Bambi Sport 16 full time?

[sroach]

SheBop,

So sorry to hear about your accident. Hopefully Insurance will Coe to the rescue and you cn get back to your AS dream.

[Seecue]

A disappointing setback but I predict you will land on your feet! Good luck!

[Len n Jeanne]

The main thing is that you're OK.

If you keep your eyes out for decent used units, your dream may become affordable sooner than you think.

[SheBop]

Well, I got my estimate back... about 12,000 and 6 weeks to get parts and fix the jeep. Body is pretty good, suspension, front wheel, axle are not. Axle is cracked, the pitman arm is snapped and tie rods bent, roll bar bent in rear.And yet I'm walking around with no stiffness, no bruising, no injury. That jeep took all of the impact and departed nearly none to its occupants.

Sparked a conversation with my dad though since I may look at trading the jeep if the insurance will do that... which pushes the idea of do I get another Wrangler... which in all honesty we can all see is NOT the best vehicle choice for pulling a trailer, but which I love with all my heart... and he brought up a great point. Get the daily driver you want, you can always rent a pickup from Uhaul to tow the trailer.

Duh. I can't believe I didn't think of that. I move about every three to six months... no biggie to rent a truck just or hire it out.

So will get through this and start saving again, it will still happen, just maybe not in the timeframe I thought it would.

[DaveMc]

Think others have talked about in more detail, but towing trailers with a rental vehicle is not allowed unless you rent it from their commercial division (any of the rental places). We considered renting a 3/4 ton to pick ours up (each of us are business owners, so a commercial rental was possible), but it didn't make sense financially. Always camping close, maybe. Traveling any distance can get pricey.

[ColoradoLady]

She bop, so glad you were uninjured! Material things can be replaced....us, not so much. A physical injury can throw a big block into our plans.
You are young, and yes, your plans have been thwarted....temporarily. Chock it up to life getting in the way, thank God that you were not hurt....and get back to making your dreams come true. God bless you. Evelyn.

[kb0zke]

Glad you survived, Shebop. Maybe this is the opportunity you needed to rethink your whole plan with a blank sheet of paper. You can check into what it would take to rent a suitable vehicle to tow an Airstream from where you are to where you want to go. You can look at ALL Airstreams, not just the littlest one.

You haven't made it clear if you are looking at a NEW Airstream or a USED one. I'd suggest that you get a gently used one at first. You will save money up front AND you will get more of what you spent back when you trade later. Very few people buy the right RV the first time, or even the second time, especially if they don't have a lot of RV experience under their belts.

Spend a bit of time looking at every trailer you can find, no matter the size, brand, price, or condition. Imagine yourself living in that floor plan. It won't take you long to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Then you can find something in your price range with that floor plan.

Someone mentioned towing your Jeep with a MH. That's what we are doing now, and it isn't the best thing. When we bought our Foretravel we thought we'd be moving more than we do. A MH needs to be driven, not just idled, enough each month to get everything up to normal operating temperatures and pressures. Sitting for 3-6 months is NOT good for a MH.

[switz]

Failure to move the MH often and adequate distance creates square tires as well.....

[Ivan M]

Originally Posted by SheBop

Well, I got my estimate back... about 12,000 and 6 weeks to get parts and fix the jeep. Body is pretty good, suspension, front wheel, axle are not. Axle is cracked, the pitman arm is snapped and tie rods bent, roll bar bent in rear.And yet I'm walking around with no stiffness, no bruising, no injury. That jeep took all of the impact and departed nearly none to its occupants.

Sparked a conversation with my dad though since I may look at trading the jeep if the insurance will do that... which pushes the idea of do I get another Wrangler... which in all honesty we can all see is NOT the best vehicle choice for pulling a trailer, but which I love with all my heart... and he brought up a great point. Get the daily driver you want, you can always rent a pickup from Uhaul to tow the trailer.

Duh. I can't believe I didn't think of that. I move about every three to six months... no biggie to rent a truck just or hire it out.

So will get through this and start saving again, it will still happen, just maybe not in the timeframe I thought it would.

I am in your same shoes, i own a 2014 Sahara UNLIMITED, and although not yet ready for my first AS, i will be in a few years as i have been paying down on debt and saving at the same time. I will be looking at the FLYING CLOUD 20C or 23D, i prefer the double axle, i doubt i will be able to tow it with my WRANGLER, so i will have to make a serious decision then, the WRANGLER will be paid for by then, so i seriously don't know what i will do. I don't want to go smaller or bigger at all. I will be FULL TIMING in it by myself and 2 dogs. I don't think i will need 4x4 so a chevy PU 2X4 with better towing capabilities may be a wiser choice. Was wondering if you had full coverage on the JEEP? That should cover the 12 grand, or it may be better to let the insurance company TOTAL the jeep and give you a small check and you hunt for a better TV Option. Just a thought. Glad you survived.

[cazual6]

Originally Posted by SheBop

Has anyone done this?

I have fallen for the 16 foot Bambi. I travel full time for work in the medical field and I have a Jeep Wrangler JKU that I love with all my heart. The ONLY AS it can pull is the Bambi 16. Other light trailers for other companies would never hold up. At first I was appalled... live in a tiny Bambi, or sell the Jeep for a larger TV. But the idea has grown on me and I love the simple elegance of having just enough of things I truly love.

I already have done the major task for getting rid of things.... previously all my belongs loaded into my Buick lesabre.... but I am further trimming things down. I currently am staying in a tiny one bed studio with a kitchenette similar to the Bambi, though the fridge is probably 4 cubic feet.

I am playing with the idea of taking out the dinette, extending to cooking counter and putting more storage under it and on top of the water tank, then a simple chair by the door. This may not be necessary though, as I think I can get all my possessions in it.


I am worried about heating and cooling.


Has anyone done this... full time for YEARS in a bambi? One person and one 18 on dog. Is it doable?

sounds like you've made up your mind. home is where you make it.

[redjellyfish]

I stumbled across this old thread. Wasn't sure what happened to SheBop but wanted to throw my 2 cents.

I've been full timing in my 2016 16' sport for over 3 years now. With and without hookups. Part of the time has been in the lower 48, the majority of time spent in Alaska (even in winter)

Perks and drawbacks to everything of course. I live with my 65lb German shorthair pointer mutt, and I have a job that requires me to move. A lot. It gets exhausting trying to find new rentals, especially those that accommodate dogs (even if your dog is well trained and cared for). I also have student loans that are forcing me to examine expenditures. Rent is $ spent that I will never get back.

The Bambi is great when you have full hookups! I don't even think about my waste tank size when I've got that luxury. That being said, when I'm off grid, I do wish I was in the 19' just for the separate gray/black tank.

Off grid. Different story. I have a Honda 2200 generator that provides power. Winter in AK can make solar problematic, especially when parked in shady areas, so I haven't converted to solar...yet. Been investigating small wind turbines but also haven't pulled the trigger on that yet either. In southeast AK I have water catchment rigged up for dishes, but choose to shower at the gym. Single pane windows make the humidity battle very real. If I'm parked on friends property, I use their indoor plumbing facilities. Seeing as how the Bambi has become an escape pod of sorts for me when I'm working full time, not really a big deal.

I say do it. After surviving a few years in the ol baked potato, driving around with it is easier than a large trailer, the dog loves it, and having a private home base has been great. Tiny living is definitely not for everyone, but if you're into minimalism and you're transient, it just might suit you.

[Halford1]

Yea I am curious, too. I recently been in AZ for Christmas... Enjoyed the 16' Bambi with my wife. We had a Coleman Niagara which was 19' closed but opens to 25' with 2 king size bed. Coleman was considered top of line popups similar to Airstream as travel trailer. We sold it and bought the '17 Bambi last August. we had to make decisions on which stuff to keep and surprisingly enough, we were able to keep most of them in the Bambi!

Now for long term camping in Bambi with my wife, I do not think it would work very well. We do not cook inside perhaps an habit from the popup times - cooking odor could stick to canvas. But there are curtains which we want to keep them WHITE, not yellow from the cooking. We have NexGrill that we use to cook with outside. We consider the Bambi as a starter AS and will get a bigger one that we would keep for years to come. perhaps between 25' to 27' not sure which model yet.