New Guy (Clueless) in Florida

[Apexbasher]

Hiya from Saint Augustine, Florida. My wife and myself are complete newbies to this kind of camping, having only rented a travel trailor once for a weekend a few years ago. We are currently in the market weighing our options and both the trailor AND what to tow it with. We are set on an Airstream and intend to do extended multi-week trips often throughout the year, using it as a base of operations for telecommuting while seeing this amazing country of ours. Not quite full-timing, but approaching a 50/50 split.

I will be here alot looking at how everybody has overcome the challenges I already see coming (internet connectivity, and energy management) and many more I don't see yet.

Thanks in advance for your time and advice!

[mpsgolf]

Welcome!

We were all clueless at one point. This forum is a great educational resource.

We started with a used 25’ (7000 lbs gw). We liked it a lot and eventually (unplanned though) upgraded to a new 28’ (7600 lbs gw). We tow with a Nissan Armada w/ tow package rated for 9000 lbs. We have 25,000 miles on the combo and love it.

[jeffmc306]

Apexbasher, welcome to the Airstream Community and Forums! You are in the right place - most of us here started in the exact same spot as you.

I can tell you there are dozens if not hundreds of threads on these topics so the Search bar at the top of the page is your friend.

Good luck and hope to see you out on the road soon!
Jeff

[Nelson428]

Welcome aboard. Great resource to have in the event you need to ask / answer questions All questions are GREAT REFRESHER for us all.

[riowerks]

Hi & welcome! You're probably going to get all kinds of advice that's irrelevant to you if you don't offer a few parameters. Such as: budget within a bracket, where you think you'll be doing most of your camping (all over US & Canada is a valid answer), how much time you think you'll spend camping (it's easy to get along with your spouse in a small trailer if you're mostly doing short trips, but longer trips may warrant a bigger trailer), what kind of toys do you want to take along (bikes, kayaks, etc.), do you need the tow car to also serve as a daily driver. That kind of thing.

In order for you to understand the difference between small and larger trailers, you might see if there are any places near you that rent Airstreams. Take different models out for a weekend. At a minimum, go to a dealer and sit in/scope out different trailer set ups (make sure you leave your checkbook at home on the first few trips).

If you have particular questions try the Goggle search option under the Search dropdown in the header of this page (not the simple search).

I was browsing the Forum Classifieds a few days ago and saw at least one person selling their Airstream and tow vehicle together. That might be a good way to get the whole kit & caboodle with few hassles. Unfortunately, I can't remember what type of trailer it was to narrow it down for you.

If you find a trailer you are serious about, there are people here willing to go with you to inspect it. There's a link somewhere to this feature, but I'm not finding it right now. Someone will pipe in.

Good luck !

[Acheron2010]

For me it was a 3 year journey to finally settle on the right Airstream and tow vehicle. I researched as much as I can. One invaluable resource was attending a newbie rally/seminar. Learned so much, both from the presenters and the campers attending. Highly recommended.
There is one in Sevierville, Tennessee in April.