n00b!

[mistacolin]

Hi everyone,

Man am I excited to be able to post here as a new owner of an Airstream. She's a little 19' International and nameless (Cupcake?), but I'll fix that soon enough. I've never owned a travel trailer before and man is there a learning curve.

The plan is to move into her full time in about 2 months. Have to sell most of my stuff and figure out what needs to be in the trailer. It's a little overwhelming but I can't wait to get it all figured out.

I'm looking forward to picking everyone's brains in the coming months as I'm SURE I'll have some questions for you guys. So to get started...

What would be the biggest lesson you've learned that you wish you would have known when you started out?

-Colin

[TinShack]

Welcome! Hope you enjoy your new baby. Post some pics when you get a chance. My advice? Go slow and learn how to back it up!

[mistacolin]

Here are a couple from when I picked it up. All shiny.



Good advice. I was thinking about taking her out to a parking lot this weekend to practice.

[mistacolin]

Hmm... I tried replying and putting the images in the body of the message and I got a moderator needs to approve message. Is it best to attach images like below?

Thanks for the advice on backing up, I'm thinking about taking her to a parking lot this weekend to practice.

[cameront120]

Congrats and welcome! If you have a third party account like photo bucket, it is very easy to just provide a link to that image, rather than use up your allowable storage space here.

[Stefrobrts]

I second learning to back up, and becoming a backing-up expert as quickly as possible. I'm still terrible at it. Otherwise, just learn to minimize and only take what you absolutely need. I love having a small trailer! Congrats on your new home

[mistacolin]

Thanks guys. I see you're from the NW. I have some property in Walla Walla, WA that I plan on making my way back up to in a year or so. I sure miss it up there.

[Zia]

Congratulations and welcome to the Airstream community. Living full time in 19' Bambi may be quite a challange.

[PharmGeek]

looks really beautiful! CONGRATULATIONS!

We will pick ours up in October...I live vicariously through you till then

[mistacolin]

Originally Posted by Zia

Congratulations and welcome to the Airstream community. Living full time in 19' Bambi may be quite a challange.

Thanks! I'm figuring it will be, but I'm looking forward to making it work. I'm also going to put a shell on my truck for additional storage. It's just me and my dog, so I think I can make it work.

[mistacolin]

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

looks really beautiful! CONGRATULATIONS!

We will pick ours up in October...I live vicariously through you till then

Thanks! It's a really nice trailer. Nicer then most people's homes I know, just A LOT smaller, ha.

[TouringDan]

MC

Congrats and welcome to the world of Airstreams. Your life will be changed forever.

Two lessons:

1. Before you back up find the tree or object that you may hit and don't forget about it when you are backing up. I have not hit it yet, but I have come close.

2. RV fridges are different from home fridges. Sometimes they don't work so well in the Texas heat. Food must be kept below 40 degrees. You can buy a remote thermometer at Walmart for less than $10. It is the best $10 I have ever spent. I have a thread on this in the refrigerator section.

Good luck. You are fortunate to be starting on such an adventure. Have fun.

Dan

[mistacolin]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

MC

Congrats and welcome to the world of Airstreams. Your life will be changed forever.

Two lessons:

1. Before you back up find the tree or object that you may hit and don't forget about it when you are backing up. I have not hit it yet, but I have come close.

2. RV fridges are different from home fridges. Sometimes they don't work so well in the Texas heat. Food must be kept below 40 degrees. You can buy a remote thermometer at Walmart for less than $10. It is the best $10 I have ever spent. I have a thread on this in the refrigerator section.

Good luck. You are fortunate to be starting on such an adventure. Have fun.

Dan

Thanks! I'll definitely look into the fridge thermometer. Good idea.

[TBRich]

Welcome aboard...you're going to love your 19' Bambi...we enjoy ours very much!

Living in a 19' is challenging, but it can be done! It has everything you need. We lived in ours in our front yard for 4 months during repairs to our house ... and no one got strangled! A shell on your truck will help with storage for "stuff".

[dirigible25]

Welcome to the world of AS. There are a lot of posts/threads regarding what you need to have for your AS, so go to the search function above and type in what you are looking to find more information about, its out there.

[mistacolin]

Thanks everyone.

I took her out this weekend for an inaugural camping trip. It was awesome! I can't wait to start full timing in it.

Couple things I figured out that may be helpful for others. I went to the Container Store and found a nice flexible trash can that can fit in the small space between the dinette seat and the counter. You can also fit a paper towel holder inside the cabinet door under the sink. For dirty launder I found a cabinet hook and a laundry duffle bag I can hang from it. Other then that, everything seems to have a good place.

Here's a pic all set up.

[cameront120]

And you've got the necessary pup to accompany! We'll need pics of your pup in the pet section, please!

[janeinthemtns]

As a dyslexic rancher, I had a hard time with backing up giant gooseneck trailers full of stock until I learned this trick. Grab the steering wheel at the bottom. Move your hand in whatever direction you want the back end of the trailer to go. Voila.