Are we burned out? Airstream versus resorts? Too much prep?

[Rzrbrn]

PatLee stated:

And BTW - why is it just your wife doing all the packing? Could you help?

What trash talk is this? It is 4:22am as I write this...Thank goodness my wife is not up to read such nastiness...(I'm joking of course...still and all, don't want to plant such seeds in her mind...)

Seriously, this is a great thread. I was wavering there for a bit, now I am ready to get back on the "camping" horse!

[Protagonist]

Ultimately, even a rotten day Airstreaming is still a day of Airstreaming, and worth every minute. Next time you have a disappointing trip, just remember that you could be having a disappointing time at home instead, and that puts things in perspective.

And when all else fails, remember my old adage that the only functional difference between a disaster and and adventure is whether you can laugh about it later when you tell the story around a campfire. Every Airstreaming disaster I've ever had has become an adventure; though sometimes it takes a few months to put enough emotional distance between me and the events in question...

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by mojo

According to the Airforum member list, there are 116,038 registered members on the forum. The only thing we have in common is that we all own, have owned or want to own an Airstream. Other than that, you will find 116,038 differing opinions on how to use them!

I will agree that the money spent on an Airstrream, tow vehicle, and related costs will buy a whole lot of nights in a resort. But it all depends on what you want. If you ever watch Hotel Impossible on the Travel Channel, you might think twice about your future hotel stays. I would rather sleep in my own space than hot bunking in rooms that may not meet my standards for cleanliness.

I agree that being restricted to extended holiday weekends presents a challenge to finding campgrounds in the most desirable places. However, I don't like to plan and reserve every nights stay three months in advance of a trip. Being able to alter plans to move on when the weather changes or a location doesn't live up to the hype is important to not being stuck in a miserable spot. We have been able to find spots on short notice in Yellowstone, Yosemite, and other high demand parks. But you just have to go with the flow....or not!

Not to belabor the point but best times we ever had was when we ended up in places randomly after being forced to change plans for one reason or another. That opened up our eyes. However I confess, for me simply being on the road most of the time is almost as much fun as camping.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by Isuzusweet

Yes, I totally agree with a lot of the sentiments expressed in this thread but every time I reconsider the 100 or so hours of labour on my 310 to every 1 hour of actual use, one of those Carnival cruises pulls into harbour with thousands of people spewing body fluids from every orfice....... or I do get into an aircraft with hundreds of people that are potential hazmat material.

I can't do the airplane, cruise thing; just can't.

Cheers
Tony

One thing I left unmentioned in my epic trip story was that out of the 25 days of traveling all over, airports airplanes and hotels we had the flue for 14 days. Got sick the second day into the trip. Like you noted, hazmat suits should be worn at Airports and Airplanes.
I already swore of this type of travel years ago but I let my wife take advantage of me in a weak moment.
Never again !

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by karenjude

I find that the quicker I clean out the trailer and restock with clean bedding, towels etc the easier it is. The longer it sits waiting for me to do this in the driveway, the less motivation I have.

We do all of that as soon as we get home.
My wife cleans the interior and I do the outside. Other than food we are ready hit the road in two days.

[Wayward]

Air travel these days is miserable.

We just returned from a week+ road trip to Shenandoah Valley and Westchester County. NY without the Airstream (no salted roads for the Airstream). We stayed in three different 4 star hotels. It involved packing and repacking and hiking up and down stairs. We have taken the same trip in the Airstream and its is much more enjoyable.


We keep the Airstream packed. Washing/repacking clothes and bed linens when we return. Placing dryer sheets here and there keep things fresh.

Yes the trailer requires maintenance but what we value is....

- We use our own bathroom enroute.
- No interstate fast foods joints for coffee and lunch breaks enroute.
- We sleep in our own clean bed every night
- We have our favorite steaks, wines, ciders and whiskey when we want.....or can try local restaurants when we want.

I will say however for a beach trip, there are more negatives in the Airstream to deal with.

[dmac]

I don't mind air travel for shorter trips.

But for long ones the trailer is best!

[jholder]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

PatLee stated:

And BTW - why is it just your wife doing all the packing? Could you help?

What trash talk is this? It is 4:22am as I write this...Thank goodness my wife is not up to read such nastiness...(I'm joking of course...still and all, don't want to plant such seeds in her mind...)

Seriously, this is a great thread. I was wavering there for a bit, now I am ready to get back on the "camping" horse!

Ha! Yes I DO help but she stays home, so usually while I am working she’s getting all that stuff together and I take care of everything outside, making sure TV is ready, propane full, loaded etc.

[GM Airstream]

Wow.... you people who are whining about the trailer, camping etc... have to go try the other side of the hill....

Yep you can get a BNB... of course then their is the family who lets their little munchkins run up and down the hallway all night... till one of them falls... and then the screaming, whining and crying starts... Oh and lets not forget the bonehead that leaves his TV turned up all night so that he/they don't hear the little munchkins out in the hallway...

Head into the restraunt.. and its the same thing... people just think that they can let their kids run wild... chasing each other....and in one case throwing food... really... yep oh and the pool.... well we won't even go their... and will just let your imagination run wild with the comment... OH LOOK brown spotted wrinkle neck trout ... yep kids will be kids... I guess...

And while the RV industry has exploded.. its the dealers that are selling the prom'as'ed land of carefree living... so next time that jerk tries to get that 55 foot 5th wheel into a 30 ft spot... at 11 pm at night... and all the yelling and screaming... you might like the fact that after they get 'er in... all the slide outs ... out... and open up the outdoor theater and watch movies all night long.... one can consider boondocking somewhat a more traditional way to go these days... and save not only on san'ty but also money that these RESORTS and charging for glamping these days...

OH and lest we forget the other side of the coin... the homeless that are trashing the places... and beg'n from every newbie that come in... my old saying still holds true... 'don't feed the bears and they will move on'.... but a lot of these sympthy ding dongs.. just have to try and help out... by donating or providing for 'em...

Yet these are the same people that then ... just can't understand why their favorite campground has gone south.... and turned into a mess... go figure....

Nope camping in the trailer is still the better way to go... as we have tried the motel/hotel BNB's etc... and while their are a lot of the out their that do a good deed... they too have suffered the wrath of the un-desirable constant complaint sue happy idiots...

So until the campgrounds get back to camping... and yes you will need a lot of rules... to keep the boneheads in line... or else they get booted... things won't improve... after all one told me.. they have their rights... and people should respect their kids being monsters....

I had one mother come over to my campground.. after I told her munchkin .. not to run through my camp spot... he tripped on the water hose... and slid in home...

She started off with I am going to sue you... and ended up with how dare you tell my kid what to do... really.... When I got done... expanding my naval seamans verbage... her eyes got as big as coffee cups... and red'er than a bull in heat.... but... I asked for her name, address and all.. as I showed the hose to her and the ranger... that was damaged by her munchkin... and said not only would she be paying for the hose replacement... but any other damage that her kid did when he ran through the campsite... She told the ranger to call the cops.. .which he had to... and when they showed up... I explaned to them what happened and the damage...

To her frustration.. he wrote out a ticket to her.. and her kid... and the ranger added that they were to leave immediately... boy was she a red hen ...

and grabbed her kid and started to manhandle 'em... I took out the cell phone and video'd it... and then told the cop .. hey isn't that child abuse... she was doing... he ran after her and yep.. .she got her's... as he put her in handcuffs behind her back... and called for CPS...

oh joy... isn't camping fun with the boneheads today... a campground is not a playground for munchkins to disrespect others at...

So yep go try the motel/hotel/BNB's... and see how much fun you have... not to mention the expense... vs wheeling it...

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by GM Airstream

I had one mother come over to my campground.. after I told her munchkin .. not to run through my camp spot... he tripped on the water hose... and slid in home...

She started off with I am going to sue you... and ended up with how dare you tell my kid what to do... really.... When I got done... expanding my naval seamans verbage... her eyes got as big as coffee cups... and red'er than a bull in heat.... but... I asked for her name, address and all.. as I showed the hose to her and the ranger... that was damaged by her munchkin... and said not only would she be paying for the hose replacement... but any other damage that her kid did when he ran through the campsite... She told the ranger to call the cops.. .which he had to... and when they showed up... I explaned to them what happened and the damage...

To her frustration.. he wrote out a ticket to her.. and her kid... and the ranger added that they were to leave immediately... boy was she a red hen ...

and grabbed her kid and started to manhandle 'em... I took out the cell phone and video'd it... and then told the cop .. hey isn't that child abuse... she was doing... he ran after her and yep.. .she got her's... as he put her in handcuffs behind her back... and called for CPS...

You prove my point. What was a disaster is now an adventure in hindsight when you tell the tale...

[Ultradog]

Keep the AS. Buy some land to park it on.
My old beater gets moved about 100' twice a year to mow under it.
It's still fun to go camping. Basecamp for some hunting and fishing. Drive up to the lake in the Camry - beats the 3/4 ton.
You don't have to plan weeks ahead or spend a lot of dough.
Thursday evening: Me, "Honey, you got any big plans this weekend? Want to go up to the land?"
Her, "I could use a new pair of shoes but that can wait. Yeah, let's go."
Friday after work, off we go.
Simple, better investment, relaxing.

[dmac]

Lots of extreme positions being posted here. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. I like cruises, resorts, flying commercially, flying in my small plane, and camping. Each has joys and limitations. My only concerns about our Airstream are:

- Traveling very far takes a lot of time, which is difficult for those of us who still work.
- Campgrounds... most of the commercial ones feel like a trashy mobile home park (some actually are!). The state and national park and forest campgrounds are booked solid during summer season.
- Hail!

Maintenance of the trailer is not a problem, just keep it under a roof and learn how to DIY.

[bikechuck]

Originally Posted by Jamespio

That's pretty funny. You paint the worst possible picture of one form of travel, then you encourage the OP to recognize that one bad trip is not the totality of AS camping experiences.

To the OP, a $50k trailer is indeed a huge investment, and you should carefully consider whether it is the right investment for your family. The great thing about AS is the resale value. But if you NEVER sell, it's a pointless value. Sounds like you use your trailer a lot, and if with even that much use it's losing its luster, maybe it's time to try something else, since those things JD listed don't happen all that often, just as having a whole week at the beach rained out doesn't happen all that often.

As a potential future Airstream owner who retired in 2017 along with my spousal unit, I feel that it is more likely a $100,000 plus investment if you include a tow vehicle with an adequate payload. Payload seems to be a real issue unless you go with a monster truck. I am the type of guy that will not exceed the specs and after considering the passenger weight, the tongue weight, the weight of a bed cover etc some trucks would only allow you to carry a tooth pick. Next add costs for insurance, storage, maintenance etc and I quickly get discouraged. That said, I am smitten and might just go for it!

[JamuJoe]

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

So, you are ready to:

Book over-priced flights,

Be strip searched on the way through security,

Get bumped from the flight when you finally make it to the gate,

Sit in a seat that won't fit a skinny 5 year old,

Wait for baggage that was never on the flight to begin with,

Stay in a bed-bug ridden hotel room,

That had a porn movie filmed in it the day before,


Shall I go on?




You had one bad trip, and the weather was 9/10 of the problem.

Re-evaulate what you really use on the trip, eliminate the stuff that would be cool to use if you have time, and enjoy the rig for what you bought it for.



Regards,


JD

Excellent observation!

[captainkirk]

If you look at the money it will cost you it doesn't make sense.

If your afraid your going to hit some bumps in the road, then it doesn't make sense.

If your just a totally practical person looking at the the whole thing from a "practical standpoint" then your going to be regularly disappointed with your choice.

The only real way to look at this is as an adventure.....

Sure some trips just don't go well....so what makes you think that taking a trip in another way would always go well?

Remember that cruise ship that blew it's engines up and then the bathrooms were full and it got really "ripe" as the commodes overflowed and they floated around for days in a living heck...I'll bet that was a bad trip for everyone.

Remember that cruise ship that ran into the island and sank...killed a bunch before that was all over...I would say that was a bad trip for most everyone.

Do a web search for cruise-ship rapes and murders your going to be really surprised what happens on those ships while at sea.

How many people that bought "time-shares" wish they had put that money into an Airstream rather than flushing it down the toilet.

The point here is that regardless of where you go or how you get there it can all go very badly...or it can go really well. The problem is we tend to remember the things that go wrong for a long time.

If your in an Airstream or in something else life's a crap shoot...that's supposed to be the "spice" in your life.

So Airstream camp for a few years and then sell everything and buy a big boat...just so you can really miss the Airstream in a few years.

Stop focusing on the little green pieces of paper with the pictures of dead people on them and lift your head up and smell the breeze.....

[djarrett]

I agree with mojo that we all have different motivations. For me, owning an Airstream represents traveling during the summer with my grandparents in their airstreams. Every day I leave for work and see it sitting there calling me to "go" and I can live vicariously through the memories from both my childhood and the trips we've already taken, and pray for the day when those trips come closer together. I know many, many friends who own a timeshare, and year after year, they go to the same place over and over again. For us, the Airstream is our vacation home that we can take whatever we choose as long as time and money allow. Hobbies like owning a boat, classic car, fly fishing, and an airstream represent a commitment, an investment, and a choice. And just like you enter in with all those variables, ... you can exit with them as well. Just like you fall in love ... you can fall out of love as well (and still keep the good memories). I financed my trailer. We own a business and it was the best option to protect cash flow, but I don't see a financial burden when I see the Airstream ... I see adventure. I see independence. I see freedom. And I'll take that at any price.

[SuzyHomemakr]

We try to keep things in our Airstream as close as possible to what we have at home. This minimizes upsets to our rhythms. We're parked right outside of the side door, so we can get ready at a slow pace days ahead of leaving. The Airstream is re-packed right after a trip with freshly washed clothes, repairs are made right away, and consumables are re-stocked. I print out a departure checklist that items are crossed-off of, so that I don't have to think about a thing more than once.

Our primary use of the trailer is as a base camp for weekend kayaking- I lead trips all over Florida for Palm Beach Pack and Paddle. We also love listening to blues music, so we find cool dive bars near campgrounds for our "Nature and Nightlife" club outings. The Airstream is typically Party Central for mostly tent campers, so lots of folks enjoy hanging around the campfire and using the BBQ in our campsite.

The reason that I mention this (horn tooting aside) is that Airstream camping for us isn't an end unto itself- it's a gateway to cool stuff. I've done a ton of landscaping to my back yard, so I can sit out there if I want to hang out in nature, no need to go anywhere. So if the maximum reward I was to get is sitting around a campsite all weekend, I'd sell my rig too!

My advice is to hook up with a group that you share common interests. It doesn't have to be paddling, maybe hunting for fossils, antique shows, music festivals, wine/beer tastings, producing video documentaries of interesting people, whatever floats your boat. Meetup.com is a great way to meet people that have similar interests. Trust me, when you pop out of the Airstream with microwaved popcorn, you'll make lots of friends!

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by SuzyHomemakr

We try to keep things in our Airstream as close as possible to what we have at home. This minimizes upsets to our rhythms. We're parked right outside of the side door, so we can get ready at a slow pace days ahead of leaving. The Airstream is re-packed right after a trip with freshly washed clothes, repairs are made right away, and consumables are re-stocked. I print out a departure checklist that items are crossed-off of, so that I don't have to think about a thing more than once.

Our primary use of the trailer is as a base camp for weekend kayaking- I lead trips all over Florida for Palm Beach Pack and Paddle. We also love listening to blues music, so we find cool dive bars near campgrounds for our "Nature and Nightlife" club outings. The Airstream is typically Party Central for mostly tent campers, so lots of folks enjoy hanging around the campfire and using the BBQ in our campsite.

The reason that I mention this (horn tooting aside) is that Airstream camping for us isn't an end unto itself- it's a gateway to cool stuff. I've done a ton of landscaping to my back yard, so I can sit out there if I want to hang out in nature, no need to go anywhere. So if the maximum reward I was to get is sitting around a campsite all weekend, I'd sell my rig too!

My advice is to hook up with a group that you share common interests. It doesn't have to be paddling, maybe hunting for fossils, antique shows, music festivals, wine/beer tastings, producing video documentaries of interesting people, whatever floats your boat. Meetup.com is a great way to meet people that have similar interests. Trust me, when you pop out of the Airstream with microwaved popcorn, you'll make lots of friends!

One of the not too endearing character of us human beings is building a case in our minds to justify an act that may or may not be rational or nice. We will easily rationalize spending money we don't have that we have borrow as driving 25 miles to save 1 dollar on a 3 dollar item.
Spending money on toys is not a rational move nor is it an investment. Mostly we do it to have fun and to add some joy to life to counter the daily grind of living. There I rationalized it .

[SARGE/AF]

we found the best way for ours whether we had kids or not, was the only thing that was not left in the trailer was perishables. We kept it stocked with can goods, clothes for 4 days, etc. That way when we was ready to go hook up stop at store and go. When we returned home perishables came out, dirty clothes out washed and put back, then we was ready again. Thank god for second hand clothes stores makes it much easier with the kids and then our grandkids. With the wife and I we had clothes in both home and trailer, mostly because the stuff in the trailer I never wear around the house. We did however pack and unpack 2 sets of nice clothes for just in case.

[DaveP]

I raced cars for years. I always found that half the fun was driving them and the other half was fixing them for the next race. The point is, you have to enjoy the whole experience to get the most out of it.

Right now, I am doing some renovation work on my AS. I started planning our trips in December for 2018 and making reservations at the parks and campgrounds as the reservation windows open. Our first trip is in May, and then one+ trip each month through October (average about 6 days per trip). Taking the grand kids to Mesa Verde NP in June and then lots of fly fishing trips. Maintenance between each trip and bigger projects during the winter.

I really enjoy the whole process!