Are we crazy?

[Len n Jeanne]

Had you thought of parking your shiny new AS away from your house? It's not ideal, but we have a very steep slope to our property. And limited parking by the house. We have at various times stored ours on a friend's rural acreage, in secure storage at an RV service center, and in secure storage at an RV park. If we could modify our lot slightly to keep the Bambi at home, we'd probably do it.

[nickclifford]

If it's just a slight in line, you can lay down 2x4 planks to raise center of the trailer, this will stop dragging. If you want more info, pm me for pics or my number, would be glad to help. I'd say just do it!! You'll never look back, we used a pop up trailer when kids were young and created amazing memories. Very special times, they soon move on and camping ain't so fun any more. For a family staying for three months at a time, I'd go spacious, twenty six to twenty eight. U need super small one for some state parks, like twenty two or four but forget it, not with a big family ,
!!

[rmkrum]

It’s also possible to construct a set of ramps that could be stored at your house to smooth out and extend the slope to gain more clearance. It’s also possible to put a lift kit on the Airstream to gain more ground clearance. Search the forum for ideas.

If you can park at your house, imagine the weekend ‘play in the shiny trailer’ possibilities for kids and adults. They are a nice retreat if you have some way to connect utilities...

One of my grandsons always sleeps in our AS when we visit if his parents will let him...even just parked in their driveway...

They have power and water connections within reach—super convenient and installed on our FIRST visit. (Grin)

[Journey'81]

We were as crazy as you when we were thinking of buying an AS. We know a trailer will fit better for us but towing and parking a large trailer will be our #1 concern. I was given the good advise to rent an AS trailer before spending $$$$$ for a trailer and a TV. Given I had no experience with towing a large trailer, renting a trailer/TV will definitely result in a negative experience and may discourage us from buying a trailer.

After reading the forum for almost a year, I was convinced I should be able to tow and park the trailer over time. With that set in my mind, we decided it was time to buy a 27' FB FC and a F150.

When we picked up the trailer, we hired a guy to give us a towing lesson in our own AS/TV. In addition, we also hired him to help parked our trailer in our L-shaped courtyard from a busy street. This helped me tremendously. Not that I was able to park with confidence after the lesson but it did give me some towing experience with a teacher sitting beside me.

I also learned a ProPride hitch is not an easy one to hitch. But it is well worth the price and the time to master it. With a few hitching and unhitching practices at home, I got better at it each time.

Is been 10 months now. Overall we have no regrets or buyer remorse with our decision. We love the trailer and our setup. We enjoyed all of our trailer trips and now am looking forward to retirement in a few years.

What would we do differently if we get to do it over again? Probably nothing.

[dbj216]

You were very wise to have a trainer in those first few days of Airstream ownership. Great advice for other newbies to the RV lifestyle.

David

[VLWino]

Originally Posted by nickclifford

If it's just a slight in line, you can lay down 2x4 planks to raise center of the trailer, this will stop dragging. If you want more info, pm me for pics or my number, would be glad to help. I'd say just do it!! You'll never look back, we used a pop up trailer when kids were young and created amazing memories. Very special times, they soon move on and camping ain't so fun any more. For a family staying for three months at a time, I'd go spacious, twenty six to twenty eight. U need super small one for some state parks, like twenty two or four but forget it, not with a big family ,
!!

I second the planks idea. We used to run into this issue when we had our 22ft sport at home and the planks worked great. Alas, we have to store the 25ft at offsite storage about 10 minutes away, but at least they have a dump station. I would recommend the 2x6 planks and stack them as needed, probably not more than three or four tall. We keep these planks in our AS now to help with leveling or inclines wherever we camp. You can buy a couple planks at the local home depot and have them cut down to whatever length you want.

[nickclifford]

Originally Posted by VLWino

I second the planks idea. We used to run into this issue when we had our 22ft sport at home and the planks worked great. Alas, we have to store the 25ft at offsite storage about 10 minutes away, but at least they have a dump station. I would recommend the 2x6 planks and stack them as needed, probably not more than three or four tall. We keep these planks in our AS now to help with leveling or inclines wherever we camp. You can buy a couple planks at the local home depot and have them cut down to whatever length you want.

I actually had to build a raised plank "bridge" .. it's about 6" high and works like a charm, not easy though, it can take me 30 mins to get the trailer off my driveway due to such a steep angle. But it saves me $150/month in storage fees and i love having it at home. I'll be downsizing in 5 years when my kids have all gone to college, and my next home will have a FLAT driveway !!

[Nalahacjr]

Just heard back from the HOA and they said it is a no-go. Definitely appreciate all the advice on the ramps though, I was already looking into setting something up when I got the email from the HOA. Oh well, that's a bummer because we'd love to have it at our place and save the money, but on the bright side it wasn't going to be covered and now we can look for a place that is either covered or enclosed.

Any votes/thoughts on the Bunk Bed models? The kids loved it when we took them to the dealership, and the wife loves the idea of it. For the current models it seems like its either a 19, 23, or 30. I almost feel like we should be more in the 25 or 27 range though. Thanks!

[Seinbelld]

Highly recommend the bunk based on experience of not buying it . We have a 30 Serenity after originally wanting the FC Bunk but falling for the Serenity's natural light and salsa interior. I work from home so we were able to take a 7 week trip out west this summer. We gave the kids (2 girls, 7 and 5) the back bed and my wife and I slept on the couch bed. It got a little old making it up each day. The bunks give everyone a little bit of private space and the reduced living space forces you to be outside more..... the whole point.

We also went from tent camping into a 30 ft Airstream with literally zero towing experience. No regrets, it's been a huge blessing for our family.

Merry Christmas,
Eric

[Jeremiwvu]

Originally Posted by dbj216

You were very wise to have a trainer in those first few days of Airstream ownership. Great advice for other newbies to the RV lifestyle.



David

Agree completely, great idea to have towing training if you haven’t done it before, or if you don’t feel comfortable. I’m sure it was well worth the cost.

[Nalahacjr]

So, we have still been looking. I guess good that we didn't buy one immediately - although we both still want to. Went to the RVOne Dealer in Tampa the other day (been there a few times, it is the closest place and the generally have 10-15 AS on the lot), and the new revelation from my wife was that she wants a Twin model. Sounds like we are scratching the Bunk idea (for better or worse) because currently the kids would just argue over it. Idea is to give them the twins and the wife and I sleep on the sofa pull out - and dinette if she's had it with me, hopefully not though.

So now it seems like the 25' or 27' FB Twin is what we are looking for. And currently open to FC, Int'l, or Globe (definitely know there is a price difference and the Globes are brand new). We are just keeping the options option. New or Used. Thoughts on the biggest differences between the 25' and the 27'?? I understand it is 2' more of length and a minimal towing increase weight. The layouts seem pretty darn similar with some additional storage (maybe more room in the Pantry/Wardrobe and a bit in the Galley/Bathroom). Just wondering if there were some that had a huge preference on either??

Based on reading some posts, it seems like a pretty good time of the year to buy (winter), but wanted to get thoughts on that too. We technically wouldn't use it heavily until June, so are not in a rush, but if we had it then we would use it for 2 months straight.

Also, there is a big RV show going on in Tampa this week (1/17-1/21), is it worth going to in your opinion? We are sold on AS, so that is all we would want to look at. Never been to one so I figured I would get some thoughts.

Thanks as always!!!

[Jeremiwvu]

If you have time and need something to do the RV shows are interesting, but you won’t likely get much out of it other than maybe an idea or so.

Now is a good time to buy, you’ll have better options and probably better negotiation. But most important if you find the model you want and it’s there you can have it, if you wait until April or may and the model you want is sold then you may have to wait months to get another one on the lot. Jackson center isn’t like a Thor factory, and that’s a good thing but they aren’t that fast either.

[rastapoodle]

Not sure if anyone else said this specifically, I did see someone mention attending a rally. If you can make it happen, go out to Alumapalooza 9, in Jackson Center, OH right after Memorial Day. You can purchase day passes that will allow you to attend all the seminars, tours, etc but you can stay in a hotel (none close by, though). Jackson Center is where all Airstreams are made, is very kid friendly and you can see every size and model there, new or used. And most of all, you can see all the remodels that are there. Everyone wants to show off their trailer and everyone wants to talk about their Airstream. You'll need to register now, or very soon.

[dbj216]

I would encourage you to go to the RV show. You can walk through many different trailers from many different manufacturers and consider all those different interior layouts. Do this until you get good and tired of the brown hues of the interiors, and the wild graphics on the exteriors. Airstreamers call these trails "some other brand", or SOB.

After you spend a couple of hours doing that, go to the Airstream display. Do this last. I believe you will see why an Airstream is much more costly. I was very impressed with the interior and quality of the trailer after looking at all the "thin laminated particle board" of the low cost trailers. I too am already sold on Airstream, but it was an eye opener for me.

Our two Airstreams are 43 and 32 years old; still going strong, still fun to travel with. If you purchase one, it will last a very, very long time. Years down the road your kids will fight over the Airstream, not just the beds.

David

[Piggy Bank]

If you find yourself looking at the 25 and 27 twin options, be sure to really closely look at the exterior storage compartments.

We were wowed by the 25 rear twin exterior back storage. It's huge.

Second area to pay close attention to is to really sit down and close the door on the bathroom. The 25 rear bed has a window in the bathroom, which makes it feasible to use the facility easily without turning on the light if the window shade is open. Good for 2 am or also when using at a rest stop.

Know that even with the door closed, because of how the door isn't all the way to the ceiling, the light will shine over the top of the door at 2 am if you need to turn on the light to go to the bathroom, annoying the others who are trying to sleep.

The angle of the toilet, and the leg room is also much better in that bathroom.

What you give up is the slightly longer sofa area and the dual microwave and oven option.

See what you prefer.

[Johnnyooo]

It seems you have considered the pros and cons ...I would say go for it .....Things can happen and you may not be in a position to own down the road ...I would not want to spend more money on renting...As with anything you do, there's a learning curve...That can also be part of the fun in owning...Learning how to use it, and make it yours ...Go for it

[chevl66]

We looked, walked through, researched, looked and walked-through again. Towing became an issue, we wanted something that we could tow easily and not have to worry about burning through transmissions. Our older kids were almost adults so we just have 2 left. We bought as small as we could all fit in, because you're almost always outside when camping! We've had kids tent it too while we stay in the camper or camp out in the back of the pick up.

We're up to almost 2 teens and us - we squeeze into the trailer when we have to - one kid usually makes a bed in the "hall", one on the dinette bed or sometimes one with us (yes, she still sleeps in our bed sometimes) and the other teen on the dinette.

BUT we don't regret it at ALL! We love our 20' flying cloud, especially the large kitchen area. We looked at the 22' sport but there just wasn't enough storage. Oh yeah, and we have a camping cat. He loves the trailer.

We just couldn't find any used 20' at all. Got an excellent deal (our local AWESOME dealer matches Colonial pricing) with the warranty, which we used every so often for the kinks - nothing terrible - they changed out all of our latches to 10lb latches so we would quit having food and dishes all over from drawers and lower cabinets opening during travel. We had a bad regulator on the propane tanks and we've upgraded some things - moved the TV to the bed area so we can use the space on top of the fridge more productively, changed out the table leg to a telescoping leg (not hydraulic), changed out the mattress with an 8" memory foam (we cut to size), added some shelving/cubbies on the bedroom wall, frosted the small porthole windows in the kitchen and bathroom and removed the blinds (this opened up the space, especially in the bathroom). I know there's more and more we want to do (add a good roof top solar system - we use portables now).

We mostly boon-dock and can go 4 to 5 days before needing to dump/ recharge batteries. -- Think about this when sizing as well, larger units have larger tanks!

[Nalahacjr]

So almost 4 months later now...

First of all, thank you again for all of the advice and responses! We put the AS idea down in early January because of the possibility of moving. Then we actually did find out we would be moving - heading back West to Washington!! Selling the house here in FL and wanting to get to the PNW as fast as possible to enjoy the glorious summer. Heading that way in about two weeks. Don't have to start teaching (CWU) until mid-Sept, so we have some time on our hands. Decided to pick the AS dream back up and found a 2016 FC 27' in OR. Had it inspected, bought it, and flying out to get it two weeks - oh, and the truck as well. Somewhere out there at least. Couldn't be more excited. Living out of the AS from end May thru mid-Sept for sure, and depending on when we find a house in the Ellensburg/Cle Elum area maybe longer.

Anyway, just wanted to again say thank you for all the advice. Wife and kids are beyond excited. The 4.5 year old little girl has asked multiple times a day for the last month when we are going to get our "camper van" (got the lingo from a Peppa Pig book).

Greatly appreciate it and hope to run into some of you sometime!!

Ryan

[Hans627]

Wishing you a safe transfer to Washington and am sure you will enjoy your new experiences with the AS. The kids will always remember this experience!

Congrats Ryan!