Greetings and questions

[number9ine]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I have purchased a 2013 Interstate Lounge in Silver over Light Camel/Beige. We cross-shopped the Roadtrek, LTV and Winnebago conversions and found the layout and craftsmanship of the Airstream to be the right fit.

I've been doing a lot of research here and elsewhere and we're ready with some of the stuff we think we'll want and need on our gear list. We plan to tow a car to track events and "boondock" on the paddock wherever possible. There are a few things we're interested in doing that I'm just itching to figure out but can't because we don't take delivery until Thursday. So, some questions for the forum:

Is there room for something that's 28x20x13 under the rear bench? I want to buy a Coleman Road Trip grill and stow it back there.

What's the width of the aisle between the front seats and the bathroom/galley area, respectively? We're thinking of getting an air bed that's cot-sized, about 26", and wondering if it could squeeze in between the captain's chairs lengthwise.

Does anyone here tow their car using a full trailer? If so, any insight or experiences to share? We are looking at a trailer that's approximately 1450 lbs. to tow a 3300 lb. vehicle. Already have the brake controller ready to wire in.

Does anyone else have trouble seeing what's on the Pyle backup camera in daylight? Any remedies?

Thanks and looking forward to many happy travels ahead.

[Lily&Me]

Congratulations on your new Interstate!

Can't answer any of your questions, but suggest you go to Airstream online. Should be able to find the measurements you are looking for.


Maggie

[joemikeb]

The dimensions you are asking about will be dependent on the particular interior arrangement (four seats up two, three, or four front seats up front) and whether you have a standard or EXT length unit. I don't have my unit available at the moment so I can verify this, but as I recall the dimensions of the space under the lounge on the standard length — not EXT — model is very close the dimensions of your Coleman grill. But I would want to try the sizing before putting any money into the Coleman.

As for the backup camera there are adjustments for color, contrast, and brightness on the right hand face of the display that I have found take care of any visibility issues. I often have to adjust the settings, particularly the brightness, to compensate for the time of day and road lighting conditions. FWIW I love the backup camera. Together with the excellent outside mirrors, I have a much better view of the road behind and beside my Interstate than any vehicle I have driven in the last several years. I wish the rear view on our cars were as good.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by number9ine

I've been doing a lot of research here and elsewhere and we're ready with some of the stuff we think we'll want and need on our gear list. We plan to tow a car to track events and "boondock" on the paddock wherever possible. There are a few things we're interested in doing that I'm just itching to figure out but can't because we don't take delivery until Thursday. So, some questions for the forum:

Is there room for something that's 28x20x13 under the rear bench? I want to buy a Coleman Road Trip grill and stow it back there.

I can't say about the Coleman Roadtrip, but I think it might be too long to fit between the sofa rails. I use a Cobb grill, that I carry either: (1) in the space behind the drvier's seat and in front of the galley, or (2) in my toad. Preferably in the toad, because it's silly to clutter up the Interstate's interior with something that will only be used outdoors anyway.

What's the width of the aisle between the front seats and the bathroom/galley area, respectively? We're thinking of getting an air bed that's cot-sized, about 26", and wondering if it could squeeze in between the captain's chairs lengthwise.

This will depend on the model. My Interstate is the lounge/wardrobe model, that has a full height closet on the driver's side opposite the bathroom. The narrowest point between bathroom and wardrobe closet is only 19" wide. I don't think you'll find 26 inches of width in any model. However, other folks on the AirForums have worked out a method of reclining the front seats all the way until they rest on the back seats, and then putting a bed over that. Hopefully they'll chime in.

Does anyone here tow their car using a full trailer? If so, any insight or experiences to share? We are looking at a trailer that's approximately 1450 lbs. to tow a 3300 lb. vehicle. Already have the brake controller ready to wire in.

I tow my car four-down, not on a trailer or dolly. An extended Interstate has a rated towing capacity of 5000 pounds; a regular model has a rated towing capacity of 7500 pounds. However, in real life you won't get that much capacity. You're still limited by GCWR of 15,250 pounds, so to find your true towing cpacity, you'd have to load up your Interstate travel-ready, and weigh it. Then add in the actual trailer tongue weight, which contributes to the gross vehicle weight. The difference between GCWR and actual vehicle weight is your towing capacity.

For example, if you load up the Interstate to its full 11,030-pound GVWR, you'll only have (15,250-11,030=) 4,220 pounds trailer weight allowable. So, your real maximum trailer weight will be at least 4,220 pounds, but less than the rating on the hitch.

Does anyone else have trouble seeing what's on the Pyle backup camera in daylight? Any remedies?

I usually only have a problem when I'm wearing my polarizeed sunglasses. Best tips I can give are, since you're using it as a camera monitor and not a mirror, you can adjust it to a position that minimizes reflection; it doesn't have to be aimed at the rear windows. And, play with the brightness, color, and contrast settings until you find what works best for you. There is no one setting that's best for everybody. After much experimentation, I found that the factory default settings work best for me in daylight, with brightness reduced a bit at night. But even with those settings when the camera faces low-angle sun there's often a lens flare that shows up as a white vertical line on the monitor.

[russ240]

I tow my track car behind ours with no problems. I think my aluminum flat bed car hauler weighs about 1600 lbs plus aluminum tire rack with 4 spare R-comps, Honda generator (can't refill propane for the on board Onan at the track, I get 20-30 hours of generator run time on a full tank with the a/c cranking ... and the Honda is way quieter than the Onan), four full 5-gal gas cans, tools and 2750 lbs car ... I figure I'm pulling about 5500 lbs. Tows it like a champ. Fuel economy and acceleration do suffer though. Doing 75-80 mph I get 11 -13 mpg depending on conditions.

When I need to drop the Sprinter off at the shop, I use the same trailer to haul my wife's SUV, then unload and tow the empty trailer home. That's about a 7500 load and with it the Sprinter is not as happy. Very sluggish acceleration and you really feel the load vs. with my BMW back there, I don't really even notice it.

[number9ine]

Thank you all for the great feedback. We drove our new Interstate home yesterday and it was a hassle-free 2.5 hour ride.

Haven't had a chance to measure for the grill and air mattress yet, but I'll share results when I do. The trailer may be a bit further down the road as I have a busy month ahead, but will report on that too when the time comes.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by number9ine

We drove our new Interstate home yesterday and it was a hassle-free 2.5 hour ride.

Welcome to the noble ranks of Airstream Interstate owners!

Remember the immortal words of Susan Heller… ""When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money."

And from Antoine de St. Exupery, "He who would travel happily must travel light."

If you live by these rules, you'll have plenty of room in your Interstate for the gear you really need.

On edit— Okay, that's an exaggeration. You'll just barely have enough room for everything you really need.