West Boondocking our new 2014 25' International

[Ray Eklund]

After eight years towing a 23' 2006 Safari, the 25 foot Airstream may as well be 50 feet long. Everything is different. Although the aluminum skin, inside and out was expected, but the windows, vents, lights, refrigerator, storage, faucets, sinks, stool... it will take some getting use to it all.

The maiden trip begins tomorrow to Wyoming, Southwest Montana and Eastern Idaho... the targets of this break in period. It required 12 months towing the 2006 Safari to find what needed to be tweaked. I expect to have this trailer completely combed through for anything... anything that needs attention to uneven road travel and getting adjusted to the wider body and longer trailer for "dips in the road".

My experience with the first AS was truly an education. The first thing I did was take the blue "waterproof" duct tape and wrapped the tow frame to the hitch. This part really catches the grit chipping off the paint. When I go to sell this trailer, I will remove the tape and should have a very nicely preserved painted frame. We will see. This is a "beta test" for abuse.

Second was to add some roof flashing, cut some strips out and inserted it along the brackets that hold the water tank to the frame. (You will figure out how to slide some flashing in between to hold the strip.) On this model I did this on the "left side facing the trailer inside, between the wheels. The fresh water drain and the hot & cold drain units are exposed directly to any gravel that will break or impair their use. The first thing that gravel broke off on my 2006 was the white plastic water drain... which I purchased an 8 cent cork and used it for several years to keep the fresh water from draining out. I took duct tape and attached it to hold this roof flashing (the bent flap of metal that fits behind the gutters on a roof edge). You cannot use screws as it could puncture the water tank itself. It seems firm and secure with a 30 inch section to support the small section that blocks anything from hitting these exposed pieces of hardware. Beta test... two.

In the mid section is a copper pipe that moves LPGas to the furnace. It is at a right angle to the travel of the trailer. I took strips of, of course, duct tape and have it well protected. This is another easy target for loose gravel and grit to pummel the copper. Beta test... three and counting.

The Power Jack and the new hitch are nice, but the tail gate of the Tundra would not drop without hitting the control switches and electric motor. Using an "allen head" wrench, there are three screws, I loosened them according to the loose sheets of instructions provided by the manufacturer and rotated this unit to the left side, facing the trailer. The tail gate clears by 1/4 inch... but I can drop the tail gate. 1/4 inch and 3 feet are the same to me... it clears. This I did not expect when hooking up today. But... this hitch, cannot recall the name, has the two long bars that rest flat and you have these two chrome "L" that clip on to hold them onto the bracket. Beta test... four.

The two Fantastic Fans I covered with those white all weather plastic covers. The frames for these Fantastic Fans are a bit different and you have to improvise where to screw the bracket onto it, to attach the covers. I took a drill to start the screw so it would not split or crack the plastic Fantastic Fan frame. If you have done these before... you will see there is a difference and you have less to work with. I had to use metal screws and not the nuts and bolts to attache the bracket, and added calk to help hold it secure. We will see... Beta test... five.

These next two to three weeks will complete the beta testing and find any weak hinges, undersized screws or "blue duct tape going wrong".

Everything at Windish RV west of Denver... checked out and worked. Fantastic Fans on others were noisy or were having a motor replaced by their mechanics. This one... they were quiet. But after reading on the Forum about bad motors... I was already aware! The Power Jack makes some weird sounds, but not as much as some others I tested while browsing other models. This one was quiet and I will keep a close eye to it.

I will be looking at how well the unit keeps DUST OUT OF THE INTERIOR.

Since this model has a Micro Wave... we have the refrigerator fan... no quieter or noisier than the 2006... we will see.

We are loaded, flushed the water system and lines, LPG is working and carrying about 5 gallons of fresh water, a second time, to flush anything out of the water tank. I had Windish RV add water to the tank so by the time we arrived home... I drained it once and this time should get most any taste out of the tank. Beta test... six, I guess.

The Airstream floor mat is nicer than the 2006 and the carrying bag for the pile of manuals was also nicer. The Pioneer Radio was discovered "always on unless you remove it" so figured that one out. It was intended for a car and when the ignition is turned off, the radio is off... well this is a trailer, so it has a 24 hour color show. Beta test... seven? Wife called Pioneer and had that one answered!

[Flht2k]

I am looking to purchase the international signature. Please continue to post. I want to see what I am getting myself into. Safe travels

[Ray Eklund]

We spent about ten days camped in Wyoming and southern Montana. When the weather report on the Buffalo, Wyoming radio station began to talk about rain and SNOW... and below freezing weather... it was time to head home.

Our 23 foot Airstream Safari had a solar panel, which at the time you just accept the fact you get a steady trickle charge on sunny days. The batteries are also different than on the standard models, as well. We DID notice that with our camping much off the grid... a Solar Panel is in the near future.

I did purchase a 2000 Honda which runs very quiet, watched the Broncos game on the Airstream's television out of Buffalo, Wyoming and CHARGED the batteries... as an excuse. Without Solar, using the furnace or taking a shower will pull the voltage down below 12 volts, no matter how conservative the power use. Noticed this immediately.

-The LED lights... wonderful!
-The windows can be adjusted for as much fresh air as needed.
-The cushions... we have them covered with sheets and pillow cases. By the next trip we will have seat cushion covers made. These are much too nice for back country camping.
-If you do not need the Microwave... it will eliminate the need for the fan to cool the Dometic Refrigerator coils. It runs a lot more than on the smaller 23 foot Dometic, which is smaller. It draws the batteries down.
-The storage arrangement takes some getting use to after 8 years in the Safari.
-I do like the single key for accessing the outside locks.
-The overall exterior is well done.
-The aluminum interior the wife thinks is the best thing invented...
-I felt confident the 15", D Rated Goodyears would be reliable, and they were. The 14", C Rated Goodyears on the 23' Safari were ... problematic.
-The two Fantastic Fans... were fantastic. Make sure before you buy they are not one of the noisy ones. We found three motor styles. Mine are the flat brass colored motors which are quiet and can pull air in quickly.
-Getting the Pioneer "Demo" OFF, was solved on another post of Rich Luhr's Airstream guidebook for Newbies... by Walt. Thanks. It did the trick.
-The television crank up antenna... Buffalo, Wyoming channel 29 was about 12 miles from us at the Buffalo Bill Reservoir State camp site. Cranking it all of the way up there was NO reception. But, by cranking the antenna up or down, the picture and sound was being received. So if your reception is lacking with the antenna fully extended, bring it down to a point where you have the best reception. Good is better than nothing at all!
-We liked a 25 foot 2014 Flying Cloud sitting on the RV lot that had two solar panels on the roof. The interior cabinets reminded us more of our 23 foot Safari. The problem... the trailer was manufactured in the Winter and obviously towed on salted highways to a dealership... the corrosion of the copper exterior tubing, metal hardware and metal components in the Dometic and hot water tank exterior areas were corroding. The unit we purchased was shipped in April 2014... NEVER thought of this being something to be made aware... but that is why we passed on the Flying Cloud. It WAS an excellent fit for our Safari replacement, but the International WILL be tweaked by next year's camping season and will fill our camping needs!
-The exterior of the 2014 Flying Cloud was not affected by the salt. It might have been washed upon arrival. The bottom of the trailer and the vent components were missed... just be aware of my observation. I was considering to make an offer that was much lower, actually low ball... but did not want to have to figure out how to mitigate the corrosion already in process.
-The water pump is as noisy as the 2006 Safari.
-The furnace vents... The front one has 50% of the volume and the others 25% each. I did not notice if you can adjust the air flow, but will look at that soon enough. South of Rock Springs, Wyoming on the 1st of September... low 20's, heavy frost on the trailer. Well, you know Wyoming... then 70's and sunny. Ran the furnace with the truck idling to keep from discharging the battery. Did the same when we both showered before going to the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming. This did maintain the battery charge, but this is my thinking of a solar package to avoid this in the future.

Overall on this trip. Maybe 700 miles, more or less, being towed by a 5.7L Tundra... I have no regrets. The trailer tows very well. The miles per gallon while towing is down maybe 10% from the 23 footer. More storage options on the 25 footer. The wife loves the faucets! The BIG DOOR HANDLE used STILL on some models is gone on this one. This uses the 2008 flush handle for the rest room. We tried to fit it onto our 2006 while in Jackson Center in 2008 and the opening is cut differently. YOU WILL PREFER THE FLUSH SYSTEM TO SECURE THE DOOR.

How satisfied are we on our 2014 purchase?
Lets say 95%. I am sure if I look hard enough, and I am, I will get some more time on the road there will be something. The wife... 100%. Grohe faucets and "roller shades" were tops on her list of changes from the aluminum slats that always need dusting and needed attention.

With the 70% to 75% sale price of our 2006 Safari from our original cost... I expect his "gem" to be much easier to sell in eight years, when we are ready to make changes to our camping, travel or just find we have seen "it all".

[mefly2]

Good observations!

[Goal15]

Ray

thanks for sharing. I will be following along with interest because we want to upgrade from our 23 to a 25 when retirement rolls around in a couple years so we have a bit more space for longer trips.

Also nice that you are towing with the same TV that I have. Glad to hear that it tows the 25 well. That was probably the one thing I have wondered about the most.

Dana

[BoldAdventure]

Love this. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip too. But...



lol