toward the back. I ran furnace some, especially when that late October cold trough dropped down through eastern NM and western TX. Outside temps approaching 30-35. I had a temp gauge and measure temp vs distance from two floor ducts at back of trailer. In the bed area it could be up to 10 degrees colder than in back near galley.

[CruizinDux]

Ok...I'll jump in. Can't argue with any of the above. Btw, before i forget a 2015 fc20 in af's classified from Atlanta a few days ago. Yes hard to find and high demand for the right reasons. Some folks on forums help with inspections out if area., Jux sagin'.

Check out the 20 footers. thread

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f54...ml#post2433004.
Sure, the crawl over bed sucks, but the kit rocks. Plenty of room (6-4" ) in the BR/shower. Plus std width as i believe the 22 is narrower and more spartan.great analysis by smsasf & SYC2vette.

I tow ours with a toy highlander ltd with a jet pack chip and equalizer hitch. Daly driver, tows like a dream. Been XC 3 times from OR. 53k miles, longest 3 months & 14 k miles.

For sure. Arguments on both 20 and 22, the 23 being the larger step up. Whike nicenit comparable imo. but IMO the 20 is the sweet spot, great galley shower and dinette. Crawl over bed the ONLY neg. I sleep on the dinette, the wife takes the bed and the dogs travel back and forth.

I would not consider anything but the 20. Full disclosure bought on behalf of a project needing temp housing a very fine 34 estralla early 90,'s. One huge 3 axel home! Probably should have bought it when it was time to sell. That was one fine TT but certainly a different lifestyle than the 20.

[Victory4Troy]

It was a hard decision on the 20' vs. the 22'...I still go back and forth but I am not the only vote and my husband voted bigger bed and bathroom away from kitchen and with more leg space (he is tall).

He said I'd be unlikely to be happy with all that counter space if I spent the whole night trying to sleep with his elbow on my face. He has a point.

I wish we could have the 20' galley and dinette layout with the 22' Bed and bathroom. We'd only need an Airstream with three different fronts/ends to it?

[GaryRI]

I spent two months in a 2000 Bambi 20 and replaced t with a 2014 22' Sport. Had a bumper with storage added to the Sport. Tomorrow I head South from RI for the winter. I am single too but I find the Sport dinette far more useful.

[Piggy Bank]

Our first AS was a Bambi 22 Sport (2015). We liked the kitchen just fine. Here are some AS kitchen tips. We used these tips in the Bambi and still use them in our larger AS.

1-Buy a Yeti45 cooler. This cooler fits easily inside the airstream if necessary. Outside it is a great foot rest. I as a middle aged woman can lift and carry it when full. It extends the capacity of the small refrigerator immensely. Buy a soft side zip cooler (I recommend the Trader Joes coolers at $6.99--and use with refreezable blue ice packs). Use the Yeti for meat, dairy, cold drinks, and use the Trader Joe bag for fruits and veggies.

2-Buy a good large wooden cutting board. This lets you both prep on the table or outside, and lets you land hot pans safely on the counters or table.

3-Food storage --with the Bambi we used 2 vintage picnic baskets staked up on the area above the refrigerator. This kept the visual clutter low but made it easy to get to things. Used this for chips, bread, pancake mix and syrup, coffee, etc. We used the closet for clothing, not food.

4-Adult refreshments. We kept these in a milk crate under the dinette. Use old socks to keep bottles from rattling.

[Luke Grisott]

22 Bambi has an amazing bathroom. 2 feet doesn’t sound like much. But it is. We loved our 2016 22 Bambi. With one dog plenty of room. We later added a second dog. Sold our Bambi to Friends . Purchased a 2028 FT 25 FBT International serenity. I originally wanted to purchase was a 25FT. Husband was still looking at 16Ft - 20FT . as others have recommended purchase as large as you’re able to afford. All of the airstreams are fabulous. And the 22FT bathroom in my opinion is the best bathroom floor plan offered . No matter what you decide it will be excellent. safe travels. You’ve come to the right place for the pros and cons. Smart buyers. Wished we had viewed the site before purchasing.

[Jason in TX]

If comparing 20 to 22,
The 20 is actually 20.9 Feet
The 22 is actually 21.11 feet only 1 foot difference.
Dinette in the 22 only sits 2 comfortably.
Dinette in the 20 sits 4 easily
Only two upper lockers in the 22
Three upper lockers in the 20
Much larger Kitchen in the 20
More kitchen drawers and cabinets for pans, cooking items, etc in the 20 than the 22.
9 windows and skylights in the 22
11 windows and skylights in the 20
You cannot get a larger TV in the 22 due to where it is mounted.
You CAN get a bigger TV in the 20 because its on the side wall
Bathroom is only used 15-20 minutes a day. Huge 22 bathroom is wasted space most of the day and blocks the rear window.
20 bathroom has all same features, but smaller allowing for more space and floor area in the living space.