Nest discontinued?

[Shiny16]

Originally Posted by Shiny16

I think you miss read my post. The nest is very nice. I never questioned the “fit and finish”. I just think it overlaps with the products that Airstream has available. I don’t see how it was worth their time and resources to produce. What does it really offer that is not available in a Bambi 16?

Originally Posted by love nest

Come on man, don't you think that there is a place for a quality small luxury unit that is $20,000 less then their lowest price other units. Just saying.

So the base price for a Nest is 43k and a Bambi 16 is 48. What am I missing? The weight is also comparable.

[Janet H]

A real shame imo. Airstream purchased the molds and design from The original Nest company (based in OR) and moved production to Ohio.

The original was an awesome rig for those who are into a fiberglass skin and had developed an almost cult following. It makes sense to me that most folks who are looking at Airstreams are interested in aluminum but I am saddened that this turn of events has killed off a great product that had a dedicated Fiberglass RV fan base.

You can read about the origins of the Nest here: https://www.bendbulletin.com/busines...b8c92df6d.html

http://outsideinterests.info/article...-nest-caravan/

[lsbrodsky]

We had some posts on here that indicated that Airstream did not figure out how to gelcoat in a reliable and long-lasting manner. The stuff we saw would require complete re-gelcoating and probably a replacement trailer for the owners. I cannot help but wonder if their production results were a factor in discontinuation.
Larry

[love nest]

Originally Posted by Shiny16

So the base price for a Nest is 43k and a Bambi 16 is 48. What am I missing? The weight is also comparable.

I got mine for $34

[love nest]

The one I looked at was closer to $60 (Bambi) Maybe not apples to apples

[Shiny16]

Originally Posted by love nest

The one I looked at was closer to $60 (Bambi) Maybe not apples to apples

You may have struck at the right time. Apples to apples it’s about a 5k difference in MSRP.
If you purchased it prior to this Covid mess you certainly would not have paid full retail for a Bambi either.

Whatever the case is and admittedly the Nest is really nice it obviously does not make sense for Airstream or they would continue to build them.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Rknobbe

I disagree. It definitely has the Airstream fit and finish inside. Have you looked at similarly sized trailers from any of the major vendors? Nowhere near the quality of an Airstream.

What do you mean, the fiberglass units are not the quality of an AS?? Which AS are you talking about- I would love to know? We have owned 4 AS's over the last 15 years; 2 new and 2 used, and 1 Casita. The Casita was/is a very quality trailer compared to the issues listed on this Forum with "new" AS's...you see all kinds of issues reported from AS Nest owners also...more build quality for sure; (same with the Base Camp by the way)...never heard/saw build quality issues from Casita owners in the Forum... Casita was just too small for our needs.

We bought our Casita used after visiting the factory in Stafford TX several years ago, between our first 25' AS and our second 25' AS...Casita for us, was excellent, maintained value, and never any issues. Pretty simple build and great quality...thats why they maintain their value, I would argue, better then most AS's today! But, new, they are still only around $24K! What did you pay for a Nest, again??

We do love our AS BTW...just had to work thru several build/quality issues when it was new...but, all fixed now and enjoying life!

[Foiled Again]

There have been MANY reports of Nests that were sold and almost immediately began to disintegrate because of wretchedly bad gel coat and fiberglass hulls. Anything connected to a weak hull also got trashed from vibration and flexing. Apparently no one working on manufacturing this trailer knew enough to detect gaps in the gel coat or problems with the mix of glass and binder beneath the gel coat. (Airstream Assembles trailers, they BUY the fiberglass shower enclosures that go into their products. ) Many people who are forum regulars have seen lots of negative information both here and on other blogs, social media and RV forums. Many have disappeared.

To give Airstream its due, they reached out to quite a few owners and made them whole, with a new carefully inspected and tested Nest or a 16ft AIrstream or possibly a simple buyback. Non-disclosure agreements were surely a part of the settlement. I do Feel Sorry for the management of Thor/Airstream... their business growth and acquisition plans generally go well. Nest was an Edsel... Whether they have the stones to try it again is anybody's guess. I haven't been to an Airstream dealership since February. Anybody know whether any Nests are still in stock? Or were there too many bad ones sold before Airstream got the many major problems defined and fixed? Are the extant ones destined for landfills, sale as parts salvage at deep discount, or like the Basecamp, to be resurrected at a later day, after the stank fades.

I really toyed with the idea of buying an Oliver because fiberglass is much lower maintenance and easy and inexpensive to repair. I found out that the company which makes them had been in the business of making walk-in fiberglass tubs for years. Leaks in that app? Really Bad! They borrowed construction ideas from Boston Whaler boats too. It is really true double hull insulated RV. And it was conceived and dedicated to the proposition that THIS trailer is a boondocker's *** dream.

It really is too small for a full timer's use. It also is not as pretty as an Airstream, especially inside. Still, if they ever build one that is equivalent to an Airstream 25..
Well maybe I would spray paint it silver and... no.

I have too much idle time since the plague broke out.

[lsbrodsky]

I am with you on an Oliver 25. I would never consider buying another Airstream, but I would or would have considered a bigger Oliver, WITHOUT a wet bath. I had boats for decades and am familiar with fiberglass construction and maintenance. No seams is a real plus. Oliver seems to have the build quality in an FRP construction that Airstream could not duplicate, in FRP or Al.
Larry

[love nest]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

There have been MANY reports of Nests that were sold and almost immediately began to disintegrate because of wretchedly bad gel coat and fiberglass hulls. Anything connected to a weak hull also got trashed from vibration and flexing. Apparently no one working on manufacturing this trailer knew enough to detect gaps in the gel coat or problems with the mix of glass and binder beneath the gel coat. (Airstream Assembles trailers, they BUY the fiberglass shower enclosures that go into their products. ) Many people who are forum regulars have seen lots of negative information both here and on other blogs, social media and RV forums. Many have disappeared.

To give Airstream its due, they reached out to quite a few owners and made them whole, with a new carefully inspected and tested Nest or a 16ft AIrstream or possibly a simple buyback. Non-disclosure agreements were surely a part of the settlement. I do Feel Sorry for the management of Thor/Airstream... their business growth and acquisition plans generally go well. Nest was an Edsel... Whether they have the stones to try it again is anybody's guess. I haven't been to an Airstream dealership since February. Anybody know whether any Nests are still in stock? Or were there too many bad ones sold before Airstream got the many major problems defined and fixed? Are the extant ones destined for landfills, sale as parts salvage at deep discount, or like the Basecamp, to be resurrected at a later day, after the stank fades.

I really toyed with the idea of buying an Oliver because fiberglass is much lower maintenance and easy and inexpensive to repair. I found out that the company which makes them had been in the business of making walk-in fiberglass tubs for years. Leaks in that app? Really Bad! They borrowed construction ideas from Boston Whaler boats too. It is really true double hull insulated RV. And it was conceived and dedicated to the proposition that THIS trailer is a boondocker's *** dream.

It really is too small for a full timer's use. It also is not as pretty as an Airstream, especially inside. Still, if they ever build one that is equivalent to an Airstream 25..
Well maybe I would spray paint it silver and... no.

I have too much idle time since the plague broke out.

Well on behalf of all Nest owners I would like to thank all the non Nest owners better the thou posts with the day late and a dollar short comments. It really helps. Guess we will just need to struggle along without you.

[OTRA15]

Larry and Paula got it right about the gel coat problems IMO. There once were posts and photos here, which went into excruciating detail at the beginning of this roll-out. [IMO]

[Shiny16]

Originally Posted by love nest

Well on behalf of all Nest owners I would like to thank all the non Nest owners better the thou posts with the day late and a dollar short comments. It really helps. Guess we will just need to struggle along without you.

I don’t think anyone is being “holier then thou about this”. The Nest is a very nice camper. It sounds like you got a phenomenal deal and if you were lucky enough to get one that did not have issues with the gel coat then you will probably be happy with it for a long time. If you do have issues with the gel coat then I suggest speaking with your dealer about it. It seems Airstream is willing to help those effected to be made whole.

[Silvr_Bullet]

This is a general statement not necessarily in regard to the Nest per se. All businesses must for long term success provide buyers of their products what that market is looking for. if your not moving ahead, by default your falling behind ( Airstream niche of towable Traveler Trailers, not talking about drivable units ). As we all know we have an aging population, that’s the segment as a ‘group’ has the most disposable income. The trend is smaller trailers that can be towed with the family vehicle not the larger vehicles that do not fit into the lifestyle of the larger populous, especially in more dense populated areas of the country. Airstream now is leaning toward providing some trim level trailers that have had past successes and at the same time more recent year trim levels, we’ll have to wait and see how that turns out. Also people are looking to enjoy their units not providing hours upon hours washing and polishing the exteriors of traditional Airstream Aluminum, fiberglass is an excellent alternative, I believe the fiberglass will not be gone for Airstream forever. Fiberglass is expensive but so is Aluminum with all that’s involved. One only needs to point to the successes of those manufacturers as well as the iconic only American sports car the Corvette. Their are current owners that may agree ( smaller numbers for obvious biases ) and some that disagree, but future buyers determine success, that’s a fact.

[Tamarack]

Originally Posted by Silvr_Bullet

This is a general statement not necessarily in regard to the Nest per se. All businesses must for long term success provide buyers of their products what that market is looking for. if your not moving ahead, by default your falling behind ( Airstream niche of towable Traveler Trailers, not talking about drivable units ). As we all know we have an aging population, that’s the segment as a ‘group’ has the most disposable income. The trend is smaller trailers that can be towed with the family vehicle not the larger vehicles that do not fit into the lifestyle of the larger populous, especially in more dense populated areas of the country. Airstream now is leaning toward providing some trim level trailers that have had past successes and at the same time more recent year trim levels, we’ll have to wait and see how that turns out. Also people are looking to enjoy their units not providing hours upon hours washing and polishing the exteriors of traditional Airstream Aluminum, fiberglass is an excellent alternative, I believe the fiberglass will not be gone for Airstream forever. Fiberglass is expensive but so is Aluminum with all that’s involved. One only needs to point to the successes of those manufacturers as well as the iconic only American sports car the Corvette. Their are current owners that may agree ( smaller numbers for obvious biases ) and some that disagree, but future buyers determine success, that’s a fact.

I agree with you. When I purchased our Nest at the beginning of this year, I was aware of the build quality problems. I was pretty sure that AS would discontinue them at some point. What surprised me was how quickly they gave up on the Nest. I'm sure there were multiple factors involved, but primarily lack of sales I assume. I know AS was capable of making a Nest without major problems, because I own one. I have disassembled much of my unit (for crazy upgrades ) and the build quality and attention to assembly detail was pretty good (for an RV). I looked at the single axle Oliver, but couldn't stomach the price. Of course, most people buy the bigger Oliver, which I also really like. I paid just over 31K for our Nest and I'm having fun with it.

[Foiled Again]

Just guessing, but in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, with all of its economic travail... a whole bunch of people seem to be making Lemonade from the lemons.

Can't go to Bali, or Ireland or Tibet, and even Canada doesn't open its arms to you? And you have saved up for that trip.... has an Airstream always been lurking in your mind?

Planning to buy an Airstream "someday?" And your kid wants to become a HVAC tech instead of an engineer at USC, and the mortgage is paid off. Welcome in Someday!

Is the NEW factory at 110% of capacity trying to meet sales on aluminum trailers? Then 2021 Nest models are canceled, but we keep the molds for 2022.

If I needed/wanted a tiny camper asap, I would choose a Casita today, for it's long history of fine build quality... Nest would come after Scamp and Casita. And every year I'd look over the whole market also.

[Hittenstiehl]

Big fans of the Nest, Casita, Oliver and of course AS.

Maybe Nest was acquired for AS to enter the small fiberglass market and qwell compeition.

Now that it has all these models culling redundant types or one of a kind is bound to happen.

Almost bought a very early model Oliver and would be glad to in the future if we ever got rid of our AS's.

[Ron Manuel]

I think you have to go to a Bambi 22 to get a queen bed. My wife's 5'10 and I'm 6'2. I can't see us satisfied with a smaller bed.

This will be our first RV. Will tow it behind an Audi Q7 (7,700 towing capacity, but it's not big like a pickup or large SUV).

What do you recommend instead of a used Nest--only two available in the US at the moment.

Thanks.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Ron Manuel

I think you have to go to a Bambi 22 to get a queen bed. My wife's 5'10 and I'm 6'2. I can't see us satisfied with a smaller bed.

This will be our first RV. Will tow it behind an Audi Q7 (7,700 towing capacity, but it's not big like a pickup or large SUV).

What do you recommend instead of a used Nest--only two available in the US at the moment.

Thanks.

Well if this is your "first" I would definitely go used. The 22 has a 54 x 80 bed..too small. See the specs on all the beds, on the Airstream website under floorplans...click on the bed. A queen is 60 X 80 typically in the AS. The twins, however, offer 34" x 80" each so you really get 68" width total sleeping area; plus with a twin you get all that dressing room and 2 more outside storage compartments...twins however, only in 23' GT model currently, or of course, the Next or Basecamp...but not sure their widths either...they are small. We did have a Casita for couple years inbetween AS 1 and AS 2...It was tight, but we did get the Spirit Delux model (used) and added a Kingsize mattress, as recommended by other Casita owners, on their website. If I was doing it again, I would go this route if looking for smaller TT. What ever you do, enjoy the ride!

[Rknobbe]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

A queen is 60 X 80 typically in the AS.

Originally Posted by gypsydad

the Next or Basecamp...but not sure their widths either...they are small.

The Nest actually has a very generous bed, 58x80. Very close to the US standard of 60x80.

[love nest]

Originally Posted by Rknobbe

The Nest actually has a very generous bed, 58x80. Very close to the US standard of 60x80.

We really like the Nest FB and you probably can negotiate the price. But if you want to look at something else Look at the I-tech Sol lineup the horizon really looks nice.