[Saejin]

Anyone here pulling an Airstream or travel trailer in general. Thinking of getting either the Basecamp 16X or Bambi...not sure.

Leaning towards the Basecamp 16X as I can pull it with my Jeep Wrangler as well.

[Saejin]

Basecamp 16X

[Saejin]

Bambi

[Wild Blue]

That Bambi's really nice, would look great with a high end luxury vehicle like the X7

[columbia16]

Saejin

Since the pandemic we became newbie caravan owners - we pull a 2020 22 foot Airstream Caravel with a 2018 X5 40i and we love it

Airstream quality - better compared to other caravans here in the US, but otherwise the craftsmanship for the price is pretty disappointing - for the money you pay for a similarly priced automobile - it is not even close - but there were no other better quality caravan options (too bad we can't buy German caravans here in the states)

we thought about a Bambi or Basecamp but wanted a little more room, the fit and finish and design were much better as was the ducted A/C in the Caravel

(the A/C in non-ducted systems is really, really LOUD!)

BIG problems were towing, brake controller, hitch install.

1. We initially wanted a Stealth hitch but there was no one anywhere in New England who wanted to touch our X5- it was a major project to find help with this - and our dealership was useless

2. UHaul installed their own hitch in the end - it has a tongue weight capacity of 700+

3. UHaul did a really poor job - did NOT communicate to me that they were cutting metal fascia, and took zero responsibility for the work. The hitch itself did hold up pulling our 22FB Caravel.

4. Brake controller - big issue - in the end we used a wireless Curtis echo system - poorly made and designed (the first one broke) but easy to use when working - and therefore you avoid messing with the bimmer wiring

Fast forward to Spring 2021 -

we now own a 2021 m50i with factory hitch

1. reviewed our concerns with Andy Thomson - the premier AS tow hitch specialist in North America - he is awesome, and generous with this time. I wish he were located in Boston!

2. will follow his guidelines - use an Eaz-Lift Elite Model WDH with 1200 bars and 2 friction sway controls - and also use his custom shank from Can-Am as well as Reese snap ups.

3. what is still concerning: the 7500 lb towing capacity is a useless number if the tongue weight capacity of the factory hitch is 600lbs! the range rover e.g. has a much stronger factory hitch receiver - so DEF you need a WDH at minimum, and Andy T can help ensure safe towing of even the largest Airstream caravan with a non pickup chassis SUV (his own TV is a Jaguar!!)

4. will use the Curtis wireless system again - please remember to tape the connection or it can pop out very easily - the absolute worst design - but you avoid tampering with the factory wiring harness.

[Saejin]

Awesome feedback, thanks.

Not sure we’re ready for a Caravel yet. Initially we were leaning to an RV on a sprinter chassis but those are super expensive. Once we got the X7 we could afford to the sprinter anymore.

Now we’re just want something for weekends and road trips to the east coast so we don’t have to stay in hotels. I did see the reviews on the basecamp and yes the ac is loud.

The Bambi is pretty nice too. We gonna try to locate some show models at RV dealerships here in Colorado and the try to find one for sale. They are hard to come by now.

[Wild Blue]

Thanks, columbia16 , very helpful post. I'm about to take delivery of a 2021 M50i with tow package. Rumor has it that the 2021 no longer has brake controller pre-wiring, so I too was looking at the Curtis Echo for a brake controller.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ99S...v_ov_lig_dp_it

[columbia16]

Originally Posted by Saejin

Awesome feedback, thanks.

Not sure we’re ready for a Caravel yet. Initially we were leaning to an RV on a sprinter chassis but those are super expensive. Once we got the X7 we could afford to the sprinter anymore.

Now we’re just want something for weekends and road trips to the east coast so we don’t have to stay in hotels. I did see the reviews on the basecamp and yes the ac is loud.

The Bambi is pretty nice too. We gonna try to locate some show models at RV dealerships here in Colorado and the try to find one for sale. They are hard to come by now.

we purchased ours from Baton Rouge LA, as the entire northeast was sold out last summer! so don't limit yourself to just your region - you may get a good deal and for a price they will deliver anywhere.

we were set on a Bambi until we saw the Caravel - slightly better interior quality, much preferred ducted A/C, and the fixtures were more modern, less low end trailer park style.

in the end they are all built pretty poorly given what you pay, but at least AS has good resale...

and overall we enjoyed our first summer - we did over 12 campsites last year!

would DEF recommend contacting Andy Thomson at Can-AM for any advice - he is the best and since most caravan owners use a truck for a TV getting advice on using a nice SUV is very difficult to find anywhere -

in only one campsite did we meet another person who towed their caravan (also an airstream) with a non truck SUV (he used a RR Discovery turbodiesel)

hope this helps!

[columbia16]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Thanks, columbia16 , very helpful post. I'm about to take delivery of a 2021 M50i with tow package. Rumor has it that the 2021 no longer has brake controller pre-wiring, so I too was looking at the Curtis Echo for a brake controller.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ99S...v_ov_lig_dp_it

good luck! will post photos of our echo with x7 once Springtime arrives...

it is also poorly designed, but works as advertised - and when our first echo broke (the cheap plastic fastener snapped) they sent us a replacement asap

our biggest challenge will be coordinating our WDH install with our New England AS dealer with recommendations from Andy in Canada...

given the air suspension, DHP on the X7 it is important to optimize the tow hitch receiver/WDH setup to ensure you are safe with any towing! and Andy is the best.

[columbia16]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Thanks, columbia16 , very helpful post. I'm about to take delivery of a 2021 M50i with tow package. Rumor has it that the 2021 no longer has brake controller pre-wiring, so I too was looking at the Curtis Echo for a brake controller.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ99S...v_ov_lig_dp_it

ok here is our tow hitch set up for the X5 and Caravel 22 FB

the UHAUL folks were terrible - will never go there again!

i requested the 7 way connector to be included and UHAUL promised and said no problem they do these all the time, and then told me they had no idea how to do it...so our nonfactory hitch includes wiring that hangs underneath the rear hatchdoor..

in addition to cutting into the metal fascia without my permission!

very classy i know....

the red arrows - point to tape you NEED to use or it will come uncoupled during driving, and the red circles are the plastic fasteners that can easily break.

but if it is working, it is the easiest BC for your needs and avoids messing with your high end bimmer harness.

good luck

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by columbia16

ok here is our tow hitch set up for the X5 and Caravel 22 FB

the UHAUL folks were terrible - will never go there again!

i requested the 7 way connector to be included and UHAUL promised and said no problem they do these all the time, and then told me they had no idea how to do it...so our nonfactory hitch includes wiring that hangs underneath the rear hatchdoor..

in addition to cutting into the metal fascia without my permission!

very classy i know....

the red arrows - point to tape you NEED to use or it will come uncoupled during driving, and the red circles are the plastic fasteners that can easily break.

but if it is working, it is the easiest BC for your needs and avoids messing with your high end bimmer harness.

good luck

Much thanks! I take it that was the X5 without factory tow hitch, requiring that spliced pigtail harness, instead of plugging the Curtis Echo directly into the jack on the hitch. Cool that it still worked, with the non-linear orientation of the Curtis Echo.

[Saejin]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Much thanks! I take it that was the X5 without factory tow hitch, requiring that spliced pigtail harness, instead of plugging the Curtis Echo directly into the jack on the hitch. Cool that it still worked, with the non-linear orientation of the Curtis Echo.

So even with the M50i and factory tow package this isn’t just a hook up and go for the caravel or Bambi 22FB?

There’s no brake controller in the 2021 X7. That would be odd given the tow capacity is like 7500lbs...figured at that weight here would need to be a brake controller.

And WDH...?

I guess with a 16RB Bambi or basecamp both at 3500lbs that would be more of a hook up and go.

Looked at the basecamp 20x today, wife wants a Bambi 16RB, but I think once she sees a Caravel 22FB she’ll probably want that. So I went from $45k to $75K already.

[Saejin]

Ok, took a few classes on YouTube university about brake controllers. All makes sense now.

I was reading about the Curt Echo wireless controller as well. My only concern is that you’d have to have the app up on your phone full time in case you needed to activate emergency braking. Wouldn’t it be better to get a hard wired system so you can just turn a knob or press a button in an emergency, ie heading down a steep grade or your trailer starts to sway?

I haven’t looked into the wiring under the dash yet, but I suspect it’s there somewhere and would allow a hard wire system to be installed.


Now off to learn about WDH.

[Wild Blue]

Yeah. No integrated brake controller on any BMW. It's just that pre-2021 X7's were pre-wired for one. Seems odd that BMW stopped that in 2021. You can still put in a brake controller, you just have to splice wires now, which is why the Curtis Echo is a clean and easy solution.

WDH = Weight Distributing Hitch

[Saejin]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Yeah. No integrated brake controller on any BMW. It's just that pre-2021 X7's were pre-wired for one. Seems odd that BMW stopped that in 2021. You can still put in a brake controller, you just have to splice wires now, which is why the Curtis Echo is a clean and easy solution.

WDH = Weight Distributing Hitch

One simply does not advertise a 7500 tow rating and not have brake controller pre-wiring. I’ve got a 2021...haven’t checked yet. Has anyone verified the pre-wire isn’t there any more.

[BMWFantastic85]

Originally Posted by Saejin

One simply does not advertise a 7500 tow rating and not have brake controller pre-wiring. I’ve got a 2021...haven’t checked yet. Has anyone verified the pre-wire isn’t there any more.

Saejin, did you end up getting an AirStream?

[Saejin]

I never did. Ended up trading that X7 in Nov 2021.
We really just couldn’t find one in stock that year. Then with Airstream pumping them out as fast as they could I read there were quality issues with many having to go back in for repairs.

We’re back in a 2023 X7 now and I actually started looking online again for airstream options. Well prices have skyrocketed and you still can’t find any.

Oh well. Might just to a customer sprinter build.

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by Saejin

I never did. Ended up trading that X7 in Nov 2021.
We really just couldn’t find one in stock that year. Then with Airstream pumping them out as fast as they could I read there were quality issues with many having to go back in for repairs.

We’re back in a 2023 X7 now and I actually started looking online again for airstream options. Well prices have skyrocketed and you still can’t find any.

Oh well. Might just to a customer sprinter build.

Same story, now I regret not pulling the trigger on one of these campers in the 2019-2021 timeframe. We were using the Lincoln Navigator for our long trips at that time, but just never had enough motivation to get one (and now I am regretting it as am seeing prices skyrocketing). I never owned a camper, but always wanted one, and it seems the longer we wait the more expensive they are, and less motivation we get to justify the cost. Hotels and airbnb's are working just fine until something happens. One day... Those seem to be in the 50K+ range now. What options are there in the 30K range even if used? Just curious about the fair market value for campers nowadays?

[PNWM3]

We have a 23’ International we’ve towed with our XB7 but mostly use our 2023 D90 to pull. Prior to pulling the trigger we rented a Bambi and it was nothing for the XB7. International was a bit more in weight with the extra features and dual axles.

We’ve also used our XB7 to pull our old 1997 Defender to Portland for some events. No issues.

As for a brake controller, Curt makes a Bluetooth controller that is plug and play and works great. It’s like $250.

We did go with a ProPride hitch as well which vastly reduces trailer sway over regular friction bars.

[Angelo_GraysonMiniBMW]

Originally Posted by PNWM3

We have a 23’ International we’ve towed with our XB7 but mostly use our 2023 D90 to pull. Prior to pulling the trigger we rented a Bambi and it was nothing for the XB7. International was a bit more in weight with the extra features and dual axles.

We’ve also used our XB7 to pull our old 1997 Defender to Portland for some events. No issues.

As for a brake controller, Curt makes a Bluetooth controller that is plug and play and works great. It’s like $250.

We did go with a ProPride hitch as well which vastly reduces trailer sway over regular friction bars.

How do you like your new Defender? I’ve always loved the old D90’s. My wife wants the new 110, just nervous about reliability unlike the classic you have there.

[Angelo_GraysonMiniBMW]

It’s really unfortunate to hear about this build quality issue from folks on here about the newer AS. The camper I have my eye on is the Opus-15 and Bruder. The Basecamp doesn’t seem to offer as much for actual overlanding compared to the others including the Black Series. Granted, these trailers I’m looking at are for my 200 series and if I were to get one for an X7, AS seems to be the best option to keep weight down and also benefit from the aerodynamics. AS are more for reserved car camping sites which makes it a great option for the X7. Plus they look good. My goal is get off grid and setup my site without having neighbors and screaming kids around.

I would highly recommend renting a couple campers first before buying one. It’s a great way to experience them and fine tune what your really want when you go to buy one.

[BMWFantastic85]

Are there any good alternatives to AS?