Slideout

[FRaynor]

2000 34' Airstream Limited with slideout. This is our second Airsteam the first being a 1998 Excella. Still working, practicing for retirement. Texas born and raised... South Texas. Interested in talking to others about slideouts.

[Towdaddy]

FRaynor,

We have a 2007 34' Limited S/O. I love the extra room. Our daughter is in a wheelchair and the slideout gives us just the right amount of room. Honestly, if I did not have a special need for a slideout I would never get another.

Mrs. Towdaddy (Vickie)

[Garfield]

Originally Posted by Towdaddy

FRaynor,

Honestly, if I did not have a special need for a slideout I would never get another.

Interesting comment. Care to elaborate?

I've always considered slideouts on Airstreams to be a design mistake -- only there due to popular demand -- which should have been ignored by Thor. In our case, if we really wanted/needed a slideout(s) we would've bought SOB.

I'd like to hear some opinions on this.

Gary

[ZoominC6]

Love ours and would consider a 34 if we needed the room.
HAPPY TRAILS

[DEITZ645]

We love our 30' SO. We have met with usual "they still make those?" comments and when they see the SO they add "and with a slide out too?" We have also met airstreamers that love them and wish they had one and others that dislike them and think they are an abomination, everybody has their own opinions. I like unique things which is a small reason we got the slide out and a double door '87 34' Excella 1000. The more unusual and unique the more we like it.

[Towdaddy]

Gary,

I would be glad to elaborate. The dealership has adjusted this slide twice in the year that we have owned it. I have watched the technicians adjust this slide. I truly believe that the hole was cut incorrectly. The reason I say that is when the slide is centered in the hole it drags on one side. When the side that drags is raised it does not close properly. This fall my dealership repaired the carpet and pad and placed a metal guard strip to prevent any future carpet problems. The slider has not been out since I returned it to the campground late last fall. I plan to try it out for the first time tomorrow. I am hopeful that this latest fix works because I do not want to have to take it back to Jackson Center.

We chose an Airstream because after making modifications for our handicapped daughter we didn't want to turn around and sell it in five years (like we had to do with our SOB). Also, an Airstream is close to the ground which facilitates getting a wheelchair in and out a lot easier and cheaper. We use telescoping ramps and the height of the Airstream prevents the angle from being too steep. We couldn't even get the wheelchair in our previous Airstream, at all. So now with this model (34' SO) she has room to sit at the writing desk in front of the sofa, transfer to the sofa or dinette, remove belongings from the dinette drawer, and she is even able to get to the pantry and refrigerator to make her own breakfast. Our daughter is independent in our home and this model gives her some of that independence in our "Home Away From Home". So, if I have to put with some difficulty with this slide at least it not as much as she deals with on a daily basis.

On the positive side, we have never experienced any leaks. We love our Airstream even though the slide may be flawed. I, for one, am glad that Thor did not ignore the demand for a slideout model. It means that my daughter can enjoy herself and our family can enjoy the camping experience together like every other family.

Mrs. Towdaddy (Vickie)

[jcanavera]

One of the reasons I considered in buying a slide out was resale oriented. In 2003 I visited the local RV show in STL. I found it interesting that every RV manufacturer there at the show, including pop-ups and truck campers, had displayed a slide out unit. With that in mind I realized that as more folks got into the RV market, slide outs were becoming more mainstream. I felt that who ever bought my trailer in the future had a pretty good chance of owning some type of RV with a slide unit in their past. The universe of potential buyers would probably be larger if my Airstream had a slide out. Who knows when I will sell, but as time goes I'm thinking that the slide out on my Classic will become an advantage rather than an exception.

Now heading into it's fifth season, I have no misgivings about my decision on ordering a slide out unit.

Jack

[Garfield]

Originally Posted by Towdaddy

On the positive side, we have never experienced any leaks. We love our Airstream even though the slide may be flawed. I, for one, am glad that Thor did not ignore the demand for a slideout model. It means that my daughter can enjoy herself and our family can enjoy the camping experience together like every other family.

Mrs. Towdaddy (Vickie)

Thanks Vickie for the thoughtful response. I appreciate where you're coming from, and it's certainly easy to see that a slide satisfies a real need in your case. But I have to wonder if you wouldn't have even more options with SOB -- one with multiple or much larger slides?

I guess to me, as popular are slides obviously are with RV'ers right now, they just don't seem to fit with the Airstream philosophy as I see it (smaller, simpler, mobile, "less-is-more" philosophy).

Gary

[Towdaddy]

Hi Gary,

Thanks so much for your interest, Gary. Our 34' Airstream meets all of our needs at the present and as for as we see for ourselves in the near future. There are a lot of different sizes and floor plans of Airstreams out there. Some small, some not so small. Everyone has to choose what is right for them. Ours is right for us. Yes, we would have been able to find an SOB (TT or 5er) with multiple slides and more floor space. But, you have to remember that it is a huge expense in getting a wheelchair in one of those. But most importantly, we did not want a SOB. We wanted an Airstream. My 34' Airstream pulls better and I get better fuel mileage that when I pulled a 23.5' SOB. Like everyone on this forum...Airstream is our way of life!

BTW, I tried the slide yesterday and it worked great. Thanks to a responsive dealership I am a very happy camper!! So, finally it is time to start making more Airstream memories.

Enjoy your Airstream adventures,

Vickie

[BobB]

we just purchased a 2004 34ft slide out lounge. it's in for it's second slide problem, the first was lack of lubrication, now it's out of adjustment. We have it scheduled at an authorized Airstream dealer. My question is: are there any inherrent issues with the larger slideout on this model? once its properly fixed, and if we operate it correctly and lube it, can we expect to have no issues with it. Guess we are concerned that the reason they discontinued this model might be that the larger slide posed problems?
We REALLY LOVE the layout and would be hard pressed to find a floorplan we like better.
Bob

[jcanavera]

Assuming that there is no inherent defect in the build of the trailer itself, the slide out should give you good service. The key is to follow the process of getting the stabilizer jacks down before you open the slide out. Same goes when you retract in, keep the jacks down until it's retracted. You do this and unless there is something else going south, you will have many happy years with the slide. I'm heading into my fifth season with my slide out.

Jack

[ZoominC6]

I'll 'ditto' Jack's comments and add one. Make certain your Airstream is as dead level as possible prior to extending the slide.
HAPPY TRAILS

[nilesrob]

We had zero problems with our 2005 34' slideout. Talk about an awesome machine. I still mainatin that the 34 is the greatest machine ever built. Our only issue was it (the slide out) was built on carpeting as a platform. Carpeting in an RV? Outside, fire place, red clay, foot tracks, yada yada? Call me crazy.

[BobB]

how about when you put out the stablizers on soft ground at a campground, and they settle. I'm betting that could cause problems.
Curious the 34ft slide out lounge is such a great floorplan. Does anyone know why they discontinued it?
BobB

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by nilesrob

We had zero problems with our 2005 34' slideout. Talk about an awesome machine. I still mainatin that the 34 is the greatest machine ever built. Our only issue was it (the slide out) was built on carpeting as a platform. Carpeting in an RV? Outside, fire place, red clay, foot tracks, yada yada? Call me crazy.

We attempted to delete the carpet at build time. In the fall of 2003, Airstream would not do it since they said the stainless steel rollers which are under the slide room would ruin a vinyl floor. I believe we have another slide out owner on the Forum who was able to get his built without the carpet. I haven't heard how his floor is holding up over time.

Jack

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by BobB

how about when you put out the stablizers on soft ground at a campground, and they settle. I'm betting that could cause problems.
Curious the 34ft slide out lounge is such a great floorplan. Does anyone know why they discontinued it?
BobB

When I'm on a soft surface I'll put one of my Lynx Leveler blocks under each pad. That distributes that pressure over a little wider area. When I drop the jack leg down I'll stop just as I notice the trailer starting to rise. I don't let it carry any significant weight, just stopping right at the point where you see the trailer body show a lift. I only do this over soft ground since I know that pressure will be relieved fairly quickly by the ground being depressed over time. That keeps the stand from floating free of ground contact.

Jack

[BobB]

this is what happened. the slide would only deploy 1/2 way. I stopped by a large nearby RV dealer and asked if they worked on PowerGear slideout mechanisms, and could they work on an Airstream. They APPEARED knowlegable, and said they worked on power gear systems.
What a mess. 200 dollar later and 20 miles down the road after I parked at home, the slide was out 1.5 in on bottom. Went to a rally, only one lock would retract, next morning both retracted but slideout would not deploy, it would not move.
Brought it to Airstream dealer............1000.00 dollars later
he opened up the access panel under the slide and bolts and nuts FELL OUT. the microswitches on the locks were all loose.
I guess the lesson here is to ONLY GO TO AIRSTREAM DEALER....
hopefully I'll have no further issues!
Bob