Living in an Airstream in Florida

[Gr8 Outdoors]

Hi there!
I am a new member and have been poking around online and on the site classifieds to get a feel for the pricing, maintenance costs, insurance, etc. for an Airstream that I would like to live in and use for camping.

I currently live in South Florida with roots here and in the SF Bay Area in California. I'm considering living in the Florida Keys and am interested in living in an Airstream. Any thoughts by folks with experience living in one would be appreciated :-)

It has been a family dream to own an Airstream since I was a kid camping out west, seeing the great silver bullets pulling past us up the mountain roads. My folks always threatened to get one when they retired but I don't think that's happening so it's my turn to fulfill the dream.

Thanks! Emily

[richinny]

hi emily!

i winter (nov.-march) in miami but spring/summer/fall in miami is too toasty for me, especially in a trailer. the keys are nice if you can swing the $$$$$. other concerns are salt water and the aluminum don't play well together, and having to bail out when hurricane head your way.

start by checking out the cost of sites where you want to stay. read a lot (the google SEARCH works well for fishing out info here) and keep asking questions :-)

-- ricky

[Gr8 Outdoors]

Thanks Ricky -
good point about the salt spray! That is unavoidable in the Keys. I've been looking at prices for places to stay but haven't found anything more affordable than a regular brick and mortar rental. Thanks for the tips!

Emily

[HerbL]

We have similar plans and I am trying to determine what my plans are for my 31' Airstream after our trip to the keys. My son and I are going to leave late July from Port Aransas, Texas headed to the Keys. ( It's my graduation gift to him). We're fishing all the way.

Now for my thoughts,..... I am completely rebuilding the '75 31' Sovereign Land Yacht. I own a furniture and millwork manufacturing business where we restore boats and I've always wanted to do an Airstream. I decided it may be a good idea to restore this one, sell it on the trip, then locate another to bring back to South Texas and do it again. I am putting in all mahogany cabinets and floors. All new LED lighting, stereo, copper counter top, sinks, charger converter, axels, on and on and on.

I've emptied the trailer of all cabinets and will lay down floors tomorrow. The subfloor is in very good shape and I am resawing mahogany strips into 1/4" thick pieces and using waterproof adhesives to put down on existing plywood subfloor. As a highly recognized furniture designer and manufacturer in our area, I can assure you the Airstream will be incredible from a materials, design, and finish standpoint. My costs to renovate should be much less than most folks because my material cost, equipment, and shop labor experience and skills make this quick and easy.

[HerbL]

By the way, I live on an island in South Texas called Mustang island and dealing with salt air is a way of life here. Distance from the Gulf of Mexico has a lot to do with actual salt spray. Three block makes a world of difference. By the way, I have gotten a LOT of great information from this Airstream forum. (you will enjoy it.)

[xrvr]

Sunshine key rv resort, 35 miles from key west. Jim

[A W Warn]

We winter Nov-Mar in central Fl, away from the more crowded coastal areas. It's great not having cold weather over the winter months, but the trailer seems to shrink when you set in one place for that long . So, we do short trips from our winter spot, a vacation from our vacation . We head north when it gets uncomfortably hot for us, late March usually the a/c starts running. Florida summers are to hot for us.

[dwightdi]

Airstreams are "travel trailers" they are designed to travel. Most Airstreams have aluminum colored roofs and minimal insulation. I have wintered in our Airstream for a couple years in Florida, but now own a mobile home down there. The mobile home is designed to provide better living conditions in one spot. Florida and the Keys are hot and humid in the summer.

[ZoominC6]

I agree with the previous post. Airstreams are "Campers" and not particularly well suited for full time living in the extreme temperatures IMHO. Get a white box trailer for full timing as they're better insulated, with S/Os for more room, they have more storage and you can get more bang for your buck.