[A/S]Bambi4me; formerly To all listees - a request

["Silsby S. Pelissero" <silsby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    Hi Garth,


> How do you like your 19 foot Bambi?

We love it. Couldn't go on without it.
We've only made 2 modifications to it's stock configuration.
One was to change the factory battery setup to accommodate 2 batteries. We
chose Optima Gel Yellow Top Deep Cycles and have been very pleased with this
upgrade.
The other change was to add the factory metal wrap protectors.  I'm glad we
did this because it keeps the front of the trailer from getting all dented
up from the stones that are tossed up from the road. The guards get banged
up but are a lot easier and less expensive to replace then the body panels.

> Do you plan to take any extended trips with it where storage could be an
issue?

We have used it for 3 "seasons" now, each time venturing further and staying
out longer. Last summer we went out for over 7 weeks, down to Southern
California and then up to Oregon, Washington and around Western Canada (We
got as far East as the Continental Divide inside Canada).  This last
Christmas we camped in Southern California for 2 weeks and Connie even did
all her Christmas baking in it.  We have a Yakima Space Case and a Yakima
Basket Case on lockable Yakima Racks on top of the Durango.  We carry the
outside ground rug, 3 roll up chairs, 2 roll up tables and 1 aluminum
cooking table, broom, a folding 5' ladder, break down ores, fishing poles,
tackle boxes, life jackets, boat cushion, charcoal and some other little
stuff in the Space Case.  We store a fire pit grill, a 4 person blow up
raft, and a small Weber BBQ in the Basket case.
Inside the cargo area of the Dodge we carry our tools, a propane stove,
ToteAlong, small TV/VCR, air compressor, medium size cooler, laptop
computer, etc. All the things we carry in our tow vehicle are well within
the "payload" rating for it.  We put food, staples, cooking utensils,
clothing for 3 people for 10 days, bathroom & kitchen supplies, etc. in the
Bambi.

I should mention that the Durango is a 360cid with a 3.92 rear end and is
rated to 7,350# Maximum Trailer Weight.  We still had to beef up the stock
factory towing suspension in the Dodge with the addition of Rancho 9000 "5
Speed" shocks all the way around and rear Air Lift air bags. The shocks and
the air bags can be adjusted from inside the truck while traveling. We
experienced a lot of rear end sag and funky steering response the first
season with just the stock shocks installed and no air bags.

> I would prefer one a little longer so we have more storage.

I am (was) looking at the 2001 25' Excella but not so that we can carry more
stuff.  I like it's wrap around front window better. I like its bigger
bathroom area a lot better. I like better fabric, carpet, the cool guy
monitoring panel that includes how much propane is left in your tanks,
MaxAir two-way auto rain sensing fans, skylight, microwave, riveted windows,
bigger holding tanks, awnings all the way around, Alcoa wheels, front door
deadbolt, pressurized water tank ......Oh I could go on and on but it's
definitely not to pack around more stuff.  Well, maybe to pack around cooler
stuff. (-:

The Excella weighs a lot more, GVWR 7,300# vs. 4,500# for the Bambi, a
direct effect of its 25'9" length and it's width is 5.5 inches wider then
the Bambi. It also has one more axle and the weight of all that cooler
"stuff".  We could never tow it with a Durango so I'm looking into the Chevy
Duramax Diesel 3/4 ton but I am going to wait until the Duramax has been out
there for awhile longer to shake out all or most of the bugs and because we
really don't want a pickup but would prefer a Suburban or a Van on a 3/4 ton
chassis.

Honestly, the Bambi is perfect for our needs. It's a palace compared with
our 1938 Kit Teardrop, and we are going keep it for as long as it takes for
us to get into what will be our ultimate "Dream Stream".

Hope this helps.

Silsby Pelissero
99 Durango, 99 Bambi
    Not yet a WBCCI member