Why Did You Choose An Airstream?

[FrenchBern]

I bought mine because it was cheap ($2K) and I was told by a friend that i could get my money back if I didn't like camping. Now I am so gratefull because of all the nice Airstreamers I met.

[Camper Dave]

After tent camping for several years, then camping for 5 years in a popup tent camper, then camping three years in a 25' square sided fiberglass camper with slideouts that was hassel for me to clean, the DW and I began looking at Airstreams. After purchasing at new 2004 25' Classic and camping with it the past two years we've never been sorry we purchased it. It pulls great and is easy to maintain. The camper was a pricy purchase but should serve us well for several years untile old age makes us part with it.

[gaylejoe]

True story. I know a fellow AS owner who answered an ad for a riding lawn mower. The seller of the lawn also had an old AS for sale. My friend always wanted an AS so he bought it on the spot. Had some explaining to do when he got home pulling the AS.

[safari57]

I just start sending my buddies vintage Flying Cloud advertisements I find on Craig's list. Next thing I know they are afflicted.

So far, I've managed to increase the Flying Cloud population in my car club by two more. I have another "interested" if we come across the "right" Caravel project in the PNW.

Barry

[edgeman]

I suggested to my wife that we should sell the motorhome (SOB) and get a trailer for a little more room and less maintainence. I thought something square would be O.K. and her comment was oh good we can get an Airstream. The next thing you know I was divorced!!! No just kidding. The next thing you know we were the proud owners of a 1981 27 foot Excella II. She had always loved aluminum except for my airplanes. I loved aluminum because of airplanes. It fell together and we both decided that aluminum and rivets were the way to go. An the adventure has begun.

[Mackhopp]

We're a young family with 2 boys (and now a dog). We had been quietly and casually looking at cottage properties for a bit, wanting to have a place to create those great memories that only the great outdoors, time with the family and campfires can make.

Long story short - we abandoned the cottage idea for time being (who needs the work of keeping a 2nd house to keep clean??) and got an absolutely fabulous 25' CCD. We camp every weekend practically with longer trips in between.

But why specifically an Airstream as opposed to an SOB? There was never a single moment when we considered anything other than an Airstream. Everything about it fit the bill.

I'm counting the days until it comes out of storage...!

[nilesrob]

We've always loved camping, in various stages from backpacking to river-camping to tailgating. With kids, we purchased an SOB (and loved) until one day we made the fatal mistake of stopping by an AS dealer and looking inside. End of story.

[gaylejoe]

Brad, that was exactly what happened to us. Once we looked at an AS we knew that we would not be happy with a square cornered trailer. Soon we will began planning our 3 month trip this summer to the NW and back to MT for the rally before returnng back to Texas. We really enjoy our AS.

[Mrs_RedSHED]

I RV camped as a child and my husband tent camped. We had a popup and though it was easy to move to just the right spot by pushing, it took too much work to set up when trying to keep track of a child. Then there was setting up in the rain.
We traded for a SOB hybrid. Less set up but still enough to be annoying. But mostly, my husband was exasperated at watching that much money deteriorate right before our eyes. We could practically see the thing decompose. We were ready to quit camping. A sad thought for me since I felt it was so great for our kids.
Then my husband discovered this website, discovered that we could actually afford an A/S. We like quality. We like "different". We like things that have some endurance. We like camping. An A/S was the answer!
Found our A/S on the forums classifieds. It was owned by the nicest couple who had taken great care of the A/S.

[3streams]

Well we had concert tickets for a show in Winter Park, CO and we were all going to ride out together in our cousin's 40' class-A (although nice, not an AS), then his wife said she was going to come along and that she didn't want to share the RV with a bunch of people. We either let them hock our tickets or fly out there- well we didn't want to do that. But we didn't want to stay in hotels or tent camp next to their 40'. Our cousin said get a coach- class A. We wouldn't be caught dead driving a brick down the road at a whopping 5 mpgs! I said- "Hey do they still make those shinny campers?" A google search later - we were drooling over our first camper. We were mesmerized by the shinny exterior and interior of the International CCD's- so we located a dealer an brought a slightly used one of the lot (still had the appliance stickers on them- never used the stove or microwave). A week later we were on the road (crash coarse in RVing- but thats another thread). Now that we have been ASing for a few years we are going vintage and once our vintage ones are fully operational we will sell the '05. We can't justify the weight of the new one- not to mention we have come to find the vintage ones more iconic and meaningful to us.

Here we are hooking the sewage hose up for the first time...

Andy and his cousin Kenny- that his SOB to the left

[slowmover]

My grandparents bought a 28' Streamline in the 1960's, and the experience of it influenced my parents in their RV purchases. That trailer spent 6-weeks at our house every Easter season for nearly a decade and provided substantial privacy for my grandparents as they required, an aspect many might not consider about an RV. My grandfather had gone through the many types of trailers and their good/bad points for some years, and decided that Streamline met all their qualifications (he might also have decided on A/S, Avion, Silver Streak or Boles Aero).

First consideration is construction. Will it last and does the weight add to structural security?

Second is towing safety. As a truck driver at several points I have seen not only 5th wheels but tractor-trailer vans heeling over in the wind. By report (we'd holler at them on the CB) they often weren't aware of the problem by feedback from the steering wheel. And, as professional drivers tend to be acutely aware of how their rig is handling, it's lane position, etc, this is rather a scary thing for an RV'er not so aware and ostensibly "on vacation". I get tired of reading dual rear wheel 1-ton trucks not needing anti-sway or weight-distribution (dumb-a accent here) "the truck don't sway none a'tall".

The fact is that square boxes "trap" the wind along their edges, there is a distinct pressure buildup. (Discussions of this can be found in-depth by engineers), and this leads to terrible wrecks.

An aerodynamic trailer, that

is light in weight (no dead weight, per se)
has a low center of gravity
semi or fully independent suspension
properly-rigged

is about as safe or safer, IMO, than any other type of RV. I don't think this can be played up enough. I want the ability to run away from a storm, tornado or other high winds on a different heading if need be, and to do so at a relatively or absolutely high speed. I may not do it (just park) but I want the choice. (Thus I'll be looking into adapting a MOR-RYDE suspension at some time if I find it superior to a well set up leaf spring).

And, when built to a high standard, such a trailer will last as long or longer than the original owner given reasonable usage (non-commercial).

For my parents the above meant buying a 1976 Silver Streak which they sold in 2004 or so. For us, when the time came, a 1983 Silver Streak. Both choices were premised on the greater storage and living space versus contemporary A/S trailers. The S/S was higher priced, when new (as I recall), and I was able to get ours last year for a price lower than an A/S of comparable quality. (Not to mention a GREAT deal less in repairs and maintenance).

For my parents and us we gave up the independent suspension and slightly better aerodynamics of an A/S. A lower center of gravity as well, I imagine, although I haven't seen numbers or measurement guidelines so as to determine a comparison (which I would like to do).

It irks me to see the problems that new A/S owners are having. Had A/S some competition this might change. I believe that this end of the RV market needs both high end and middle stratum borrowing of components and methods used by the aircraft and yachting industry to bring this type of trailer fully into the modern era. I'm sorry that the general public equates big (and cheap) with value.

RV's in general and A/S in particular have gotten too heavy, IMO, as ordinary houses are now too big for their lots, expensive to air-condition, etc. Fuel prices are not likely to decline, and the expense of an oversized vehicle for personal use (most of the miles driven) is becoming prohibitive.

As with some posts above, the ability of a well-made trailer to sit around for years and then go back on the road at a reasonable cost is impressive. I had no qualms about buying ours even though the PO might not have hauled it 500 miles in the last five years of his ownership.

All aluminum
Craftsmanship
Aerodynamic and well-balanced
Designed for decades of reasonable service

[firedog]

I think they hold their value well over the years.Plus all the fun along the way.