Meet Nemo and Bubbles!
Bubbles
Bubbles is a 2017 Airstream travel trailer, 30-foot, FB (front bedroom), Flying Cloud (trim), bunk model. At the time, this was the only model that allowed for two distinct sleeping spaces. This was a
deciding factor for us in choosing Airstream. On paper this model can sleep eight people, two in the front bedroom one on the upper bunk, two on the lower bunk, one on the couch and two on the dinette. In practice, most everyone would have to be pretty small and very comfortable with their bedmate!
Bubbles has the full awning package, sunglasses on the front to protect front window and
aluminum corners, stainless steel rock guards on the front and was pre-wired for solar.
Here are the some of the other specifications of our chosen configuration:
- Exterior length – 30 ft 10 in
- Exterior width – 8 ft 5.5 in
- Exterior height with AC – 9 ft 9 in
- Freshwater tank – 54 gal
- Grey waste (sinks and shower) tank – 39 gal
- Black waste (toilet) tank37 gal
- 12V single compressor refrigerator & freezer – 9.7 cu ft
- Two 30 lb propane tanks
- Two ducted, 13,500 btu RV AC/Heat Pump
- 30.000 btu ducted propane furnace
- Propane three-burner stove
- Propane oven
- Three LCD televisions with individual HDMI feeds!
- Four speaker radio/CD player with Bluetooth connections and microphone
Nemo
Nemo is a 2016, Nissan Titan XD, Pro-4X with all options. Here are key
specifications:
- Cummins 5.0-liter V8 Turbo Diesel
- Cummins M2 two-stage, four mode turbocharger
- 310 horsepower @ 3,200rpm
- 555 lb-ft torque @ 1.500 rom
- Asin 6-speed automatic transmission
- 12.000 lb towing capacity
- 26 gal fuel tank
- 4.5 gal DEF tank
- 275/65 R18 General Grabber APT tires
History of Nemo upgrades:
Nemo gets a cap!
With a brand new model on the market, it was actually hard to find a manufacturer that was ready to fabricate a cap. After a bit of trial and error with a local dealer, we opted for an ARE MX-series, mid-height cap with an OTR (like bed-liner) coating and Yakima Whispbar rack. We also installed a Bed Rug carpet.
Nemo’s New Shoes and Air Bags.
It was time to replace Nemo’s factory shoes. The General Grabber’s weren’t bad but didn’t seem to be lasting as long as we expected given our driving history. With Alaska in our 2018 plans, we opted for BF Goodrich K02 tires, a well-respected model for light-duty off-road usage and as everyday drivers. We run these at 65psi as per the vehicle recommendations.
We also had a local dealer install a basic set of airbags to help us fine tune Nemo’s rear suspension. Specifically, we went with a Load Lifter 5000 Ultimate. The pressure in each bag differs depending upon ambient temperature and pressure so these are adjusted periodically to maintain the front of Bubbles one inch lower than the rear when using the lower seam as a reference.
