Airstream Rental for Airstream Owners ONLY

[jverduzco]

Hi All - as fellow Airstream owners, how do you feel about "staying" in an Airstream while you are on vacation. If the trip was just too far or to last minute to pull your Airstream, would you look into staying in an Airstream as opposed to typical accommodations? Personally I would more were available - may get a chance to try some different models... I would especially like to help out other Airstream owners who may be trying to maximize their investment and not using their Airstream at the moment.

Thoughts?

[overlander63]

I wouldn't rent my Airstream to anybody I wouldn't share my toothbrush with.
There's a reason we avoid buying used cars that were "rentals".

[Aspirations]

I'd love to see the topic take off into a discussion or debate!

I've read every AIR thread there is on the subject of renting Airstreams & are stunned by the aggressive dissent out there. I am a proud new-ish Airstream owner, with family/kids, under 40 & live near a big metropolis in CA... So admittedly we're not the average owners (we just aspire to be them sooner then later & didn't want to wait 'til 65). With that said in this modern era I can get on-line & in only minutes (with endless imaginary funds) rent a Tesla Roadster for a weekend jaunt or charter/rent someones private jet to fly to a posh ski or beach house (also rented)...so why NOT an Airstream?!?

Before we bought ours we searched in vain for rentals, so we could really try different floorplans, lengths, tow vehicles, what we found were a few operations renting vintage models at set sites & a sea of "nobody does/will!". The closest vintage one was hours away & booked-up months in advance. We subsequently drove through many states, visited many AS dealers, private parties & hemorrhaged $ on hotels with no Airstream in sight.

We finally found our ideal Airstream, but we didn't stop there. We stayed at one of those pre-fab rentals, we traded with friends for a weekend to try another size/style, then we insured ours to the hilt and rented it to total strangers from NYC *gasp*. Long story short they had a GREAT time, we made new friends, their vacation budget helped us buy new tires & a battery. We've done this a few times since & are happy to embrace the modern era of vacation rentals & car sharing. We're not fools, we know things can happen-but isn't that what good people, honesty, contract law & insurance are for?

Per the original post - I think the idea of a short notice trip or flying cross country & having a similar one available to us would be great! Isn't the consensus of the forums that used AS are better then new for the $? What's so different about buying a used airstream or a really really used vintage model, then letting someone use your & give it back? Cooties-how many people used that last 5-star hotel bed or airplane lavatory? Aren't Airstreams supposed to be the greenest/eco-friendliest of the RV world? What's more efficient or economical then this shared resource for outdoor adventures?

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, having Airstreams for rental purposes only might work for some people. We bought our trailer so we wouldn't have to share our bed [or anything else] with strangers. Renting an Airstream, to me, is no different than staying in a motel, which we no longer do. Since I own my own Airstream trailer, I see no reason what-so-ever to rent one. We spend days getting ready for a trip and that includes preparing food and packing clothes and personal needs; How would we do this in a long distance rental? I guess we could go to the market and buy our own food, but what would we cook this food in and what would we use for dishes and utensils? I don't want to share your dishes and utensils.

Sorry, but I wouldn't rent one and ours will never be rented. [my opinion]

[Aspirations]

ROBERTSUNRUS-
I totally understand & appreciate your perspective! I hope my remarks above aren't misinterpreted. If I had a zillion dollars I'd likely horde all my toys & not let anyone touch them-long live Kindergarden! However we're not zillionaires so subsidizing our Airstream dream by renting it out on occasion helps us pay for preschool & Airstream upgrades. My fervor for the topic is more in hopes of making Airstreams more accessible to genuine people who may not have the funds to buy/store one or those with Airstreams who would benefit from subletting theirs on occasion.

We both likely don't want to swap utensils or pillows, but wouldn't it be fun if on your next camping trip or rally you could bring your kid visiting from college or friend from work? Maybe then those borrowed dishes & linens fresh from their aseptic steam cycles don't sound so bad... Or at least a thousand times nicer & shinier then those Cruise America monstrosities that dominate most campgrounds?

Pleasant Travels!

[oh2bcarefree]

I would like to try it, staying in one that is... We are to make a trip to San Diego this coming January for Marine Boot Camp graduation and staying in an Airstream would be way better than staying in a hotel. We don't have the time during the winter for a 2-3 week trip to pull our trailer there and back, so staying in an Airstream would be very cool.

Tina

[DaveFL]

Money changing hands, changes concept of sharing. Our city laws prohibit, our county laws have a tax after getting the right permits.

Ownership of a personal portable room is the reason we own.

Yes, we do motel, hotel, cottage, cruise ships and other commercial places when circumstances don't allow us to use the AS, but it has to have some definite advantage. Renting an AS would be in the same category of renting anything else, with the exception of getting the experience of trying one on for size and fit.

By the way my AS sit empty and waiting for our pleasure for most of the year, but when we decide on a trip, all it takes is a checklist to get it ready, no surprizes left by renters, all things working as they were when we last used. Sounds selfish when put that way but that's the way we feel. I was a landlord(slave) for many years, maybe the reason for the attitude.

[star kitty]

I too live on a modest income and subletting my Airstream would be great for my pocket book. However, I have so much emotional attachment to it right now I would never let it out of my hands. It's like the house you have remodeled...it's so much of your love and labor you would hate to have to rent it out and watched it get trashed.

Maybe down the road when most of the interest is gone it may be feasible. But you know how it is when we "lend" out anything to our friends. We either never get them back or they come back in a non-working condition.

[exthemius]

We're around the same age and family situation as Aspirations, but with a totally different view on it: not "sharing" with strangers is the reason we bought a trailer in the first place! We don't really "camp" per se, but use our A/S to travel all over the us, and not using someone else's facilities (shower, toilet and beds) is the major driving force in purchasing a house that you can drag along with you! I know there are plenty of rental RV's around, but if you think about it, renting a trailer is very different than renting a class c (mainly around the tow vehicle and insurance liabilities). New or vintage, we'll allow people to look at our trailer for the formal or informal "open houses", but I'll be damned if we let someone else haul her around!

[Stefrobrts]

People rent motor coaches because renting trailers is a riskier proposition. You have to have a properly sized and setup tow vehicle, hitch up correctly, and drive carefully. Driving a motor coach is more like driving a van, which pretty much anyone can jump behind the wheel and go.

If I wanted to share facilities with strangers, I'd stay in a hotel.

[mutcth]

I don't want to loan out my trailer - too many quirks, too much chance of damage.

But. There are lots of places where I'd like to travel that aren't really practical to drive to. I'd love to rent an Airstream and tour the Oregon coast or camp on the beach in Florida. I sure don't want to rent a Cruise America monstrosity - there are a few places that rent Sprinter-based Class B or Class C mohos, but they're rare.

In other words, you can trust me with a rental trailer but I don't trust anyone else. How can that business go wrong?

Seriously, I think the business could work, but not as a network of AS owners that rent out their trailers. After all, there are owners who rent out their luxury coaches or even airplanes...

Tom

[Scott J-24]

When we were renters I was really bummed that no one rented Airstreams. Now that we are owners, we wouldn't think of renting (or loanning) our Airstream to anyone. A bit hippocritical? Yes! Do I feel guilty about that? No.

[withidl]

A couple of months ago I let my sister-in-law and her two friends stay in my AS for three days while they did business in Houston . After the first night I walked through inspecting the AS. The "hallway" just didn't look right ; upon further inspection I realized that the bathroom sliding door was off the bottom nylon guide . I had to spend several minutes fixing the problem.

That evening when they returned from their business dealings one of the friends told me that after she used the bathroom the previous night she couldn't figure out how to open the sliding door .......... so she just PUSHED STRAIGHT OUT ON IT UNTIL IT JUMPED THE GUIDE (claustrophobic?)!

They did no further damage and did clean up the AS before leaving, although not to my satisfaction............ because it's just not possible .

On a side note (as long as I'm venting ), I let my brother use my 12' Wells Cargo utility trailer for over a year . When he returned it to me three months ago it was absolutely filthy ; the 12 ratchet tie downs where in a dirty tangled mess on the floor (it took me over ½ hour to untangle them); the brakes were over heated separating the shoe linings on the curb side from the metal shoes ; the street side brake linings were heavily cracked due to over heating and the tire was "flat spotted" through the tread . I’ve replaced the brakes and will need to replace the tires (which were new). Additionally the ball nut came off releasing the ball from the drawbar causing the tongue jack tube to drag the roadway scraping off about 3/4" of it (did not bend the tube). I have notified my brother that I expect a “contribution” of $$$$ .

So would I consider renting the AS to strangers …….. HELL NO! It would just be too aggravating and costly correcting transgressions.

[Aspirations]

This brings us to $... Which I've been trying to stay clear of. I share all the past remarks about having my prized possessions mishandled by family or friends. I've had motorcycles vandalized, trucks stollen & gas siphoned - perhaps I'm a hardened city dweller (who grew-up in the mountains & lives now in rural acreage.)

If you're independently wealthy this topic isn't for you, but what about those amongst us who feel the pangs of the economy, medical problems or lifestyle changes. Almost everyone & everything has a price, particularly those "things". The past owner of our Airstream lost $15k off purchase price, paid out fair state >10% tax & registration, and another $200/mo for a few years. When we bought it the tires still bad the nibs on them & other then some dust it was clearly like-new. This person would have been better off renting yours for thousands of dollars-instead that dealer & the man got the prize. The AS before that we bought was from a sweet older lady whose husband had passed away, she sold the big truck that she couldn't drive & cried when the AS left her driveway. We since extend to her opportunity to come visit her AS at a campground where we bring it for her & a gal pal or grandkid.

Good renters pay good money, big deposits & they fear losing deposits and thus treat things well. When I priced out a peak season Cruise America rental, I fell over at the nearly $3k quote. The operations listed on the web & forums who already rent Airstreams -not to be towed- just to be delivered to your nearby destination aren't much cheaper. The notion of delivering it for someone also negates much of the liability previously mentioned (& legitimately feared). I'm not the one who started this thread & I don't know that posters intentions. I'm just articulating that a little different thinking may be of benefit to some... such as GetAround.com or www.AirBnB.com 2 savvy SF businesses that I'm not personally endorsing or employed by. Just examples of atypical commerce that millions of people are benefitting from.

[Skatiero]

I would certainly consider renting ours out! I am also under 40 and have kids. I live outside Atlanta. I am not sure how I would go about renting it out, though! I would prefer that we set it up at a campground for the renters.... We could sure use the $$$!

[Fly at Night]

There is a company that rents Airstreams, but no way do they let the renters tow it. Can you image what most Airstreams would look like - limping back looking like a crushed beer can?

The company sets the trailer up at any campground within a reasonable distance from their lot.

One can only imagine what some of the insides look like; some people care about the property of others, but a lot don't. I bet this company also has a substanial damage clause on their rental agreements.

[jverduzco]

My wife and I really value all of the input and perspectives here. We became newly confirmed AS junkies after our 2010 maiden voyage started as a "we'll try it for 3 months tops" and ended as a "man, 6 months just flew by, do we have to go home?"

That being said, we aren't in a position to use our AS this year during the season (that's Nov to May here in Southwest FL) so we thought we'd consider renting for the next 6 months to folks that want a break from the weather up north.

If we decide to rent Babs, our 2007 28' International CCD, we would prefer to rent to fellow owners that no how to treat her right.

I happen to agree with some of you forum members that feel allowing renters to pull the AS is just NOT something we want to mess with.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by withidl

A couple of months ago I let my sister-in-law and her two friends stay in my AS for three days while they did business in Houston . After the first night I walked through inspecting the AS. The "hallway" just didn't look right ; upon further inspection I realized that the bathroom sliding door was off the bottom nylon guide . I had to spend several minutes fixing the problem.

Someone at work suggested we could let guests stay in the Airstream (we keep it at our house). I said we would be much more likely to stay in the Airstream ourselves and let them use the house - reason being, if they're not familiar with RVs, they're probably going to do some things that aren't good.

Now, if it were my parents, who own a 34' Airstream, or people from our local unit that I know well, I'd lend them the camper... and the truck. No problem. But random strangers? No. The Airstream is our baby.

[A W Warn]

I might loan my rig to close friends of mine. Those with experience and those we have traveled with. No one in my family uses a travel trailer, so I have told a few family members no when they asked to "borrow". I knew they have no idea how to tow or take care of it.

When you consider that what you are actually doing is giving them a loan, the value of your trailer and/or maybe the tow vehicle, that puts a diffent light on it when considering the risk.

I would be very reluctant to rent to a stranger, even to stay in at one location where I setup. I would never let someone I do not know pull my trailer out of my driveway, unless they just purchased it.

[ddstech]

All this discussion leads to one conclusion....everybody needs to own two airstreams. One for yourself and one to rent/loan or take on those back roads..