Airstream Living Fulltime?

[Lee Davis]

The first major thing I did within 3 months of moving in was have an oval mattress custom made, cause the factory foam is mediocre at best. I chose to have all four corners rounded so I could flip it as the front bed would put all the wear in the middle of one edge.

Tin Lizzie[/quote]

We are full timing now and would like to replace those 20 year old twin mattresses with the one curved corner in our 34 foot 1986 Limited with something better. Where does one get mattresses made like you have described? How long did it take to get the new mattress made? I would sure like something firmer that we could flip in several directions

Thanks

[DreamStreamr]

Full-Timers -- we are dreaming, scheming, and saving for full-timing. Really have no idea just how great it will be. Our conversations with two veteran full-timers in Highland Haven and what little we can find to read have us so excited about full-timing. Thanks for sharing your experiences, budgets, and methods. Your posts make it sound less expensive or even compared to what you planned to spend? Do you have the back of your truck organized like an "attic" with the off-season stuff and tools, extra gear? Did most of you sell out your homeplace or keep some of it stashed somewhere (I read one of you has a corner in your daughter's house -- our children haven't really set up households yet)

Thanks again and we look fwd to seeing your informative posts -- lure us in!

[Porky Pig]

Originally Posted by DreamStreamr

Your posts make it sound less expensive or even compared to what you planned to spend? Do you have the back of your truck organized like an "attic" with the off-season stuff and tools, extra gear? Did most of you sell out your homeplace or keep some of it stashed somewhere ...

As for expenses ... pretty darned close to what we budgeted.

Yes, the bed of the truck holds most of our gear. I usually end up "reorganizing" it about every 3 months!

We kept our house in California ... and are glad we did. We hired a very good property manager (after interviewing 3) ... and leave the worries to her.

[coastal me]

I've been fulltiming since September 2004. My Airstream is from some unit members, original owners, who could no longer tow. I've kept my house -it's managed by a property management real estate firm. Stuff is in a rented storage unit. -The back of my pickup holds a lot of stuff and looks a mess -hopefully that mess doesn't look worth stealing. I've been hosting at Oregon State parks, and staying with family otherwise. My companions are a parakeet, a cat, and a guinea pig.

[DreamStreamr]

Porky and Coastal, thanks for replies. We had thought to budget similar to current working/living city-living budget then read some of the way-low cost posts and wondered how low cost we want to go. We are considering shedding everything but what we can fit in the truck and small (22) CCD. Did a layout of truck bed to be sure the right stuff fits. (Probably we'll walk out to the truck to drive off and realize we have one too many things) Heirloom things we prize we will be picky about placing with family. Everything else must go? Neat thing about this forum is the balanced viewpoints we read. Everyone's different.

[flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by vajeep

We hope to see them again soon!!!

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU GUYS SOON TOO!

You've been our favorites so far - you guys are so much fun!!

[Safari Tim]

Hey all this talk of fulltiming...

On next VAP we talk with a family who is fulltiming now. They give us a good idea of life on the road.

It comes out Jan 5th. Which reminds me I better get to work on it!

[chrispy1]

Hi all,

I've been out of the country for 2 mo. Go figure, I suggest
I am ready for next reduction in force and they offer me
an 8 week rotational assignment in Singapore. What fun.

Back to dreamin and sceamin as someone else put it.

I plan to get everything I can't take in my pickup and 30'
trailer into a 10' x 10' area. Then I will rent a basement
bedroom from someone for about $100/mo. If that doesn't
work, I think I can find public storage for that amount.
If it does work, I can also treat that as my address for
certain paperwork which requires an address.

If possible the 10 x 10 area will include enough space for
a double bed set up to crawl into. I'm not holding my
breath for that one. After 3-5 years of full time, I may
set up a small effeciency appartment if I feel the need
for more stable house environemnt. That's why I would
keep 10 x10 worth of stuff.

By the way, this reduction to 10 x 10 worth of stuff is
all in my mind at this point.

Chrispy

[tnsue]

There is so much to say I have no idea where to start.

I have not posted on the forums for a very long because I have been having to much fun working and living in Mariposa, my 28' Excella. Every morning I wake up I say a silent prayer that I picked this life style. I know it may not be for some but it is for me.

I have been able to live under my planned budget since November, 2004 because I picked the Workamper way. I live in the mountains during the summer and go to the warmer climes in the winter. I am currently in Indio,CA working but getting restless so leaving this weekend for Yuma, AZ to work for 2 months at an RV park there for my site, then onto a RV park outside of Durango,CO, 7600 ' altitude. Again for free along with free LP. I work 6 hours/3 days a week and then play the other 4. What else can you ask for in life? If you plan it you can live probably 9 months out of 12 not needing to pay rent. This is the freedom Workamping gives you.

I am a loner but have no problem finding friends to spend my off hours doing the things you can do when you are not tied to a job and bricks/motar home.

One way I save money when I am traveling from place to place is take advantage of Wal-Mart. I pull in, go ask the manager for permission, and then get my chair out, fix a drink and watch the world go by. Free entertainment, love it. Quite often if there is another RV near they wander over and soon we have a warm and wonderful group of strangers who all have stories to tell. Lots of laughter.

This may not really be answering the question concerning full timing but it is my idea of an ideal life. I am not young, the government tells me I have to start taking money out of my IRA this year, otherwise they will punish me with a 50% penalty. Hard nose they are....laughing

Go for it, you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

Mark Twain said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail from a safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.....Dream....Discover"

I say amen to that.

safe travels and wonderful dreams

travelinsue
or TNSue

[elh3946]

Originally Posted by overlander63

One reason there isn't a whole lot of info, is the people who full-time are usually folks that eschew things like computers and cell phones (the things we here almost have to have), and would have no way to post information, even if they wanted to take time away from full-timing to do so.

OK, we're not Airstream owners -- yet. However, we have been fulltimers and plan on returning to the fulltime lifestyle as soon as we sell our house and buy an Airstream!

Most of the fulltimers we know have some way of accessing the Internet and receiving email. It might be as simple as having their cell phone hooked up to their laptop (or an air card), or -- like us -- they have satellite Internet. In fact, more and more of our fulltimer friends are going the satellite Internet route. I know that there are still some fulltimers who are living in the dark ages without Internet, email, or cell phones, but that number is getting smaller every year.

[PWRSTRK]

Originally Posted by Lee Davis

We are full timing now and would like to replace those 20 year old twin mattresses with the one curved corner in our 34 foot 1986 Limited with something better. Where does one get mattresses made like you have described? How long did it take to get the new mattress made? I would sure like something firmer that we could flip in several directions

Thanks

Verlo mattress or other local mattress purveyors will make almost any size according to your spec. At Verlo you can choose size, content, firmness, etc.

[bugnot1]

Hello Craftsman -
We are fulltime in a 34' AS and it's working super! No slides or 5th Wheels......just the long silver tincan. I love it. We just left a 3 bdrm house - and this is definitely more affordable! We have a different set of circumstances because we have a business and the Airstream is located at that shop - so we cut our bills in half.....and - I like having wheels under me -
jan

[AIR-Quarius]

We full time and have no problems, don't have to worry about houses and land lords outrageous rent/ utilities, can always move quickly to another place, can't stand trailer parks ...you can find very unique locations every where. Full time Forever.

[bugnot1]

We're fulltiming in our AS.

I grew up in one part-time. My parents got their first little Caravel when I was around 7/8.....and we traveled all over the country in it. Neither would have anything but the AS so that was as normal a part of my life as living in a regular house.

I'm really comfortable in the Airstream. I like the shape, like the smooth towing, and they just feel like 'home' to me - and - I've experienced all different kinds of weather with them - some of it not extended - but I don't think there will be any huge revelations, but I also expect that there might be.

It's going to be an interesting thing to find my own 'space' but so far I'm learning that hubby needs his remote and TV a couple of hours in the evening - which leaves me time to go to my 'computer cave' with my MAC and email.....so that seems to be working out.

jan

[bugnot1]

Just since Halloween of last year - in a 34' 1000 with me, hubby, 7 dogs, and 1 cat - and we're loving it. I haven't missed anything so far - and we are learning on a daily basis......

- Propane and tanks and the furnace act really different when the weather is single digit.......and in those temps it's going to take about 10#s of propane a day to keep things running smoothly. The ignitor on the furnace sometimes 'soots' and has to be cleaned - no big deal (after you have your first 'come apart' because no heat is blowing).

- Let your water trickle when it's this cold (teens and single digits) - let's not freeze up

- It's not going to be as warm in the back bedroom as in the livingroom, so take an extra dog to bed. Also - those little radiator looking oil filled heaters are nice -

- Dehumidifiers are a good thing -

- Living in the Airstream is a lot more fun than the house - and - you always know you can move when/if you want to. You won't accumulate as much 'junk' and you feel more in-touch with life.......

- less housework is good!! Grilling outside is good!!! Burning the chicken soup really stinks!!! Cover up previous stink with chocolate chip cookies....

Life is good
jan

[tbro]

Sitting here listening to the rain falling on the roof and reading the forums. We're entering our second year of full-timing. We primary do extended stays at private spaces. Harder to find yes, but well worth the effort. We don't care for campgrounds, crowds and traffic. To each their own. Sometimes we've stayed at state parks but usually just for a day or two.

I work from home so it's necessary for us to be parked more often than not. My other handicap for the time being is I have to be able to have cell service both for phone and internet as I work in a tech related field and have to provide tech support as well as have access to remote servers 24/7. When we travel I have another party handle the phones and support until we're parked again, but only if we'll be out of cell range. Otherwise we can just pull over and setup shop.

Expenses are less than renting and we're selective about private spaces. The nice part is we're very comfortable in our 33" Land Yacht MH. We have everything we really need, on or off grid. We just moved to a new spot and it only costs $450.00 per month with all utilities. Our nearest neighbor is about 1/2 mile away and we have our own private lake. Here on the Oregon Coast it doesn't get too cold at night and we haven't had to deal with any freezing temperatures.

We'll be moving from here in late Spring and doing an extended stay in Northern Nevada. We've found Craigslist an excellent method for finding private spaces. As we move around we add to our list of private spaces to check on later if we wish to return at some time.

The photo is of our new spot we just moved to a few days ago.

tbro

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by tnsue

There is so much to say I have no idea where to start.

I have not posted on the forums for a very long because I have been having to much fun working and living in Mariposa, my 28' Excella. Every morning I wake up I say a silent prayer that I picked this life style. I know it may not be for some but it is for me.

I have been able to live under my planned budget since November, 2004 because I picked the Workamper way. I live in the mountains during the summer and go to the warmer climes in the winter. I am currently in Indio,CA working but getting restless so leaving this weekend for Yuma, AZ to work for 2 months at an RV park there for my site, then onto a RV park outside of Durango,CO, 7600 ' altitude. Again for free along with free LP. I work 6 hours/3 days a week and then play the other 4. What else can you ask for in life? If you plan it you can live probably 9 months out of 12 not needing to pay rent. This is the freedom Workamping gives you.

I am a loner but have no problem finding friends to spend my off hours doing the things you can do when you are not tied to a job and bricks/motar home.

One way I save money when I am traveling from place to place is take advantage of Wal-Mart. I pull in, go ask the manager for permission, and then get my chair out, fix a drink and watch the world go by. Free entertainment, love it. Quite often if there is another RV near they wander over and soon we have a warm and wonderful group of strangers who all have stories to tell. Lots of laughter.

This may not really be answering the question concerning full timing but it is my idea of an ideal life. I am not young, the government tells me I have to start taking money out of my IRA this year, otherwise they will punish me with a 50% penalty. Hard nose they are....laughing

Go for it, you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

Mark Twain said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail from a safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.....Dream....Discover"

I say amen to that.

safe travels and wonderful dreams

travelinsue
or TNSue

Hi travelinsue,

Enjoyed your post.

Airstreamers in garages are safe, but that's not what they are for.

I think it could be a metaphor for life too.

[70s guy]

I have been full timing since October and love it. Currently I am settled in ( no tow vehicle ) at a mobile home park in Ky. I have a 96 gallon propane tank and by keeping the inside temps high have not had any problem with freezing although the temps are offten in the lower teens.
I love it. Soon I hope to get a truck so I can travel more. Until then I will continue to improve the trailer and wait out winter. Then I hope to put it back on the road.
lots of luck to you full-timers and remember to keep the faith.

[kb0zke]

First, a bit of an introduction, and then the questions.

We're about four years away from retirement and want to FT. Until Friday we thought our choices were either a FW or an DP. Then we saw some Airstreams at a dealer show, and decided that they had definite possibilities for us.

Now the questions. What model(s) ought we consider? One person at the show thought the 27FB would be sufficient for the two of us, but I'm thinking that it might be a bit small. We definitely want one that has the queen bed running front to rear, rather than crossways, and the shower can't be in a corner due to height issues.

From reading the posts in this thread, it seems that most people use a pickup for a tow vehicle. True?

From other forums it seems that a FT couple will have 2-3000 pounds of "stuff" to haul around. Only a couple models seem to have that much capacity. Do you keep lots of the stuff in the pickup?

Thanks in advance for your helpful comments. I've been a fan of Airstreams since the mid 60's when I read (and reread many times) Trailer Travel Here and Abroad.

[au_ee]

Size is a matter for the user. We would be cramped in anything smaller than a 30' or 31'. We have a 31' Classic and for us it is the perfect size, however, we don't full time in it. We like not just the amount of room to move around but the extra storage and closet space the 31 provides.