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Old 05-30-2018, 09:26 AM   #81
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2018 27' Flying Cloud
Austin , Texas
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 375
To be honest, I didn't even know I wanted an Airstream until we saw one. My wife I looked at a lot of different RVs. We even came close to buying a class 'c', but decided that we wanted a separate trailer from the vehicle.

After way too many RV shows, we drove to our local AS dealer and my wife and I immediately fell in love with the trailer. It was the first trailer that we both knew immediately 'this is what we want'... We initially bought a 23D (now 23CB). But after only 18 months we realized we didn't like crawling over each other. We had to take our AS in for minor servicing and were walking around the new trailers. We then decided to talk price and decided to upgrade to a 27FB unit. Pretty much the same, but with a full queen.

There isn't a day that goes by when we are camping that we don't look at each other and say "I still don't regret buying this camper."
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Old 05-30-2018, 09:45 AM   #82
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2014 23' International
Modesto , California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Acheron2010 View Post
As I continue to be an Airstream wannabe, sometimes I find myself waffling. For the same money, I can have a four-season 5th wheel with integrated generator, full kitchen, full living room with fireplace, a dinette, king size bed, and a shower you could swing a cat in.
I am attracted to the AS design, the minimalist lifestyle, and the mystique, kind of like why motorcyclists buy Harleys when they know better bikes are out there for less.

Why did you go for the Airstream, when other, better, less expensive alternatives are available?



I purchased mine about 12 months ago. Prior to purchase I was also considering a slightly longer Lance brand TT. My AS is a 2014 23d. What I can tell you is this:


There a lots of pro's and con's to both. I wish my AS was able to cool down better in 95degree sun, and hold the heat better when in Truckee and the temp was 27 degrees out. I suspect that the Lance would be significantly more efficient on both prior points.



What my AS does great is provide a beautiful interior and exterior experience with long term quality and value retention. The windows/view are unmatched in any brand, cabinet quality and towing experience are all best in market.



If you don't have a budget issue, appreciate quality, don't beat things up, Airstream is the only choice.
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Old 05-30-2018, 09:48 AM   #83
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2003 22' International CCD
Hillsboro , Texas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Acheron2010 View Post
As I continue to be an Airstream wannabe, sometimes I find myself waffling. For the same money, I can have a four-season 5th wheel with integrated generator, full kitchen, full living room with fireplace, a dinette, king size bed, and a shower you could swing a cat in.
I am attracted to the AS design, the minimalist lifestyle, and the mystique, kind of like why motorcyclists buy Harleys when they know better bikes are out there for less.

Why did you go for the Airstream, when other, better, less expensive alternatives are available?
I have owned 2 AS's in the last 20 yrs or so. There are 2 reasons I stick with AS. 1) they has ''sex'' appeal, the look cool. 2) I live in an AS park, NTAC, and to live here you must own an AS. Other than that the AS is just another peace of junk that cost way to much.
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Old 05-30-2018, 09:48 AM   #84
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1974 31' Excella 500
Alamogordo , New Mexico
Join Date: Apr 2018
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AS was the only way for us

My husband and I have never been into RV'ing, camping, etc. My entire life, Airstreams would catch my eye but it wasn't until April of this year that I decided I wanted one. There was no other discussion as far as brand was concerned. New was way out of our price range and personally, we wanted to personalize/customize our own. So, in April we traveled to Texas and picked up our 31' 1974 Excella. It's stripped, windows out and getting ready to pull up the subfloor. We already have a floor plan and we're looking forward to getting it on the road. I already love it and wouldn't trade it for anything.
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Old 05-30-2018, 09:53 AM   #85
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2015 Interstate Ext. Coach
Mesa , Arizona
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While I agree with most everything said in praise of AS, I must also say that I fulltimed over 7 years and visited every one of the contiguous states while pulling a 38' Teton 5th wheel. We were "at home " everywhere we went and I loved it. We wanted to tour the East coast (we. Based in Washington state) so we took a full year and wish we had taken two years to tour New England to Key West, staying one to two weeks at each stop. Loved every minute! Now, we have homes in Olympia, WA and Mesa, AZ and commute between them in a 2015 Interstate Lounge ext. We also enjoy short trips, a week or so, in the touring coach. There is much to be said for all sorts of RVing.
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Old 05-30-2018, 10:08 AM   #86
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Flower , Texas
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Im watching as well. I’ve been trying to convince myself that it’s worth the high price. Had a fiberglass trailer which was wonderful but to small.
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Old 05-30-2018, 10:11 AM   #87
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2006 22' International CCD
Estes Park , Colorado
Join Date: Oct 2014
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I looked at lots of campers, did lots of online research, talked to lots of camper/motorhome owners and narrowed it down to an Airstream or Oliver. I really liked the 22' Oliver, still do. Walked onto an Airstream lot in Denver in 2014 and got introduced to a 2006 that had just been traded. It had hardly been used, and had a desk in the back. My wife fell in love with the desk because we wanted the camper to also serve as a traveling office. The price seemed reasonable, so we bought it before we even had a tow vehicle. Funny part is, we don'[t use the desk as a desk. It's just extra storage space -- inside the drawers for small stuff, underneath for the dog crate, and on top for clutter.
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Old 05-30-2018, 10:19 AM   #88
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2007 22' International CCD
Corona , California
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2007 was the last year they put in the desk...we have one, and it is the Ham Radio workstation at present...

Although my son (the one that started our family into Airstreams) used the desk extensively while he was at a year-long school in San Antonio, nowadays, DW desires the full bath and separate shower layout in the rear. May have to acquire a different AS to accommodate the boss....
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Old 05-30-2018, 11:01 AM   #89
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1996 30' Limited
1990 34.5' Airstream 345
santa rosa , California
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Airstream trailers are for camping big fifth wheels with slide outs are Glamping. Not to be compared with Camping
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Old 05-30-2018, 11:19 AM   #90
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2018 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Albuquerque , New Mexico
Join Date: Apr 2018
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Why an Airstream

We have had four RVs. The first three were trailers. The first trailer was a 1979 Airstream Argosy (the white painted ones) which was 20 years old when we got it. The next two were more conventional trailers. The latter two trailers were OK but were just not as well put together as the Argosy. They also had more problems, rattled more, and developed problems as they aged (the second trailer was two years old when we got it and the third one was new). We did not replace the Argosy with another Airstream because they were too heavy for our tow vehicles, which all had limits of 6K GVWR. Now, as we are getting older, we have replaced the last SUV and trailer with a 2018 Airstream Interstate Grand Touring 4WD. As this RV is exactly the same width and within 18 inches of length of a standard full size American crew cab pickup with an 8 foot bed it will fit into a normal width parking place and we use it as a normal vehicle when at home. Our last SUV/trailer combination was 46 feet long. I did a very detailed review and analysis of all the M-B Sprinter RVs that were available with 4WD and we selected the Airstream based on reputation, layout, dealer reputation, availability, and willingness of the dealer to deal on price. We are happy with it but there are compromises based on size as compared to a trailer. Lastly, we live in New Mexico and spend most of our touring in western states that tend to have high winds. This is much more stable than a trailer.
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Old 05-30-2018, 11:22 AM   #91
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2010 27' FB Classic
2003 36' Land Yacht XC Diesel 330 hp w/2slides
Shelby , North Carolina
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So much depends upon how you, personally, use your RV. Airstreams are optimized to have good road manners (good suspension, low CG, good aero). The fifth wheel excels at setting up in one spot for a long period of time (big tanks, big slides).

For us, we wanted the ability to camp at smaller Forest Service and State Park campgrounds that were out of our reach with a larger rig.

But, THE biggest factor was the durability of the AS. It cannot delaminate because it isn't laminated in the first place. There aren't many 30 or 40 year old plastic campers rolling up and down the road.

So, it depends on what YOU consider the priority.
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Old 05-30-2018, 12:12 PM   #92
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2006 25' Safari FB SE
Springfield , West Virginia
Join Date: Jul 2017
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Why an Airstream

Towing ease! We are long haul travelers, 3+ weeks on the road at a time. Love the aerodynamic factor & ease withtowing.
If you are just a travel to a park or week vacation, an Airstream Just may be a waste of $$ for you.
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Old 05-30-2018, 01:07 PM   #93
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2015 27' FB International
New Franklin , Ohio
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Acheron2010 View Post
As I continue to be an Airstream wannabe, sometimes I find myself waffling. For the same money, I can have a four-season 5th wheel with integrated generator, full kitchen, full living room with fireplace, a dinette, king size bed, and a shower you could swing a cat in.
I am attracted to the AS design, the minimalist lifestyle, and the mystique, kind of like why motorcyclists buy Harleys when they know better bikes are out there for less.

Why did you go for the Airstream, when other, better, less expensive alternatives are available?
I have had 2 As, 2003 28’ and a 2015 27fb international. That doesn’t necessarily mean much, but based on that experience, I found they look great, haul great, but they cost a lot and they are no better quality than others at half the cost. It’s just personal preference.
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Old 05-30-2018, 01:08 PM   #94
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1972 29' Ambassador
Conway , South Carolina
Join Date: Dec 2017
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I had three a 31 Souvenir 29 Ambassador & 27 Trade wind , cutting back on TOYS just sold the 31 to a restaurant in Charleston they will be using it for a bar in their parking lot.
My 29 is for sale.
They are like Rolex watch's they just keep going up in price.
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Old 05-30-2018, 02:16 PM   #95
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2017 27' Flying Cloud
Lansdale , Pennsylvania
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Because they're better.
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Old 05-30-2018, 04:15 PM   #96
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2007 16' International CCD
Villa Grande , California
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Why an Airstream

My wife and I had another trailer and it was no fun to pull. It swayed even with the anti-sway bar (extremely dangerous). It bounced high in the air whenever it went over a bump. It blew around when it was windy. It started falling apart and leaking after two years. It was a disaster.

We bought our Airstream Bambi (16 feet) mainly because we liked how it looked. Towing it has been a joy. Our truck will blow around in the wind and the Airstream barely notices the wind. It handles bumps great. The independent suspension is a major advantage over other brands.

It is fun to camp in. Everyone in the parks wants a tour (short tour in a 16 foot rig). We have traveled on many long trips and have enjoyed them all.
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Old 05-30-2018, 04:37 PM   #97
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2017 27' Flying Cloud
Lansdale , Pennsylvania
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We had 3 trailers in 3 years. Gloria, a 27FB was the third and last. Ditto to your experiences with brand x. We barely know it's back there with our RAM 1500 5.7.
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Old 05-30-2018, 05:40 PM   #98
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1998 30' Excella 1000
Thamesford , Ontario
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Funny. We are in the other camp. We have parked for the next two seasons (due to work commitments) and good friends of ours are next door with a brand new fifth wheel enjoying all the extras you mentioned.
I guess it depends on what you see yourself doing in the next ten years. If you park it then go for the fifth wheel and enjoy. If you travel then I wouldn’t change my Airstream for nothing. It will weather almost anything you throw at it and keep going down the road while the others split apart with wear and tare. My two cents.
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Old 05-30-2018, 06:43 PM   #99
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1969 31' Sovereign
McCall , Idaho
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To pick an Airstream

Airstreams have always been iconic. It doesn't matter where you are, Airstreams are always recognized, just like classic aircraft, boats, automobiles, etc.. If I want a "Hotel on wheels", then I stay in a hotel.
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Old 05-30-2018, 07:17 PM   #100
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2014 23' FB Flying Cloud
Springfield , Massachusetts
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 15
My wife picked it. Somehow in reading she decided she wanted to tour the national parks in an Airstream. That was it. Not an RV; not a camper. An Airstream So they were all we looked at. She and her sister talked about one of the littlest ones, but when we went to see one in real life it was way too small.

We ended up with a 23FB which has similar interior space to the 30-foot Sea Ray boat I had years ago, which was enough for me for weekends. It's a great size for me to stay in Friday-Monday and she can stay another week and write and see stuff. For two os us for a week we'd need a bigger one but it's find as we use it.

Now that we have it I realize how distinctive and recognizable they are, and as she expressed by "getting an Airstream" without considering anything else, they are in a class by themselves.

The Airstream is one of the products from a little company that is such a unique and recognizable design. There are other RV companies that make 1,000s more units, but none has that magic. In that sense they are like the Lamborghini Contact or the Rolls-Royce Corniche of trailers. Not in terms of luxury, but in terms of being a handcrafted product made in small numbers by a little company but every singer person knows what they are.
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