Newbie and looking for first Airstream

[Travelbound]

Hello everyone - We're new to forum and are in the process of looking for our first Airstream; Empty-Nesters looking to take a year off work and go full time on the road. Have been looking at 1-2 year old 23-25' Safaris with a queen bed, could be SE or base model doesn't matter. We plan to take it on the road for 8-12 months (after renting house out) and seeing continental USA, Canada and AK.

I realize this is such an open question and appreciate everyone's patience: Does anyone have any bad experiences or regrets with this size/model? If you own or have owned one, what's the major drawback you found, if any? We have no kids (at home) traveling with us. Have not purchased tow vehicle yet, but figure a Explorer, Tahoe or full size pickup necessary to meet GVWR of trailer this size.

Thanks,
Mark

[2airishuman]

hi mark and welcome to the forums...

queen bed in a 23, isn't any floor plan i've seen.

25ft'rs with queen usually have a transverse bed...

so side2side leveling is an issue.

there were (no more) 25ft classics with length way short queens.

imo the 25-28 ft classics are better suited to full time travel as mid sized units go...

because of larger holding tanks, more fresh water, greater comfort inside and more durable interiors, and so on...

find the trailer u really really love and go for it!

for full time TRAVEL (not the same as full time parking) go larger and add a 3/4 ton something...

unless all your camping is gonna be in full service parks...

issues like capacity, storage, alt energy (solar/genset) and livable space will matter significantly over time.

cheers
2air'

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

We have a 2005 Safari 25FB. We have spent 220 nights on our Lucy for a much as 50 consecutive nights, and she works great. We travel with just the two of us and no pets. We absolutely love the FB floor plan with the queen bed. I am not aware of any 23 with a queen bed from the factory. You might find a 23 a little tight for long term camping.

We have towed Lucy (7500#) with our 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe, and it works, but kind of marginally. We tow Lucy primarily with a 2005 Suburban 2500 (3/4) ton, and find this combo to be more than adequate. The kind of distances that you are talking about doing would be more comfortable in a 3/4 ton something. Currently, the only 3/4 ton SUV available new is the 2500 Suburban/Yukon XL.l These are available in gas only. If you want to go diesel, you'll need to go to a pick-up.

Brian

[Travelbound]

2air & Brain - Hey guys, thanks for the feedback.

Sounds like we need a 3/4 ton rig and at least a 25' trailer. As far as full service, we're looking at some parks and some boondocking. We're still in the research phase, but the info on the tow rig size is very valuable. I read that we should add 1,000 lbs to the GVWR of the trailer to determine the capacity of the rig (for gas, supplies, water, etc.) and this sounds about right. The 3/4 ton tow rig sounds like some steep gas, ie. poor mpg but I suppose that's to be expected. Anyway, we won't have a house payment and we won't be on the road the entire time.

Thanks again for the advice,
Mark

[2airishuman]

hi mark

my preference is for diesel, but regardless...

towing ANY modern 25+ 'stream is gonna bring 10-12mpg at best, while in route.

so calculate how many miles of towing U expect to do per year...

for example my yearly runs total 18-20k miles,

although many rv travelers seem to be staying longer at their chosen stops, these days.

then figure your 'fuel' expenses for that time/mileage...

so with current fuel prices this generally add 1000-1500$ per year of towing (compared to 2-dollar fuel daze)

of course the real 'fuel surcharge' is in buying food, beer or other stuff of life,

but that is true even if NOT traveling, n living in a stick house.

and the rv'ers ever changing view and search for tranquil weather is worth it!

cheers
2air'