2007/2008 Basecamp

[vwklick]

Hi everyone, seeing a lot of love for the new Basecamps. So excited Airstream brought them back.

However, I'm not seeing much information on the origional Basecamps. So thought I'd start a thread on them. If you have one please share any thoughts, ideas, pictures or anything really.

Looking to expand or knowledge on all things basecamp.

Cheers!

[wulfraat]

Thanks for starting this thread.

I looked very hard recently at buying a 2007/2008 for taking on ski trips and such here in Colorado. (Don’t want to drag my 30’ through snowy mountains).

I learned a few interesting things along the way

1. There is no aluminum wrap on the underside of these trailers. Just a mesh screen between the ground/elements and subfloor of the trailer. This means the floor is pretty exposed to the elements from the underside.

2. The subfloor is WBP plywood with additional sealant painted around the edges like other late model airstreams prior to composite flooring. I learned that “water boil proof” plywood means the glue in the ply won’t melt under heat... but it can still rot...

3. I also learned that the front air conditioner is a large issue for water penetration into the unit. Water will make its way in on top of the AC and / drip pan and then get absorbed in the floor. On the unit I looked hard at buying (unit was in NC, I am in CO) the floor was clearly shot due to water damage as it would flex easily under minimal weight. I was quoted by a trusted local shop $14-$24k to replace the floor with a shell off approach.

4. I learned that the rear door seals on these units are sometimes problematic and don’t seal up well sometimes

5. The front cabinets can all be removed allowing you to reconfigure the space which is great.

6. These are fiberglass trailers with pink insulation and aluminum skin for looks. The skin is not a structural element like on other airstreams.

7. The basecamp was designed in conjunction with Nissan - specifically the design team who conjured up the Xterra 4x4 suv. Here is a video on this.....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JiU71c8VK5E

I think these units are so cool. Be aware of floor issues if the unit has not spent its life in indoor storage though...

[vwklick]

Thanks for sharing this great info. We just purchased a 2007 from CO actually. Very nice couple west of denver. It does have a couple things you mentioned. But no apparent floor rot. Just finished camping in it, on it's maiden voyage. Had an absolute blast! She's not perfect, but perfect for my wife, son and I. We downsized from a 27ft Airstream as we wanted something smaller and able to put toys in. I'll post up some pictures. Thanks again! Hopefully this thread grows. I know I'll be adding stuff.

[vwklick]

Some initial pictures of our 2007 Basecamp.

[wulfraat]

That looks awesome! Congrats.

There was one for sale down the road in Albuquerque, NM @Aloha RV but looks like it sold in the last few days. They do not come onto the market very often.

I think one of the big advantages of the first generation basecamp is lack of any real plumbing to worry about in the winter, if you plan to use it on winter trips.

I ended up getting a Tepui roof top tent that goes on my truck cap for short overnight adventures and also extra bunkhouse room for the kids when traveling with the airstream in tow.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

Thanks for starting this thread.

I looked very hard recently at buying a 2007/2008 for taking on ski trips and such here in Colorado. (Don’t want to drag my 30’ through snowy mountains).

I learned a few interesting things along the way

1. There is no aluminum wrap on the underside of these trailers. Just a mesh screen between the ground/elements and subfloor of the trailer. This means the floor is pretty exposed to the elements from the underside.

2. The subfloor is WBP plywood with additional sealant painted around the edges like other late model airstreams prior to composite flooring. I learned that “water boil proof” plywood means the glue in the ply won’t melt under heat... but it can still rot...

3. I also learned that the front air conditioner is a large issue for water penetration into the unit. Water will make its way in on top of the AC and / drip pan and then get absorbed in the floor. On the unit I looked hard at buying (unit was in NC, I am in CO) the floor was clearly shot due to water damage as it would flex easily under minimal weight. I was quoted by a trusted local shop $14-$24k to replace the floor with a shell off approach.

4. I learned that the rear door seals on these units are sometimes problematic and don’t seal up well sometimes

5. The front cabinets can all be removed allowing you to reconfigure the space which is great.

6. These are fiberglass trailers with pink insulation and aluminum skin for looks. The skin is not a structural element like on other airstreams.

7. The basecamp was designed in conjunction with Nissan - specifically the design team who conjured up the Xterra 4x4 suv. Here is a video on this.....

I think these units are so cool. Be aware of floor issues if the unit has not spent its life in indoor storage though...

^^ This is a great post - thanks for that. I am tentatively in the market for a first-gen Basecamp, and now I know what to look for.

[InterBlog]

I missed out on purchasing a 2007 Basecamp last week. Another buyer arrived on the scene a few days before me, and made an offer before I had a chance.

I did FaceTime with the seller, though, before that other sale was confirmed. What was interesting is that the rig had been extensively modified by its first owner, who was reportedly a steelworker, including but not limited to the following changes:

— He removed the a/c entirely, and bolted on a sealed metal plate in its place. The job appeared to have been done with a lot of skill, and there was no apparent floor damage, as has been reported on multiple threads due to the a/c installation defect allowing water penetration (the seller got down on the ground and showed me the underside).

— He also removed the rear stairs, and extended the trailer floor out flat for greater versatility and use-able space back there. In lieu of the original clunky and inefficient stair unit, they just used a step stool.

— He also removed most of the interior Airstream upfit, declaring it substandard in quality, and holding MDF in particular contempt. He installed his own components instead. Not as pretty as the original Basecamp arrangement, but very durable.

I’ll call it “the one that got away”, but at least I learned a few things in the purchase attempt.

[field & stream]

We down sized from a 2008 23’ Safari SE to a 2007 Basecamp and camped in it extensively on the pacific coast and around the west for five years. It suited us perfectly at that time of our lives and we loved it.

The thing to understand — and appreciate about them — is just how primitive they are. The water system is two 3 gallon jugs, and the kitchen is a single propane burner. There is no hot water, no fridge, no heat, no toilet, and no shower! This is truly an aluminum tent!

If you are into old-fashioned camping, and appreciate the design art of the original Basecamp, you will love these.

For hot water turn on the stove, for heat get a catalytic heater, get an ice chest, get a porta-potty, and get creative for bathing. If you are a “camper” this is easy.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by field & stream

…

The thing to understand — and appreciate about them — is just how primitive they are. …..

If you are into old-fashioned camping, and appreciate the design art of the original Basecamp, you will love these.

….

I’m not into primitive - that’s not where I’m coming from. I already own an extensively-modified 2007 Airstream Interstate camper van, and I plan a complete gut-job and redesign of a Basecamp to augment it.

That’s why I was interested in buying the 2007 Basecamp described above that had been extensively modified by the previous owner. It makes no financial sense to get one in pristine condition and then rip it apart. If the Airstream elements have already been removed from the interior, the price point is obviously going to be lower, and my plan makes more sense.

Given that only 200 first-gen Basecamps were ever produced, I realize that I may have years more to wait - and that’s fine. It’s really a retirement pet project and I am not retired yet. I’m just planning for the future, because the future tends to arrive a lot faster than we prefer.

Also, given that the shell-off restoration commercial repair price starts at about $14,000 (starts - per a previous poster), I may have to wait until one comes on the market with an obviously-destroyed subfloor due to the air conditioner leakage design flaw. The intact first-gen Basecamps are currently selling in the range of $15,000 - $25,000, so if there’s a known subfloor replacement in the future, you can easily see that the market value of such a unit is going to be very low, and amenable to a major DIY make-over. I would do the shell-off myself as part of the make-over.

To that end, if any future reader of this thread has a compromised Basecamp to sell, please PM me or email via interstate.blog -at- gmail. Thanks.

[field & stream]

InterBlog: Now I understand your goals better. One thing to consider in your re-design is the axle: the first 50 or so came with an undersized axle (2500 lbs) which was upgraded in later production. You may want a new axle in any case, but good idea to verify.

The last six digits of the original Basecamp VINs are 202XXX, where the last three digits are the sequential production number. About 150 we’re 2007 models, about 50 were 2008, and only about 10 were 2009.

By the way, we sold our Basecamp to the owner of an Interstate who uses it to tow the Basecamp as a toy hauler and extra bedroom!

[basecamper]

We have owned our 2008 Basecamp since 2007....and have loved it. We do living history and are able to transport all of our period canvas/poles. We do not stay in our period-correct tent at night. As most of our events take place in the summer, we are glad to have the Basecamp and its AC for comfortable sleeping at night. We stay at campgrounds, so we have access to electricity and showers. It has been perfect for our hobby. Our Basecamp is in pristine condition. We have made some improvements along the way. When we discovered some leaks in the beginning, we used Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure....and we have never had another problem. We redesigned the upper "shelves" by replacing the elastic mesh (that stretched out with the least amount of weight) with strong nylon fabric held in place by ball bungees (much like the new Basecamp "shelving"). I'll post some pics.

[Road_King]

Originally Posted by basecamper

We have owned our 2008 Basecamp since 2007....and have loved it. We do living history and are able to transport all of our period canvas/poles. We do not stay in our period-correct tent at night. As most of our events take place in the summer, we are glad to have the Basecamp and its AC for comfortable sleeping at night. We stay at campgrounds, so we have access to electricity and showers. It has been perfect for our hobby. Our Basecamp is in pristine condition. We have made some improvements along the way. When we discovered some leaks in the beginning, we used Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure....and we have never had another problem. We redesigned the upper "shelves" by replacing the elastic mesh (that stretched out with the least amount of weight) with strong nylon fabric held in place by ball bungees (much like the new Basecamp "shelving"). I'll post some pics.

Hi. I have a 2009 basecamp and have had the floor rot issue. It may have originally been caused by the airconditioner but by the time I purchased the unit, the rear doors were not closing properly. I brought the unit to the factory to have the doors fixed which is when I learned of the rotted floor. I decided to bite the bullet and have them replace the floor, all of the rubber trim, new curtains, new bungee netting, and put the unit back into shape. Yes, it was costly but now I have something that works as a mobile office, motorcycle hauler, and in-law bedroom when pulled behind my RV. We're rethinking our camping priorities and may move to a 20-foot or so airstream pull behind, but for now, we're pretty happy.

[timtim]

I’m looking at buying a basecamp and like the original ones, but know the girlfriend would be more happy the newer ones with wet baths. There are very few 07-09 BC’s on the market for sale.
I would like to think everyone for all the great information on the basecamp.
My search continues

[TerParTon]

We have a 2007 Basecamp , selling in spring 2025 or sooner if anyone is interested. Located in South Dakota, trailer has been updated some and stored indoors.

[TerParTon]

We are selling our 2007 Basecamp spring 2025. Great camper!!
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