New member(s) from Texas anticipating acquiring our first Airstream in the next 12 months. My wife and I think a late model Safari 25 FB is the model that will meet our needs best.
We have owned Class C motorhomes and a tent trailer in the past and been across the US many times in the motorhomes and camped extensively in CA in the tent camper.
Jim...welcome to the forum and good luck as you wait for the right Airstream to find you! You have lots of Rving experience, so the transition to Airstreaming will be a snap and you can jump right in with both feet (or axels, as it were)! You'll find lots of information here along with a helpful, knowlegeable crowd to give you moral support and input as you make your decisions...and possibly even help in locating just the right rig...
welcome to the forums! it took you awhile, but you're finally "upgrading" to an airstream.
one word of caution on the tahoe. i think it may be a little underpowered for the newer 25' as they've been making them heavier for several years (i have an '03 tahoe). i'd recommend spending a little time in the towing sub forum. many people on here recommend finding the trailer you want first, then matching the appropriate tow vehicle, but of course it works the other way too, just as a long as you have a safe and happy tow combination. enjoy!
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We just returned from a trip to Bryce Canyon, a little over 1500 miles from our home. We towed from 650 feet above sea level to 8100 feet Above sea level.
The Tahoe did fine. It is a 2007 with 5.3 L V8 and 3.42 axle. Our fuel mileage for the whole trip out and back was 12.4 MPG. Our nominal speed was about 60 - 62 MPH.
Our lowest sustained speed going up a hill in Utah at a little over 7000 feet was 50MPH. This was in third gear, I did not want to go below 3rd gear for sustained towing.
Max transmission temp was about 210 degrees while going up a long hill at 60 MPH and ambient temp was 95 degrees.
I think the one thing I would have changed about the Tahoe was to get the 3.73 rear end so the engine would turn a little more RPM and make more HP at the desired cruising speeds. This would have given me about 200 more RPM at 60 MPH or roughly 10% more which would be about 10% more Horsepower.
Wife and I try to get out at least once a month, as well as run with the Heart of Texas Camping unit (they are a WBCCI unit but SO NOT WBCCI - if you get my drift)
You welcome to hitch up with us anytime.
We'll be heading to the RMVAC rally in Colorado in 2 weeks....
__________________ Kevin & Prim Li Bandit the Siberian Husky & "G" the Min-Pin Cosmo the Custom 2008 27FB Intl CCD
2008 Ford F-250 King Ranch Diesel 4x4 AKA "The King"
WBCCI # 11809
AIR # 6155
2nd love - 2006 28' Safari LS
1st love - 2004 19' CCD Bambi
Welcome to these Forums. We're glad to have you with us.
You're going to really like the FB floor plan. We have a 2005 25FB, named Daisy. We have spent 270+ nights in her and have pulled her over 30,000 miles, and still love our Aistream adventures. We pull Lucy with a 2004 2500 Suburban.
__________________ SuEllyn & Brian McCabe WBCCI #3628 --- AIR #14872 2005 25' Safari FB (Lucy) with HAHA 2005 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Olivia) & 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Daisy)
I have owned two new Airstreams and I would strongly encourage you to check out the QC threads and perhaps the corrosion threads.
If I were in a position today to buy an Airstream, I would without question buy a pre-owned one before spending your hard earned cash on a new one.
Here a few links for you to digest. Airstream is a really great trailer and the cool factor can't be matched, but there are some deltas to owning an Airstream, some you can see before making your final decision on how you're going to take the plunge:
This first link has links to the QC of new(er) Airstreams over the past 6 model years (though there isn't any data for 2009 models yet)
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Welcome Jim! We just got our Airstream in May too. We have the 28 ft Safari and tow it with a Ford F150. It seems to do OK. We're getting ready to pull out from a week at Arches and Canyonlands NPs. We camped at Dead Horse State Park for this trip and it was totally awesome. Utah is pretty cool!
__________________ Jim & Rod
Two Burmese cats with attitude Philip and Gus
Welcome Jim, from another guy just down the road. You'll find expertise to address any imaginable Airstream question in this forum. As the sage advice offered here says, give both new and pre-owned units a really careful going over before you take the plunge.
Though there's plenty of fondness for larger tow vehicles here, SUVs can do a fine towing job with some careful weight and length considerations.
Best wishes in your search for just the right trailer.
__________________ 2008 Safari Sport 22
2003 Ford Explorer NBX, 4.6L, 3.73
Hensley Arrow Hitch, McKesh Mirrors
Don't know the towing specs on your Tahoe. We tow a 2006 25FB with a Dodge Durango SUV with no difficulties although the speed up some grades definitely takes a hit. But, heck, we're retired so what's the hurry.
Compare the torque and towing specs on the 2005 Durango vs the Tahoe and see how yours might stack up.
Welcome to the club. You'll love the 25FB. There are many fans of that configuration on the Forum.
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