Small Space Living

[Lily&Me]

I only use that snap-on, inner curtain when rain is in the forecast, as the most attractive...inside and out....is the windshield cover for the outside.

My side window cover velcro bits don't line up perfectly with those on the door, but well enough that it stays in place. Unless I have close neighbors, I don't even bother with it.

Never, ever, put these covers away damp from condensation, as you may forget to remove them later to dry.....and they will mildew.


Maggie

[InterBlog]

For those of you who use the little aluminum table discussed earlier in this thread, or who need a device to hold other large, flat objects behind the driver's seat, I found an art tote that works well. Details in the post.

THE INTERSTATE BLOG: PORTABLE TABLE AND CHAIRS STORAGE FOR AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

For those of you who use the little aluminum table discussed earlier in this thread, or who need a device to hold other large, flat objects behind the driver's seat, I found an art tote that works well. Details in the post.

THE INTERSTATE BLOG: PORTABLE TABLE AND CHAIRS STORAGE FOR AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

Art totes like that also work well for coiling up your fresh water hose or your shore power cable.

[Lily&Me]

Great idea, IB!

Items inside something that blends with the interior look so much neater and tidy-er than piles of "stuff".....if you need neat and tidy.

My little aluminum table from LLBean has a top that rolls up, and the whole thing fits in a small carry case.....which I store in this same area.

I also have a small, black, carry bag back there for odds and ends that aren't used often but I don't want to be without.



Maggie

[73shark]

I don't know if Airstream or the MB dealer put them in but mine came w/ two black cloth bags (MB logo) for the hose, shore power cable, and any other odds and ends that'll fit. They're the size of grocery paper sacks.

[Lily&Me]

Hmmm.....no such bags came in ours, but it's a good idea.

Our cords and hoses stow in netting over wells which are part of the rear doors.

Awkward and rather messy, but can't really be seen from the inside, so they don't so much offend my need for neat, tidy, and organized.


Maggie

[Vycan]

Where do yall get the canvas shoe holders for the compartments to maximize storage?

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Vycan

Where do yall get the canvas shoe holders for the compartments to maximize storage?

I used nylon mesh instead of canvas. Canvas is heavy, stiff, opaque, and difficult to sew if chopped into fitted sections for mounting inside the cabinets. I got my mesh bag at Container Store (via internet shipping) but they also have other types, plastic being among them (which I didn't want because it crackles if you're reaching into it... not ideal if your partner is sleeping). Sourcing here:

THE INTERSTATE BLOG: MAXIMIZING 'TRIANGULAR' AIRSTREAM CABINET EFFICIENCY, PART 2: FOOD

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by 73shark

I don't know if Airstream or the MB dealer put them in but mine came w/ two black cloth bags (MB logo) for the hose, shore power cable, and any other odds and ends that'll fit. They're the size of grocery paper sacks.

For hose storage, I find it hard to beat the IKEA Frakta bag, at a whopping 59 cents apiece and largely waterproof to boot (good enough to contain drips although I wouldn't trust the seams to contain water from something really soaked). Also the exact right size for pillows.

THE INTERSTATE BLOG: STORING PILLOWS IN AN AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

[Lily&Me]

I ordered some large, zipper bags from the Container Store several years ago, that were just a few dollars apiece and made from recycled plastic bottles, I believe. I think they also have a carry handle of the same material.

No photo, and they are at home being used for other things, but an initial thought was to use them under the benches...for clothing or whatever...or on top of the fresh water tank....for a couple of extra towels or whatever. I especially liked that they have handles....to hang in a closet or for easy retrieval from wherever.

Since Lily, carrying an extra towel for the occasional bath on the road has become important, somtimes a fleece blankie headed for a rally , etc.

That area on top of the water tank is a good spot for soft items, but they need to be enclosed to keep them clean. Those super-large ziploc bags would serve the same purpose.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

I leave my pillows out, IB, in zipper pillow covers I had someone make for me out of sueded black, washable fabric.

This was actually an idea of Doug's.

Standard pillow shams look too bedroom-ey, to me, for daytime in the Interstate, but the sueded black covers blend in nicely, look more like sofa pillows, and give you something to lean against when reading or watching TV.

Plus, the pillows then don't take up an entire cabinet to store.


Maggie

[jerhofer]

At major car shows, Hagerty Insurance always has a stand where they give out black bags with their name prominently displayed. They work great for shoes and other miscellaneous items.

[TCwheels]

Originally Posted by jerhofer

At major car shows, Hagerty Insurance always has a stand where they give out black bags with their name prominently displayed. They work great for shoes and other miscellaneous items.

...home town company, go Hagerty!


WBCCI #7246 Michigan Unit,Texas Hill Country Unit (associate member), AIR #91367

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I leave my pillows out, IB, in zipper pillow covers I had someone make for me out of sueded black, washable fabric.

This was actually an idea of Doug's.

Standard pillow shams look too bedroom-ey, to me, for daytime in the Interstate, but the sueded black covers blend in nicely, look more like sofa pillows, and give you something to lean against when reading or watching TV.

Plus, the pillows then don't take up an entire cabinet to store.

Maggie

I tried this but they tend to be obstacles to whatever else is going on - our pillows are 26 inches long and when placed on a 72 inch couch, there goes more than a third of the couch. And because we use our back door extensively, what tends to happen is that someone carrying something will bump a pillow in the narrow space and then it ends up on the floor between the two couches. If I had a lounge model such that the back of the vehicle was a terminus of sorts, it might not be such an issue.

This is why I came up with the idea of stacking them in a Frakta bag and putting them in the right rear wheel cabinet. Which also might help reduce road noise, although my husband used Dynamat left over from our recent cab roof insulation treatment to cover the naked interior surfaces of both wheel wells, so the pillows' noise-muffling function might now be less of a factor.

[Lily&Me]

Ahhhh.....I use my rear door hardly at all.

Dealing with cords and hoses, folding bicycle, etc., primarily.

That area you show is pantry for me. I have two trunk organizers in there.


Maggie

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Ahhhh.....I use my rear door hardly at all.

Dealing with cords and hoses, folding bicycle, etc., primarily.

That area you show is pantry for me. I have two trunk organizers in there.


Maggie

Do we have the same models? I tend to assume that everyone else's model is different because the longitudinal jack-knife couches appear to be rare. We bought in late September 2014 and I haven't seen another of our model for sale since that time. I tell my husband that we made the exact right decision without even really knowing what the heck we were doing at the time.

[Lily&Me]

I think we have the same models.....mid-bath, mine is called.

Wet bath directly across from the sliding door, thru the galley kitchen to two rear benches that make into the bed?

We bought the screen door....velcro-attach, zipper up center...for good weather, beach camping, etc., because the rear doors offer such beautiful views. If you don't have one, I would highly recommend it.


Maggie

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I think we have the same models.....mid-bath, mine is called.

Wet bath directly across from the sliding door, thru the galley kitchen to two rear benches that make into the bed?

We bought the screen door....velcro-attach, zipper up center...for good weather, beach camping, etc., because the rear doors offer such beautiful views. If you don't have one, I would highly recommend it.

Maggie

Some (most?) of the 2007 AI mid-baths had their rear ends turned into lounges. Mything2's is that way, and there's another 2007 owner whom I may get to meet a few months from now as he and his wife pass through Texas... I thought theirs had a lounge, too. I don't know what Bugs's looks like. Are you there, Bugs?

Yesterday I intended to research the Sprinter rear door screen choices so that I could make a final decision as to whether I wanted to buy one or make one myself. Somehow in an ADD moment I got diverted onto the issue of windshield covers and ended up making that command decision instead.

[Lily&Me]

Doesn't sound like they are quite the same.

That you love yours is all that is important.

Our rear screen did not come from Sprinter, who did not have them at the time, and was a bit pricey. But, an essentially one-time purchase, so eminently justifiable.

I have used mine often at rallies, so folks can look in the side and thru the back without going inside, if they don't want to.

On the beach, backed up to water or forest.

To die for stunning, and protects you from marauding insects.


Maggie

[bugsbunny]

Ours is a rear lounge versus the two jack knife sofas.

We went back and forth between the two models, but in the end, the most important criteria for us was that it be in very good condition. Looking at how they are made, I think it would be fairly easy to convert the layout if we wanted to in the future.

We found ours after looking on and off for a couple of years - We started in earnest in May last year after we sold our Classic Airstream Motorhome.

Here is a picture link to ours:
Used Sprinter RV's - 2006 Airstream Interstate 2500 22'- Front Lounge Sprinter Diesel

We love it!

I think we are up to 3 or 4 interstates now coming to our WBCCI NEU rally May 1-3 at Salisbury Beach Park in Salisbury MA. Y'all Come if your are going to be in the area!
There is information in the rally tab here on the forums.

Bugs