Did you shop for different trailer brands?

[graysailor]

Interesting thread. About 2 1/2 years ago I caught the RV bug. I briefly looked at SOB's and Airstreams but the price chased me away. I live in Mexico so I had to do all of my research online. I must admit that I liked the interior of SOB very much, storage was plentiful, weight and price was quite decent. The problem was that when I was daydreaming I could only picture myself pulling an Airstream. I spent hours on this forum reading what everyone had to say about their Airstream.

Flash forward to February of 2013. I went to the RV dealer that originally showed me the Airstream and many, many other SOB's. They are a large dealership with many makes and models to look at. I thought I went into the show room with an open mind but deep down I knew that it was an Airstream or nothing. I ended up with a Flying Cloud 25'. The buying experience was great and the sale man, parts department made it a very enjoyable experience. Because of other commitment at home all I could do that day was buy the trailer so I still have not used it. Here we are in the middle of June and I will be heading back North to officially pick up the trailer and head out for 2-4 months for parts unknown. No schedule and no agenda. I have no idea in which direction my first trip will take me.

[amazongb]

First, I've been RV'ing since 2006 in a toy hauler (young kids at the time). My wife and I decided it was time to downsize, sell the diesel truck, the 31' 5th wheel and scale it down. We looked for 3 months at everything, and I mean everything. Travel trailers other than Airstreem are all a like, boxes with ugly interiors and terrible use of space. We actually walked into a 30' trailer that met all of our requirements except it had not place to store food. LOL!!! I also couldn't believe how big trailers and 5th wheels were getting - you either opt for super light or super heavy, not much in the middle. I guess this is because newer trucks tow so much more now, I think 17k LB for new chevy diesel? crazy.

On a whim we went and looked at Airstream. Wow, what an incredible use of space! Nice interiors, and all the essentials, and not one square inch that's not included as useful within the design itself.

We went with the International Signature 25FB, I take delivery this Thursday and haven't got a wink of sleep since in anticipation.

I found the story of how Christopher Deam came to design for Airstream very interesting.

John

[LFC]

I looked at two fiberglass/plastic campers.....then bought an Airstream.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by amazongb

First, I've been RV'ing since 2006 in a toy hauler (young kids at the time). My wife and I decided it was time to downsize, sell the diesel truck, the 31' 5th wheel and scale it down. We looked for 3 months at everything, and I mean everything. Travel trailers other than Airstreem are all a like, boxes with ugly interiors and terrible use of space. We actually walked into a 30' trailer that met all of our requirements except it had not place to store food. LOL!!! I also couldn't believe how big trailers and 5th wheels were getting - you either opt for super light or super heavy, not much in the middle. I guess this is because newer trucks tow so much more now, I think 17k LB for new chevy diesel? crazy.

On a whim we went and looked at Airstream. Wow, what an incredible use of space! Nice interiors, and all the essentials, and not one square inch that's not included as useful within the design itself.

We went with the International Signature 25FB, I take delivery this Thursday and haven't got a wink of sleep since in anticipation.

I found the story of how Christopher Deam came to design for Airstream very interesting.

John

Efficient use of space says more about the owners (and, operators) than the RV itself. That is, once one stands back and looks at what they are, what they really are, one adapts ones self to the best use of that space. By extension, the weight necessary to economically support two-four people for extended periods shows up inefficiency in its most enlightening form.

12-14k of combined rig is considerably different than 27-30k over the long term. Ones choices of tow vehicles, fuel burn, etc, is (or should be) part of the consideration. While the exact range of weights can be different than the above it is close enough to representative of a car pulling a TT versus a 1T pickup pulling a big 5'er. So, what does the latter offer that the former does not? Usually, next to nothing besides an onboard generator and more "space" to have to clean, heat or cool, etc.

Arguments about "lifestyle" cover this up. And shouldn't. A "vacation" that costs me more due to the personal vehicle having shot up in price of operation over the 80-90% of solo miles it will cover versus one better suited to all-around duty is an Achilles Heel. No one is made of money . . or we can put it this way: were things to change in ones life, what choices made to day can ensure the continued ownership and use of a quality RV? That would be the one that is most efficient long and short term.

It might not be an Airstream, but the lack of alternatives at present (as Silver Streak, Avion and Streamline are no longer manufactured) means it is a default choice for a new purchase.

The one that can be bought when one is age 45 or 50 and still be in use when one is 75 with little to no major expenses beyond optional choices.

.

[m.hony]

We actually owned another brand of trailer. I wanted An Airstream all along, but thought I could never afford one. After buying another brand and being disappointed I got what I should have bought in the first place. After 2 years 4 months of constant trouble I traded for my Airstream- the last trailer I will ever own. For me it is an Airstream or no trailer. Airstreams are more expensive, but the monthly note is not necessarily bigger. It is just financed for a longer term. If you are financing and making a monthly note it is easier to make the payment if you have what you want. Maybe the Airstream will last till it is paid for. SOBs don't.

[MiTTco]

We had a pop up (Coleman) that we dearly loved, but we grew tired of the constant set up and tear down, thus decided to search out a new TT to replace it with. We started our search a few months ago and looked at everything under the sun. As another poster already noted, they all pretty much end up being the same after a while and we began to think we would just forget the whole idea. I'd always been intrigued by Airstream, but didn't imagine they would be something I would ever own. Still, when we were looking at another brand I'd mentioned to the wife that the dealer also had Airstream. Neither of us had actually been in one before, but after spending time in the Flying Cloud 30' Bunkhouse we couldn't bear the thought of anything else. We looked for another few weeks, but everything else paled in comparison. We walked through the rationale, the budget, the logic and kept returning to the Airstream. Long story short, we spent our first night in the new Airstream last night and we can't wait until next weekend to get back out in it again!

[switz]

I had no knowledge of any other brands and had not used a live aboard camping trailer. I initially looked at the Airstream website while overseas and selected the 19' Airstream based upon my TV specs. After finding this forum, I switched to a 25FB International Serenity.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have purchased the 27FB International Serenity. But since I did not have all the information (I should have viewed in person), we have ordered a 2014 Classic 27FB with twin beds to maximize storage and no microwave to maximize the pantry space.

[Hodum]

Did you shop for different trailer brands?

Not once.

[PharmGeek]

The wife and I had an unusual agreement about wanting a TT as of last year....usually when I have a spending idea, its me dragging her along....not quite in this case.

She grew up with some experience, so did I...I had not known of her experience actually despite being together for 10 years.

Anyway, we got kinda generally talking about it last year, and we were talking with some friends....they mentioned "I would only ever buy a tt if it was one of those "silver bullet airstreams"....she worked in insurance, and said that this experience has made her horrified of many TT's for all sorts of reasons.

She pulled up some photos on her iPhone and I had vague recollections of seeing these...wife knew what they were right off the bat as she had some experience as a child.

All the sudden, we were agreeing on something like this? A travel trailer? WHAT?! I was excited. We love camping and did some tent camping here and there - but she mostly hates sleeping in tents and would never agree to anything other than 1 or 2 nights of sleeping in tents...

We got to doing a ton of research (well, mostly me, I am the research nerd) - got to looking at some as well....

It seems to us some points about AS's that make it pretty certain we will get our first one come november..ish:

1) They last for a long time! The SOB trailers after many years have so many well documented issues...the argument is made that for the cost of an airstream, you can just keep re-buying SOB's...fair enough, but still, that does not quite make AS more expensive if you think of it that way...but even if we call them more expensive, there is something I just give higher subjective weight to in knowing that its possible that the right AS we buy and put effort into maintenance/repairs through our life will out-live us and be passed on....

2) The ease of towing and safety in tow of AS is very attractive to us soon to be new owners...ive seen those vids with double lane changes and the AS sticks to the pavement....and better gas mileage in tow...sweet...

3) They just look freaking awesome...my wife as we have been looking (well mostly me, cause I cannot not look and feel buyer's remorse) at other stuff, earthbound, evergreen, jayco...some that were composite and other materials - some were interesting and possibly longer lasting, but the companies were falling apart and frankly, they still (to us) were not visually appealing and the certainty about their longevity had not similar track record as AS. All of that matters not to my wife, because every other "SOB" Ive shown her trying to do my due diligence has resulted in an "ugh" from her....for me, I could live with a poorer aesthetic for something durable/functional perhaps - but its just not clear to me that there is such a thing as a 50 year TT other than AS....and if there is, so far it does not shake off my wife's "ugh" response...and it would need to...and for the record, I agree with her...I freaking love the look of AS's

There are other reasons we are so far unwaveringly hunting for our AS purchase this fall/winter...but my fingers are getting tired.

Oh, one last one....I spent some great deal of time seeing what other RV sites were saying about AS's....of course alot about the high cost of new ones...but interestingly, many of these folks really still made a point to nod to the aesthetic (not all though, some think they are flat out ugly, eye of the beholder and all) the longevity, and the enthusiasm of streamers that make it quite appealing...and apparently this site even on these other sites is well known for having a ton of expertise on your subject..kudos to you all.