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stowaways · 04-13-2012, 10:28 PM

1. In winter, fill your fresh tank and disconnect hose! If you accidentally leave it connected, it freezes, you open faucet, forget to close it, line thaws, you flood your trailer. Oops! Lol

2. Do not lose your sense of humor! See no 1.

3. Keep your fridge under tree or in shade if possible. Helps a lot.

4. Cover your tires. Sun kills.

5. When you buy something new, take something out. (donation stations!)

6. When you hit the road, check that sun guards, rock guards AND screen in hot water tank are secure. See no 2!

7. Get ahead of the heat early in the day. If you wait to cool off Airstream after work, you're toast. In 100+ degree days, close off bedroom and the front of Airstream will actually get below 80 degrees. Won't hurt AC. We're on year five in the Texas heat!

8. Bathe your Airstream regularly. It's good for the soul and let's you keep an eye on any spots that need Vulkem!

9. Remember you chose to live on wheels for a reason! They're made to move. Enjoy it at every opportunity!!!

Best of luck. Look forward to reading about your adventures! You guys should consider the Rally in June in San Marcos. We're thinking about heading that way...

stowaways · 04-13-2012, 10:30 PM

Wait you said three!!! Oops! Lol

elfirebob · 04-13-2012, 10:49 PM

Great question, fantastic anwers...all three were "the best advice"...don't forget See More, Do More, Live More!
Welcome the the forums...you two stay safe our there.

LawChick · 04-13-2012, 10:49 PM

Might want to put the antennae down and be sure to lock the awning. We know people who have forgotten and lost aforementioned. Remember #2 above! LOL

dukester · 05-18-2012, 06:02 AM

My wife and I are on the same track. We decided to change gears in life back in '09. We got rid of a house on the West coast, bought an Airstream, and decided to try full timing. We moved to Austin for two years while we did some exploring to figure out where we wanted to settle. Not sure where you are staying, but we based ourselves at Oak Forest and really liked the folks there. Also became seriously addicted to Salt Lick. We still miss the BBQ.

The three things that I would recommend would be to travel, travel, and then do some more traveling. I am a firm believer that while these trailers look great in the backyard as a guest house, they were really intended to be road homes. We spent some time at the factory and were moved by Wally's obsession of testing his product with caravans all over the globe. Nothing compares with the ability to bring your own personal hotel along with you while you explore some destination for a few weeks or longer if deemed necessary. We spent a summer in the Canadian Maritimes where the Airstream was put to the test in all sorts of crazy experiences. It came through without a hitch (thank god). Even dragged it up the Alcan from Montana.

Anyway now we are in Alaska and still full timing it (winters too). These are great rigs. You and your husband have some good times ahead.

Orson · 06-17-2012, 01:27 PM

I'm on my 4th Airstream and I wish there had been (1)airforums (2)pack lightly then cut that in 1/2 (3) everything should have two purposes especially in the kitchen. (4) best kitchen purchase was a stainless steel wok. I've even baked a cake in it! oops! I went on to four things. Have fun and you will have fun.

Gruffid · 12-21-2013, 05:29 PM

My suggestions:

- 12 volt computer fans work well to keep your fridge systems cool in TX.
- Electrical whole-trailer surge protectors can save your bacon in places with questionable power supply
- Have a checklist for setting up camp and for breaking camp - and use it.

BAB · 12-21-2013, 07:27 PM

I bought my trailer brand new two years ago and can vouch for the value of Airforums. I have profited greatly from the thousands of years of experience of people who have been so kind in answering my questions and helping me enjoy my trailer. I can say that it has given me just incredible joy -- and having just retired (for the 3d time!), I plan on using it even more in 2014. The Airstream is MEANT to travel, it is sublime in this respect. In addition to all that you've read in these posts, I'd add one thing: when I've done something dumb, it's usually because I've been in too much of a hurry -- so I'd say: RELAX and don't rush things. Have a leisurely breakfast, don't push for break of dawn departures, call at a "day" early enough to see where you're parking (backing in the dark makes a tense activity even more tense), get into a parking spot early enough to enjoy where you've parked. Above all, just enjoy your trailer and the terrific people you are going to meet.

switz · 12-21-2013, 07:32 PM

When parking on a sandy area, those legos style building blocks to make the trailer level sink right into the ground over night until the flat area bottoms out. The trailer is leaning in the morning.

m.hony · 12-21-2013, 07:35 PM

Try pounding the orange Lego bricks into the ground with a rubber mallet before putting the stabilizers down.

DavidsonOverlander · 12-21-2013, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiHoAgRV

Don't arrive after dark

...and have lots of lights available, because despite your best intentions you will end up setting up in the dark sometime. It's nice to have extra flashlights to shine on trees, picnic tables, firepits, etc. to make them easier to see.

switz · 12-22-2013, 08:29 AM

The weight of the trailer wheels does the compression better than a hammer with limited swing capability because of the aluminum trailer proximity.

switz · 12-22-2013, 08:31 AM

It has been mentioned that a long string of lit Christmas lights can be laid on the ground as a path for the wheels.

Protagonist · 12-23-2013, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by switz

When parking on a sandy area, those legos style building blocks to make the trailer level sink right into the ground over night until the flat area bottoms out. The trailer is leaning in the morning.

On a sandy area, there is no substitute for increasing your surface area to minimize the weight per square foot. The "snowshoe" principle. Get yourself a couple of folding ramps for loading ATVs into a pickup bed. Lay them flat on the sand where you want to park. Then put your leveling blocks on top of the ramp. A cheaper alternative would be to use the longest pieces of 2×12 that you can carry, but then you'll have to provide some sort of non-skid surface on top to keep the leveling blocks from sliding away as you try to climb up them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by switz

It has been mentioned that a long string of lit Christmas lights can be laid on the ground as a path for the wheels.

If you do that, use rope lights, please. The bulbs will still break if you run over them accidentally, but they'll still be encased in the plastic tube rather than leaving broken glass behind at your campsite.