VIDEO: 2021 Airstream Interstate GT - Part 1 - Exterior Connections & Storage

[GadgetGuru]

This is Part One of what I hope to be a multi-part series on getting to know the Airstream Interstate GT. In this episode, I focus on the exterior features and connections along with the exterior and interior storage areas. Questions, comments and opinions are welcomed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-rWH_7bnVU

[bigben2020]

Great review! We are expecting a 2021 AI GT so your video is extremely helpful. We ordered the leveler option also. A question about it - from your video, it looks like the levelers are the lowest point? Does it reduce the clearance?
Looking forward to seeing your next review.

[Rocinante]

Nice video, thanks. Our 2016 van has none of those fancy suspension / leveler upgrades. At some point we might want to do something about improving the suspension, but after seven years of having to achieve relatively precise leveling with our Airstream trailer, we kinda like not worrying about whether the van is level until and unless the fried eggs slide out of the pan, or someone starts falling out of bed.

[GadgetGuru]

Originally Posted by bigben2020

Great review! We are expecting a 2021 AI GT so your video is extremely helpful. We ordered the leveler option also. A question about it - from your video, it looks like the levelers are the lowest point? Does it reduce the clearance?
Looking forward to seeing your next review.

Thank You! Based on visuals and not an actual measurement, it appears that when retracted the levelers are just above the lowest part of the generator support.

[rowiebowie]

Congrats on your new GT!


I noticed the rear lounge has been redesigned from a flat bench to more contoured cushions that accent the seating positions (13:11 in the video). But I can't see the rear bench being comfortable for sleeping this way. How do you overcome these contours when turning the rear lounge into a bed?

[InterBlog]

Okayyy... it's not every day that I get re-directed to Air Forums by an advertorial arising in my unrelated feed. That got my attention, so I decided to check out Gadget Guru.

Regarding my tone of skepticism, please understand that forums are famous for flashes in the pan. We have all seen new posters come roaring in with fancy new videos and new claims of great intentions to develop the types of product insights that have mysteriously eluded those of us who have spent years in this space, toiling and pulling our Interstates apart piece by piece, bolt by bolt. That interactive model is pretty much a forum caricature that we have come to expect, and so whenever someone new arrives on the scene and initiates in that style, our knee-jerk reaction is to take it with a grain of salt until we see a reason to do otherwise.

So now, after an unexpected advertorial and some internet research, I see a reason to do otherwise, LOL. Gadget Guru has a better track record and more street cred than any of the others who have attempted to mint themselves as knowledge masters in forumspace.

Sir, I hope you continue to dissect and evaluate your Interstate, and publish your findings here and elsewhere. I have not reviewed your body of Interstate content generated to date, but your ability to call attention to both its pros and cons could be very valuable assisting owners' voices to be heard. We are all here because we own Interstates and we want to get the most value out of them, but we often feel like our suggestions for continuous improvement fall on deaf Airstream ears. You could, indeed, help us to change that for the better. Thanks.

[GadgetGuru]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Okayyy... it's not every day that I get re-directed to Air Forums by an advertorial arising in my unrelated feed. That got my attention, so I decided to check out Gadget Guru.

Regarding my tone of skepticism, please understand that forums are famous for flashes in the pan. We have all seen new posters come roaring in with fancy new videos and new claims of great intentions to develop the types of product insights that have mysteriously eluded those of us who have spent years in this space, toiling and pulling our Interstates apart piece by piece, bolt by bolt. That interactive model is pretty much a forum caricature that we have come to expect, and so whenever someone new arrives on the scene and initiates in that style, our knee-jerk reaction is to take it with a grain of salt until we see a reason to do otherwise.

So now, after an unexpected advertorial and some internet research, I see a reason to do otherwise, LOL. Gadget Guru has a better track record and more street cred than any of the others who have attempted to mint themselves as knowledge masters in forumspace.

Sir, I hope you continue to dissect and evaluate your Interstate, and publish your findings here and elsewhere. I have not reviewed your body of Interstate content generated to date, but your ability to call attention to both its pros and cons could be very valuable assisting owners' voices to be heard. We are all here because we own Interstates and we want to get the most value out of them, but we often feel like our suggestions for continuous improvement fall on deaf Airstream ears. You could, indeed, help us to change that for the better. Thanks.

Wow! Thanks for that post and the kind words. I have to admit that I cringed when began reading your post as, for a moment, I thought you were saying that I'm an advertorial guy. No pay for play here!

I've been around the block a few times and have been doing product reviews for more than 30 years as a syndicated newspaper columnist, book author, magazine publisher and TV personality. While I've had an online presence since the early days of CompuServe and AOL, I also spent a decade as a correspondent with NBC News Today Show. (This was in the 90's back in the day when news was actually news).

Looking back to when I started posting on Air Forums, I should have placed an introductory post, but while I've owned two motorhomes in the past, I'm new to the Airstream world and didn't want jump in like a bull in a china shop.

Also, I'm not what anyone would consider mechanical, so my content is more newbie- than expert-based. While I strive to get things right, I welcome input on my content to make sure that I'm explaining things properly.

Allow me to add that in this day of Facebook groups with posts that seem impossible to find when you need them, I'm glad we have this forum that is filled with useful content. Air Forums was a great resource for me when I was considering my first Class B motorhome. Now that I am an Interstate owner, allow me to thank the active users for keeping the answers flowing.

While my Interstate GT is in the shop getting some initial house and chassis bugs addressed, I hope to resume coverage of the Interstate when it's returned and the issues properly addressed. Yes, I will be covering that topic in the near future and show the before and after of the issues.

Allow me to be clear on this topic: In this day and age of paid "influencers," I take pride in my Journalism roots and do not accept any payments for my videos and stories and I purchase the products I review. I know that's kind of odd for the RV industry, but hey, I enjoy what I do. No advertorials or paid placements in my videos!

I hope it's okay to post this here. Here's a two minute overview of what I do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhpT95y1fSc

[bigben2020]

Originally Posted by GadgetGuru

Wow! Thanks for that post and the kind words. I have to admit that I cringed when began reading your post as, for a moment, I thought you were saying that I'm an advertorial guy. No pay for play here!

I've been around the block a few times and have been doing product reviews for more than 30 years as a syndicated newspaper columnist, book author, magazine publisher and TV personality. While I've had an online presence since the early days of CompuServe and AOL, I also spent a decade as a correspondent with NBC News Today Show. (This was in the 90's back in the day when news was actually news).

Looking back to when I started posting on Air Forums, I should have placed an introductory post, but while I've owned two motorhomes in the past, I'm new to the Airstream world and didn't want jump in like a bull in a china shop.

Also, I'm not what anyone would consider mechanical, so my content is more newbie- than expert-based. While I strive to get things right, I welcome input on my content to make sure that I'm explaining things properly.

Allow me to add that in this day of Facebook groups with posts that seem impossible to find when you need them, I'm glad we have this forum that is filled with useful content. Air Forums was a great resource for me when I was considering my first Class B motorhome. Now that I am an Interstate owner, allow me to thank the active users for keeping the answers flowing.

While my Interstate GT is in the shop getting some initial house and chassis bugs addressed, I hope to resume coverage of the Interstate when it's returned and the issues properly addressed. Yes, I will be covering that topic in the near future and show the before and after of the issues.

Allow me to be clear on this topic: In this day and age of paid "influencers," I take pride in my Journalism roots and do not accept any payments for my videos and stories and I purchase the products I review. I know that's kind of odd for the RV industry, but hey, I enjoy what I do. No advertorials or paid placements in my videos!

I hope it's okay to post this here. Here's a two minute overview of what I do.

I find your videos very well made and full of helpful information. I enjoy your calm tone as well
I'm also curious about the bedding you use. I'm looking into memory foam but can't decide on thickness because the storage is limited. Any thoughts?

[Rocinante]

I have to say that in our experience, an un-tweaked Airstream puzzle bed is actually a torture instrument. When we tried sleeping on ours with no additional padding, we woke with literally bruised ribs and very sore necks. I now understand why some folks who shop for class-B vans insist on "No puzzle beds."

[GadgetGuru]

Originally Posted by bigben2020

I find your videos very well made and full of helpful information. I enjoy your calm tone as well
I'm also curious about the bedding you use. I'm looking into memory foam but can't decide on thickness because the storage is limited. Any thoughts?

To be honest, I haven't slept in it...yet. Based on recommendations I found on this forum, I did pickup a RV Superbag. It's designed where it has a Summer and Winter side. When the Winter side is facing down, since it has more padding, I'm hoping that's ample to provide some comfort. http://www.rvsuperbag.com/

And, someone had posted this tri-fold mattress topper and I'll most likely order one and give it a try. https://amzn.to/3mInBVh

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by GadgetGuru

To be honest, I haven't slept in it...yet. Based on recommendations I found on this forum, I did pickup a RV Superbag. It's designed where it has a Summer and Winter side. When the Winter side is facing down, since it has more padding, I'm hoping that's ample to provide some comfort. http://www.rvsuperbag.com/

And, someone had posted this tri-fold mattress topper and I'll most likely order one and give it a try. https://amzn.to/3mInBVh

I really hope you're right about the heavy side of the Superbag being enough padding, that would save a lot of time and space. We're going to experiment with at Therm-a-Rest Camper Duo Sleeping Pad, which is expensive, but a least it's smaller than a tri-fold foam pad, which we already tried and rejected, despite its comfort, because it's just so doggone big and constantly in the way. We don't want to leave the bed in the "down" position all day, because so much of the van's storage is back there and is difficult to reach while the bed is made.

Here's a link to the pad we have and will be trying at some point in the near future: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YLQXR1M/

[GadgetGuru]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

I really hope you're right about the heavy side of the Superbag being enough padding, that would save a lot of time and space.

While I haven't slept on it yet, just by unpacking and setting it up I can say that one side has slightly more padding than the other. What makes the Superbag unique is that it has a fastening system for the sheets. While it's a bit complicated setting it up the first time, it appears to be able to go from storage to the bed and back very quickly.

[bigben2020]

Here is one made for GT - Airstream Touring Coach Memory Foam Topper
https://airstreamsupplycompany.com/p...gt-gl-standard

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by GadgetGuru

While I haven't slept on it yet, just by unpacking and setting it up I can say that one side has slightly more padding than the other. What makes the Superbag unique is that it has a fastening system for the sheets. While it's a bit complicated setting it up the first time, it appears to be able to go from storage to the bed and back very quickly.

Agreed, with a superbag the setup / put-away time should be minimal and it should store at least as easily as a zipped-together pair of sleeping bags. We had a pair of sleeping bags zipped together on the lounge when we tried to sleep on it without any the foam pad, but sleeping on the thicker of the two while using the lighter one for covers simply that wasn't enough padding. Point of fairness, though, our unit is a 2016 while yours is a 2021, so maybe your lounge is more comfortable for sleeping. Let's hope so!

[Fly.On]

We have been using the Superbag for 3 years in our 2017 GT. We first put a normal queen size linen sheet on the seat followed with the Superbag on top. The sheet helps eliminate any tendency the bag has so slip-and-slide. The bag has been adequate for both sleeping comfort and warmth.

[JosieNurse]

SUCH A GREAT VIDEO. I can’t wait fir the next one. Please cove the Fusion Infotainment system and the power center in detail. I have a 2017 GR ext and like it so much I am wondering if I might consider upgrading to a 2021 some day!!!

[Photoshooter]

Most interesting in that I have a 2021 Interstate 24 GT on order.

I'm wondering if yu have any info on the At&T WiFi hotspot and the DirecTV Sat dish, both of which I have ordered as options.

Anybody else have any info they can share on the AT&T WiFi other than that it can get expensive? lol

The dealer told me they do install a modem/router for the service and I'm wondering if that will provide a better signal than just using my Verizon iPhone as a hot spot?

Thank you.