Rent/Lease/Borrow Airstream for Winter

[rmkrum]

Keep in mind Airstream's tendency to overstate the size of its travel trailers--their published length is the measure from hitch to back bumper. As a good example, the BODY of my 23' International is closer to 20 feet.

Other manufacturers tend to publish the length of the body only...

So if you are wanting a 20 footer, look at the 23's. Also note that many of the 23 footers are the shortest Airstream that has dual axles--in my opinion a safety factor over a single axle unit.

As always, suggest you visit a dealer with a large inventory, and take the time to explore each model in depth, including moving around in the bathroom, pretending to cook in the kitchen, and lounging in the lounge/seating area to get a feel for it. One of the big weirdnesses about Airstream owners is the "two foot syndrome", where they buy a certain size, then decide its 2 feet too short... That's how we got our 23 footer, which went on exactly one trip before being traded in for a bigger unit...the couple was a bit on the large size. For us, the 23' length easily accommodates me, wife, adult daughter, and our 4 smallish dogs on all our trips, including living in the parked AS for weeks at a time..YMMV.

[SCDonovan]

For us it's the towing capacity, I believe we max out around 6,200-6,500 lbs and the reason for looking at 20 footers or less. Thank you for Airstream knowledge as we ramp up our efforts!

[TravlinMan]

Just another guy here sayin nope.

If I wanted to sleep in a bed a stranger slept in, I'd go to a hotel. My airstream is for me.

[TravlinMan]

Originally Posted by SCDonovan

For us it's the towing capacity, I believe we max out around 6,200-6,500 lbs and the reason for looking at 20 footers or less. Thank you for Airstream knowledge as we ramp up our efforts!

SCDonovan, you may want to look at the fiberglass trailer world. Casita, Escape, Scamp and Oliver make great trailers at varying price and weight points and they are much cheaper and lighter than an airstream and a great beginner trailer. Just a suggestion, not sayin ya should shy away from Airstream, they are great but the cheaper ones might be a good way to 'try before ya buy the most expensive one'.

[rmkrum]

Also seriously consider a trade-in unit. That's how we got ours. One trip by original owners, they took the depreciation hit, and we got a trailer without QA issues. They bought a bigger unit.

Of course, do inspect a used one thoroughly. There are inspectors available from the tab on the forums front page if you need assistance.

[SCDonovan]

The suggestion is noted, be hard to talk me away from the airstream after what I have seen so far! Thank you.....I'll certainly look though.

[SCDonovan]

It's not in my nature to buy brand new off the lot, so if we do buy directly from a dealer this will be top priority. Based on the MSRP what discount did you get for a trade in unit? Just curious to have an idea coming in and again thank you for the AS knowledge!

[laineygoltly]

There are options out there for trying out the Airstream experience before buying. There are plenty of people willing to share what they have with fellow travelers and adventurers especially ones on an Airstream path as well.

Try checking rvshare.com. It's a newer site but there are some Airstreams listed. This service would allow you to take the RV to a location of your choice.

You can also ask at Airstream-only RV parks if you can post a note on bulletin boards to rent an Airstream that might otherwise be put in storage for the winter months. This happened at lot at Top of Georgia Airstream park that Airstreams were in storage all winter. I also think that these parks should offer Airbnb Airstreams at the parks themselves, but that's just my opinion. Airstream only parks listed here: http://wbcci.org/airstream-parks/cla...irstream-parks

The other thing is that you can actually Airbnb in an Airstream (this is typically an Airstream on someone's property but sometimes you are able to move the Airstream). Often there are discounts for monthly stays. Link to Airbnb-Airstream Search

Good luck and I am happy to post additional ideas if they come to me!

[rmkrum]

The only data I have is that our 2007 23' International with a full awning package, used, in about 2009 was $44,000 at Sutton in Oregon.

It's current value is still north of $44,000 today.

I'd suggest browsing the classifieds for comparison purposes, ditto other cost-related threads..

Another note, since about 2015 (I think) many models come with 'ducted air', where the air conditioning system has real air ducts. It's quite a bit quieter. My non-ducted system cools, but raises a big racket when it's doing it. (Daughter compared it to living in a trash can with someone beating the outside of it with a stick) I've also found that having and deploying awnings on all three sides when possible helps keep the AS cool in hot weather., Automatic awnings are getting mixed reviews on reliability; mine are totally manual.

Upgraded tires are another hot topic...I plan to go to Micheline 16" tires and wheels to improve tire reliability, and add a lift kit to get more ground clearance, since my drain connections come close to dragging on driveways. and extra 2-4" clearance would be nice.

We also upgraded to a tankless water heater because DW loves long, hot showers. It paid for itself the first outing after I installed it.

Solar systems are another possible upgrade. The factory-installed system is IMHO, not worth the money because the output and pre-installed wiring is inadequate. We installed a kit from AMSolar with much higher capabilities.

I tow with a slightly undersized Toyota Tacoma, but use a ProPride (Hensley design) anti-sway hitch system. It may be overkill to some, but to me it's peace of mind when I get exactly ZERO sway under any conditions. Not a cheap upgrade, but peace of mind is priceless...

There are other strongly-held and diverse opinions about all the above, and they may be worth a read. This post kind of describes the rationale for choices I have made as a husband, father, dog owner, and engineer...

[Ronman]

SCD,
If you want to try it out for a season, buy a used unit in the 2 - 4 year old range. If it's not for you, sell it at the end of the season. You WILL NOT get hurt too bad if at all. Once Airstream's take the initial depreciation hit, they are pretty stable for the short term. Popularity is increasing so it's the supply vs. demand thing.
And...as others have said, there is NO WAY you're going to rent ours!! 😁

[donna18294]

There is an Airstream Park at Punta Gorda, Fl, that I understand some people have rental units. They are set up on a lot and do not move out of the park. The name of the park is Paradise Park. You would not have the fun of traveling but you would experience what it is like to live in one. Ted

[Joey and Bud]

I might rent my airstream motorhome if you ae not specially looking for a trailer.

Call me to discuss
bernard jostrand
817-371-0909