Bambi Sport 16 full time?

[SheBop]

Ya know what, I think I'm gunna Bill Nye the Science Guy this ****. I say, get the 16, and I will be the full timing guinia pig for all the dreamers out there.

If I doesn't work out, I will modify the jeep. Did I mention I have a whole family of engineers to help spec it out? Like they kind of engineers that design tractors, build their own airplane, have a blasting team, hovercraft, 3D print robotic prosthetics. and competed on Battle Bots. Between them and an expert like the one suggested, I think I could get a comfortable yay or nay on towing mods.

So, I think I go for the 16 and if it's a terrible disaster, I will update on the board and you can forever warn dreamers of the girl who tried it. It's not like I'm gunna die. I might just get a little stir crazy... and I will cope with it.

[xrvr]

Go with the 16, you'll be happy.

[OTRA15]

Good plan to go with the 16' and adjust from there!

Keep it simple Stu . . .

Have fun SheBop!

[Airlovr]

SheBop,
I admire your spirit. Go for it kiddo!!! Where there's a will, there's a way. You sound very determined and intelligent enough to make the right decision. A decision of your own. (That you will have to live with! HA!)
I wish you nothing but happiness, success and good health.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums
"the minibar"

[ColoradoLady]

SheBop, I admire a woman with strong determination and grit. My dear, you fit that description. A wise woman is one who follows her own mind is is resolute of your own convictions. A lady who drives a Jeep Wrangler, and insists on keeping it.....not one to be swayed from your desires so readily.

To reiterate, I said the 16' Sport did not work for me...only because of my advanced age and a need to find a way to travel in comfort and safety. In younger years, I had a Chevy blazer s10 4x4. Loved that vehicle! It took me back country backpacking and tent camping, skiing, driving through blizzards to carry out my job as an RN IV Specialist, and team manager....driving throughout the state of Colorado. My Blazer always got me there and back, safely. It broke my heart when it finally "gave up and quit"!

My current is a Nissan Pathfinder, still a bit of a beast, but, more luxurious, easier for me to handle. It stays home when I go on my trips in my Airstream Interstate class B MOTORHOME, a gentle beast, "Goliath"! Would have difficulty letting go of either.

So, stick to your guns, get your Bambi 16' sport, tow with your beloved Jeep, travel and most of all....have fun, enjoy your life, travel safely. God bless. Evelyn.

[SheBop]

I thank everyone for all the great advice... definately a good spirit on these forums. The world is full of nay sayers, but you all have a generally sense of "of course you CAN ... but do you WANT to" which I appreciate.

In the end, we gather information and make he best guess at what to do. I could very well be making a wrong choice, but I've already made a fair share of bad choices and lived to tell. I'll give the 16 a go, I think at worst I may end up losing some money and maybe a little pride, but both of those can be replenished. I've come to the decision the risks are ones I can shoulder.

Now to save my pennies so I can officially become an airstreamer.

[dkottum]

I would get the hitch work and buy the 19', take my time to learn what it can do and use it accordingly. Holding speed to conditions, equipment, and skills is a huge safety margin.

[Outdoorpeak]

Originally Posted by SheBop

Alluminati.... your response does bring up the one other option I have.... go big and get a full in motor home. Totally doable... but although I could probably swing it, my thought is this would be a much more dramatic increase in expenses. Not only would it cost more, but I would have two vehicles to insure and care for.



It is an option, but part of me aims to live well below my means as a path to serenity, security, as well as flexibility to have fun and enjoy life.



Still, if the Bambi is gunna drive me to drinking... might be better to spend the money



So glad I sought out this forum, you've given me a lot to think about. I will look into the ninteen footers as well. But, I'm seeing some incredible resale values, so I think I also feel I could give it a go and shoulder a reasonable loss if needed to go bigger if it doesn't work out.



I will check out the nineteen and look at that shower again...

"part of me aims to live well below my means as a path to serenity, security, as well as flexibility to have fun and enjoy life. "

A profound statement that will serve you well in life. As someone with 3 houses, 3 cars, and a job which takes up most of my time to pay for it all - you're onto something. I aim to shed most of what I have to live the simple life you describe.

[MsTara]

You mentioned you were going to re-look at the 19'. I just want to give a call out as I had not seen it posted in the thread

16' = 3,500 lbs 350lb Hitch Weight
19' = 4,500 lbs 550 lb Hitch Weight
22' = 4,500 lbs 393lb Hitch Weight

As you have such a low tow weight on your vehicle, I am thinking the tongue weight is the same.

I know that when I was looking I really tried to talk myself into a 19' as I thought the 22' was just a bit longer than I wanted to haul around. I could not convince myself that it was a "smart" thing to go >100 lbs Hitch Weight on the manufacturer recommendation on my tow vehicle. I am thinking if your vehicle has a 3,500lb tow max that the hitch weight is probably around 350lbs also. That would put you over ~200lbs on your cars recommended hitch weight. Multiple people tried to convince me that the WD bars would assist on that tongue weight issue, however they also put a large strain on the frame of the vehicle.

One other item to consider is the "hitch weight" is subtracted from your cars Carrying Capacity. So, lets say for perspective your car has a 1000 lb carrying capacity. The carrying capacity is inclusive of people, items you carry in your vehicle and the hitch weight.

so 1,000 lbs - 550 lbs hitch weight leaves you with 450 lbs Carrying Capacity in your vehicle that is inclusive of you.

I spent over a year researching and 6 months agonizing over the tow numbers alone before I finally made my choice. I went with the 16'. Easy tow, weights are perfect for my vehicle, I limited my liability, and I was traveling by myself but STILL had the ability to sleep a friend on the dinette set up as a bed. I am 48 so I am kind of set on my creature comforts so not quite sure about the living in it part (my clothes alone would push my storage capability) but doing a month in it doesn't concern me at all.

MsTara

[MsTara]

Great intro to the 22' and specifically the information around Tongue Weight that you think you are getting isn't really what you are towing:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...ml#post1900155

[dkottum]

Front bed Airstreams tend to have lighter hitch weights, but will load heavier in front than rear bed Airstreams because that's where the greatest storage is. Ready for travel, small to mid-size Airstreams of similar size tend to have similar hitch weight. They are designed that way, with a goal of 10-15% of loaded weight on the hitch.

[Lily&Me]

I'm late to this party, but want to say this...

My late husband and I put 146,000 miles on our Interstate in 6 1/2 retirement years, traveling up to 4 months at a time.

Along the way, we found an abandoned lab mix and added her.

We had a wonderful time, all of us in here together.

If you love your Jeep and the 16' Bambi, that is what you should have.

Can you live in this full time? Yes, you can.

It's all a matter of paring down and making do with what you have, and you are already accustomed to living in a small space.

You will love carrying your house with you, your own things, the same bed.

It will be good.

Go for it, I say!

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Maggie

[SheBop]

Well I'm on the move again and can't wait to have a trailer... where my next job is I can't find short term housing that takes dogs :/ they do however have campgrounds near by.

I think the tiny studio I am in was a good test run.... in fact the airstream 16 will have more luxuries...

My current kitchen is only a mini fridge, hot plate and microwave. The one thing I hate about it is that it doesn't have a sink so I have to use the tiny sink in the bath for water or go to the attached and shared laundry room. So that would be a plus for the Bambi! It also has no storage... i do have a dresser though and I use one of the drawers as a pantry. Minimal storage by the fridge for pots and pans. So I think the Bambi wins there.... it has overhead storage and a sink .

I have no table or chairs and that sucks. I document, eat, read, relax, sleep, draw, work, knit.... in bed. Win for the Bambi having a place to sit and a table!

Bed here is nice, but being as I have slept on air mattresses for five years now (ask me for brand recommendations) I'm sure I will just be happy I have a bed. I also am the type that can sleep on the ground in a tent with no padding.

Bathroom here is obviously larger but the shower I still too small to bend and shave.... I think the Bambi will win as I can out my foot on the toilet.


The only storage here is a dresser with six drawers. I use two for all my clothing. One for food, one for miscellaneous and office stuff. Two I use to put away the "furnished with room" stuff I don't need and is just in the way. I think the four drawers are probably comparable to those in the bedroom and over dinette.

I am ultilzing floor space though for extras... but I've scanned over them and Ap an get rid of most of them. I think the under bed storage should be adequate for the extras.

I found these awesome collapsible "x pots" from sea to summit to save space.

Ive been looking at some other light weight trailers as well. I'm still leaning airstream for quality and use of space. But.... I am tempted by some of the other price tags out there.

Part of me is wondering if I could possible get the down payment together in a week (yikes! But I'm close) and avoid another rental.... but it's scary making a big purchase on such short notice.

[Len n Jeanne]

If you read stuff on (or are already experienced in) what to pack in a suitcase for a long-haul trip, a long-distance sailing trip, or for ultra-light backpacking, that should be a big help. If the specs on storage in the 16' Bambi are not on-line, a phone call or email to a dealer should let you know how much cupboard space you will have.

We found the following to be helpful:

1. A small space looks cluttered really fast. It's a lot more livable to put things away promptly and just not have a lot of spare stuff in the first place. Organizers that live inside your cupboards are an asset, so you don't have small bits of this or that falling out on your head.

2. For whatever appliances or what-nots that you need, see if there's a petite version of it. For example, a tiny LED flashlight, a sturdy metal coffee carafe with a plastic drip cone vs. an electric coffee maker (or just tea bags if you're not a coffee drinker,) a compressible winter parka from the mountain shop vs. a bulky winter coat.

3. Modular, multi-purpose clothing, so that just about every item of clothing goes with all of the other items, and can dress either up or down. Preferably dark colours that don't wrinkle or show the dirt and can all get washed in one load. The closet on the 16' Bambi is tiny: we found that a discrete black duffel bag for extra clothes could live at the foot of the bed during the day and under the dinette table at night with a minimum of clutter.

Had we not had the extra storage space in the truck bed, an even better solution might be a big compression sack. In our current 19' Bambi cupboards, packing cubes come in handy for small clothing items and extra bedding.

4. In packing extra-light, we also found that if there is an item that you really count on, have some kind of a spare or substitute. Things do malfunction or get lost. This is really important in remote or rural areas where you cannot just bop down to Walmart for a replacement.

5. A lot of the success of small-space camping is the ability to live outside much of the time. The awning is a great help on drizzly or extra-hot days to extend your useable outdoor space.

Hopefully you've costed out your overnight locations as a monthly average.

We've looked at a lot of small RV interiors, and obviously think AS is the best. Some of the teeny-tinies (A-chalet, fiberglass, teardrops) not only look claustophobic on a long rainy day, but you may lose the indoor plumbing. Then the white box style of trailer just wouldn't give us the pleasure that we get from a well-designed AS.

Best of luck for your new adventure, wherever it takes you!

[Lily&Me]

"Ive been looking at some other light weight trailers as well. I'm still leaning airstream for quality and use of space. But.... I am tempted by some of the other price tags out there.

Part of me is wondering if I could possible get the down payment together in a week (yikes! But I'm close) and avoid another rental.... but it's scary making a big purchase on such short notice."


Don't do anything impulsive.

This is a big purchase, plus you have to find a campground and learn to work your rig.

Give yourself a bit of space and time to make your purchase, get set up, figure out how everything works, etc., before moving in full time.

There is a learning curve, and it's usually preferable to avoid the Chinese fire drill/baptism by fire if at all possible.

Good luck,

Maggie

[Len n Jeanne]

Just one other thing to consider with any RV, if you are not planning to have an electrical hook-up every night or put in some towing miles every day, is your batteries. For long life, batteries have to be topped up. We enjoy off-grid camping, and eventually got 2 six-volt batteries, which we use sparingly, in the hope of extending their useful work while we are stationary. We have a Honda 2000 generator, plus gas can, which you would have to determine where to store it. Then the 16-footer doesn't have much roof space for a solar panel, and the portable kind have to be stowed somewhere. We've seen a few campers recharge their RV batteries by running their TV engine, but I can't comment on whether or not that's a good idea.

[SheBop]

Update....

I was recently in a collision with a semi and my Wrangler. I walked away unscathed, but the Wrangler did not. It's getting looked at now. I was hit drivers side and I think that little jeep saved my life. Jeep is fairly unscathed... it seems like between the sliders, fenders, bumper the impacted was deflected forward... and I was essentially spun. Very little damage to the body. Unbelievable.

All in all, there goes savings for my trailer. between reapairs and hotel costs being stranded in another state...The future is now a bit less predicable.

[OTRA15]

Sorry to hear this, but glad you are OK! Our tow vehicle was totaled recently, while we were sitting at a stoplight, so I can relate. When one door closes,

. . . another opens.

Good luck!

[Lily&Me]

Sorry to hear of your accident, but glad you are okay.

Once the dust has settled, start again...your dream is still achievable.

Maggie

[Outdoorpeak]

Originally Posted by SheBop

Update....



I was recently in a collision with a semi and my Wrangler. I walked away unscathed, but the Wrangler did not. It's getting looked at now. I was hit drivers side and I think that little jeep saved my life. Jeep is fairly unscathed... it seems like between the sliders, fenders, bumper the impacted was deflected forward... and I was essentially spun. Very little damage to the body. Unbelievable.



All in all, there goes savings for my trailer. between reapairs and hotel costs being stranded in another state...The future is now a bit less predicable.

Glad to hear that you are ok!! I too am planning my future AS lifestyle and it's hard to imagine how the dream will become a reality. I've got some things which need to get checked off first, and my plan takes me 2.5 years out before I can do it. But I WILL get it done, and you will too. Have faith, and adjust your plan. Giving up isn't an option for me .