Newb looking for first Airstream

[Ray Eklund]

A 'used' 23 foot today has more upgrades as standard than our 2006 23 foot Safari. We went from tent camping to a trailer with two Blue Heelers and two adults. Absolutely perfect making the transition to the trailer, which might as well been a two story Manhattan apartment in comparison to a quality tent.

Thirty years ago, 15 feet was a MONSTER holding five people and a dog or two!

Disadvantages for boondocking:
Our 2006 23 Foot Airstream Safari:

-14" wheels and tires need to be stepped up to 15" D rated tires. C rated tires are a hazard waiting to happen once you own them on the trailer.

-Rear bed model (2006) is really is uncomfortable. Toss the original mattress and get one of those foam mattresses that you cut to shape with a box cutter and fit it. It will be worth every dollar spent, as we discovered immediately.

-Get the aluminum skin interior, as the models with the adhesive fabric would be difficult to clean with three active dogs.

-About 6 inches narrower than all the other models. Really, a minor issue, if any. Excellent for Boondocking and dispersed camping anywhere you want to go.

- After 8 years with our 23 foot Boondocking... those are the major issues. Not much to complain about. It was sturdy, spacious and interior was designed very well.

Eventually in eight years or more... you will want the 25 foot Airstream. Again buy used and in five or more years, the used model will have better standard equipment that the used 23 foot.

Our 2014 25' International:

-She wanted the larger refrigerator.
-I wanted the 15" wheels and have already upgraded to 16" wheels and Michelins.
-The bed is a foam mattress which is what we would have wanted by default.

The 23 foot and 25 foot hold their values over time. The 28 footers I had seen more of those for sale in the Denver, Colorado area when we were looking for a used 25'. Unless you plan to buy a large tow vehicle I see no advantages over these two lengths.

The 23 foot is excellent to break into the Airstream sizes.

The 25 foot is, in my opinion for Boondocking in the Western USA the BEST.

The longer trailers have more caveats as length has disadvantages for navigating in tighter areas and clearances over irregular undulating roads. If you want more STUFF to haul... stay home. If you want to camp and find more open space that will fit a 23 or 25 foot trailer... those two sizes are the largest I would consider for spending one day or one month boondocking.

BUY from an original owner. They are less likely to lie to you... maybe exaggerate some, but fire up everything to see if it works. Water in the tank, pressurize the system. Furnace. Hot water. Ceiling vent fans. This is a trailer, not a 6400 square foot home with a swimming pool.

If the exterior looks shabby. Walk. If the interior looks shabby. Walk. Ours used looked as good after 8 years as it did new... with some improvements.

Added: Thinking over a 'reasonably priced' 23 or 25 foot is what several people did with ours on Craigslist. I posted on the Forum somewhere the dollar amounts, but could have sold it five times in a week... and it was priced not too high... and not too low. Just what it was worth to us.

[cazual6]

I have two kids, three small dogs and two big dogs. We alternate bring the small and big dogs, but the kids and wife always comes :-)

We have a Cloud 19'. It is a tight fit, but we make do. I have been wanted an AS for a long long time. I was shocked when my wife was the one that pulled trigger.

Your list will grow with experience. But here is something to get you started.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f48/...ferrerid=90554

[Maddmike]

Some great feedback guys and gals. Thanks!

@gecko I have a 911 and I can't imagine camping in that thing (do the dogs go in the frunk?)

I have also considered other brands but my wife like the look of AS--what can I say? Good advise on the 23 size and the pricing on the 20 that I am looking at. I will see if the owner can show the 20 this weekend. We will be in Europe after this week till May 7th so any search will have to wait.

I will keep my eyes peeled and am open to any suggestions that anyone may have or if you see a good deal on what I am looking for.

[Maddmike]

So, it looks like the wife, the dogs, and I are going to take a road trip down to SC to check out that trailer this weekend.

If everything else checks out, what is a fair price on this model? NADA is useless, I think it is worth $29-$31k if it is in pristine condition. Anyone with thoughts on the correct price?

[Maddmike]

Found a 2011 Sport 22 FB for a little less and it is local.

Thoughts on this unit considering my needs? Pricing?

http://www.airstreamclassifieds.com/...-pennsylvania/

[cazual6]

My brand new Cloud 19 was close to $60k, plus put in another $10k of stuff.

[Dizzee2020]

GoPower makes a cable that connects to its folding and portable solar panels. This could be an inexpensive (relatively speaking) alternative to full blown solar installs especially if one hasn't landed on the perfect trailer.

http://gpelectric.com/products/7-pin-trailer-adapter

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by cazual6

My brand new Cloud 19 was close to $60k, plus put in another $10k of stuff.

WOW! Would you be bragging, or complaining, or is this a statement of your perceived wealth?

Larry

[Piggy Bank]

MadMike,
We have the 22 sport and really like it.

We have camped comfortably with 3 adults and an 80# golden retriever. The dog sleeps in the area by the door, which we block off with a babygate. (so we don't trip over him when using the bathroom at night).

I don't think 2 adults could sleep on the table/bed unless they were real snugglers.

The bed is large, feels like you are sleeping in a queen.

We love the bathroom, in that you can actually open the window (not an option in most AS), and there is room to towel off or change inside the bathroom in complete privacy. Important when the kids come along.

The galley kitchen offers great counterspace. And the under bench storage in the dinette is more spacious than in units that have drawers.

We basically chose it for 2 adults and a dog to camp in.

Here are some older threads with more info on this topic:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f295...-a-136645.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f295...es-120231.html

[cazual6]

Originally Posted by Larry C

WOW! Would you be bragging, or complaining, or is this a statement of your perceived wealth?

Larry

I was giving him a perspective on price. Wasn't that he was asking for? Wealthy I am not. Just work hard, saved and got what I wanted. Actually, the wife pulled the trigger. I was shocked myself :-)

[wbrisett]

So, I'm in a slightly different position. Our one and only daughter is off to college in the fall, so we're going from three to two camping a majority of the time. We used to have an Aliner A-frame camper until a month ago when we pulled the plug on the 23D. So maybe this will give you some perspective.

We were moving from a 16FT camper, and like you didn't think we needed the biggest unit out there. So we looked at the sports, in fact we had the opportunity to see what life inside a 16ft sport was like when we were camping recently at one of the state parks. A couple two spots down had the 16 sport. They were happy to show us around. We really felt the 16 was tight, it felt tighter than our 16 ft A-frame.

A few weeks later, we walked the lot at our local Airstream dealer and looked at the 22 sport and 23FB, along with the 25s and 26U. We also looked at a couple of used 27s they had on the lot. We left thinking the 23FB was about the right size, but we weren't crazy about the setup. We really liked the openness of the 25 and 27 units. One thing that really differs between us is the heat (we also spent some time living in Toronto and Northern New Jersey). Here in Texas, during the middle of the day in June - September you really don't want to be outside. When we camp, we spend as much time outdoors as possible, but when it's 100+ with high humidity, we retreat into our camper and relax, watch a movie or read a book. That's where having the extra living space really sold us. Plus we were trying to get away from having to take down the table every night to sleep three. Having the pullout bed on the lounge really fixes that issue.

When we went back a couple of weeks later to look again, they happened to have a 23d which was initially sold, so not shown to us, but then not purchased by the initial buyer. We did another comparison between it and the other units. The only thing we were worried about was the bed. But other than having to crawl over each other to get out of bed, it really isn't as bad as we were imagining it.

We just finished making reservations in a state park 100 miles from where our daughter is going to school for Thanksgiving. So we're not fully out of the 3 person arrangement, and we have a very long trip this summer from Texas to Yellowstone and back where we're going to have to get all comfortable for hours on end not only in the Airstream, but our tow vehicle (GMC Sierra crew cab). You're not quite there yet since you don't have children and even once you do, you're on the other end of that spectrum so you will have to think about that.

As far as 22 vs 23, if you're comfortable with the setup of the 22 and 23fb, then in my mind there are only two considerations.

1. Do you have a tow vehicle that supports the additional weight of the 23, if not then are you ready to buy one (we weren't when when purchased our 16ft Aliner. The actual weight of the off-road package was near the tow limit of our v6/axle ratio, which we found out the hard way... on the way home from the dealer. So we ended up buying a new truck the very same weekend).
   
2. One axle vs. two axles. There's some benefits to both. You need to decide which is best for your needs and determine do you really care? For some it's a non-issue, for others it does matter.

Regardless, good luck and have fun!

[Piggy Bank]

To react to wbresett's post above.

I do agree that the overall lounge area and roominess of the 23 D is nice.

But for the 2 of us, the bed was not an option.


23 D and 19 bambi have the exact same bed. For us, it was just too small.

The reason we like the 22 so much is that the bed is so spacious.

If we had not purchased the 22, I feel that we would have gone with the 23 FB due to lower tongue weight, and great water tank capacity.

Now, if you feel that the adult bed in the 19 or 23 D is fine for you both, that changes the decision markedly.

But truly get in and lie down in both beds. And crawl over each other in both beds.

For us, the extra width in the 22 bed made the crawling over much easier, because there was mattress for my hand and knee to land on on the edge of the bed even when occupied by the 2 of us.

In summary, I agree that the 23 D is better for daytime, but feel strongly for our needs the 22 is better for sleeping.

[wbrisett]

Originally Posted by Piggy Bank

To react to wbresett's post above.

I do agree that the overall lounge area and roominess of the 23 D is nice.

But for the 2 of us, the bed was not an option.

And I think in a nutshell you've nailed it. Long term we're still a bit worried about did we make the right choice.

-Wayne

[drftboat]

Hi
To continue the discussion..... My wife and I also stepped up from tent camping to an Airstream. Our priority was to maintain as much of the "tent" camping flexibility as possible. We elected to stay small and purchased the 19FC. We have found, as a result of this choice, an ability to visit all our favorite spots and new ones without concern with size limits. Sometimes less is more.
D
PS We started with a 16FC....way to small for us, but really cute.