Is more room better ?

[Scott J-24]

Originally Posted by Aage

"Too much horsepower is just about enough."

Sounds about right to me...

[BAB]

Lots of good thoughts on this. Think it's very personal in terms of what you haul. After a year with my new trailer, I know I'm hauling some stuff I never used and probably don't need. My 28' seems to work great with two adults and two basset hounds.

[Air Apparent]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

Okay, so if I find one 2004 34' Classic Limited with a slide, then all 2004 34' Classic Limiteds will have slides? That makes it really easy.

kb0zke:

Airstream offered slide outs on the Classic 30 and classic 34. You could also get the 30 and 34 without the slide. The slide and non slide were considered two different models with a slightly different floor plan.

One issue with the slide out models is that they have a heavier tongue weight.

The slide out models ran from the early 2000's to around 2008 if I memory serves me correct.

[Hodum]

Originally Posted by Aage

As I re-read this post from the beginning, I remembered an old saying from my years of owning a motorcycle:

"Too much horsepower is just about enough."

I believe the same is true for TT interior space. I've never heard anyone complain that they had too much space.

I agree whole heartedly. It is only the two of us but our 34' ft seems to just fit the bill. We use it to work out of for weeks at a time and enjoy every minute of it. The extra dinette is used for a very handy desk. The extra room helps avoid the cramped feeling. Oh yes, that part of towing and backing easily is right on; I don't think that you could ask for a better set up. It is 34 all the way.

[theelfstar]

I have a 1961 26" overlander I reccomend the rear bed and get your water heater before you move in. I got mine with the intention of living in it but and at the time I thought the rear bath was the way to go I have remodle most of it and was working on the out side I figured I would put a new water heater and A/C on next spring and got called out of town with out a hot water heater its not to bad as my campsite is close to the shower house but my wife has not joined me yet because of the hot water and the bed is a little cramped for 2 after 16 years we no long sleep tied in a not like we used too LOL

[dheflin]

Well I have a 34' and I live in it by myself for now.I live in it full time at a fixed site. Plenty of storage, I actually have empty drawers and bins . A friend of mine pulled it to the camp site for me with a F350. I have a Silverado 1500... not a good tow vehicle for this size AS. I need a 2500 HD or F250/350 to pull this. I looked at many AS but the 34' was my choice, I like space. Like another reply stated...you can get 34's at good prices, I agree. Now to search for a tow vehicle.

[RivetED]

Stuff Storage Rule: "We tend to accumulate 110% of stuff in respect to actual available storage space" Confuzzes..

[tuffr2]

I spent 5 1/2 months from Dec thru mid May in Florida last year. It was kinda scary of how little I needed. I needed access to a laundry facility, 10 tee shirts, 4 swim trunks, 7 pair of shorts, 3 pair of long pants, 4 hoodie sweatshirts, 1 jacket, 2 pair of sandals, snorkle and fins, sunglasses, 3 baseball caps, and small bag of tools with nylon ties and glue.

I have added a rain suit, hiking boots, walking shoes.

Since I plan to stay out of really cold weather I think I will be ok as I can be outside most of the time.

If you are going to spend time in cold weather that changes everything.

If trying to stay in warm weather 25' should do.

If in cold weather nothing is too big.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Silver Goose

I traded for a 27FB last year and discovered a lot of stuff in my old trailer I had been carrying for 12 years but never used. Let's say we're enjoying it more these days with less stuff. I can't address full timing but for us on long weekends and cross country vacations, we are very satisfied with the storage once we figured out how to get the most out of it.

Even full-timing (no home base, no storage unit) one tends to carry stuff that really isn't used. Outside of climate/weather-specific clothing and a few supplies/equipment of that order if it hasn't been used in six months then it probably won't be. What value has it?

No matter the RV type or size compromises have to be made. More space isn't the answer, IMO, past the number of people one has to have storage for (mainly clothing). I have a new-to-me 35' that has less storage space than the '32 it is replacing (same brand, different space design philosophy between models 14-years apart), but it is still substantial. I'd have to get rid of stuff with other/more people aboard (by myself at present) so will likely do that ahead of time.

As a full-timer I use a pickup (which I bought for business reasons) and the longbed with bed topper is the "garage" for stuff I don't want to dirty the TT with. Were I to move to a smaller TV I would get rid of even more . . and likely will once a fair number of restoration/renovation projects are completed. Buying/selling on the 'Net or locally is a bit like renting or borrowing for an approach to this. Easier today than before.

Self-sufficiency is likely a better approach to the thinking on this subject:

What I need is important, what I only want needs to be restrained.

RV's require higher amounts of energy per square foot, be it electricity, propane, etc, over a conventional home. The ability to move around the countryside -- safely and efficiently -- is the guiding principle. And that is the highest energy requirement of all. Keep the budget open-ended on this. I see folks all the time with too much tied into the RV and "stuff" without the real budget to travel.

Extra weight, extra space is contradictory -- in the end -- to this. The extra mental burden, the extra emotional baggage tied to things, can be cut down. That extra human energy is more than just inventorying, cleaning, maintaining the stuff.

I'm getting ready to toss some stuff I've had around for years. Of no interest to anyone but me (should be the realization for any of us).

If it all burned up in a fire, how much would I replace? What would my heirs choose to keep in the event of my death? Little of these personal things most of us carry around, I suspect.

An RV does make this easier, IMO. An A/S or one of the vintage cousins make for a permanent acquisition, which can't be said for conventional RV construction. Make plans to this end, I think, and how to achieve self-sufficiency isn't as hard as when one starts looking the thing over.

.

[dkottum]

This is an old thread and the op is long gone. To add to the present discussion, we travel 6 months each year easily in a 25'.

I don't think it's so much a matter of what you need to travel, but what you are unable to part with when considering full-time.

doug k

[Zmanstu]

I just read this whole thread, contemplating doing the RV thing full time when I get back to TX, trying to decide on size also. I lived in a 26' sailboat and a 34' sailboat in the past and liked it except I couldn't go to new places without a lot of planning and expense. I did like to sail though. Anyway what several of people hear have said rang very true as far as what you can live with and without. I live now in AK on 7 acres with a big house and was happier in the 26' boat. I have to spend the next year getting rid of 9 years of stuff before I make the move. ( I will be reading this blog and asking questions, this is my 1st post). I look forward to moving out with what I came up with, a pickup with just the bare essentials - can't wait!

[slowmover]

Welcome

There is depth and breadth to experience at this site. We look forward to your contributions.

[Bill M.]

Yeah, not much storage in an airstream compared to a 5th wheel. And all of the storage is inside the shell. One plus though is you can put a high cap on the truck and pick back up some good space that is lost to the 5th wheel. Slides add weight and maybe living space, but not storage space. I would rather not have a slide in an Airstream. Might depend upon how you are going to fulltime. Move around a lot? Stay in a couple of places? Have a permanant base? Are boats and all that bulky gear in the equation? Storage sheds in 3 states? Airstreams are great for a lot of travel and for moderate climates. There are about 10 or so Airstream parks that would make a great base for fulltiming.

[TerraYacht]

We bought our moho a few years ago with retirement travel plans, but not full-timing. Our 30' is smaller than our neighbor's SOB 30' but theirs is also taller and wider, and I will have to be more careful when I do get to retire so we can do those longer trips.


I put a little overflow in the toad, and you will have a TV to support some extra too.


There is a corollary to Murphy's law: the amount of stuff expands to fit the space available. That is how much stuff I carry when I travel.

[AtomicNo13]

More space = more stuff you stuff!

[Gene]

I like to think I could get all my stuff down to just what would fit in the trailer and truck, but I know I am lying to myself. I don't have to think much about it because my wife's stuff would make it impossible for me to fit my stuff in either and I'd have to have a second truck and trailer which she would fill too. A third trailer is out of the question because I can't drive 2 trucks at once, at least until Google has a self driving truck. Then I can have an 18 wheeler follow us. I once lived in a 400 square foot, 2 bedroom cabin in the mountains with a roommate. It was fine when I was young; not now. There's no room in the trailer for my table saw and miter saw.

But other people can and they do it. It is an individual thing. Make a list of all your stuff (you'll probably quit after 10 pages of stuff). Cross out the things you don't need and you'll still have lots of stuff. Cross out more—like those family photos that are heavy to carry and bulky to store, those clothes you will fit into again some day, tools you have never used, 40 cans of soup that you bought on sale and don't really like but might eat someday, the stamp collection that was so important when you were 12 and all that wonderful furniture you have collected all these years. Then you'll be down to all that stuff you can't part with and you call up the kids and ask if they have some room to store it "temporarily". We don't have any kids, so I'll keep the house unless I can adopt some adult children who are rich and have a big house.

The other part is whether you can live in a couple of hundred square feet for very long. We've gone as long as 8 weeks on the road. We were fine, but… it sure was nice to come home and take a shower in a place where I could stretch out, use more than 6 gallons of hot water and not have to maneuver around the wheel well. The only way to find that out is to try a long trip or rent a trailer for a while and see if it is the right size.

Gene

[andreasduess]

I lived on a 50' narrowboat on the British canals for a while when I was younger. I didn't own much to begin with, and boats don't encourage hoarding. I loved the ease that comes with a lack of personal baggage. Now I live in a house with three kids and all the clutter that comes with that.

It's easy to just become a janitor of our possessions if we don't watch out.

[Aage]

It seems we spend 2/3 of our lives collecting things, and the last third in a mad scramble to get rid of it.

If our last third isn't successful, all that does is pass the problem down to our children.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by fishingpig

I have a 26ft fifth wheel with a slide, but want a 26 or 28ft airstream. I'm thinking about full timing and wounder if the storage is going to be that much less in the airstream. It will be just me. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

More spare is always better however more weight, cost, and larger external dimensions are not. Only you can make the tradeoff

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by fishingpig

I have a 26ft fifth wheel with a slide, but want a 26 or 28ft airstream. I'm thinking about full timing and wounder if the storage is going to be that much less in the airstream. It will be just me. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I think we scared this o.p. away, we haven't heard from him going on three years.