Lurking Newbie

[JonLewis]

Hi!


My current home is in Tampa but I have lived a number of places. I've spent my career in IT.



I've been researching vintage trailers since last year, concentrating on Airstreams and Argosys.


I'm looking to fix up a vintage trailer and eventually go full time in it as I'm approaching my older years.


there's a wealth f information here and I'm glad to have found it!


Jonathan

[Bubba L]

Welcome to the streaming interest. The older they are, the better shaped ones are getting harder to find. The worse shape they’re in, the more time and cost are put into it. I started looking for one a year before retirement. Found one I liked a couple of months into retirement and purchased it. No regrets. Good luck

[Daquenzer]

https://varr.co/wisconsin-vintage-ai...s-and-repairs/

[dbj216]

Welcome from Colorado. I enjoy the vintage Airstream hobby and particularly working on them. A couple of thoughts about your future plans.

I consider Airstream trailers "fair weather travelers", not necessarily built for full time living. There are many folks who do it. Maybe they follow the sun and more temperate temps. Northern mountains in the summer, southern beaches in the winter.

Airstream walls are about 1 1/2" thick. Aluminum is a great conductor of heat and cold. Keeping warm inside an Airstream in the winter months can be a challenge. The appliances, e.g. furnace, air conditioner, hot water heater, fridge and the like are standard RV fare. Not necessarily designed for full time use.

Vintage Airstreams aren't built quite as well as the newer ones. Windows, doors, plumbing, electrical and the like are just older designs.

Airstreams are great travel trailers. Light weight for the size, easy to tow, and comfortable for the night. But they aren't the biggest trailer in the campground. I see many more 5th wheels as full time rigs than I do Airstreams. That said, I often drive by an Airstream in a Denver trailer park that appears to have had someone living in it all winter.

Disclaimer: All advice given on Airstream Forums is worth what you pay for it. Nothing more.

David