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Old 10-07-2024, 05:37 PM   #1
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Hello from the beautiful Pacific Northwest

Greetings, all...

New member here. I'm David, 49, an architect in the Seattle area. I've been participating on the "Airstream Addicts" and similar groups on Facebook for a while now and have learned a ton, and although I don't yet own an Airstream, I'm already on a first name basis with one or two people at my local dealership (Seattle Airstream Adventures).

So far my Airstream activities have mostly involved window shopping and lurking on internet forums, but when the lease on my RAV4 is up next year I plan to trade it in for something that can be used as a decent tow vehicle. I'm leaning strongly towards a Ford F-150 with the PowerBoost and 7.2Kw Pro Power option.

Barring any sudden financial windfalls like a winning lottery ticket or an unexpected inheritance, my Airstream purchase is probably still at least a few years off, but once I have a tow vehicle I figure I can get my feet wet by renting Airstream trailers on RVshare, etc. to see how I like it. If/when it comes time to purchase, the new Trade Wind 25FB with the terra cotta upholstery is my dream trailer, but what I actually end up buying will likely come down to what I can afford at the time.

Fortunately, I have a job that lets me work remotely most of the time, so at some point I'd love to purchase an Airstream and live in it at least part-time to start. I've already lived in and/or traveled to most parts of the continental USA, but there's still tons more to explore and I don't want to push that off to a retirement that may never happen. To paraphrase a line from the movie Nomadland, I don't want to die with my new Airstream still sitting in the driveway.

At some point I could even see myself going full-time, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I just bought a house last year that I've been fixing up, and while I like owning a house and having a big kitchen and a yard, etc., I also already know that I don't want to be stuck maintaining this place when I'm in my 60s or older. The idea of being a full-time nomad is equal parts fascinating and scary, but it definitely has my curiosity.

Thanks for reading so far!
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Old 10-07-2024, 05:47 PM   #2
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P.S. I'd love to meet IRL with any local Airstream owners to check out your rigs and/or just to have a couple beers. I recently moved from Seattle to Bremerton and it's hard to cultivate much of a social life as a middle-aged, child-free single guy out here in the 'burbs.
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Old 10-07-2024, 06:16 PM   #3
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Welcome and maybe our paths will cross, we travel to points just North of you on occasion with one of favorites being Fort Casey (near Coupville) and all over the Olympic Peninsula.

We usually camp there in the Fall last year we did Port Townsend, Lake Sylvia, Pacific Beach and Fort Casey as a big loop. We were doing an annual charity bike ride for the American Lung Association called Reach the Beach.

There are a ton of great spots in your area that are very accessible.

Good luck with the trailer when you finally get it!
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Old 10-08-2024, 09:20 AM   #4
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Welcome to Airforums! We live just north of you in the Kingston area. We too love camping on the Olympic Peninsula, Fort Worden near Port Townsend being one of our favorite parks.

Enjoy your search and dreaming, and hope you get your Airstream soon!
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Old 10-08-2024, 09:43 AM   #5
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I tow with a F350 Diesel and love it. It’s overkill but I purchased it to tow 5th wheels and just kept it. My rig is a 23FB. I get an average of 13 MPG and it’s always an easy tow.

Best of luck with your AS journey!

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Old 10-08-2024, 10:57 AM   #6
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Hello David. Welcome to the forum. It is great to have you contributing.

I would suggest finding a local AS club rally and visit (airstreamclub.org; menu; events). There is one in Olympia the end of Oct. and one in Silver Lake, WA the first weekend in Nov. Introduce yourself and let them know you are interested in getting an AS. AS owners love showing off their units and the different ways they have personalized them. I think you would have a lot of fun.

All the best!

PS If can offer a bit of advice I would say get your AS sooner than later. I've never met any owners who said they got their's too soon but have met many who said they wish they would not have waited.
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Old 10-08-2024, 12:33 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Hans627 View Post
I would suggest finding a local AS club rally and visit (airstreamclub.org; menu; events). There is one in Olympia the end of Oct. and one in Silver Lake, WA the first weekend in Nov. Introduce yourself and let them know you are interested in getting an AS. AS owners love showing off their units and the different ways they have personalized them. I think you would have a lot of fun.
Cool, thanks for the welcome! Do I need to be a WAC member to drop by the rally in Olympia?
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Old 10-08-2024, 02:59 PM   #8
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Cool, thanks for the welcome! Do I need to be a WAC member to drop by the rally in Olympia?
No you don't have to be a member to visit the rally. If you would like to send me a private message with your email address I'll forward it to some members of the Washington Airstream Club. Hopefully they will reach out to you.
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Old 10-08-2024, 04:21 PM   #9
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There is SO much written on this forum about the subject can I tow X with Y vehicle. We don’t want to start another one here! The bottom line is you really, really need to understand the payload rating of your tow vehicle and the weight your intended trailer puts on the hitch. The tow rating of trucks is meaningless. You’ll find any of the wide body trailers (25’ and above) to be a challenge for well optioned 1/2 ton trucks (like the one you mention) from a payload perspective. Do people do it? Sure. Should they?

Just to get you started, the tongue weight of my FC25FB is 1,100 pounds loaded for travel with water in the tank. Ignore what Airstream says that dry weight is.

Watch this video from Keep Your Daydream as a start.
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Old 10-08-2024, 06:27 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Hans627 View Post
No you don't have to be a member to visit the rally. If you would like to send me a private message with your email address I'll forward it to some members of the Washington Airstream Club. Hopefully they will reach out to you.
Thanks, will do!
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Old 10-08-2024, 06:35 PM   #11
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There is SO much written on this forum about the subject can I tow X with Y vehicle. We don’t want to start another one here! The bottom line is you really, really need to understand the payload rating of your tow vehicle and the weight your intended trailer puts on the hitch. The tow rating of trucks is meaningless. You’ll find any of the wide body trailers (25’ and above) to be a challenge for well optioned 1/2 ton trucks (like the one you mention) from a payload perspective. Do people do it? Sure. Should they?

Just to get you started, the tongue weight of my FC25FB is 1,100 pounds loaded for travel with water in the tank. Ignore what Airstream says that dry weight is.

Watch this video from Keep Your Daydream as a start.
Yeah, I've been reading up on all the TV debates and playing around with different configurations on the Ford website, and it looks like the Super Duty gassers actually aren't much more expensive than the F-150s with all the options I want. I wish Ford would offer the 7.2Kw Pro Power option on the Super Duty line, but I'm not sure how much I'd actually be using that with the Trade Wind's boondocking capabilities. I'd also need this truck to be my daily driver, so I'd be concerned about the ride quality of a Super Duty when not towing. I'll probably start off with the F-150 while I'm only renting trailers, and then look into upgrading it once I've purchased my "forever" Airstream.
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Old 10-09-2024, 11:14 AM   #12
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I live in PNW as well. Been Airstreaming for over 6 years. Have just over 30k miles of towing/camping in the last 18 months. Happy to connect in person. DM me to connect.
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Old 10-13-2024, 10:51 AM   #13
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David,

We’re on our second Airstream and bought both used. It helped us get in sooner rather than later. Both looked almost new. After owning our 2008 19’ Bambi for five years, we sold it for $3,000 more than we paid for it.
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Old 10-13-2024, 12:54 PM   #14
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Welcome and enjoy the forum. Good luck in your search.
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Old 10-13-2024, 11:59 PM   #15
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Hi David and welcome to the Airforum!

As the above responses to your post demonstrate Airstream owners are a friendly and knowledgeable group.

There is a great deal to be learned on this forum. There’s a fair share of debate (almost always reasonable) concerning a variety of issues. And occasionally some inaccurate information. Fortunately, that usually is corrected quickly. Be a critical reader and ask any questions you may have as you continue your exploration.

We’re Sequim residents currently camped in Moab UT. We made it to Albuquerque before aborting our planned fall trip to visit family and friends in Asheville and several Florida locations on the Gulf Coast.

We will be camped at Port Hudson Marina in Port Townsend the nights of November 1, 2, and 3 for our final nights out. Feel free to stop by for a beverage and a visit if your schedule allows. PM me if that is of interest.

We pull our 25’ FC RBT with an F-150 3.5 L Ecoboost and tow package. We have traveled in 49 states and from BC to St. John’s NL our current rig and our previous 23’ FC and Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel. Both of my TVs were/are daily drivers.
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Old 10-14-2024, 09:35 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by daleyocum View Post
There is SO much written on this forum about the subject can I tow X with Y vehicle. We don’t want to start another one here! The bottom line is you really, really need to understand the payload rating of your tow vehicle and the weight your intended trailer puts on the hitch. The tow rating of trucks is meaningless. You’ll find any of the wide body trailers (25’ and above) to be a challenge for well optioned 1/2 ton trucks (like the one you mention) from a payload perspective. Do people do it? Sure. Should they?

Just to get you started, the tongue weight of my FC25FB is 1,100 pounds loaded for travel with water in the tank. Ignore what Airstream says that dry weight is.

Watch this video from Keep Your Daydream as a start.

Welcome David. We are in Spokane, close enough to Bremerton but a world away in some respects. We have a 2006 25FB that we picked up used in 2009. Daleyocum points out some important issues and yes, you should look at the video he posted. I sort of fell asleep after the 4th iteration of the GVWR options. They are all important so get a caffeinated bev and something to take notes with. I agree, tow ratings are close to being useless. Payload capacity is the limiting factor in choosing a TV. Aside from what size trailer you end up with, you will have to focus on how you plan to travel. Some folks like to take lots of things with them, like full sized BBQs, lots of firewood, extra water totes, generators, a spare tire or two and....well you get the idea. A 3/4 ton will be better than a half ton and a diesel is better than a gas engine is the standard mantra. Well, I submit, it really depends...Not wanting to open the can of worms here on the table, I will leave the discussion to someone else. Many folks are brand junkies and that is fine. Fords are great, so are Dodges as examples. I have gone over 65K miles with my half ton and am on my second truck of the same brand. No issues with the mechanics or actual towing. Just left Lewiston and pulled up the grade at 55mph without an issue. Best wishes in your hunt.
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Old 10-14-2024, 05:03 PM   #17
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Hello from even MORE beautiful Iowa

Hey David - This forum is the best place you'll find for Airstream research and answers, welcome!


FWIW... I am currently towing my 23' AS with a PowerBoost F150 with absolutely zero drama, this truck can easily tow any 25' trailer you're considering. And it's a very good daily driver as far as full size trucks go, which was a consideration for me when selling the whole idea to my wife. The minor tradeoff with the PowerBoost is a lower payload rating than the non-hybrid versions of the F150. But I can say that I've done all of the requisite weighing at scales and have confirmed that even when heavily loaded for an outing (which is just me and my wife), we are not exceeding any of the important trailer or truck weight specs.


And I'll add that the 7.2 PowerBoost is an EXCELLENT and highly suggested upgrade on this truck. It's extremely capable and useful for camping and for any other scenario where you need reliable power on the spot like a home power outage. It's a great system, the best of any truck on the market IMO.
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Old 10-15-2024, 06:21 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Cole View Post
P.S. I'd love to meet IRL with any local Airstream owners to check out your rigs and/or just to have a couple beers. I recently moved from Seattle to Bremerton and it's hard to cultivate much of a social life as a middle-aged, child-free single guy out here in the 'burbs.
Welcome to the board. I recommend that you begin visiting rallies held by WBCCI clubs in the area - it's a good way to meet folks and also to glean valuable info about what Airstream might be the perfect one fo you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by WestieHouse View Post
Hi David and welcome to the Airforum!

We’re Sequim residents currently camped in Moab UT. We made it to Albuquerque before aborting our planned fall trip to visit family and friends in Asheville and several Florida locations on the Gulf Coast.

We will be camped at Port Hudson Marina in Port Townsend the nights of November 1, 2, and 3 for our final nights out. Feel free to stop by for a beverage and a visit if your schedule allows. PM me if that is of interest.

I am also in Sequim. The Port Hudson marina is one of my favorite places to stop - not so much for the facilities but for the location right in Pt Townsend. Last time I was there, the Chinese restaurant actually delivered my dinner to my trailer door
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Old 10-15-2024, 07:36 PM   #19
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Welcome to the board. I recommend that you begin visiting rallies held by WBCCI clubs in the area - it's a good way to meet folks and also to glean valuable info about what Airstream might be the perfect one fo you.

I am also in Sequim. The Port Hudson marina is one of my favorite places to stop - not so much for the facilities but for the location right in Pt Townsend. Last time I was there, the Chinese restaurant actually delivered my dinner to my trailer door

Hey you Sequimites... It's POINT Hudson marina campground!! Point Hudson is run by the Port of Port Townsend. We love that campground too.

From your local Kingstonite.
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Old 10-16-2024, 10:16 AM   #20
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Hi Davis,
I pulled our 25’ FC for the first 3 years with a F-150 and had no problems. Like what has been said, you have to watch your payload. My trailer has a 1000# TW and most of the time I was about 100# under max. As the trips and years happened we’ve added more stuff and it didn’t take long to find I was 100-200# over the max payload. The truck still towed great but it’s not an ideal situation if something went wrong. Our F-150 had a 1560# payload which is about average for a well equipped 1/2 ton but we had to be careful what we packed. We had the Ecoboost and got 11-12 mpg.
I finally got tired of worrying about our packing and needing to go to the CAT scales so I purchased a F-250 gasser with a 3189# payload. You can tell the difference right off the bat, the truck is in command and handles the trailer much better. I’ve towed with it for over 6000 miles now though out the west and got 10-11 mpg, so a little less fuel efficient but not bad.
If you option a F-150 right and watch what you pack you can easily make it work. I don’t mind driving a bigger truck when not towing but my wife can tell it’s not as nice as the F-150 ride.
Good luck with your decision and welcome
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