Airstream Vs Casita...Poll, sort of

[SteveH]

Just curious as to why someone would want to buy a small used Airstream vs. a used Casita? What advantages and disadvantages are there? I see right off the bat that the Casita is smaller and less money, but it appears to have a lot less windows and room inside unless I am missing something.

Also, which model of the Airstream is most sought after. I notice that there are alot of these for sale here, why?

[3 Dog Nite]

I've been looking for a Casita,Burro,Boler etc. I would gut this & used it as a toy hauler behind my classic MH. I sure would hate to buy an AS just to gut it for this purpose.

Ricky

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by SteveH

I notice that there are a lot of these for sale here, why?

Because only Airstream and Argosy trailers are allowed to be sold here.
I just checked the classifieds, and there are 257 Airstream and Argosy trailers offered for sale here, both by dealers and private parties. There are literally thousands of SOB's for sale in RV trader and related sites. I don't see how 257 out of 60,000+ trailers produced is that many.

[gregth]

we actually had a deposit on one before we bought the airstream......then we realized that the Casita had carpet on the walls! The head room on the inside is ony 72". We were fortunated tohave changed our minds in time to get the deposit back.

[ArtStream]

Steve,

This is a tough question you raise and not anything close to a reasonable poll.

Most members on the Airforums have never set foot in the other brands you mention. Just because the units you mention are ovoid does not mean they are similar.

All the units you mention serve there purpose. You'll have determine what your needs, and purposes are, your pocketbook, and expectations are.

You'll have to do your own homework on this topic and than make a decision.

Get back to us.


Good luck,
Michael

[moosetags]

I think that Casitas are really cute and I love to see them on the road. The bottom line is if you want an Airstream, you want an Airstream.

Brian

[RichHog]

My sister and her husband just picked up their new Casita last Tuesday. We met them at a state park and camped side by side. I think it is 17 ft long. My 72 Tradewind is 25. If you are just two people, retired and want something small to pull and don't want to spend much time in it it's got what you need. When they steeped into the Airstream their comments were, "gee this is big."
However my 72 Tradewind is now 37 years young, has a strong resale value and still looks great. Don't think the Casita being made of fiberglass will hold up to that.

[TBRich]

We, too, like the Casitas and thought they were nicely done and so on...but I gotta tell ya, after spending the time in our 19' Bambi we have — as small as they are — the Casitas seem like really small quarters. But if they work for you, they are just fine, and have a huge following. They have their good points and people who have them are as fond of them as we are our Airstreams.

[Jim Foster]

We were looking for a used Casita or one of the other small fiberglass trailers to tow behind our '47 Chevy Street Rod when we came across our '17 Airstream Caravel. We bought the airstream and have never been sorry. The others are OK, but our Caravel has so much more room than the others. We have towed it 80K miles with the Street Rod and 60K with our Silverado. It is worth far more than we paid for it in 2000.

Airstreams become "neat old trailers". Fiberglas trailers don't seem to stand up over time.

Just my thoughts and some of my reasons for buying an Airstream. We now have two.

[jdthor]

"Most members on the Airforums have never set foot in the other brands you mention."

I have, and own one of the other brands as well as an Airstream. I have a 1999 Casita 13 and a 2008 Safari 23 FB. These two models serve two very different purposes in my household, but both are comfortable and appreciated for what they do for us ("Us" being an older beat-up cop (me), a younger pretty city girl (wife), and a mixed-breed rescue-dog of questionable background, mostly Siberian Husky and German Something, we think.) The two humans have thousands of opinions on the two trailers, the dog has never offered an opinion either way.

I have posted my thoughts on the two trailer brands in other posts on the forum. Bottom line, in my opinion, is that the two are hard to compare, head-to-head.

For example, I own a Ford F-250 4wd pickup and a Mercedes S-Class sedan. The Mercedes cost more than 3 times as much as the truck. But it would be hard to compare the two vehicles in any sort of meaningful way.

[Wayne&Sam]

Sam was dying for a Casita- until she saw one in real life. It was the carpeted walls that ruined it for her too.

[Ken J]

They are both very good trailers, but have different camping experiences.

Airstream owners are loyal to their units and Casita owners are loyal to theirs

There is a similar comparsion going on over at the Casita forum right now. Casita is a quality unit as is Airstream - my conclusion is - have both! I do...

Ken J.

[Ahab]

Originally Posted by TBRich

We, too, like the Casitas and thought they were nicely done and so on...but I gotta tell ya, after spending the time in our 19' Bambi we have — as small as they are — the Casitas seem like really small quarters. But if they work for you, they are just fine, and have a huge following. They have their good points and people who have them are as fond of them as we are our Airstreams.

We started out looking at the Casitas thinking small is beautiful but then larger became more beautiful.

[AZ-JH]

Our good friends bought a 2006 17 foot Casita. They feel the fully-carpeted walls add insulation. I feel that trailers are already insulated and should never have carpeted walls.

I have sat both in their unit and 16 foot ASs. Of course the AS looks sharp inside and out. The AS layout feels roomier overall. Maybe the ASs are wider. The overhead storage lockers in Casita are tiny compared to AS. The Casita is three years old and is already fading some. An Airstream can still look sharp for decades.

Before they bought Casita, I was hoping that for almost the same money they would buy a nice used 16 foot AS instead. There was one at a very good price a while back in the classifieds here and it had the same GVWR as Casita. I sent them the link, but their minds were already set.

[mutcth]

I also cross-shopped Casitas and small Airstreams. I found a 98 Casita 17' for sale in VT, and drove up to look at it. It was in great shape, seemed to be built like a brick outhouse (unlike the 01 Bambi 16' I looked at with a rotting floor), and had a lot of features for the space. But yeah - the carpet on the walls ruined it.

But why consider a Casita instead of an Airstream? To me, there are lots of reasons. Fiberglass takes less maintenance, with a reduced (but not absent) prospect of leaks and floor rot. Compared to the 16' Bambis I looked at, the beds were bigger. The 01 Bambi (and the 17' Sport) has only one sleeping area, the Casita had two. Unlike a new Bambi 16', the Casita has both grey and black water tanks. It also weighs about 300-400 lbs less, helpful for a 3500-lb rated tow vehicle like the one I own. But it doesn't look like an Airstream, and that carpet inside the cabinets and up the walls is odd.

Small Airstreams (particularly the 16' models) are a finicky bunch for a shopper - you are basically limted to spending $20k+ for one of the recent ones, spending similar money for a restored vintage Bambi or Caravel, or spending less and having something of a restoration project. Part of the reason - Airstream didn't really make a small trailer from 1972-2000.

Got to say, I'm excited that there is a lot of competition heating up in the small-and-light trailer market right now. I would like something a bit bigger than my T@B, but aren't sure I want to plunk down the money for a Bambi CCD (and would like something lighter). There are other fiberglass trailers, rumors of a bigger T@B with a bathroom (that isn't the T@DA), and some shots of a smaller Trailmanor showing up recently.

Tom

[mutcth]

Originally Posted by mutcth

Part of the reason - Airstream didn't really make a small trailer from 1972-2000.

Too late to edit my own thread - I neglected to mention 20' Argosys, including the very light Minuet (we almost bought one), and Airstream had the 1980 20' Caravelle which is nearly unobtainium.

Still, after that Caravelle, AS didn't offer something of comparable weight until that 01 Bambi 16.' That makes it hard to find something that depreciated into a nice price range for a first-time buyer like I was.

Tom

[SteSpot]

We saw one in a campground that had the tongue all the way to the back of the non-pull through site (think it was a Casitas) and I couldn't figure out how it got there. Finally saw the owner and she said they just picked it up and moved it where they wanted it.....can't do that with our Airstream.....sure was cute.....paula

[whitelight]

We have also owned a Casita - a 1998 17' model - as well as 5 different Airstreams.
Yes, it really does depend on your travel style & personal likes as to which trailer suits your needs. We sold the Casita in favor of a vintage Airstream because, according to my husband, he had to step outside of the Casita in order to change his mind! In his opinion, the Casita didn't off a comfortable place to sit & relax.
Our Casita also had a strange leak - every time it rained as we were driving, the rear of the trailer under the couch became wet as water drove in through the water heater door.
Although it may seem like less maintenance, fiberglass does require waxing just as an Aluminum Airstream or else the gel coat oxidizes more rapidly. Fiberglass has been used to construct boats since the late 50's, so there's a mixed bag of opinions as to how long this material will last. It's also subject to stress cracks & crazing (we've also owned several older sailboats as well)
Aluminum has been used for trailers since the 30's - if properly protected from corrosion, not sure as to how long it will last.
I believe that the Casita is made of solid glass, which is why the carpeting is installed as an interior finish/insulation. This method of construction is practical only for smaller trailers, as it would be way too heavy for a trailer that is longer/larger than 17'-20'. (Fiberglass 5th wheels & motorhomes are laminated with a thin layer of glass on the outside, a core material such as foam, & the interior plywood walls.)

[Frank McFee]

I bought a new Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe in 2003. It was our first introduction to travel trailers. They are a good value for the quality and money. You can about buy three 17' Casitas for the list price of a 19' Bambi. I traded the Casita for a new 2007 19' Bamb SE. The reason was to gain a little more space, a dry bath and a different bed configuration. In the Casita, we had to climb over one another to go to to the bathroom at night. My fuel milage only increased about 1/2 MPG and the Airstream is not much different to tow. We really enjoy the Bambi and it suits us just fine. There are things that I liked about the Casita, but the Airstream has a lot more bells & whistles. In comparison, the Casita had slightly larger holding tanks. My Bambi only has a 23 gal. fresh water tank where the Casita had 25. The carpet on the walls never seem to be a problem and it was quite cozy. A wash job and a little wax made the fiberglas shine like it was new. There were several old makes of fiberglas trailers that came to the rallys and just like Airstreamers', they like to make modifications. And like my old Corvette, a paint job can make those fiberglass trailers look like they just came off of a show room floor. Both the Airstream and Casita serve a great purpose for getting all of us out enjoying this great country we live in. Fiberglas trailer owners are just as much of a fanatic about their trailers as an Airstream owner is about his. I agree with most of the other responders that you buy what you want and can afford. I am glad to have choices.
Frank

[SteveH]

I must confess, I started this thread to illustrate a point. There is a simular, but basically the exact opposite thread on the Casita forum here: Casita Vs. Airstream? - The Casita Club Forums

My point on that thread, and actually here also, is that if you poll a certain group of people, i.e. Casita owners about Casitas, and Airstream owners about Airstreams, the outcome of the poll is pretty much guaranteed.

Casita owners in general, are biased toward the trailer they own, as are Airstream owners toward Airstreams. As I stated in the other thread, sort of like asking what is better, a Ford or a Chevrolet in a Ford forum. And, like some of the threads I've seen her...."Do you like your X brand truck for a tow vehicle?"

I actually own both, a Casita and an Airstream. I consider them very much different. Sort of like a mini van and a limo....each with their intended use.

Thanks for your participation, and I opologize for the "setup". Have a good one.