Why an Airstream?

[Marcin]

Hi to all,

My wife and I (we have a 2 year old daughter) have decided to purchase a travel trailer in order to discover more of the US and Canada. We plan on camping 4 weeks in a year, plus occasional long weekends. We have a 2010 Tundra V8-5.7L. I was researching different trailers online, obviously the AS look great. They are, however, way more expensive than anything else. I can buy a Keystone of the same size as an AS for 1/3 the price. I am not sure why (except to be a part of the culture) should one spend the extra money to purchase an AS? Could you please provide me with some objective reasons. Thank you for your help. M

[cameront120]

Simple. Have a look around and see how many vintage Airstreams are on the road and, now, look and see how many Keystones of the same age are still on the road. You get what you pay for.

[blmitch5]

The Airstream is made better. Some lower end campers have lots of issues with holding up over time and some just plain fall apart. Airstreams are not without their own issues but in my opinion they are built much better, easy to tow and if you buy used they hold their value better. I bought used over a year ago and I have enjoyed it a ton! Also the community is the best and the fellowship is worth the extra price of a plain sob. Look at some used units and then make the choice that is best for you. Either AS or SOB.

Good luck and welcome.

Brad

[Road Ruler]

My pal RB bought a new 22' Airstream in 1972 at a discounted price of around $$7,000.

He is still using it today.

Ours is a 1973, 23'. Still looks and works great and you can tow it with a V6.

A traditional Box type trailer or 5th wheel will not not last as long and will require a larger, less fuel efficient vehicle.

[Wingeezer]

My suspicion is that it cannot be justified on an economic basis.

I do believe that the AS is a higher quality product than the run of the mill trailer, but as you have probably learned from perusing this forum it is not without problems.

Although the overall quality may be better to a degree, I think it is not at all a proportional relationship - ie you pay a LOT more to get some quality improvement.

The appliances and such are pretty much what you will get in any RV.

In our own case, my wife and I previously owned an "Award" travel trailer, this is (or rather was as they are no longer made) a Canadian built trailer based on a British design.

In its day it was a bit of a higher end product, although not quite in teh same price range as Airstream.

Ours had gotten quite old and was becoming a bit of a money pit so it was time to move on.


After we sold it, we considered every option, from a new "regular" trailer, a class A motor home," even getting out of RV-ing.

I won't go into all the details, but in the end we decided to get another trailer.

We must have looked at virtually every new model on the market and were not happy with any of them in comparison to the "Award" that we had previously owned in terms of layout and quality - all of the new "Regular" trailers just seemed cheap and nasty in comparison, although now doubt they would hace served the purpose - but we would not have been happy with one.

I had not considered - and didn't even look at - new Airstreams due to their cost.

In the end we decided to shop for a gently-used newer Airstream. It met our needs an we are happy with it. We've owned it for three seasons now and it has taken us across the continent each year.

Just our experience for what it is worth.

I guess if I am honest, in addition to the fact that it suits us very well in terms of appearance, interior layout, and quality of materials, it is a product that we feel proud to own and seems to be much admired when we travel I guess that counts for
something too!

Not sorry we bought it at all, although one thing I was dissappointed to learn (I found this out before we bought) is that Airstreams still to this day use wooden floors and when you get leaks (when, not if!) if they go undetected, considerable costly damage can be caused. I try to monitor all the caulking carefully.

Brian.

[tpi]

I can vouch for the Tundra 5.7 w/ tow and 25' Airstream as a nice tow combo. It rides and handles well.

Here's one for you: On flat land/no wind my Tundra will go into 6 gear and tow the Airstream at 1600 RPM at 58 MPH. At least 12.5 MPG. I've towed several much smaller trailers at worse MPG. At the cost of fuel I doubt I'll ever have another box to tow. Even if I replace the Airstream at some point it will be with a Casita, Escape, another Airstream, etc.

Look at some 5 year old Airstream trailers, you may find a nice one and save a lot of money over new.

[Gene]

Thor Industries makes Airstream, Keystone and many other brands. Thor is a cost cutting company and makes a lot of poorly made products. Keystone may be among the worst. They say Airstream is their premium line and it probably is. That does not make it the best RV made or even "premium"—seems like it is about average so far as reliability and the rest of the Thor brands are average or below. RVs are not as well made as cars and trucks.

What you pay for with an Airstream is a distinctive style, reputation, towability and bonuses for Thor executives. They are overpriced and there are better made trailers available. Because of their shape, Airstreams tow better.

Since you seem not have experience with RV's, read, explore, go to dealers, and learn everything you can about Airstreams and RV's. You will do better with a gently used one so far as value goes, but you have to understand what to look for. There are volunteer inspectors listed on the Forum to help you. If you are handy with tools, you can save a lot by fixing things yourself, and with an RV (like a house that is subject to frequent earthquakes) you will always have things to fix.

When we were younger, we tent camped and backpacked. I think getting into the back country on your own and exposing children to that is a wonderful experience for everyone. With an RV, a short hike is not the same. We eventually evolved as knees got old and the ground got harder into the Airstream world. There's a place for RV's and for Airstreams in this world, but if I were 30 years younger, I'd get out my backpack and start walking.

Gene

[Marcin]

CrawfordGene,

What would be the better made RVs?

[Stefrobrts]

Yes, it is worth it for the culture alone. Best folks I've ever met. We regularly have awesome parties

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by Marcin

What would be the better made RVs?

If you are talking typical TT's try to find one like this Bullet that has some aerodynamics.

[Splitrock]

In my experience, if I want a travel trailer ready to travel and use for trips, I buy a new, or pretty new, camper. Brand is like deciding which car to buy, a Mercedes or a Chevy.

An older trailer, aluminum or white, can be a money pit, have concealed damage from deterioration, and a time hog. I bought mine a year ago to take a trip and I've invested another 10 grand, still not done, and still haven't taken the trip.

I wouldn't have paid the cost for an Airstream that's ready to go. I could have bought a new white box for what I've got into my Airstream so far and I still have a good ways to go. For 7 to 10 thousand, I could have bought a ready to go white box, and spent the last year traveling instead of working on this trailer.

Am I going to buy a white box? Nope! When I'm done, I'll have a 31' Airstream with all new components from the roof vents and air conditioner, to the furnace and refrigerator. I'll have all new cabinets, counter tops, floor, furniture, window coverings, and awnings.

Am I camping and traveling now? Nope! Is it gonna be worth it? Yeah! This is gonna be a nice rig.

[tpi]

The Airstream, at least has only the floor as a major wood component, subject to rot.

This trailer is all aluminum:
CampLite All Aluminum Travel Trailer Overview by LivinLite

This trailer is fiberglass. It has fiberglass reinforced wood floor. It has relatively few entry points for water (no rivets):

Escape Trailer Industries > Home


None of this stuff is tested or verified like modern automotive practice. All will be more troublesome than a modern car. The two links I posted above have potential to have good longevity, and good build quality. But until they're proved by covering a 100K miles I'm still not certain. Harmonics, vibrations can cause stress cracks. Factory construction quality issues can show up.

At least the Airstream, for all its documented faults, has high mileage examples out there, verified to run 100K miles.

[Byams55FlyCl]

Simply - For more fun, and for a longer time!!

[Blakradish]

If your only going to camp 4 weeks in a year, go buy yourself a restored Shasta or a pop-up. But for the love of God please don't but a fiberglass box on wheels with all of those horrible brown and maroon swooshes, and stripey stickers on them.
Good Luck,
Blake
'63 Avion H-24

[Gene]

Marcin, you can google to find out somethings. There was and maybe is a website that had reviews, but I haven't looked for a few years and can't find it today. It seems a few of the higher quality manufacturers haven't survived the Great Recession.

There is a company that publishes ratings— Expert RV Ratings & Unbiased RV Reviews I don't know if they are accurate. You have to buy the book. Some review websites seem useless for useful info. For example, this one ( Airstream RV : Airstream Reviews, Prices and Specs ) looks like ads for Airstreams rather than valid reviews.

There are some newer brands that are designed with a lower coefficient of drag than the standard white box. Some are green, some have better floor plans, some have better insulation. Whether they will last will take years to discover. I believe one brand is Evergreen for a green trailer. Arctic Fox is built for cold climates, but good insulation helps in every climate.

This isn't as easy at buying the annual auto edition of Consumer Reports and getting reviews based on years of experience and viewpoints of thousands of customers.

A lot of us believe that if you pay a premium price you should get a premium product and that Airstream has not lived up to its part of the bargain. Nonetheless, few of us are selling them. We fix them, get the warranty repairs, improve them, make them our own. If you are into a design icon that tows easily, it can be a good choice. If I knew in 2007 what I know now, I would have looked for a fairly new used one, or I would have spent more time learning and then looking for that good used one. Now I would also look at some other brands that are advancing the technology, something much less of an option 4 years ago.

My wife wanted an Airstream. I wanted to get her what she wanted, but neither of us knew about possible alternatives then. To us functional and attractive design is very important and Airstream does have that type of design. We also like Art Deco and Airstream is somewhat in that tradition.

Gene

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

Why an Airstream? Because it's about the best made thing out there today. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than a travel trailer that is one third its price? Yes.

We have a 2005 Airstream Safari 25FB that we have had since new. We do camp a lot. We have spent almost 900 nights in it, and have towed it 80,000 miles. It is still going strong and looks good.

As far as a close second to an Airstream, take a look at Earthbound travel trailers. Of course, these are also way more expensive than a Keystone.

A lot depends on whether you want to buy a trailer that you will pass down to your children, or one that you will trade in every few years.

Brian

[mnmhays]

Airstreams are classic and iconic. I took my wife tent camping a few years ago and she said NEVER AGAIN! If we are to camp in any sort of way it must be in a TT...an Airstream was her first and only choice....we love the classics!

[kipper]

Great to tow , look great , last forever . Meet a lot of great people asking questions

[Living31]

My story is a familiar one on these boards. Due to the economy I am taking a job out of state. I decided to purchase a trailer to live in and not throw money away on rent.
I researched all the trailers and it came down to Silver Streak or Airstream. Truthfully, for my purpose, Silver Streak was my first choice, but a deal came along on an Airstream and I snapped it up.
I would not purchase an Airstream new, but then I would not purchase anything new. I, only recently and reluctantly, purchased a, new to me, 2005 gas saving runabout, because I can’t afford to drive a real vehicle anymore; I am a happiest in something pre-70, even pre-80 if it has been de-smogged.

Not trying to get to far afield, but purchases, like a vintage Airstream, are based as much on the people who own them as they are the product.

A good example of my built for quality point, is my house. I live in a house built in 1910 and it has all the creaks and problems associated with a house of that age. About fifteen years ago, I was checking the foundations of front and rear 10 feet of the house, which had been added on in the 1950’s.
Anyway, I discovered the front and rear sections did not have a complete support system, for the most part the add-ons are just "hung" off the front and back with little and, in some places, no support.
BUT, is there sagging? No. Is it loose or cracking, unsafe etc? No. These add-ons, which are wrong by todays and I would guess by any day’s standards, have held securely since the 50’s. Why have the add-ons held? Because this house was built at a time when solid thick wood was the norm, when framing was held together with big steel nails that dwarf the nail gun nails of today.

I am not going to go crazy modifying my Airstream, but refusing to embrace improvements for nostalgias sake is best left to the rich. I am concerned with insulation, enough hot water, and security, but it makes me happy to know I have purchased a solid platform.

A final thought to consider, if I decided to rework my trailer, which wouldn’t be for sometime, I would likely spend the amount or more of purchasing new and this is given the fact, I already have most of the tools and would not include calculating the cost of my time. For example, since purchasing my Airstream two weeks ago, I have easily a 100 hours reading about the different appliances, how to trouble shoot, how to winterize, insulation to buy, things to consider etc. etc, but if I did rework the Airstream, it would make me happy to know I installed high grade parts, and to know where is what and that it is overbuilt… in the event I want to hang a 10ft porch off the front and the back. (Are you seeing a trend here?)
.

[fmr.capt.evi]

They're less disappointing than everything else.