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macofpei · 01-01-2013, 09:42 AM

Just a side note, if you make it to Prince Edward Island, plan on a stay at Bayside RV Campground. The owners have two Air Streams and a couple of seasonals also have AS. I live in mine full time from late May until we close in late September. It is a great family park. Check out their web site. Book ahead so they can have a spot ready for you. If you do make it, look me up, A-27, WBCCI # 4782.
Whatever you chose, I am sure you will enjoy your AS as much as we do ours.

TinCanW/6 · 01-01-2013, 08:35 PM

I can see the merit in both...but for me it was the AS.

While not the size of your family, I just purchased a 34' Excella to live in full time with my 4 yr old son. I went back and forth considering an older GMC motor home or an AS. In the end the AS provides more in the way of feeling like a real home...imo. Also...I already had an appropriate tow vehicle.

Good luck with your decision. No matter which one...you'l be sure to make great memories!

andreasduess · 01-19-2013, 03:04 PM

We've put a deposit on a 1971 31' Sovereign. Going to see it on Monday. Very exciting.

Alumaholic · 01-19-2013, 03:21 PM

.. and a volunteer Airstream Inspector if you can find one.
Go into this with your eyes open.
Check every item on an extensive, pre-purchase checklist.
Keep track of everything that doesn't work.
Take a break from the negotiation to add up the cost of parts and labor to make your new Airstream roadworthy, safe and comfortable. Check back in with this forum if you have time.
You will most assuredly need:
New tires
New batteries
New converter-charger
New wheel bearings
New brakes
New propane tanks
You may also need:
New refer
New AC
New Furnace
New Water Heater

Also keep in mind that Airstream has no gray-water holding tank, and it may have frame separation and tail droop.

Don't let your urge to own a dream set you up for a nightmare. Take an unbiased, third party, Airstream owner with you.

Hope this helps. All the best!

andreasduess · 01-20-2013, 05:39 AM

Thanks for that, very useful. Part of the attraction of the AS we're seeing is that it is a trade in, sold by CanAm here in Ontario. It comes with a performance check, meaning CanAm have gone over the trailer and checked that everything that needs to work does work, that the frame is straight and undamaged, that all systems work, all windows come with new seals etc. If anything does need fixing, they will supply a quote.

I am used to driving, and servicing, vintage cars (Land Rovers in particular) but I figured that as an AS virgin I'd be better off to buy from a trusted source. If the bug bites me, I can always go for the barn find the next time.

I also got the year wrong, it is a 1979 model with grey water. Tires are new-ish and the running gear recently serviced. The trailer has been in frequent use, the family selling it is upgrading to new model, as a result it has been maintained and serviced well.

Having said that, I will print your list and take it with me to make sure that all of the potential issues you're mentioning have been taken care of. Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to post it.

Alumaholic · 01-20-2013, 09:38 AM

Thanks for the feedback and good luck.
Just remember, even the most honest dealer is not an impartial third party.
AS for "newish" tires; trailer tires should be replaced between 3 and 5 years depending on how they have been maintained. If they have been protected from sunlight and prolonged, direct with concrete you can keep them up to 5.
The attachment contains the checklist I use when I do an inspection for someone. There is also an excellent checklist somewhere on this forum, but I can't find it right now.
All the best in your coming Airstream Adventures. You will be making memories your family will cherish as long as you live. My wife, her parents, and her 9 brothers and sisters traveled all over the U.S. and Mexico in a 26' Airstream when she was a child. As a consequence, I am doomed to tow an Airstream for the rest of my days.

ddruker · 01-20-2013, 10:04 AM

I've got 10 year old twins and a 1 year old lab, plus the wife - and we've got a 27 foot 1999 Safari, with twin beds in back and a lounge that converts into a king sized bed in front.

I would say the trailer is spacious for the kids and I, and reasonable for the four of us plus the dog. I would want a different configuration if we had a third child - there isn't really a logical way for five people to sleep.

I'd really be pondering this as you look at the 31 footer you are considering - what is the sleeping configuration, and is there enough storage and pantry capacity for all the gear and food you need for five people. Really look hard at this while you are checking out the trailer.

Also - as you look at the 1979 model - note that over the years, Airstream made the trailers wider, and I believe a bit taller inside as well. A 31 foot model made in the 2000+ era is going to have more square and cubic footage inside than a 1970's trailer given the same length.

To me at least this was an important consideration and tipped the scales to a later model trailer in my decision making process- we camp a lot and here in California it is not always easy to find spots for longer trailer - which is why I stayed away from an older 30 or 31 foot model.

ddruker · 01-20-2013, 10:18 AM

PS - As an active family, we are very happy with our choice of a trailer instead of an RV - for lots of reasons, but first and foremost for flexibility.

With a family, the ability to unhook the tow vehicle and leave the trailer camped is huge. Kids come home and power down all of the milk you brought for the entire trip? No problem to unhook and run to the nearest store. Family decides they want to take a side trip that requires some driving - same story.

The other thing is spontaneity - we take the trailer to tailgaters, we take it to kids soccer tournaments - because it's not another motor vehicle, and particularly since I added solar, I don't have to worry about it being ready. I can just hook it up and go. No planning and no maintenance and completely reliable.

I can imagine an RV is more like a home on wheels, and might even be preferable if just the wife and I were full timing. But for our lifestyle with kids a trailer seems to really work well.

andreasduess · 01-20-2013, 01:12 PM

Thanks Alumaholic, that's been saved and printed. I don't think I've ever found any other forum where people were this helpful and willing to share their knowledge. It really is much appreciated.

Sleep arrangements, the trailer we're looking at has the front bath and twin beds. We'd be adding bunks on both sides, with my wife and myself moving to the convertible sofa. That way we can sleep a total of six in comfort - the kids could even bring a friend.

ddruker, thanks for your comments also. I've checked with a selection of our local Ontario provincial parks (for the next few years these will be our preferred campgrounds) and they are ok with 30' trailers. It sometimes gets problematic at 35' and over.

Our kids are very young. If in a couple of years we find that a: still love the AS and b: need more space, we have options. Either gut our current trailer and build a custom interior or go for a newer bunkhouse model. I am aware that the newer trailers are wider, but as far as I know it's only by five to ten inches - which does make a difference over 30' for sure.

I figure start cheap and go from there is a better option than financing an expensive new trailer that may or may not suit our needs.

Alumaholic · 01-21-2013, 01:36 PM

How did things turn out at Can-Am? Got pictures?

ROBERT CROSS · 01-21-2013, 02:33 PM

"Our kids are very young. If in a couple of years we find that a: still love the AS and b: need more space, we have options. Either gut our current trailer and build a custom interior or go for a newer bunkhouse model."

Or just get an add-on tent.....

Bob

andreasduess · 01-22-2013, 04:22 AM

Things at CanAm went well, but we didn't pull the trigger on the trailer we had in mind. While the trailer was straight underneath and the body looked good on the outside, the inside was too run down for us. The trailer smelled damp, at below freezing temperatures which is never a good sign. The interior needed a lot of work to be where we'd like it to be and the trailer just wasn't nice enough to spend that kind of money on it.

Evan from CanAm was great, extremely honest and open and trying to figure out what was important to us. I really felt that he wanted to make sure that we had a good experience, rather than just sell us something, anything. He patiently answered our questions, walked us through their inventory and was full of suggestions and ideas we had not even thought of without, at any time, being pushy or falling into sales mode.

We ended up looking at a 1984 34' triple axle Excella that we really like. Back bedroom that can be converted to bunks for the kids, giving them their own space and the curb side dinette option which makes it easy to feed the hungry mob

We're currently getting quotes on work that needs to be done, new floors, some upholstery, etc.

Robert, we thought about the tent option but my wife insists that we should have the kids inside with us until they are older. Something about bears that worries her.

In all seriousness though, I can see a time in about eight, ten years where we will downsize to a much smaller trailer and pile the kids into a tent.

Aage · 01-22-2013, 04:35 AM

In a 34-footer, you have two other possibilities for sleeping: the dinette, and the gaucho (couch that converts to a bed).

Neither of these is as suitable for adults as they are for children. They are too small, especially the dinette/bed. They will each allow enough space for two youngsters to sleep in comfortably, which allows for one extra (the inevitable "sleepover" friend).

I would not make that modification. I firmly believe that parents need privacy more than the children do, and once gone, you will never get it back.

Plus, on any 1984 model, you will need the money elsewhere, once you get used to the trailer and better understand its faults.

Live with it for at least one season before making bunkbeds in YOUR bedroom; I believe you will find I am right...

andreasduess · 01-22-2013, 08:24 AM

We thought about that, but remember our kids are very young (2 1/2 years and seven months) and go to bed considerably earlier than us. By 8:00pm they are asleep. We're strict about bedtime, even when travelling and on holiday, and find that it makes for happy, rested children.

If they sleep in the front, then the entire trailer will become unusable for us. If they have the privacy of a bedroom, then my wife and I can watch a movie, have a drink or read a book without waking anybody else up.

The bunks will be built to be easily removable at some future date. If the back gaucho turns out to be too small then we'll remove it and replace it with a larger sofabed. There's a comfortable IKEA model that slides right in.
Part of the attraction of the 34' model is that this is possible - no outside accessible storage underneath the gaucho means extra floor space.

Money will be spent upfront, meaning we'll go through the trailer with a fine tooth-comb to bring it to a standard that we're happy with. I don't like nasty surprises. I am also quite handy and have access to a good, affordable carpenter to help me with the details so the most expensive part of building the bunks should be the material.

If we're wrong, then the kids are too young to protest much should we need to make changes.

Lily&Me · 01-22-2013, 08:52 AM

I agree with putting the children in the bedroom, for lots of reasons.

I slept on a sofa bed in the living room of apartments for many years, with my children in the bedrooms. They got their sleep, and privacy as they got a little older, and I got some quiet time to do homework, etc.

At the age yours are, it will be at least 10 years before you would even think about putting them in a tent in a public campground.

If you don't have a good porta-crib, that would be a nice interim bed for your littlest one.

Sounds like a lot of fun in the making.

Grandma Maggie

Asbury6 · 01-22-2013, 09:26 AM

How exciting! You're going to love it when you get your AS! We have two sets of bunks for the 4 kids. My hubs and I sleep in the dinette area in the front. It works for us. I was thinking of putting up a retractable curtain in each of the bunks to give everyone more privacy. But you're right, with the kids in the bunks it still makes the rest if the trailer usable. Have fun!

Alumaholic · 01-22-2013, 09:46 AM

On your logical, rationale, decision-making.
So glad you didn't let your dreams interfere with good judgement (and olfactory clues). When the old ones get that damp, too-many-years-of-indoor-cooking odor; you often can't get it out until you gut the interior and get rid of all the old insulation.
Your plans sound good to me. The dinette is great for managing kids at mealtime. Aage is correct about it being too small for two adults, but you will figure out something. I foresee wife sleeping on dinette bed with you on the front sofa.
You will figure out something.
All the best!

andreasduess · 01-22-2013, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alumaholic

When the old ones get that damp, too-many-years-of-indoor-cooking odor; you often can't get it out until you gut the interior and get rid of all the old insulation.

That's what I figured. We remodelled a house some years back, where the smell was so bad it was putting off other buyers. It turned out to be a leaking main stack. We had planned on taking everything back to the bare brick anyways, so were prepared for whatever we found, but that's not how far I want to take this AS renovation.

Thank you again for sharing your checklist, it came in most useful.

Aage · 01-22-2013, 10:38 AM

I understand your logic, I can see why you believe that it does make sense to keep the front of the TT for yourself if you intend to stay up late. Of course, it remains to be seen if you will have enough energy to do that, with the attention required and hours you have to keep with a "crew" of 7 months and 2 1/2 years old

Then too, it won't be just regular bunkbeds for the twins, will it? I mean, aren't they going to be in a crib-type bed for maybe another year and a half, since they need to be in a secure area in order not to wander or just plain fall out?

When our daughter stayed with us last summer with our then 18-month old grand-daughter, the solution that worked the best was to use one of those travelling playpens, the ones that can be "easily" opened and set up or put away. I put easily in quotes, since it was never easy for me, but my daughter could handle it well.

Not sure if two babies could sleep in that..?

My daughter was usually in bed asleep by 9PM since she had to be up starting around 5AM for her daughter. And at 7 months, aren't they still up at some point in the night for feedings? Can't remember the whole evolution of the baby's agenda, but it seemed to never end for a while there.

Anyways, please keep telling us the evolving story of you and your young family as you work all this out. Do you plan to travel a lot, or is it more a cottage-replacement scheme you have in mind?

Alumaholic · 01-22-2013, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asbury6

How exciting! You're going to love it when you get your AS! We have two sets of bunks for the 4 kids. My hubs and I sleep in the dinette area in the front. It works for us. I was thinking of putting up a retractable curtain in each of the bunks to give everyone more privacy. But you're right, with the kids in the bunks it still makes the rest if the trailer usable. Have fun!

Would like to see the bunk arrangement.