Slide Outs

[donemerson]

I have been thinking of buying another Airstream to replace my 1996 34' Classic Limited. I am thinking about buying a unit with a slide out. A Airstream dealer in Arkansas said he does not sell units with slide outs because they cause problems. Any folks out there with slide out units that have an opinion one way or another?
Don in Galveston

[jcanavera]

We love the slide out. No problems or issues that I have encountered. There is a weight penalty in that you have some fairly heavy hitch weights to deal with and for all intents a heavier trailer.

You do need to play by the rules. Only open the slide when the stabilizer jacks are down. Don't raise the stabilizer jacks until the slide is retracted. I use silicone on the seals about twice a year.

Obviously the dealer you talked to has had some bad experiences. I know the early slides back around 2001 had some seal issues and some trailers were retrofitted. I don't know how the slide outs in the Safari line performed but the Classics are pretty nice. It all depends a lot on how your previous owner treated their slide.

Jack

[Colonial Airstream]

Don,

Thanks for the post. We love the slide-out model and had very few problems with them over the years, so nothing negative to post.

We just ordered the last two 2009 Airstream 34' Classic Limited S/O trailers. Below are links to two 34''s I have in stock one is a slide and one in a non slide. Hopefully you will enjoy the photos.

2009 Airstream Classic Limited 34' - Slide-Out Dinette
Colonial Airstream NJ - 2009 Airstream Classic Limited 34' Slide-Out Dinette

2009 Airstream Classic Limited 34' - Lounge
Colonial Airstream NJ - 2009 Airstream Classic Limited 34' Front Lounge

[jcanavera]

Patrick, it's interesting in that Airstream continues to put the 13.5 K AC unit in the 34' units. When I ordered my 30' slide out, I upgraded to the 15 K units. I never regretted that upgrade. Especially with the additional space a slide out gives you.

Jack

[donemerson]

Thanks Jack
Cheers,
Don

[Colonial Airstream]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Patrick, it's interesting in that Airstream continues to put the 13.5 K AC unit in the 34' units. When I ordered my 30' slide out, I upgraded to the 15 K units. I never regretted that upgrade. Especially with the additional space a slide out gives you.

Jack

Jack I agree it is a no brainer. Every unit I have coming in has the upgraded a/c unit and every other 30'+ Classic Limited I add the 2nd a/c in the bedroom.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by NeatAirstream

Jack I agree it is a no brainer. Every unit I have coming in has the upgraded a/c unit and every other 30'+ Classic Limited I add the 2nd a/c in the bedroom.

I've visited a lot of 34' non slide units with the single 13.5 unit in the Missouri heat and have never been impressed with the ability of that unit to hold temp when you get into the really hot weather. You are smart in adding the additional AC unit in the bedroom or ordering the upgraded 15K unit.

Jack

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by NeatAirstream

Jack I agree it is a no brainer. Every unit I have coming in has the upgraded a/c unit and every other 30'+ Classic Limited I add the 2nd a/c in the bedroom.

Patrick,

I have a 2005 Classic 30 that I bought just last September. We haven't yet had any summer travel experience with it yet, but I'm suspecting the single
AC which I think is 13.5k may struggle to keep the bedroom cool.

Can you tell me if it is likely that this trailer would be pre wired for a bedroom AC unit? If not, is it very difficult to run the wiring?

Would I be right in thinking it would be installed over the vent where we now have a second Fantastic fan?

Thanks.

[Airslide]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

Patrick,

I have a 2005 Classic 30 that I bought just last September. We haven't yet had any summer travel experience with it yet, but I'm suspecting the single
AC which I think is 13.5k may struggle to keep the bedroom cool.

Can you tell me if it is likely that this trailer would be pre wired for a bedroom AC unit? If not, is it very difficult to run the wiring?

Would I be right in thinking it would be installed over the vent where we now have a second Fantastic fan?

Thanks.

We love our 30 S/O. Its an early one and i did have to adjust the slide a bit to center it but no other issues. The frame is very beefy and the extra room really opens it up. The coach is heavy and my overall payload can be compromised easily but we are very happy with the decision to purchase this combination.

Vinnie

[vswingfield]

Just about a year ago I relpaced the Coleman with a Carrier 15,000 Btu heat pump model. (http://www.airforums.com/forums/f427...ead-40795.html) In the full sun here in Little Rock, it struggles to bring the interior temp near the outdoor temp. Once the sun goes down, it cools off quickly.

Interestingly enough, the bedroom, which only has 3 windows, is the coolest room in the Excella even though it is the west end. Having the insulation on the corners really makes a difference. If I add a second AC, and it is under consideration, I will use a 13,500. With only the bedroom to cool, I should be able to hang meat in there. I've always wanted my own walk in refrigerator.

[Colonial Airstream]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

Patrick,

I have a 2005 Classic 30 that I bought just last September. We haven't yet had any summer travel experience with it yet, but I'm suspecting the single
AC which I think is 13.5k may struggle to keep the bedroom cool.

Can you tell me if it is likely that this trailer would be pre wired for a bedroom AC unit? If not, is it very difficult to run the wiring?

Would I be right in thinking it would be installed over the vent where we now have a second Fantastic fan?

Thanks.

Brian,

The bedroom in an 05 30' S/O Classic in not wired for a 2nd A/C. I have heard of folks going back to the factory and adding the 2nd A/C but from what I understand it was pricey.

[jcanavera]

The 15K Penguin unit on my 30' Slide has no problems in keeping the bedroom cool. If you close both doors that encompass the center bath, you are going to cut down air flow going into the rear bedroom. The doors don't completely cut off the airflow since there is a pathway above and below the doors for air flow to pass through.

Jack

[Stream 1529]

We've had our 34' S/O for just about 6 yrs, and we love it. The only problem with our S/O was owner inflicted. I extended the slide when the trailer wasn't level side - side, and I sheared some pins. Pushing in the slide took two on the outside. Like Jack, I lubricate the seals on a regular basis.

Having 2 a/c's is a must. The 13.5 unit will not keep a 28', or larger, trailer comfortable in the summer. We experienced this in our first AS, a 31'. Blistering hot in South Dakota, and the unit blew out. I talked with the Dometic people and they told me that, in a 31', the small unit would cool the trailer to 10* less than the outside temps. Not good when it's 101 outside. They also said that the 13.5 would work effectively in trailers less than 28'.

Since I ordered our rig from the mfg, I was able to have them install a dome king sat receiver on the roof, and that has worked out well. The extra space from the slide is well worth the additional weight, in my opinion. The 2 a/c's mean the inside temp is 78-82 when it's 100+ outside.

______Tom

[ZoominC6]

Don, You'll love the S/O and if you're like most of us you'll have no problems with it at all. I ditto the 15K AC upgrade as it makes one heck of a difference in our 30 footer. I've also seen the 34s with two units and the owners swear by them. I believe the two units were custom built into the units and of course the electrical service went up from 30amp to 50amp. Leveling AND securing stabilizers prior to S/O extension are a must as previously mentioned by others. Good luck and get out there.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by ZoominC6

... I've also seen the 34s with two units and the owners swear by them. I believe the two units were custom built into the units and of course the electrical service went up from 30amp to 50amp. Leveling AND securing stabilizers prior to S/O extension are a must as previously mentioned by others. Good luck and get out there.

fr8shaker's 34 Classic is a 50 amp trailer and the bedroom AC was added in Texas. If ordering new, get 50 amps to start with. You are in Galveston. You are going to need the second AC.

For anyone interested in adding a second AC to an older Airstream When I was discussing this online last year, Inland Andy suggested that a simpler retrofit for a vintage trailer like mine would be to add another 30 amp system and use and adapter like this 50 Amp Male to 30 Amp Female Adapter - Item - Camping World to plug one system into the 50 amp service at campgrounds and the other into the 30 amp service.

Let us know what you get!

[Silvertwinkie]

I would wholeheartedly suggest the 15k unit. I have it in my 25er and it was one of the best moves I ever made with the trailer. Back in 04 few units had the 15k and though it was an option on the 25' Classic, it was an off the menu option on the Safari. At the time I had a lot of opinions not to do it since it would cycle too much not take all the humidity out due to freq cycling, none of which ended up being true and again, my main point was that if it was good enough to put into a dimensionally exact trailer (25 Classic vs 25 Safari), the it was a risk worth taking. Today the number of 15k units is way up and you find them a lot more in the 25ers and up... and there is a reason for it, they work very well. In 90 degree heat, direct sunlight, I can hang meat in my trailer if I wanted to.

[ZoominC6]

I just thought of something else that may be helpful to those in hotter climes. When I lived in Texas and before we changed out the 13K unit to the 15K I found that insulating the two skylights helped immensely. What I did was this; I found a styrofoam insulating board with a silver coating on one side. I cut pieces to match the skylights and then laminated two pieces together by using silver AC tape. I placed these little gems between the skylight dome and the accordian screen and it cut out an immense amount of trapped heat. I hope someone will find this tip useful.

[vswingfield]

There is a pretty nice looking 2001 34' Limited with the Slide Out in the classifieds. Airstream Trailer & Airstream Motorhome Classifieds - 2001 Airstream limited 34ft with slide out - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds It even has a second AC.

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by ZoominC6

I just thought of something else that may be helpful to those in hotter climes. When I lived in Texas and before we changed out the 13K unit to the 15K I found that insulating the two skylights helped immensely. What I did was this; I found a styrofoam insulating board with a silver coating on one side. I cut pieces to match the skylights and then laminated two pieces together by using silver AC tape. I placed these little gems between the skylight dome and the accordian screen and it cut out an immense amount of trapped heat. I hope someone will find this tip useful.

Well, I sure did. Thanks alot,ZoominC6!
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