Blue Mountain Camper Co. -- a New Company Old in Experience

There's a new trailer company on the mountain!

"I just bought a 2013 Rustic Trail that is actually titled as a Leonard, because that was the trailer frame it was built on. The couple I bought it from, bought it new from 'some guy up in Pilot Mountain, that said he was starting a teardrop company.'" This quotation comes from the Facebook group Rustic Trail Teardrops and Friends, and it's the perfect introduction to this article. 

Jonathan wrote, "Might have even been the first [RTTC] Grizzly!"

In 2012, Jonathan Sechrist of Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, decided to build himself a tiny trailer camper in his garage. It turned out so well he had a neighbor ask him to build another. Word got around, promises were made, and suddenly Jonathan and his family found themselves busy owners of a travel trailer company, Rustic Trail Teardrop Campers. I owned one of Jonathan's trailers--the Green Goddess, namesake of this blog. It was my wife and my introduction into camping with little travel trailers, and a fun and exciting introduction it was!

The Green Goddess at Red Rock Lake, Iowa

Jonathan headed the young company, Rustic Trail Teardrop Campers, from 2012 to 2020. The Green Goddess, a Polar Bear model, was trailer 285, or somewhere in that range. Then Jonathan sold the company in 2020, and then it sold again in 2022. RTTC is currently moving from Pilot Mountain to the Raleigh area, and Jonathan Sechrist and his family are taking the opportunity and their experience to start a new Pilot Mountain tiny travel trailer company, the Blue Mountain Camper Co.

Western North Carolina flooding victims

Before getting into more specifics about the company, first let's talk a bit about the heart-value of this North Carolina company. Recently, North Carolina experienced horrific flooding from Hurricane Helene. Blue Mountain shifted their efforts from promoting their company to gathering donations and building camper pods for families swept from their homes by the flooding. This post on Blue Mountain's Facebook group page said: "This is how some people are currently living in Western NC. Being an NC-based company, we want to help some of these victims by providing campers before really cold weather hits. For about $3,000, we can build a very basic camper and provide them with shelter from the weather. As a small startup company, we cannot afford to do this alone. We will donate the first one; would you be willing to help with more?" This campaign, although it is no longer continuing, is representative of the company's sense of community.

The Blue Mountain team

The Sechrist family and crew have the expertise that comes from having constructed more than four hundred tiny travel trailers. As the Blue Mountain Camper Co. says on their website, "Having an experienced team build your trailer is critical to reviving a quality, long-lasting tiny-camper. Blue Mountain Campers may be a new company, but the crew is far from it! Comprised of four skilled and dedicated build team members, our crew has been in the business for over 12+ years and has constructed over 400+ teardrop style campers." They go on to say that their company has "no big fancy buildings, large marketing budgets, or distant, hands-off owners. Blue Mountain Campers is a true small family-owned and operated business. When you buy from Blue Mountain, you support our families and allow us to do what we love—creating unique, long-lasting mini-campers."

Part of the Blue Mountain expertise is their goal of building tiny campers that last, "lightweight, easy-to-tow, no-fuss" campers, "simple to maintain campers that will last and last. Thanks to our all-composite rot-free body (floor, walls, roof, inside ceiling), the Appalachian is a teardrop camper alternative that is designed from the ground up to get you on the road to adventure with ease." 

On a recent Blue Mountain Camper Co. group Facebook post, Jonathan Sechrist said: "We are the original founders and builders of The Rustic Trail Teardrop Campers. We sold the company in 2020 right when Covid hit. We have started this new company because we still believe that people deserve a good product at a reasonable price! There are a lot more builders on the block now but many are very expensive. Our hopes are to see quality and affordable pricing prevail in the coming days and months ahead. We are doing everything we can to see customers satisfied and keep our campers affordable."

Jonathan is also about to release a new model tiny trailer called the "Acorn," which will come in four-feet and five-feet tall versions, with the starting weight being less than one thousand pounds. and starting at less than $10,000. The article that follows this one will focus more on what tiny trailer models Blue Mountain is offering, details and specifics. If you can't wait, though, follow the Blue Mountain Camper Co. link and do some browsing on your own! I'm still browsing and researching myself, and will post more soon.

Subscribe--Follow by Email

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Camping After Winterizing Your Rig

First of all, there are a lot of tiny trailers that don't require any winterizing because the trailers don't have water systems--not water lines to blow out or needing the pink RV anti-freeze. Many trailers do need protection for the water systems, though, and when those rigs are winterized--guess what? Then you have a larger version of many tiny trailers, a "hard-sided tent" with, hopefully, a heating system. 

Early camping with the Green Goddess

Front shelf space, electric "one at a time" appliances

Our first travel trailer, the Green Goddess, an RTTC Polar Bear, was a standy version of a hard-sided tent. There was no water system in the trailer, therefore, no winterizing was necessary. The trailer did have a 110V electrical hook-up with 12v lights, and because of the 110 capacity, we brought a portable oil heater when we camped during the fall. (With no battery, there was no electrical winterization neede.) It worked well, even though we had to "juggle" electricity by turning off the heater before turning on the induction cooktop burner or Instant Pot. The rule was one electrical activity at a time. We also had a portable toilet system that we could use if we didn't want to hike to the campground's pit-vault toilets, awkward in a tiny, one-room space. It was really an emergency system. Later we bought a little tent to use outside for the toilet. Almost all of our cooking was outside, using either our old Coleman propane stove or an induction burner.

Selling the Green Goddess and entering the Airstream travel trailer world, even though we bought Airstream's smallest trailers, first a sixteen-foot Basecamp and then this year a sixteen-foot Bambi, was certainly a step up in convenience and luxury. However, once the rigs are winterized, the similarity between our original "hard-sided tent" camper and the fully equipped Airstreams narrow considerably. We lose the shower/toilet and sink; however, we keep the heater, the cook stove, and the tiny room that houses the shower/toilet. Right now I'm camping in my winterized Bambi, so let me share a few photos to illustrate what it's like to camp in cold weather in a winterized little trailer. 

Bambi cooking area

Here is our cooking area. We always bring our own drinking water, and the cook stove and refrigerator are not impacted by the winterizing process. I've been using the Instant Pot quite a lot this trip. I combine my ingredients for a one-pot stew at the counter, cook in the camper, but take the pot outside to release the steam to keep condensation to a minimum. Often I'll wipe utensils with a paper towel before going outside to wash dishes. Sometimes I set up our aluminum table outside, but it's been windy the last couple of days. I like cooking on the stove, but have been lazy this trip. Having prepped most of my ingredients at home, making my "eternal stew" in the Instant Pot is so easy and "stick-to-the-ribs" flavorful in the colder weather that I just go with what's easy. What's for lunch? Stew!

Toilet materials: bags, cedar chips, kitty litter, and gel

We're lucky to have the small bathroom (or "shoilet") in our Bambi. After winterizing, we've converted it to the dry, "bag system" for our toilet, although we also use the campground's pit-vault toilet as much as possible, a not-so-terrible option now that it's cold enough that the insects and smells are gone. The bag system in our camper works well, even if it is definitely more primitive than the water toilet. However, it is nice to have the option in the middle of the night or whenever we don't feel like taking a hundred-yard hike in the early morning when the temperature is maybe a couple of degrees above freezing. Trying to be as environmentally- and health-conscious as possible, we use compostable bags and decomposable materials. 

Diswashing set-up, water bucket hidden on bench opposite

Finally, we use campground water for all our needs except for drinking water. We have a small plastic tub for heated water to use for sponge baths, and we also fill a bucket of water to use for dishwashing at the campground table outside. Sometimes I use our induction burner on a table outside to heat water for dishwashing if there are a lot of dishes and pots and pans. Since we are camping locally, we usually just head home for a shower, drinking water refill, and clothing change when we need to. 

The heater in the Bambi is a propane heater which works well. It is an adjustment from our Basecamp, which had a Truma heating system that allowed for either propane or electric heating. We almost always used the electrical option to save propane consumption. With our Bambi, my wife and I have gone back to our Green Goddess heating system and brought in a portable electric heater. We do, however, sometimes turn on the propane heater in the morning to warm up the camper before getting out of bed. With the electric heater, not only do we save propane, but the system is quieter and provides a steadier heat. In the photo above are two electric heaters, a radiant heater and an oil heater. We especially bought the small oil heater for its compactness and steady, quiet heat, but the 700-watt radiator heater just didn't produce enough heat when it got colder unless we cranked it up on high all the time. We brought a Walmart Pelonis quartz radiant heater from home, which heats more efficiently. We are still careful when using several appliances to not over-burden the electrical system, even though the Airstream is wired for 30 amps. We also turn off and unplug the heater whenever we leave the camper for a walk or an errand.

Camping in the winter means paying attention to moisture in the air inside the camper. Our bodies exude moisture naturally, a propane stove can create moisture in the air, and certainly our electric hot water pot produces moisture. Luckily, even though our Bambi is little, it's not as tiny as some, which reduces condensation problems a bit. I researched and wrote an article about condensation in tiny campers a few years back, so I'll just link to that article for anyone with further questions. Link: "Minimizing Condensation in a Teardrop or Tiny Trailer."

All in all, the best aspect of camping in cold weather with a winterized trailer is that a warm, dry, cozy environment is available for shelter when there is too much wind, temperatures drop too much, or it rains or snows. Excessive cold can be draining, even dangerous, and having a safe environment to shelter from inclement weather is a definite plus. Often I'll go out for an hour or two hike and then return to my trailer. I built a fire this morning and read for a while outside beside the fire, drinking my tea. I washed dishes outside this morning with cold water--a couple of spoons and a mug. Right now, though, I'm inside our Bambi, typing this article. Across the dinette table is my wife, getting ready for a conference call for her consulting business. Our Starlink connection works well even here at Lake Darling State Park, which is pretty much a black hole of internet connectivity. I believe there is one other camper in the park, up the hill and hidden. "Shoulder season" camping is great--no bugs or humidity, few campers, and great fall colors. Camping after winterization is an adjustment and sometimes a little funky, but I'm looking out my window right now at the lake and the autumn leaves, my wife and I sharing our little camper home-away-from-home, and honestly, I'm just as happy as a bug in a rug.

Subscribe--Follow by Email

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Evolution of a Camping Lifestyle

The Green Goddess, RTTC Polar Bear

My wife and I began our travel trailer camping lifestyle in a little 5 x 10 "hard-sided tent" camping trailer, the Green Goddess a Rustic Trail RV camper, a Polar Bear model. Then we bought an Airstream 16-foot Basecamp, and then after three seasons, we have traded that in for an Airstream Bambi 16. 

If now you're thinking, "Oh, their evolution as travel trailer campers has been from one trailer to another," then you'd have it wrong! Our evolution as campers has little to do with our travel trailers but a great deal to do with how we learned to live with all three travel trailers as we hit the road. Yes, our campers have changed and our camping style has changed, based on the possibilities each of our campers presented. 

However, many of our attitudes regarding camping and being out in nature have remained the same, with our choice of campers allowing us to become the campers we have always dreamed of becoming. As the saying goes, it's not the tool or equipment; it's the person using them. Keeping that in mind, here are a few things I'd like to share with you after six years of camping with little travel trailers and writing this blog. 

Essential Activities 

My first idea about buying a tiny travel trailer was to make it easier to camp with my wife. I wanted to get away and be in nature with my wife. However, she owns a consulting business, so we needed access to electricity and the internet--and a place to work without bugs and humidity. After owning three travel trailers, we think we've found our best configuration for our family's needs: a small, easy-to-pull trailer that still allows for comfortable working environment. 

Airstream Basecamp 16

Our 5 x 10 RTTC Polar Bear standy allowed us to get out, but it was just too tight a space. My snoring and my wife Zoom-conferencing at the same time in the same space was awkward! The Airstream Basecamp 16 was a big step in establishing an environment for both work and for my retirement, but the actual living/sitting/sleeping space was still one space--the rear of the trailer, necessitating changing the working/eating/sleeping space, perhaps several times a day, and also still clumping retired teacher and working consultant in close proximity. The Bambi configuration seems to be a real game-changer for us; the dinette table up front and the bed in the back allow for differentiated spaces for different activities. 

Not everyone needs discrete living spaces in a little trailer, but we do--and the Bambi has finally given us a livable travel trailer floor plan for our lifestyle. Remember, our goal was to find a way for my wife and me to camp together as much as possible. "Third time's the charm," and our new 2024 Airstream Bambi checks those boxes regarding our essential activities to spend time camping together. Rather than thinking that "bigger is better," we held onto our "little campers are best" philosophy (for us) and didn't buy a Bambi 20- or 22-foot model. 

A Philosophy of Downsizing 

Within the constraints of providing a camping space for us to engage in essential activities, my wife and I have always adhered to the philosophy of minimalism in camping. OK, a sixteen-feet-long and eight-feet-wide Airstream isn't exactly minimalism in camping; however, park a tiny or little travel trailer next to a thirty- or forty-foot rig, and it seems pretty darn small! It's pretty easy to fall prey to the notion that an item is essential and then say, "We need to get a bigger rig and/or tow vehicle!" We've done a pretty good job of avoiding that perspective . . . or should I say "black hole" of camping philosophy?

How we avoid the pitfalls of "essentiality" is that whether in our camper or in our home, whenever we begin to wonder where we're going to put all our stuff, we help one another shift to "what do we take to Goodwill" mode and determine what we can get rid of. Having gotten back into camping via bicycle camping, it's not super hard to focus on essentials only when there was a time when my camping gear was around 40-50 pounds packed in bicycle panniers! 

Airstream Bambi 16

Essential to packing minimally, though, is the perspective that ultimately it's better to keep things small--better for the camping experience, better for expenses, and also better for the environment. I will be seriously amazed and confounded if I ever own a recreational travel trailer larger than our 16-foot Airstream Bambi. I remember, to paraphrase Henry David Thoreau in his "Economy" essay, that the problem with owning stuff is that eventually you have to purchase a place to put all that stuff. Relative to camping, you own a lot of camping equipment, buy a trailer to house your "necessities," and then you also have to buy a tow vehicle to pull your camp trailer! At a certain point (and not the same point for everybody) it's best to let go of that tiger's tail.

Put It Away

This point may sound obvious or trite but, believe me, putting things away immediately when finished with the item is an essential habit for those who camp in little trailers. It takes just a moment for suddenly all places to set something (including yourself!) are filled with objects used . . . just a moment ago. I have to discipline myself, but putting things away immediately has allowed me to turn around in all our campers and see a fairly orderly space. If I wanted to put the case more intensely--putting things away in my little campers has allowed me to just . . . turn around!

I worked my way through high school and college by earning money working in kitchens, from cafeterias to restaurants to fast food establishments. One basic survival rule of professional cooking is to learn the skill of cleaning while cooking. Rinse out that pan and put it away while you've got thirty seconds. Don't think, "I'll get to it after I've put the casserole together." Otherwise, after finishing up with the lunch menu and starting on the dinner menu--you've first got an hour of cleaning to have space to cook.

First there is the intention, then the routine, and finally the practice. Like I said, perhaps my training works for me. However, I am willing to accept that others follow a different routine that works well for them! This is camping and recreation, not company policy. I just personally enjoy not having to wade over and through dirty clothes to make it out the door. Putting things away is simply, in my opinion, the optimal use of space, and space is a precious commodity with little trailers. ("Keeping Organized in a Tiny Trailer" is another article I've written about this.)

The Big Backyard

One personal camping option that my wife and I have adopted--at least for now--is that we are camping more locally. Because my wife is still actively engaged with her successful consulting business, and because all three of our children live nearby, and because many younger families are facing challenges in our present day reality, we are staying closer to and finding ways to be available if necessary yet still having time for ourselves and getting out in nature. 

We are lucky to have three state parks within forty miles of our house, multiple county parks, and a few fine city campgrounds. This gives us choice and variety while still camping less than an hour from home. Would we like to travel to Yosemite and to the Cascades or to camp at an ocean campground? Of course--and someday we hope and plan to do just that! But for now, we've included the needs of our children and grandchildren within our plans and are still pleasantly surprised at the opportunities and beautiful outdoor experiences available to us locally. 

I suppose our lesson has been that beauty is not just something a far and fatiguing drive away, nor are all great campsites far off the beaten track. I write this in all seriousness, even remembering as I write these words that I've written travelogues on this blog about fellow tiny trailer owners who have been places that are incredibly beautiful, vistas that are tantalizingly more exotic than the Iowa Midwest. However, Iowa does have its beauty, and as I get older, the concept of "drive less, camp longer" does have its logic. 

Compromise as Perfection 

The final concept that we have embraced with our little trailer camping lifestyle is to embrace the compromises that camping with small trailers entails. We agree to have less living space, to take less equipment, to have fewer cooking options, to have to climb over one another in the middle of the night because of the tiny bed, to have the tiniest concept of a bathroom--the "shoilet"--possible. 

Lake Darling State Park, Iowa

Why do we make all these compromises for less? For us, it's because of the sense of freedom these compromises give us. When we simplify our camping, camping is so much simpler! Easier to buy, to tow, to pack, to maintain; easier to find the great campground and the great campsite in that campground; easier to store, to stow, probably even easier to sell, and if sold at a loss, a smaller loss; easier to set up camp and to break camp.

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation," Thoreau wrote in "Economy," and he set the cause of that desperation at the amount of time--the amount of our life force--we spend just accumulating and maintaining our stuff, possessions. Camping with a little trailer is a compromise, a negotiation with ourselves, a granting ourselves more time to experience by choosing fewer possessions to keep track of and maintain.

*  *  *

In the end, our evolution as little travel trailer campers has been to ask ourselves a question: What really makes us happy? Right now, our answer is a quick pack, a quick drive, and a nice, long, quiet camping experience. We'll find the beauty because we have included the time to look for it. We'll find relaxation because we've scheduled the time for it to find us. We'll find happiness because it's always there if we just take the time to notice. It's like gardening: prepare the soil and plant the seed. When we open the door on our little Bambi as morning dawns on the lake we've camped beside, it's like that seed bursting the tiny husk of its existence. There's nothing tiny or little about camping in a small trailer, not with the whole wide world an open door away. The ultimate recreation is re-creation, and for us, the best recipe for happy camping is "less is more."  Call it a small secret, a little secret, a tiny secret, but it's the perfect size for us.

Subscribe--Follow by Email

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

From Basecamp to Bambi: First Time Out

Lake Darling State Park, Iowa

Even though it was time consuming, packing our brand new 2024 Airstream Bambi 16 with our stuff from our 2021 Airstream Basecamp 16 was an illuminating experience--thoughtfully fun, I would say. Loading up the Bambi was concrete proof that the two rigs, even though both sixteen feet in length, aren't the same in their configuration. That's the reason that we traded in the Basecamp for the Bambi--to have a permanent bed in the back and a dinette up front. Both units have about the same storage space, but how the storage is accessed is different, neither better or worse, just different. Packing and camping for the first time was the fun challenge of asking ourselves, "Now where did we put that . . . or did we even bring it?"

Our first trip out with the Bambi was to Lake Darling State Park in southeast Iowa, the first place we had also taken out the Basecamp in January 2022. This time with the Bambi, the September weather was much warmer, of course! (Basecamp first trip link.) Also, rather than camping alone, this time we were camping with my wife's daughter, partner, our two grandchildren, and their three dogs, so the experience was pretty lively. The little Bambi provided us with our sanctuary, though, and was our happy little camper. 

All the essentials worked just fine: heater, air conditioner, sink and toilet, stove, and awning. The trailer pulled easily, although I'm still getting used to the wider Bambi (8 feet to the Basecamp's 6.5) and also to the back-up camera that has a rearview mirror function. Although I've heard the descriptor "cozy" so many times regarding tiny trailers that I almost cringe when I hear it, I have to admit that the Bambi is cozy in the truest sense of the word; the Bambi provides a comfortable, secure, relaxing experience.

Comparing the Bambi and Basecamp camping experience, I would say that the Bambi with its separate bed, dinette set-up, and cupboards is more settled in its floorplan, whereas the Basecamp with its rear bench, table, bed floorplan, and with its netting storage and rear door is more fluid in design, more ready to engage in different activities. Actually, I think that's pretty much how Airstream markets the two trailers; the Bambi is the farmhouse, and the Basecamp is the hunting lodge.

Our weekend out with family was, therefore, a chance to adjust to the new trailer. We found the bed none too big, but still manageable, "cozy" in less sweet definition of the word. The front dinette that provides a permanent table (yet can convert to a bed) was a significant game changer. We are still adjusting to the smaller kitchen space--and where to put our toaster oven and Instant Pot, which fit into a cabinet in the Basecamp. We're still learning how to use the cupboards for food storage; the Basecamp really has a huge kitchen area. However, packing for the weekend, we hardly touched the under-the-bed storage area of the Bambi. Thinking into the future, I think perhaps next year we might have Airstream incorporate an axle lift kit to raise the Bambi up around 3.5 inches to provide better clearance and to also raise our Ford Ranger's hitch height.

As I write this article, my wife and I are camping again locally. Last night's rain is drying, the clouds are burning off, and the maple trees are starting to turn to their fall colors. Our Starlink wifi is working well as I work outside and my wife uses the dinette for her consulting business. If I get tired, I can go lie down, fall asleep, and not have to worry about interrupting my wife's work with snores. The Bambi floorplan fits our needs better than the Basecamp, even though the Basecamp has many positive qualities. The Bambi may very well be the last travel trailer we ever buy . . . unless, of course, someday I decide to buy a micro trailer just for the ever-loving fun of it!

Subscribe--Follow by Email

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Airstream Basecamp 16-Foot Review, a 4-Year Owner's Review

2024 Memorial Day Weekend

Having just finished a full-time year of teaching 4th Grade after ten years of retirement, I'm now retiring . . . again. Oh, I'll probably be doing a little substitute teaching next year, but working 1-2 days a week and taking off 5-6 days a week--that's retired, isn't it?

I am, therefore, beginning my re-retirement with a review of our 2021 16-foot Airstream Basecamp. First, though, there should be some discussion about the subject this blog has been focused on during the years--tiny trailers, trailers that provide an inside living space, keep you comfortable during inclement weather, and provide a safe, secure place to sleep. Some tiny trailers are little more than "hard-sided tents" (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), and some tiny trailers are touted as self-sufficient living spaces. Most tiny trailers are truly tiny, providing a space for sleep and for sitting with legs crossed. 

My 16-foot Airstream Basecamp resides at the opposite side of the tiny trailer spectrum; I actually feel more comfortable labeling it a little or small trailer, one having enough room for a bed/dining table, a bathroom, and a kitchen. There are other little trailers that are slightly smaller which provide a self-sufficient living space, the Tab 320 being a notable example. However, with Airstream's years of experience building travel trailers and its innovative Basecamp design, the Airstream Basecamp 16-footer is right up there at the top of little trailers that, as my wife's son recently said after camping in the Basecamp for a week and a half, "provide everything you need and nothing you don't."

It should be noted that the tiny trailers camping philosophy is that choosing a small camping space inside means that one spends more time outside. Minimalism is the key word for tiny trailer camping, and minimalism begins with towing a very small living space which can generate descriptors all the way from "cozy" to "cramped," depending on the campers and weather. Our Basecamp is no exception to the dilemma of "How big is too big? How small is too small?" We still debate the trade-offs, sometimes with our individual selves! I have previously written about tiny trailers trade-offs in the article "The Airstream Basecamp Is a Little Camper--and We're Glad."

Positive Qualities

The current Basecamp is an innovative new iteration of an older idea, with the camper resurfacing in 2018 onto the market with a similar but upbeat design. Here are the features my wife and I like.

• At six and a half feet wide, the trailer is easily pulled by my Nissan Pathfinder SUV. Although not absolutely necessary, I've added inexpensive extension mirrors which lessen the blind spot behind the camper when towing. 
• The kitchen provides ample space for cooking equipment and supplies. The roof-level netting storage areas work well for us. We use REI storage bags for clothes and have found that the front net storage holds light food items well even without storage bags. We still cook quite a bit outside, but having an indoor space is a real treat when the weather is bad or buggy.
• We still use campground facilities a lot but have found the indoor toilet convenient for nighttime and inclement weather.
• Like all small trailers, there is quite a bit of setting up and breaking down the bed/dining area, but the Basecamp's configuration has been good for us. 
• The air conditioner and Truma  heating system work well; sometimes I use a space heater for a more "fireplace effect."

We've found the Basecamp to be solid and dependable. Our warranty issues were centered around three weaknesses that were identified during the first years of the trailer's reiteration: the air conditioner securing screws working loose (company fix with Loctite), the door window becoming unglued (re-sealed by the company), and door locks not strong enough in windy conditions (longer screws added by the company), As we turned the Basecamp in just now, we are having the visor over the rear door re-caulked because a leak during rain. We were told this is a known problem, that the caulk dries out and needs to be renewed. Other than those issues, we've found the unit delivers.

Design Issues

The quality of the materials used in the Basecamp we've found excellent, and the set-up of the unit is thoughtful and utilitarian yet still elegant. However, there are a few issues in the design that cause occasional consternation. 

• The overhead fan is noisy even at its lowest setting. There are quieter fans out there.
• The venting side "van" windows are classy to look at and really add to the unit's beauty; however, they provide less air circulation than some other options. This especially becomes a problem if the front door is closed at night for security. Adding windows with low air circulation with a noisy fan has caused some frustration. Why not use the air conditioner, you might ask? The ac is a solution but is more noisy than windows open and a quiet ceiling fan would be.
• The back door can provide nice ventilation if the area is secure. However, the snap netting, although it works well for mosquitoes isn't much of a barrier for crawling bugs, such as stink bugs that we once battled. Also, I use a swimming noodle and bungee cord to secure the back door to eliminate strain on the manufacturer's standard hooks.
• My wife and I eventually bought two-inch latex foam pads for sleeping to augment the standard Basecamp cushions. The factory cushions were minimally acceptable for me but a definite no-go for my wife. I later succumbed to the allure of greater sleeping softness and have never felt any guilt. 
• I've added a roof vent cover for the fan so that I can open the vent during rain. The cover definitely disrupts the sleek design of the roof, but having the fresh-air option during rain is too practical for me to take a "pass" on.
• The Basecamp design puts its electronic controls next to the door on the wall, a place that can attract excessive condensation inside the shell, which has shorted out some models. An after-market #D-printer spacer is available for the Truma control panel, discussed on a Facebook owners' group. This link should be available if you belong to the group Airstream Basecamp Owners. The spacer has venting on three sides. I also use a little dehumidifier when there's a lot of condensation. It provides some relief, taking out about a cup of water a day when I'm camping alone.

I've tried to discuss issues specific to the Basecamp and not pro and con issues that are common to all tiny trailers owners. My wife and I realize that buying a larger camper would create a new challenge for every challenge the larger camper would solve. Likewise, buying a tinier trailer would also both solve and create problems. Times change, needs change, but the Airstream Basecamp 16 is a pretty sweet rig, compared to any other camper its size. 

We do think fondly of our first camper, a little standy we called the Green Goddess, a Rustic Trail camper, Polar Bear model. Also, Rustic Trail is now manufacturing some new, innovative models. We've even talked some about someday owning both the Airstream and a Rustic Trail camper! Those are fun conversations, but the main reason I'm writing this review now is that my wife and I have just traded our Basecamp in at Blue Compass RV in Des Moines, Iowa, (where we bought the Basecamp, formerly RV One) and have bought a  16-foot Airstream Bambi. 

It wasn't that we were dissatisfied with the Basecamp, not in any fundamental way; our decision was based on our lifestyle. Right now I am retired and my wife is still busy with her consulting business. With the Basecamp, if she were working and I was resting, we were both together in the back of the Basecamp with either the bed half-made and one table set up, or with both tables set up and with me resting on one of the benches. With the Bambi, there is a permanent bed in the back and the dinette table (which can convert to a bed) up front, which provides separate spaces for each activity. The main reason this is possible is that the Bambi is wider than the Basecamp, eight feet wider rather than six and a half feet.

We know we'll miss the Basecamp with its unique design. I describe the Basecamp as having a modern aesthetic design, whereas the Bambi has the iconic, retro Airstream silver bullet look. Both looks are beautiful, but we'll have to get used to owning an iconic aluminum classic travel trailer rather than owning a spaceship cleverly disguised as an Airstream travel trailer. We look forward to new adventures, though, and will share our stories with you.

Subscribe--Follow by Email

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name