Musical Airstream

[Figaro]

hello airstreamers online,
we've been looking at airstreams and found this great forum to hopefully help answer some of our questions. it's our first time for airstreams as well as message boards. we are a travelling roots musicians and love the open road and all its beauty so naturally we fell in love with airstreams. we are close to making a purchase but have questions.

the first being whether our vehicle has enough power to tow a 19' airstream. right now we have a Jeep 2001 Cherokee Sport with a straight 6 cylinder engine. the tow max is 5,000 lbs. we have between 1,000 and 1,500 lbs of gear including our weight when the Jeep is loaded.

will a newer 19' airstream safari bambi be too much weight for the Jeep to pull? we are also wondering if it's better to get a bigger vintage airstream and to get a new vehicle? we're also looking at a 27' 1970 international overlander but we would definetely need a more powerful vehicle.

being a first time buyer, would it be better to get a smaller airstream, 19' or a vintage 27' for more room?

would anyone know what a well kept 27' 1970 overlander international go for?

lots of questions for a first time hello i realize but we are really excited and want to purchase soon. if anyone could help that would be great. thanks a lot.

~Anthony & Lizzie

[Janet H]

Hi there - welcome to the forums... I have towed with a similar vehicle - a ford explorer with a 6 and a stick. My trailer weighs 2400 lbs and i carry sound music gear and sound equipment. It is not a pretty scene. Your tow vehicle is NOT adequate!

I am in the same business - a musician and we travel quite a bit..

So here's my 2 cents: A 19 foot trailer is cool for the occasional weekend. That's all! If you are planning on spending weeks at a time with gear, cloths, instruments, CDs press kits, laptop etc.. you need a bigger trailer. 25 to 27 feet. Older ones are MUCH lighter weight. So.... I would consider a bigger tow vehicle. Some of the best buys out there are used vans. Also good for musician's - because you can put chunky stuff in the back of the van - sound equipment, cases etc. And they tow!

[mandolindave]

You could keep a lot of the weight in the tow vehicle. For quick gigs you could leave the trailer at home base. Remember that a trailer will take an hour or so to get ready and hitch up. ( like gigs aren't hectic enough )
Bringing a bed, kitchen, and bath is real nice though.