Future full time as family joining the community

[rufus11381]

Hi everyone, looking for fulltimers in older as trailers to talk to about space, layout ideas, shopping advice, tow rigs, just the life in general, it's just me and the wife, we will be getting an older 30-34 foot as in the next couple years, moving out from our beloved 1978 Hunter 33 cherubini, the boat has been wonderful, we started in a 27, but we need to move to land now for both of our careers.

[dbj216]

Hello rufus and greetings. I'm glad you are considering a "land yacht" as Airstream used to call their trailers years ago. I understand the founder of the company really liked boating, thus the name. It is still used today.

We have an 86 Airstream Limited that is 34 foot long ball to bumper. Our folks used to winter in it, and we now use it for gypsy trips taking several weeks in the spring and fall. We do not full time, but many folks do.

I suspect you will find these Air Forums very useful as you begin your transition from water to land. There are lots of folks who will share their experiences. It sounds like you folks are very used to small space living and may not have a lot of "stuff" that seems to accumulate in our homes.

Hopefully you can stay in temperate climates with your Airstream. I can't recommend living in an Airstream during a Minnesota winter. It is a challenge to keep warm in below freezing temps, and likewise to stay cool in 90 degree temps. It's done, but it's not like a house. The aluminum Airstream is a great conductor of heat and cold, just like aluminum pans are.

There are many Airstream floor layouts through the years. You will have to choose what is important to you folks. Ours has twin beds in the rear, a nice galley, and both a couch and recliner in the front "living room". It works for us.

Many folks who full time are in RV parks. These don't have a lot of room between neighbors. We have always felt safe, and found folks considerate. But one of these days we will be irritated by outdoor late night parties next door. When that happens, we plan to simply move on the next morning. That's the beauty of having wheels under your house.

Again, nice to meet you and stay in touch as your plans develop.

David

[kb0zke]

Welcome, Rufus. I think you are looking at the right size coach. About 1995 these coaches grew to the wide-body style. As is typical of such things, there was a brief transition time when there were both 8' and 8.5' wide models. If that makes a difference to you be sure to pay attention to that detail.

We've also researched an Airstream as a full-time coach. If we go that route we'll be looking at a 34' wide-body from the late 1990's. Such a coach has a gross weight of just under 10,000 pounds, so 1000-1500 pounds will be on the hitch. An F250-class truck should be able to handle it.

While there is a generous amount of storage space inside for normal household stuff, there is little storage space outside for lawn chairs, grills, golf clubs, etc. That sort of stuff will have to ride in the bed of your truck.

There are several threads about humidity, heat, and cold in an Airstream. As you might expect, there are conflicting opinions on all three subjects. The general consensus, though, is that Airstreams are fine coaches for reasonable temperatures. High or low temperatures will present problems. Full-timers understand that that's the reason why our coaches have wheels.

The humidity issue is slightly different. Here, ventilation is the key. Use the fans in the kitchen and bath. Keep a roof vent open.

[rufus11381]

Thanks for the input David, I need some real input about towing these bumper pull beasts, right now I'm torn between the construction perks of the airstream and the ease of towing of fifth wheels, a lot of things to consider and the airstream is still where I want to be but I need to know more about towing these, we currently live on bayou Chico in Pensacola fl and will likely be staying in the southeast region if the wife gets and keeps a job with regions bank, otherwise Texas and Arizona are going to be in the running as I am an aircraft mechanic and specialize in engine work, my main reservations are the weight/stability issue and the complications of bumper pulling 10k plus, how well do the equilizer/sway-control systems work? Is it worth it over a fifth wheel, has anyone here experienced both

[rufus11381]

Kb that's some good info, hurtful for the airstreams case lol but we will have to weather the storm often so to speak since we will both have careers, but if we stay here in the southeast it shouldn't be too bad, I'm currently trying to learn more about fifth wheels, no idea if any of those are as well built as the airstreams, another perk of the airstream is that I can patch the body with ease being an aircraft mechanic lol

[BoldAdventure]

Welcome

[PKI]

Just as there is a difference between how vintage and modern boats are perceived, the experience of traveling in an AS is unique. The fifth wheel will be cheaper to buy, have more space to live and store your stuff, and be easier to find because there is a bigger inventory on the market. You won't have folks smile and say "I like your trailer" or stop you in a parking lot to talk about it.

Many AS owners don't find the smaller space a problem, because they tend to spend more time outside their trailers doing fun activities. An AS has good windows that let in light and provide a great view of the outdoors when you are enjoying an inside activity.

Ease/difficulty of towing may be over stated unless you fell that you must drive faster than 60-65. Being a cruising sailor, minimizing travel time may not be your driving objective.

In any case, good luck with your investigation. Pat

[rufus11381]

Well if the info I'm getting is accurate I think the airstream may have to wait till we have a home base and can use a smaller model for workamping or other temporary situations, the ease of a goose neck is kinda hard to turn away from here

[Makaira]

We have just recently passed the one year anniversary of living in an Airstream (28' Intl Sig). We are my spouse, me and German Shepherd Dog. I work remotely and we do workamper stuff in the winter. In that year we have had about 360 fantastic days. The other five weren't so bad; they just had equipment issues. At this juncture, I cannot imagine making any choice except the Airstream. With a shell on the bed of the trunk to serve as the garage, we have not encountered space problems - even with a solar panel and generators in the truck. Best of success and luck to you in your upcoming adventure.

[rufus11381]

Makaira, does your airstream need the stabilizer and sway control gear?

[kb0zke]

Rufus, don't confuse a gooseneck trailer and a 5'er. A gooseneck uses something like a regular hitch ball, only it is in the truck bed directly over the differential. A 5'er uses a hitch that is more like what a semi uses. It is a separate steel structure, although it also mounts in the truck bed directly over the differential. Those things can weigh 500 pounds +/- and are pretty much a permanent thing. Should you trade trucks you can move it to the new truck, although some of the mounting hardware will have to change.

Some of the new high end 5'ers have an automatic hydraulic leveling system, similar to what is used on many motor homes. As far as I know, no Airstream has such a system. That's the only drawback to an Airstream. Otherwise, I'd rather have an Airstream.

[rufus11381]

Already very familiar with the goose neck/fifth wheel differences, they perform relatively similar and most of the 5ers I've been looking at either have a goose neck adapter installed or included with the trailer lol

[rufus11381]

Both the wife and I grew up in Oklahoma and have been around a lot of horse trailer rigs and farm equipment where if it's heavy enough to sway on a bumper pull it's already gonna be goose neck or 5er

[Aerowood]

Welcome from another A & P.

[rufus11381]

Hahhha good to hear aerowood, where at and what do you do?

[txtwin]

I tow my 34' with an F150 (before I get a bunch of emails - I am within all the weight allowances). I don't have many issues with the bumper pull scenario, and use a Reese hitch setup. I also tow my 35' cruiser with a bumper tow trailer, and don't have any issues there. Just need a big enough truck. Some of the HD trucks have 2.5" receivers to accommodate the weight (15k lbs on the boat), and that is necessary.

We have changed the interior to meet our needs, and the space works very well for us. We redesigned our rear bed to be a queen setup, and installed storage under the bed. The original setup was twin beds, and had access from the sides as well as the rear, so we took advantage of that and are actually able to access our storage from 4 different openings. We installed a couch from a Class A in the front, which gives us tons of storage up there.

In the summer, it gets hot in the trailer. We have twin AC units, and they cool the trailer to about 80 degrees on the hottest Texas days. If your living on a boat though, this should be similar to what you are experiencing, as the AC units on boats have limited cooling and heating capabilities as well. As for winter camping, not done it yet in the AS. We took her out this weekend, but it was only down to the 50s...maybe high 40s. At that, we didn't have any issues, and added an electric blanket to cut down on propane use.

Good luck on your decision. There are nice examples of both of your options, and either will be an experience.

[rufus11381]

Thanks tx, lol you're braver than I with towing such a large package with an f150 however, I currently have a 09 Tacoma 4cyl 5sp that I've towed large overweight loads with, never any sway problems but the biggest one was a 21ft sea chaser that was very waterlogged, but it's always a white knuckle experience, the little Tacoma is tough as nails tho.

[Aerowood]

Originally Posted by rufus11381

Hahhha good to hear aerowood, where at and what do you do?

I work for NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) I am a Flight Engineer / A & P Mechanic / Fabricator.

[rufus11381]

Sounds like a dream job for sure aero, I'm an engine mechanic on a combs contract for the air force on a navy base, to say the least it's a weird kind of environment.

[Aerowood]

I imagine it would be. I'm also the Crew Chief on our C-130. We also have a Gulfstream V