Newbie Pondering Bambi 16 or 22?

[Joe]

I just discovered Airstreams are so cool. I had been planning to go with a Class B (Roadtrek, etc) but after see the Airstreams I'm hooked! I currently live overseas so all my research has been from the web. I have some questions:

16 or 22?

I am looking at either the Bambi 16 or the International 22. Since I am single I think I could get by with the 16. This would be for full time though. I like the 22 because of the desk. I would use it a lot for my work (computer stuff). I was also concerned about the size of the bathroom/shower in the Bambi 16. I am 6'00" 175lbs. Is a 16 realistic for fulltime. (Note: living in Japan I am used to small accomodations) Any recommendations?

Internet Access

Is it possible to get a mobile phone in the States now with decent data speed and coverage? I read trailer parks were starting to use Wi-Fi.

Tow Vehicle

I was hoping to get a Jeep Liberty Renegade, but from other posts it seems this is underpowered and the narrow wheel base is a safety isse. Certainly it would be enough for the 16 wouldn't it? I hate pickup trucks but I can see they make the best towing vehicles. Are there any diesel pickup trucks (good mileage). Looking at the websites I didn't see any diesels. Someone mentioned the VW SUV. Beautiful but 60K. Also I noticed that automatic transmissions are rated higher for towing. Why is that?

Are there driver courses for towing? The biggest I've ever driven is a Corolla! These posts about sway and big rigs makes me think I am better off with the Class B...

Thanks, this is a great forum.
Joe

[59toaster]

For full time if the only choice is 16 or 22 I sure would go with 22. a vacation in a small camper is much different then full time living.

The 22 is small enough you could probably get away with a small SUV like a Chevy Trailblazer but on the hills you sure would be wishing for more.

Internet Acess on wirelss is getting better every day here. Rightnow most carries are or will be offering GSM with GPRS. Durring peak use durring the day 56k is about the max you will get. in the evening you may get closer to 100k. EDGE is just around the corner and that should be areound 100k-200k range.

You will need to get a phone that will suport an external antenna. Wirreless products dont's work well in metal boxes.

[norbert]

hey joe,
welcome to the forum..just continue to peruse and im sure you will make a choice... but , like the toaster man said, a weekend in a small camper and full timing are two different animals....being a single man like you, one has to take into consideration the size of the refrigerator..cuz man them small units got reefers that are only big enuff for an irish seven coarse dinner.....( a six pack and a potato) .....consequently....larger coaches have larger reefers.....25 ft= 6 cu. ft. , a 27 ft safari has 8cu. ft.....so, thats one angle to think about....storage space is another....just think about what you have...you may still have to downsize if you full time.....well good luck to you...its almost beer thirty and i have to pop a top on an asahi....
norby

[Silvertwinkie]

I have a 19' Bambi currently. I have to say, I could NOT even imagine anything smaller.... for one person the 19' is great. For two, good. I had two adults, two kids and a 70lb dog. It was pretty croweded. Not horrible, but lucky the kids were 8 years old or younger and the were just visiting for an overnight...otherwise storage would have been an issue.

I personally dislike very much the wet bath option that comes with the 22' units. I think if you fulltime that the wet bath is gonna get annoying pretty fast...

In regards to towing...I would say a 16' could be pulled by any V8 and some well equipped V6 units (and I would suggest that they are rear wheel drive).

19' or larger you will need a strong V8 with all the bells and whistles required. I know as I have a robust V8 with the bells and whistles. It is a pretty good match and I am considering going to a 25' unit weighing another 1700lbs more than what I currently have.

Eric

[MaShep]

We have a 16CCD, it would be VERY small for full-time even for one person. Although, my 18 year old nephew is positive it has everything he needs. That means a place to sleep, hose himself off, and store a few beverages. He sees the dinette as a perfectly suitable guest room. Of course, all of this assumes he's 20 feet away from his parents house (and refridgerator)! ('')

[Joe]

Thanks for the info. I didn't even think about a mobile phone in a metal vehicle LOL. A wireless network inside should be OK right?

Is the wet bath a real hassle? I thought it might be convenient to get wet, sit on the john and then soap up to save water.

Yea the frig is something I didn't think about, but I've given up beer!

I spent some time browsing the truck web
sites and it was really disappointing to see how much it would cost to buy a new truck with a big engine. I hate trucks and SUVs (I wish an RX-8 would pull!), so I don't want to spend money on a truck. I know that this is mostly a matter of taste - but what is a good used truck to buy in terms of towing safety/stability, power and low cost.

[norbert]

hey joe...
glad to see ya thinking...im quite fond of beer myself...not to put you down....i myself have tried soy milk because ima chef and i try a lotta stuff... but man can not live by bread alone... so ...if myou are a vegan....you still gottsa have some room...by the by by.....i hope you dont like japanese scotch...in the old days i used to have to get drunk first in order to drink it....
norby

[Joe]

Soy milk and Airstreams go together - because soy milk doesn't require refrigeration.

I just noticed the CCD 22 has the same size frig as the 16 (less than the 19!). I have to admit that is a problem for a full timer.

Why do people not like the web bath? It seems like an efficient use of space to me.

I am leaning towards a used Tundra V8 - (turns out most of my pay these days comes from Toyota anyways)

Whiskey? I'm a Jack and Coke man - that is when there isn't any soy milk available.

[rmmm68]

We are new to trailering, and purchased the 22' AS International last year. We purchased a Dodge Durango to tow it. My husband wanted to get the Ford Expedition, but I had never driven an SUV, being a Suburu Outback owner and fan. We chose the Durango because it didn't feel as big as the Expedition, but still had the power necessary to pull the 22' AS.

We chose the 22', rather than the 19' trailer, because it was the smallest trailer that had a real full size mattress. The refrigerator is a decent size, and can accomodate a gallon size bottle of water or milk, among other necesseties, and it makes real ice cubes!

During our first trip this past spring, with our 85 pound Labrador retriever, we traveled from NY to Florida, New Orleans, the Natchez Trace, the Airstream Factory in Ohio, and then back to NY by way of Gettysburg. Although we didn't climb the Rockies, we did cross the Appalachians, and the Durango performed fine. We shared the forward driving, but my hubby does all the backing up. Most of the time we stayed in state parks, and we were usually the smallest RV there, except for the pop-ups.

Most of the time we used the shower facilities in the campgrounds, but I did shower in the trailer on several occassions, and found it to be very satisfactory and similar to the shower on our 36' Catalina sailboat. Because we prefer to stay at moorings or on our own anchor while cruising in our sailboat, we do not use dockside shower facilities at all.

Let me know if you want more info regarding the Durango and I'll have my husband answer the questions. He knows more about the specifications of the vehicle we ordered than I do. I know that we got the largest engine we could, but there were also other choices we made, regarding gear ratio or something like that.

[norbert]

hey joe,
are you sure thats not special irradiated japanese soy milk? ,all the soy milk i find is in the refrigerated section at the local grocery.... i read the report on the tundra in trailer life mag...it seems like it would fit the bill if you stay small on your trailer choice....see if you can get a subscription to tl....it is another resource,and at the end of the year,they have a section listing vehicles with eng and rear end ratios matched to towing weight ability....cant answer your question on wet bathes...never used one...you are a little smaller then me, and might actually fit....
norby

[MaShep]

The bed is the same size for both the 16CCD and the 22CCD. 48x78. The wet bath is fine for us while traveling, we don't spend much time in the trailer and like the efficient use of space.