Entering the new world..lots to learn

[Nick70]

Hi, All.
So, I've been in to motorcycles, ATV's, and most recently, boats.
Searay cabin cruisers, which have a lot in common with RV/trailers.
Now, I'm headed in the direction of Airstream. I'm all for quality.
I hope to be in one by Spring (as long as I sell my boat).
I work overseas and am in the states for usually a month. I think an Airstream would fit me perfectly. Single guy, grown kids. Like small manageable spaces.
Just need to figure out which model.. I like the basecamp but may be a little smallish for a long term thing.
Also the feasibility of winter living.
It looks like none come with generators.
Just another learning curve, and I'll be reading up in the forum to learn as much from first hand experience as possible.
Any off hand ideas or suggestions are always appreciated.
anyway, just wanted to introduce myself and say a hello.
Hope all is well out there'

[dbj216]

Hello from Colorado: Welcome to Air Forums. There is a lot of information here. Any and all questions are welcome and usually answered. Air Forums is a great internet site.

Gee, it sounds like you want a retreat from your busy schedule, maybe only a month a year. The other months the trailer is left unused can be a problem. Maybe there is a trailer park you know of where your rig can sit safely.

I agree, the Basecamp would not be my first choice for your intended use. I think of Airstreams in the 23 to 27 foot range would be much more comfortable even for a short month's living. Of course, any trailer of any size requires an adequate tow vehicle.

You can read here that Airstream trailers are "fair weather" trailers. They are not well suited for extreme cold or hot. Aluminum is a great conductor of heat. The walls are about 1 1/2" thick. There are travel trailers, 5th wheels and motorhomes that are specifically designed for 4 season use.

Others here may chime in with better advice.

Just jump in and start reading about Airstreams and see if there is anything that makes sense to you.

David

[Piggy Bank]

My advice would be to first determine your "limiting factors" on different options, then prioritize to best meet your needs.

Example is the the bambis have smaller water management capacity. This is a limiting factor if you want to go off grid for multiple days.

23 and smaller have smaller widths, this limits your interior room. OTOH 25 and larger are wider and heavier and this limits your vehicle options.

22 sport has a nice roomy bed, but it requires 1 sleeper to crawl over the other to enter or exit the bed.

The sports and some larger units only have a microwave, no oven. This limits cooking options without electric.

sports can only sleep 3 (ask me how I know)

Bambi refrigerators are not particularly large

[Daquenzer]

AS not suitable for cold winter weather. You will use LP up like crazy. We took our AS to Indiana last April. It got down to high 20’s at night. It was cold on the floors. In a week’s time I used up 4 tanks of LP. Thankfully we were close to CAMPING WORLD for easy fills. I also bought an extra tank. Some of the Classics have hydronic heat which I hear is more efficient. But for temperatures below 20 degrees for any length of time it would be very difficult. Not impossible. But difficult. I would go with at least 27’ maybe 28’. More storage. And you want some space for visitors/family. The 28’ sleeps 6. I guess I would look into the hydronic heat for sure.

Also we have a convection oven/microwave combination that works very well.

Otherwise I would probably go with an RV built for winter use. My brother had a Class A they lived in for Winter, but those were mild winters on the Oregon Coast.