Basecamp 20X Broken Already? 

Airstream, aka THOR, don’t care unless it hurts sales. I had a 23FB, and 4-ish years into its use my foot went through the floor. Their pluses of being almost/kinda/sorta leakproof, watertight and airtight (more than other brands) is also their weakness. People breathe, shower, and cook. What they don’t tell you is the flooring is (was, they now use a composite) plain plywood, there are no drains for window condensation to exit the trailer so it rots the plywood out. What irked me was when the repair shop explained it’s common, happens a lot, Airstream is well aware of the issue but all repairs occur after the warranty period, so… ehh, ho cares. When he was describing the process to remove everything in the trailer ripping out the floor, and putting new plywood down, he said that mold and mildew resistant plywood is what they recommend but it cost more. How much more? About $5 per sheet, it’s the kitchen bath grade, greenish tint that hardware stores sell. The cost difference is about $50/unit my size. Then he explained that it’s what they use a small strip of on the entrance and shower lips, as those areas have failed in the 2 year warranty period. As I thought about it… Airstream chose to save $50, knowing that a few, quite a few would have a $25,000+ expense four years later, but chose to not improve because it will be out of warranty by then… I got pissed. There was nothing in their brochures about this wood rot issue, had someone said AIR IT OUT AFTER EVERY SHOWER AND ANYTIME YOU SEE CONDENSATION ON THE WINDOWS!” I would have known the reason why. Note this only affects people who use these in cold environments, which I love.

Thanks for the feedback! If you want to see specific topics covered let me know.

Awesome! I attribute a lot of those problems to it being one of the first lots out of the factory. The best resource is the Basecamp20 group on Facebook.

Did you get it through Airstream DFW? I had mine serviced there and they did a great job.

Wow still that far out for preorders? Each year gets better than the previous. Can’t wait to see what they come out with.

Its Hecho en Mehico

How's the trailer?

@@ac7438 We ended up passing on it because when we went to pick it up, it had all sorts of quality issues. We ended up doing a van build instead. I hope yours in holding up well.

Thanks! Let me know if you have any questions.

Airstream prides itself on the quality - and the AL frames are gorgeous (if that’s your thing). But all the talk of quality issues - and in this case there are a few materials choices that simply don’t live up to their use cases.

I actually took it a step further and travel without the spare. A risk I mitigate by carrying a repair kit and portable air compressor. You need a high lift jack anyway to change a flat. Minus 50lbs on the tongue.

Thanks for watching!

Which cabinets are you referring to? While they all look uniform from the outside, there are utility covers and other protrusions that impact the space inside. The two above the fridge are the same H/W/D as well as the three on the left of the galley.

@@SlowYourRoll Hi Ryan, thanks for the reply. I contacted airstream and they may be able to get me interior dimensions for any cubby behind black glass. We are also going to try and see one this month and bring a soft measuring tape just in case :).

Make sure the black water flush works too. I forgot to cover that but it’s a common problem. As far as solar we’re only running DC. 180w on the roof and a 100w suitcase has been more than enough. Next project is installing a 2000w inverter so stay tuned on performance with AC/DC pulling from the batteries. Good luck on your walk through!

It’s a 2021. One of the earlier ones to be delivered. I know they made changes to the heat ducting on later 21s.

Toyota 4Runner for tow vehicle. It is adequate if you reduce weight forward of the trailer axel. With my setup tongue weight fluctuates between 420-480lbs. Overall trailer weight with gear is~3750lbs. 4Runners are underpowered so they wont be breaking any land speed records on inclines but you don’t want to be going fast towing anyway.

Run. ALL RVs with VERY rare exception have significant problems AND you are right, consumers have failed to hold companies & dealers accountable which is why the problems never go away. One reason for this is that many RV owners seem to take pride in fixing their own rigs. I applaud their expertise but if you pay good and often very big money you shouldn’t have to be your own repairman/woman. And, it’s not just how they are made, try finding a dealership with mechanics who really know how to repair & troubleshoot the myriad of issues. And good luck getting any part in less than 3 weeks even pre covid. Sorry to say that the future for RV/Trailer industry consumer oriented improvements is grim because most are now made/controlled by one company, Thor with a handful of others making the rest. If tents had air conditioning, I’d switch back in a minute. :)

Airstream hasn’t reached out to me directly and the service department has been good about fixing the issues. I’m pretty confident Airstream does watch some of these because they have implemented changes over the years based on videos I’ve seen. One in particular is the modular bed. Early models this was one piece and now it’s cut in two sections to allow you to adjust the bed size and access the storage.

It’s responsive in about 15 to 20 seconds. We are still trying to find the right amount of hot/cold combo for the shower. The tearing is a result of the boards having a right angle and the nets being tapered. They fit but it’s tight. You’ll be fine with bags, linen, pillows on the nets.

That’s god to hear. I have heard less bad things on the 16 models writ large. If you follow my videos you will see shortly the issues we had with the furnace.

The sleeping area fully assembled is a large king. Not sure if the physical dimensions off the top but it is really large. Storage is limited but there is a tow hitch that can be welded to the frame for a gear box or “Pack Mule”. It just takes some creative solutions. If you want a fixed bed and a little more storage I’d suggest Bambi or Caravel. Those would require a roof rack on your tow vehicle for gear. We camped below freezing and had no issues with the tanks. They have heaters and if you add some antifreeze to Grey/Black you’ll be ok. Just keep the ambient temp inside above 50 degrees.

Currently none. The dealership suggested two which I purchased to find out later they don’t fit. The Basecamp a frame isn’t very big and the propane locker takes up most of that room. Another option is to drill into the a frame. Also those systems ultimately add weight (60-100lbs) to the tongue weight which I don’t have wiggle room on.

Yes on the 16 model but the 20 does have separate tanks for black, gray, and fresh.

At this point we had the Basecamp for one month. I’ve seen similar issue with other manufacturers. The saving grace is service does a good job addressing issues. A year ago it was hard getting an appointment due to the significant increase in purchases 2020-2021. I do wish AS would install metal instead of plastic fittings.

Absolutely. Work travel has picked up so I haven’t been able to get out and shoot. In short they fixed all the small issues but the hatch still pops out on the top. I’m guessing the strike plate is not strong or deep enough to engage the latch bolt.

@@ryanhogan5958 That's disappointing the latch issue continues. As follow-up, has that been remedied by Airstream?

@@glenntaylor1679 I don’t know if it’s been remedied among the fleet but it took three trips to service for them to reenforce the kick plate, add some spacers for increased depth and personally being cognizant of applying appropriate force to close it. They just need a longer latch bolt to compensate for the force.

@@SlowYourRoll Understand & thank you for a great channel-

Check out the InTech series of trailers. Small, light weight, and great for hauling gear.

The dealership has been pretty good at fixing the items. The issue is they are overwhelmed by service appointments and getting it in is difficult. I’ve been waiting a month just to confirm an appointment.

I love my NuCamp T@B 320S Boondock! Perfect for 5'6" me.

How’s the T@B? We just sold our T@G XL to some friends of ours and picked up a BC 20x. Loved the little teardrop but also had tic-tac problems. Like everything RV..

All the repairs are covered by the warranty. To your point I think Airstream should extend the warranty and identify these as recall items for those outside the warranty window. I purchased this based on their purported reputation.

This is what I used www.airstream.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2020-Basecamp-Parts-Book.pdf. When in doubt, check with Airstream.

@@SlowYourRoll thank you.

Yes they are more common than I thought at the time. Hardware stores sell them as well.

Nice. I just watched the Colonial Airstream tour. The glass is a pain and I like the added water filtration system. Enjoy!

What are level clips? And how would you install them? Thanks for clarifying ✅

Yea it’s disappointing but I equate it to automobiles. Take a BMW where a 7 series is going to be a lot nicer than a 3 series. The 3 series gets more people into the brand but in the end it’s just as expensive to service. The Basecamp is Airstreams entry point for people who can’t throw $100K+ down on an rv. It gets them into the brand. At the end of the day I like it and that’s my internal justification. Wait on the ‘22 line to see if they address the existing issues.

Honestly I never had murder hornet invasion included in my list of concerns but it’s there now. Thanks for that 😂.

No I didn’t opt for the extended. May bite me but I bought based on their previous quality standards.

@@SlowYourRoll I never buy extended warranties, but I got sucked in. After reading like a novel all the things that is DOESNT cover, doesn't really sound like it covers anything....Good thing I cancel at any time.

Should be total quality build and made to last. Customer should not have to retro fit door latches and replace things on a brand new AirStream.

We did spend a night upon purchase not at the dealership but down the street at a harvest host testing out all the systems. These issues didn’t manifest until the second or third trip with the exception of the black tank flush which we expected.

Good point on propane safety. Can you add the source to help others who may not be aware? The only things I’ve found are OSHA standards and relate more to commercial propane use. My concern is locking the compartment during long term storage when the tanks are off or not in the RV altogether. When we use propane it’s always accessible in the event of an incident and turned off while traveling. Regarding the hatch I always raise the leveling jacks first before the trailer jack. In this case the tech said the the strike plate was mounted too far forward.

@@SlowYourRoll Yes I can give my source. It was a certified Airstream technician named Zeke at Lazydays RV in Knoxville TN. Give him a call he'll be glad to help you give better information before you put out videos on locking your propane in containers. Or any other problems that you are having with your airstream basecamp.

We have the same issue with the back hatch on our 20X. Not only does the top not latch appropriately, but the handle fell off the door. Never hitched with the stabilizer jacks down so I’m not so sure this is user error...

@@jroamforgood6370 has the issue been resolved or are you still dealing with it? Camping World adjusted the strike plate which helped a little bit it still pops out when we travel.

Definitely a concern. The Basecamp model has a flat unfinished roof so less of a concern. Cardboard over the solar panels works in pinch.

It is sad to see considering the record revenue they received from 2020-2022. Granted they probably rushed production to keep up with demand but I’m seeing in 2023 they still rely on the dealerships to address production issues instead of their quality control dept.