Video: The More We Explore - Shopping for an RV

[ROBERT CROSS]

Is this hard to believe or what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsBfBuc9d9I

Enjoy....sorry for the hijack.

Bob

[explore more]

Whoa! Blew me away!

[GoingSmwhere]

Originally Posted by explore more

One of our biggest fears is that we'll be lonely and we won't have many friends while on the road.

You will not be lonely! We're very fresh too. Approaching the whole tiny living subject from a different angle but we're definitely getting there. It's actually quite mind boggling (and cool) to see all the similarities... take a look when you have a moment: wearegoingsomewhere.com and... Hi!!!

[KJRitchie]

[QUOTE=explore more;1668184]

We've already decided on a tow vehicle: a 1997-2003 Ford E350 7.3L diesel 4x4. They're EXTREMELY rare and extremely expensive, but we'll be able to store the bikes in them full time (along with our sleeping bags, tents, kayaks, etc) so they won't have to go into the airstream. Basically, our daily living stuff will be in the airstream, and the rest of our stuff will be in the van.
[QUOTE]

If the deal falls through you can always search for a pickup and put a camper shell on top of the bed. A lot easier to find.

Kelvin

[explore more]

The deal fell through. You're right, they're extremely difficult to find.

Reaching out to our airstream friends - we need your help finding our ideal tow rig.

We need your help finding our ideal tow rig.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Overview here....


Specific here....

IMHO....towing "on the ball" with an extended van can present a whole new set of concerns. Especially with anything but the smallest of trailers...SOB's will only add the to the negatives.

Sweet Streams...

Bob

[mandolindave]

You said, " I play guitar and tess sings. She's got an amazing voice."

I'm not surprised one little bit. Like…..not at all! Hoping our paths cross sometime. I would love to do some tunes with you.


Here's one of my daughter and I

https://youtu.be/b1QgHEC0dhA

[BoldAdventure]

Originally Posted by explore more

You hit on a few disadvantages we've found with an AS. An induction cooktop is one of the most efficient electric cooking options. We're not totally opposed to cooking with propane (we do it all the time at home), but due to how we'll be using our trailer, we need solar and a battery bank anyway.

That would be a disadvantage in any RV/Travel Trailer, not just an Airstream. An induction cooktop might be efficient, but it isn't power efficient. If we don't turn on the furnace our two 30lb propane tanks last for two months. It cost $47.80 to fill both last week. Not much expense at all. And that powers our refrigerator as well.

Originally Posted by explore more

Since we'll need to live in this full-time and work from it, we need to be able to charge laptops and cameras all the time. Whatever solution we get, we plan on a big battery bank and as many solar panels as we can fit on the roof. As tent-campers, boondocking really appeals to us. The more we can live unplugged, the better. I question whether an airstream can handle the weight of the batteries we want, and the water storage capacity is a little low for what we want. We plan on using a composting toilet instead of the traditional toilet, so that means the blackwater tank won't be used. That'll give us extra greywater capacity, which will be good.

Yes it can handle the weight just fine. I have 405 watts of solar, more than enough for two Macbook's, a 29 inch ultrawide monitor I use every day. Hard-drives, 2 ipads, 2 iphones, 1 android, etc.

39 gallons is not enough water storage? Are you planning on showering every single day? If boondocking/dry-camping you're going to have to give that up.

But I can attest that a family of four makes it between 7-10 days before we need water. We carry 4x 5 gallon Rhino water containers with us, that's 20 gallons of additional water. Or 2 trips to refill the whole tank.

Originally Posted by explore more

Agreed, this is a bit of a bummer. We're not going to go rock-crawling with it, but we definitely want to get off the beaten path. An extra 6" of ground clearance would be very welcome for us, and we would use it. I'm not sure about the rest of the states, but in Utah and Idaho, some of the best boondocking spots are down a bumpy, rough dirt road.

You will be fine if you upgrade the wheels and tires to 16 inches. We traverse what you are talking about frequently without issues. The ground clearance is not as big an issue as you might think.

Originally Posted by explore more

Yeah. Despite what our AS sales associate told us, living in an AS in the winter isn't going to be fun. This is an issue we've considered a lot too. We could follow the seasons, and that's not a bad plan, but I don't want to be worrying about freezing pipes if we hit a freak snowstorm or cold spell. I've got some researching to do here.

There are other TTs out there that are better insulated and better prepared for true 4-season living, but they lack everything we love about the AS: quality build, and those glorious panoramic windows. We're going to have to compromise somewhere in our purchase. We're just trying to decide if we want to compromise quality and an open/windowy design, or if we want to compromise insulation and ground clearance (and cost).

Do as the birds do, and head south, that's why you have an RV/Travel Trailer. Problem solved.

There are other solutions, and we've been in cold temps and still find it comfortable. Reflectix on your windows does wonders.

Originally Posted by explore more

Really good feedback. We need to go back to our local dealer and look at the options more now. We were just getting an initial feel of AS and whether or not it'd work for us full-time when we went. We weren't expected to be so blown away by the quality, fit and finish, design elements, and aesthetics. Now we need to go back and look at floorplans. I think we want a RB, but it's not a deal-breaker either way.

Don't buy new.

Originally Posted by explore more

True. We will undoubtedly encounter hail in our travels. This is a concern.

This is an imaginary fear. I can point you in the direction of 20 fulltimers in Airstreams who when I asked only 4 of them had encountered hail, and none of it was of the baseball sized kind that causes damage. People who are stationary tend to get hit with the damaging hail.

Originally Posted by explore more

Agreed. Part of our minimalist mindset has been shifting from buying the "cheapest" items in life to purchasing quality. Since we don't have space for all the extra gadgets most people have, we make very conscious purchase decisions now. We buy exactly what we need, even if it's a little more expensive than the budget options. Since this will be our house, we can think of it as being cheaper than a condo. That being said, we want to make wise purchasing decisions. We are smitten by AS's design, windows, floorplan, lack of slides, and overall quality. We haven't found another TT out there that even comes close in the quality department, or in the visibility department. We even like the fact that the awning isn't motorized.

We appreciate a voice of reason. We're smitten with the Airstreams. We love them, and nothing else makes us even half as happy to consider as our home. That being said, we want to go in to the purchase with our eyes wide open and not make a super emotional purchase and ignore our true needs.

Pretty much our mindset. But for some reason people on this forum like discouraging people from buying Airstreams. I don't understand why people need so much "space". We're two adults with two children and I'm not running out of space.

We have a friend who had a 35ft 5th wheel and right now he is trying to buy an Airstream because the 5th wheel is just "too much".

[mandolindave]

Don't wanna insult your intelligence, cause it appears that you know your stuff.

BUT….I would advise against the extended van….just a little bit.

The further back to rear axle is, the better for towing.

[switz]

From our experience with a 2013 25FB International Serenity, get in one on a dealer lot and pretend to make the cross frame bed. My feet did not fit beside the bed frame and the front wall. Lie down on that same bed close to the front wall and sit up ....watch your head. The person in the front sleeping position has to crab walk out of the bed in the middle of the night to use the head.

While touring the various models, also sit on the toilet and see if your knees fit with the door closed. Our 23D came with the toilet installed perpendicular to the wall, not at the angle shown in the literature. The door could not be closed when perched. We are correcting the toilet installation angle.

Sit in the dinettes and look at the television. Is that position comfortable or is your head turned 90 degrees to see the screen?

The literature tongue weights are very understated. Our literature tongue weight on the 25FB was 833 pounds. After installing the Hensley hitch head and along with the dealer installed street and rear awnings and a 155v watt solar panel (not enough capacity by the way) the scale reported our tongue weight as 1,150, pounds. This number increased to 1,175 pounds when we loaded the trailer for camping.

Many potential tow vehicles may not have a stout enough factory hitch to handle that much weight.

We all get to visit truck stops and use their CAT scales to get the real numbers on both the trailer axles and tow vehicle axles. Many folks are surprised to find their tow vehicle does not have the capacity numbers they thought it had.

Whenever taking a demo tow vehicle ride, cross the local scales and see the axle weights and vehicle total weight and compare those the numbers on the driver's door jam weight stickers. Note that the actual weight will probably not be identical even for the same model on a different lot due to differences in the factory installed accessories.

Good luck in your research and welcome to the forum.

[explore more]

Thanks so much for all the great info everyone.

We ended up picking up a 7.3L E350 EB from Denver yesterday. We're putting together a highlight video of the rig. Here's a pic in the mean-time:





We'll be selling the roof rack and modifying the suspension a bit, it's got a little bump-steer at high speeds, so we'll have to sort that out. I realize an EB won't be as ideal for towing, but it'll be nice to have the extra room inside.

[ROBERT CROSS]

'Ya think?
A bit.....

Maybe just a bit more than a bit.

Bob

[explore more]

Yeah, it's HUGE. A little too huge.

[Ted S.]

If I had that van I would love to have that rack. I had one similar built for my Excursion. I put Thule bars and six bikes up there, with the whole front of the rack full of other stuff.

[explore more]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8-J...nAeSOT&index=1

[KJRitchie]

Bummer about the AC.

Are you going to be able to lower it or is due to the 4x4 conversion?

How did it drive going 70mph and around corners. No tracking issues? Those tires loud?

Kelvin

[explore more]

A/C just needed a charge. $180 later and it blows ice cold (though it takes a few minutes to cool the entire van).

The tires are all terrains, so they're not very loud. We took it up to 80 mph (the speed limit in northern utah) and it did great. Around corners it wanders a bit, so I slow down, but now I'm getting used to driving it.

I'll probably be swapping the suspension with a more updated leaf spring design (shackles in back). Unfortunately, with a solid axle up front, you need at least a 4-6" lift to clear the front crossmember.

The good news is that these vans actually drive better than stock once they're lifted properly.

[Medjrd]

I stumbled on your trailer buying videos a few weeks ago and it was scary how much you sounded like my husband with respect to trailer quality. We have made the leap and will be proud owners of a new 27fb flying cloud in a few weeks. Can't wait to hear what you guys end up with.

[explore more]

Awesome. We're super jealous. If we could have any trailer in the world, it'd be a 27' Flying Cloud. Enjoy it!

[explore more]

We saw our first Avion this past weekend, and it made up our mind: that will most likely be our next trailer. We're officially looking for an '86-'89 Avion in the 25-30' range. A 28A or 30 R would be ideal. We'll keep a close eye on the classifieds, but if anyone could pass some leads our way, it'd be greatly appreciated.