Newbie confusion

[Don Cook]

Hello,
I am ready to purchase an Airstream product and I am still struggling with the decision between single and tandem axle trailers. I worry about the safety and towability issues of smaller single axle trailers. i have a great tow vehicle, a 2004 Chevy 2500 diesel truck but I am really conflicted about what to choose. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by Don Cook

Hello,
I am ready to purchase an Airstream product and I am still struggling with the decision between single and tandem axle trailers. I worry about the safety and towability issues of smaller single axle trailers. i have a great tow vehicle, a 2004 Chevy 2500 diesel truck but I am really conflicted about what to choose. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Assess your needs based on:

(1) where you intend to go and what you intend to do when you get there?
(2) How many humans, dogs, and cats comprise your Airstream travel team?
(3) How much gear do your on-the-road activities require?
(4) Do you like to prepare your own food, or do you eat road food?
(5) And the biggie... how much time will you be spending on the road each year; and when you are on the road, how much time do you think you'll be spending in your trailer?

If you are a big family with a dog ot two, the Airstream gets mighty crowded mighty fast, especially during inclement weather.
If you view your trailer as little more than a tent on wheels, and you spend most of your daylight hours hiking, fishing, biking; then you will need less room than if you are the more cerebral, lounging around the trailer, reading, and communicating through Airstream Forums.

So, decide what you need, add two or three feet, and then look underneath and see how many axles you have.

[thecatsandi]

Truck plenty big enough.
Buy the trailer that works for you and get a spare tire. They are not standard.
Have fun!

[dwightdi]

They claim you can pull a tandem trailer with a bad tire at reduced speeds so a spare is not an asbolute neccesity. If that bad tire starts to desintegrate this is not true as it will beat up the trailer real bad. If you take the bad wheel off, you might be able to sneak by for 50 miles at 20 miles per hour. I carry a spare with my tandems. Unless you are going into some really small backwoods campgrounds I do not see the advantage of a small single axle trailer. They do look neat but all the wives start to complain before very long.
If you are going to stay over a week at a single location and might have a couple over to play cards or whatever in the evening or when it rains, a twin axle trailer of 24 to 28 feet is what you want.

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by dwightdi

Unless you are going into some really small backwoods campgrounds I do not see the advantage of a small single axle trailer. They do look neat but all the wives start to complain before very long.
If you are going to stay over a week at a single location and might have a couple over to play cards or whatever in the evening or when it rains, a twin axle trailer of 24 to 28 feet is what you want.

I would never want to go back to a 23', the 27' was very nice, and the 31' keeps me out of some of the state parks that I would like to visit. So, for me a 27 to 29 seems very desireable. But again, it depends, how many is you, and what does all of you need?