Buying and using an RV is a great idea for people who are on the move a lot, and Airstream is one of the more luxurious brands of RV trailers out there. That said, Airstream trailers are notorious for being expensive, but, as usual, there are cheaper options. Here’s a look at what you get from the cheaper Airstream travel trailers.

A look at the more affordable Airstream trailers

Just like BMW, Airstream has a lot of expensive options, but it also has a few affordable options. Like BMW, even those affordable options aren’t exactly cheap. According to Airstream, its cheapest option is the Basecamp trailer, which, at 16 feet long, can fit two people. It starts at $38,000, so it’s roughly the price of a brand-new SUV.

The cheapest Airstream trailer that can hold a family of four is the Bambi. It’s 16 to 22 feet long, and it starts at about $50,000. If you want an Airstream trailer that can hold more than four people, the cheapest option is actually the Flying Cloud, which can hold up to eight people. It’s priced between 23 to 30 feet long, and it starts at $79,000. Obviously, compared to cars, the Bambi and the Flying Cloud aren’t cheap, but compared to the other Airstream options, they kind of are.

What these relatively affordable Airstream trailers offer

While the obvious difference between these three trailers is in their bed capacity, the extra dollars also give a few extra amenities as well. For example, both the Bambi and the Flying Cloud come with an LED TV, however, the Basecamp doesn’t. While all three trailers have a toilet, the Bambi and the Flying Cloud have a faucet, while the Basecamp once again doesn’t.

This is a recurring trend between these three options. The Bambi and the Flying Cloud not only can accommodate more people, but they’re also a bit more luxurious than the Basecamp is. The Basecamp, meanwhile, tries to be the affordable trailer for people who want to do what its name implies. Airstream wants the Basecamp to be like the base camp for campers who are looking for a more simple, yet mildly luxurious RV experience. 

For a few extra thousand dollars, Airstream does offer trailer options that have more features than these three do. However, one model, the Classic, at a starting price of $157,000, is significantly more expensive than everything else is. This makes the Classic model not really comparable to anything else since it provides a pretty unique experience to the five people that it can accommodate.

Comparing the cheap Airstream trailers with the expensive ones

For those looking for a more luxurious but simple experience, Airstream offers the Nest. Like the Basecamp, it’s 16 feet long, and it can hold two people. It also only costs $43,000, which is $5,000 more than the Basecamp is. The Caravel, at a starting price of $62,000, is comparable in size to the Bambi. However, it of course is more luxurious than the Bambi is.

While the Nest isn’t that much more luxurious than the Basecamp is, the Nest does have a longer list of features. This is a similar story when comparing the Caravel with the Bambi. For example, the Caravel has a premium sound system, while the Bambi has a more basic one.

Airstream doesn’t offer any other trailers that can hold eight people, but it does have two more luxurious trailers that can hold six people. These trailers are the International and the Globetrotter, and they start at $92,000 and $96,000 respectively. Compared to the Flying Cloud, the Globetrotter and the International can hold fewer people, but it also comes with more features, such as much larger bed options.