Should I switch to an Interstate in a year?

[Wishing]

As much as I love my 27FB Sterling, I would trade it in a heartbeat for a Leisure Van Unity Flex (FX). I got to see one in person and I've been in love ever since. The build quality seemed phenomenal. It's perfect for two but it doesn't work with our family of four-so I suppose after the kids don't want to camp with us any longer we will make the trade You should check it out!

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by Wishing

I would trade it in a heartbeat for a Leisure Van Unity Flex (FX).

Nice, that is *exactly* what Airstream should be competing against if they enter this market as is expected via the rumor mill.

[m.hony]

I would like to walk through several floor plans in the Leisure Van Unity to see if it is open and airy enough.
I know it has to be roomier than an Interstate.
My wife likes the Murphy bed model.
I like the one with 2 living areas or twin beds.


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[Wishing]

The Unity Flex, which is their newest 2016 version, is so spacious feeling inside, even with the dark cabinets-and this was even without the slide out deployed (the unit had already been sold and was waiting for a final detail by the dealer but they graciously let me check it out). It has the Murphy king bed and I was surprised how comfortable the two living area seating arrangements were. This sounds horrible, I know, but when I was in it I couldn't help but to calculate how many years until the kids head to college.

[TheCabin]

The Unity is their popular model these past couple years, but also look at the LTV Serenity. A little more money but a great layout. Also built with the excellent manufacturing quality of LTV. Almost bought one.......

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Wishing

The Unity Flex, which is their newest 2016 version, is so spacious feeling inside, even with the dark cabinets-and this was even without the slide out deployed (the unit had already been sold and was waiting for a final detail by the dealer but they graciously let me check it out). It has the Murphy king bed and I was surprised how comfortable the two living area seating arrangements were. This sounds horrible, I know, but when I was in it I couldn't help but to calculate how many years until the kids head to college.

The biggest issue IMO with the Flex is it only has seat belts for 2 people. I really liked the layout (mom and dad could sleep on the MB and kiddo could sleep on the rear couch) but that killed it for me. [emoji853]

[Msmoto]

There are several options for a class B or C moho, and I suspect if I ever go this route i will have to be very discriminating in my decision. A one or two year old unit is IMO the best way to go, as this eliminates the huge depreciation hit, and one has a maintenance record to see what problems a unit has incurred.

The difficulty with anything not Airstream is I would loose the WBCCI aspect, and this is one reason I came back to AS from an SOB Moho.

Oh, well, my customized Serenity is really pretty nice, so no change for a year or two.

Thanks for all the input.

[m.hony]

So...
Get an Interstate...

[Msmoto]

Get an Interstate.... I actually will be down in Charlotte, NC, where a dealer is next to where i am camping (The Dirt Track at Charlotte) and will no doubt wander over and discuss this with the folks at Tom Johnson.

[Rocinante]

Enjoy the looky-loo process, it's a lot of fun. Whenever we're near an Airstream dealer, we stop by just to stroll around and look at all the shiny - even though we're not really shopping for a replacement.

Keeps Rocinante on her toes.

[Turbo61]

Originally Posted by LB_3

It really depends on what kind of travel you like to do. If you only travel 200 miles up to the lake and stay there a week or 10 days, a trailer is your answer. If on the other hand you like to travel thousands of miles and only stay a day or two in any one place before moving on, the Interstate may be a better fit.
The Grand Tour, is called that for a reason; it excels at touring. A 30' trailer is difficult to park in urban areas making any stops along your route more difficult. But with the Interstate's ability to park most anywhere a car can park, dropping in and out of anyplace is a breeze. You simply make your bed in the morning, then pull on to the road. No need to hook up a trailer and the load distributing hitch, no need to stop for lunch or to let your passengers make potty breaks. Hell, if I had to pull over after eating a burrito, we're going to lose 45 miles. Instead, we just hit a rest stop long enough to switch drivers and I take care of my buisness while we're on the road.

If you outfit an Interstate with solar, you have a very versatile vehicle. It can boondock for a week in the wilderness, tailgate before the big game, take your friends to the riverboat casino in comfort, travel thousands of miles while getting over 20 mpg, parallel park in town, and gives you the flexibility to change plans at a moment's notice. That last part is what we find most fun. When we don't have to make reservations at a campsite and have the ability to stealth camp literally anywhere, we can make deeper connections with the new friends we meet along our route.

If we were in an F250 looking at a lighthouse while our trailer was parked in a campground 25 miles away the curator of the lighthouse might not have come out to talk to us. And if he did he never would have invited us to stay the night in that single parking spot at the end of a little dirt road.

The Interstate is expensive but you get a lot more than just a trailer. Not to mention you don't need to buy that big F-250 to pull it.

Couldn't agree more....exact reason we just bought ours! Went from a 42' 4 slider and love the ease and convenience.

Originally Posted by Protagonist

RVs are kind of like Microsoft products— they're no good at all until at least Version 3.0…[emoji38] And just like Microsoft products, the RV consumers are used as unpaid beta-testers! At least the RV industry hasn't quite reached the point where they call bugs and glitches "features."

Originally Posted by Msmoto

This is quite helpful. Lots to think about. And, I am doing just that, thinking about it.

I fully agree, used, one to two years old, hopefully debugged, this could save a huge amount.

My thoughts were to have a trailer which could have some storage space, hold a generator which could be run at any time, and provide the way to carry the Can Am Spyder. And, as to whether one can ride the Can Am in any weather, well, I have ridden 300 miles on a motorcycle in 30°F with the suit I have, so I suspect the Can Am would work.

But, I hope more ideas will be shared on this topic.

Thanks again

[Msmoto]

As one who has in the past been in a "Big Rig" for about 4 years, 51,000 miles, I understand the convenience of a self contained unit with all facilities included, not necessary to go outside.

And, something I just realized, I have an option of pulling a small trailer for a "scoot" (Can Am Spyder) which would also have extra storage allowing a longer boondock time, or, of course just getting out on the road with no scoot, and running around in the Interstate.

Does anyone here pull a small cargo trailer, e.g., 7' wide x 14' long x 5' tall? And, if so, what does this do to one's fuel consumption?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Msmoto

Does anyone here pull a small cargo trailer, e.g., 7' wide x 14' long x 5' tall? And, if so, what does this do to one's fuel consumption?

Not a trailer, but a toad. My Honda Fit has a curb weight of 2700 pounds, gross weight 3500 pounds. When I tow it, my Interstate's fuel consumption goes up slightly; I get an average of about 18mpg at 60mph on flat terrain vs. about 19mpg on the same roads at the same speed when not towing. Based on current diesel prices, that works out to much less than a penny a mile to tow my Honda.

That's with a RennTech ECU tune, which I highly recommend for anyone who will tow a trailer or toad. The extra horsepower and torque come in very handy especially when merging onto a highway with extra weight in tow. (RennTech is an authorized Mercedes Benz upfitter, so the ECU tune will not void any part of your warranty). The only downside I've seen to the RennTech ECU tune is that while fuel economy is better at 60mph or less, it's worse over 60mph. But since my Honda can only be flat-towed at 65mph or less, that's not exactly a hardship for me.

[Msmoto]

More questions for the Interstate crowd.... when confronted with a campsite which is not level, does the Interstate have some sort of leveling device or are boards, etc. required?

Second question, the shower...has anyone modified this by moving the wall somehow so as to make it wider?


Thanks, I am still very interested in getting smaller. Will no doubt have my Serenity 30RB up for sale in the coming months.

[m.hony]

No leveling system on Interstates-
You have to drive up on leveling blocks or wood planks.

[xrvr]

Boards or Lynx levelers, really not an issue.

[Msmoto]

Is there a fuel tank replacement for the Interstate that increases capacity. Now my Dodge 2500 TV has 95 gallons of diesel (about 85 usable) via a second tank. I like the extended range between fuel stops, allows purchasing fuel at the least expensive areas.

Thanks again...

[AWCHIEF]

Tommie,

http://www.aerotanks.com/vehicles/othertrucks.html

[lsbrodsky]

Tommie,

I still cannot believe that after what you have done to your 30 that you would downsize to an Interstate. In our own unit (021) I inspected one of those Interstates to help the couple who owned it and, as you have seen, AS made a lot of compromises to stuff all of that stuff into a Sprinter.
I still look forward to a face-to-face sometime. Hope I see you at a 2017 rally.

Larry

[Meeks]

Originally Posted by LB_3

It really depends on what kind of travel you like to do. If you only travel 200 miles up to the lake and stay there a week or 10 days, a trailer is your answer. If on the other hand you like to travel thousands of miles and only stay a day or two in any one place before moving on, the Interstate may be a better fit.
The Grand Tour, is called that for a reason; it excels at touring. A 30' trailer is difficult to park in urban areas making any stops along your route more difficult. But with the Interstate's ability to park most anywhere a car can park, dropping in and out of anyplace is a breeze. You simply make your bed in the morning, then pull on to the road. No need to hook up a trailer and the load distributing hitch, no need to stop for lunch or to let your passengers make potty breaks. Hell, if I had to pull over after eating a burrito, we're going to lose 45 miles. Instead, we just hit a rest stop long enough to switch drivers and I take care of my buisness while we're on the road.

If you outfit an Interstate with solar, you have a very versatile vehicle. It can boondock for a week in the wilderness, tailgate before the big game, take your friends to the riverboat casino in comfort, travel thousands of miles while getting over 20 mpg, parallel park in town, and gives you the flexibility to change plans at a moment's notice. That last part is what we find most fun. When we don't have to make reservations at a campsite and have the ability to stealth camp literally anywhere, we can make deeper connections with the new friends we meet along our route.

If we were in an F250 looking at a lighthouse while our trailer was parked in a campground 25 miles away the curator of the lighthouse might not have come out to talk to us. And if he did he never would have invited us to stay the night in that single parking spot at the end of a little dirt road.

The Interstate is expensive but you get a lot more than just a trailer. Not to mention you don't need to buy that big F-250 to pull it.

Thanks for sharing! Fabulous to read. We have a 25' trailer and love it but everything you write about what you love about your Interstate is compelling! Glad you have an RV that works so well for you!