Interesting Video... Airstream Vs. Oliver: A battle of the Titans

[Snackchaser]

Watched a new video from around July 2025.  It's an interesting comparison from an Airstream Basecamp guy who thoroughly praised the Oliver as the highest quality trailer he's seen.  The video also shows some of newer equipment such as the Truma AC, and the interior equipment spaces including what appears to be a Victron 30 amp DC to DC charger installation.

Actually a friend sent this and I couldn't help feeling proud! 

Cheers, Geoff

 

Edited August 27 by Snackchaser

[rideandfly]

59 minutes ago, Snackchaser said:

Actually a friend sent this and I couldn't help feeling proud! 

Cheers, Geoff

Geoff, First time we were given a tour of a Legacy Elite, felt the same way!

Good video! Thanks for posting!

[routlaw]

To me it’s sort of like comparing apples to oranges with the two. I have never thought of the Base Camp as an off road camper let along an overlander or anything near that. I do agree with many of this guy’s assessments on both though. Clearly Oliver has made many excellent improvements compared to my much older #70 which seems crude in many ways by comparison. 

But if I were starting over with a new trailer now it would be hands down an Imperial Outdoors. I have been in these campers and absolutely nothing I have ever seen comes close to the build quality or engineering of these off road overlanders. They are not particularly attractive from the outside, the interior however is awesome and well manicured and crafted. 

https://imperial-outdoors.com

 

 

[FloraFauna]

1 hour ago, routlaw said:

But if I were starting over with a new trailer now it would be hands down an Imperial Outdoors.

We considered this one as a serious contender before we bought our Oliver.  It had a number of issues for us however.  The first is it's pretty heavy (X195) compared to the Elite II - pretty much 3/4-ton truck territory.  For our kind of travel I didn't think we would make sufficient use of its off-road capabilities and the air suspension - we are getting too old for that.  I couldn't really imagine pulling something that heavy off-road even with our 3/4-ton truck. The dry toilet seems nice but fussy and expensive for sure. Finally, didn't like the bed size and layout, and no twin-bed option. Relatively limited dealer network with no apparent mothership (and I live in Wisconsin!).  In the end for the price and the features mentioned, we felt the Oliver EII was a better buy for our use. But I am not surprised you too saw it as a competitor to Oliver.  

 

 

 

[routlaw]

@FloraFauna I do understand your thoughts between the two, Oliver and IO trailers. I was told by our local dealer, yes we have one in Bozeman, that you cannot use a WDH with their trailers but he didn't go into great detail explaining why. Looking at the massive size of the frames though would most likely eliminate most if not all of the WDH on the market. It's interesting most of the photos and videos illustrate half ton pickups towing these things. And on one of their videos a guy explains the issues with a WDH and stress and torque it applies to the ball joint while the CR Master hitch does not do this. Of course none of this addresses the limits of a tow vehicle's hitch weight and load carry capacity. 

I didn't mind the beds at all, don't carry for the dry flush toilet, love the windows, suspension and just about everything else. They are ugly enough that no one will ever ask for a tour in one though. The off roading is truly what appeals to me and frustrates me about the Oliver. While I have traveled down many BLM and Forest Service roads with our Oliver there is a limit.

[FloraFauna]

3 hours ago, routlaw said:

But if I were starting over with a new trailer now it would be hands down an Imperial Outdoors.

I need to back off on my weight comments above.  At the time we were looking, the X195 was not out yet and they had a X22 (or something like that) with GVWR of 9000 or 10000 lbs as I recall - thus my comments about the weight.  The X195 appeared as a generation 2 trailer from this manufacturer (they dropped the x22) just before we bought our Ollie and it has a GVWR of 6172 lbs so much less.  In the same ballpark as the Oliver LEII.  So for serious rough roads and offroad this is certainly an appealing option.

[routlaw]

Correct the X22 series was discontinued a couple years ago, and seemed to have expanded their lineup since. They now have a Sport, Explore and Outback series both in single axle (X145) and double axle (X195) although they are really not axles in the truest sense of the word. Their claim is to withstand -40º below zero. The day I looked into them it was well into the 90's on an intense sunny day but they felt quite comfortable inside, considerably more so than the Oliver, it was quite obvious. Their options include a massive solar array and battery storage. Had never heard of those batteries and they are technically very different than most others but also extremely expensive. The salesman said you could end up paying $30K + or - just for the solar/battery setup. Too rich for my blood but it was impressive.

[FloraFauna]

1 hour ago, routlaw said:

-40º below zero

Yes, I have seen those claims and reviews backing it up.  I believe they began by making high end ice shanties for fishing, so they have some credibility with their insulated panels.  Your contrast with the Oliver is my experience as well - more of a three-season trailer than four but yet better than most.  Technologically, the Xplor is an intriguing trailer - truly can live completely off grid for as long as 60 gallons of water will last you.  But then once again, I had to ask myself at my age am I going to be out in the cold camping or the more extreme heat, and the realistic answer is no unless there is an apocalypse.   Thus, for the money and my anticipated use ...   I use my Oliver completely off-grid the majority of the time.  Just not for extended periods and not in extreme conditions or extreme locations.  Perhaps the same is true for you and you want to push those boundaries - I get it.

[Zodd]

On 8/27/2025 at 4:44 PM, routlaw said:

Too rich for my blood but it was impressive.

That is pretty much where we ended as well. Too much of a price bump for off-road capabilities we were not going to use. 

[Rivernerd]

On 8/27/2025 at 1:22 PM, routlaw said:

But if I were starting over with a new trailer now it would be hands down an Imperial Outdoors.

Worth considering, but the wood interiors would deter us.  The hypoallergenic nature of the "nearly" woodless Oliver (with double fiberglass hull, scupper holes, etc.)  is a big deal to us, as my wife has a serious mold allergy.