After we towed the camper home it was time for a closer inspection.  Not surprisingly I uncovered several issues.  The first things I looked at were the plumbing, the electric, and the appliances.  After connecting the camper to an electrical outlet we found that the lights worked.  Unfortunately, that’s about all that worked.  Although the previous owner had bragged about the fact that he had installed new PVC plumbing, I found one of the pipes broken and the electric hot water heater that he had installed rusted beyond repair.  I was reluctant to turn on the gas to test the stove, but I did try to test the water pump and the refrigerator.  Neither worked.  It seems I had purchased the equivalent of an aluminum tent on wheels.  Clearly I had work to do.

But before addressing any of the internal systems issues I decided to do some research on the Airforums.com website.  The Air Forums discussion boards are an invaluable resource for any vintage airstream owner.  Nearly every topic you can imagine has been discussed somewhere within those forums.  Through the forums I quickly began to learn that there exists an entire community of Airstreamers who are passionate about the history, care, and use of their trailers.  Members of that community stand ready to assist newcomers with any questions they may have.

After reading through the forums and consulting other websites I quickly learned that the internal systems generally do not deserve the highest ranking when prioritizing vintage trailer issues that need to be addressed.  My reading suggested that the highest priorities should be:

1. Make sure that the axle is good

2. Make sure the frame is good

3. Make sure that the towing lights work properly

4. Replace rotted floor if it is significantly affecting the structural integrity of the trailer

5. Stop the leaks

In other words, you first need to make sure that the trailer doesn’t fall apart when you are towing it down the road.  Everything after that are just luxury items.

One evening about a year ago my mother called from Florida to tell us that she saw an Airstream camper in her neighborhood.  She asked if we were interested in buying it.  My wife, Angie, had mentioned that she would like to upgrade from tent camping to trailer camping.  Angie had shown her pictures of old Scotty campers, small teardrop trailers, and Airstreams.  Little did we know that not long after expressing our interest my mother, the expert shopper, would find a small Airstream for sale.

I didn’t return her call right away.  Angie and I talked about it that evening and then went to sleep on it.  Mom called the next day and said, “Well, do you want this thing or not?!”  Never having owned a pull-behind camper I asked a lot of questions.  She had a friend take a few pictures with her phone and send them to us.  My stepfather gave me a fairly detailed description.  He summarized the trailer’s condition by saying, “It looks like it’s in good shape.  It’s not a new trailer.  It’s old and it looks old, but in good shape.”  It was a 1964 Airstream Bambi II.  It had only a couple of minor dents in the body, had been lightly used over the past few years, and it was road worthy.

I called the owner and asked more questions.  He told me some of the trailer’s history.  It was built in Airstream’s factory in California, which has since closed though the factory in Ohio continues to make trailers to this day.  It was one of only around two hundred Bambi II’s made.  It spent many years in North Dakota.  The current owner had been in possession for 4 or 5 years.  He had done some work on the interior.  He covered the floor with Pergo hardwood, replaced some of the original copper plumbing with PVC, reupholstered the gauchos, and hung blinds.  When he told me that he would haul the trailer to me in New Jersey for the price I had in mind, the deal was sealed.  We were going to be the proud new owners of a Bambi II.  We sent him a deposit and waited for his trip north.

A few months later he pulled the trailer to Scranton PA where we went to pick it up.  We had bought a used Chevy Blazer in the meantime and had a hitch installed to pull the trailer.  We pulled it home to New Jersey without any problems.  Once we got it home it was time to start learning what I had gotten myself into!