Soon to be travelers...maybe.

[mwe333]

Hello everyone from Space Coast Florida. I'm coming up on retirement and my wife and I are thinking of hitting the road with an Airstream. We've always loved camping and have looked forward to doing some traveling.Were looking at the Classic possibly. But may start with something smaller. Still not sure that this is the the road we'll be taking...but I'd sure love to try.

[Hans627]

Welcome to the forum! And I hope you decide to go with an AS. The machines are great in themselves but we have found the people who love AS's to be even more awesome.

I would suggest you find a local unit of the airstream club (airstreamclub.org), find when and where they have a rally and stop by and talk to the people there. You will be welcome. They will be glad to show you their units and talk about pros and cons.

Best wishes!

[GetawA-S]

Welcome to the forum! As neighbors to the south, I can recommend the Airstream design for its ability to withstand the Florida sun. In general, I have found ours much easier to tow. It’s also been a good escape pod when the big storms knock out the utilities.
The southeast has got a lot to see while camping, and the state parks are a cut above other regions.
Do your homework and you will have no regrets!

[Dennis C]

Welcome to the forums!

I suggest that you try a few things before making a commitment. Our Airstream is our first RV. Before we bought it, we rented a couple of RVs to see what we liked and didn’t like. I thought we’d prefer a Class A motor home, but that was clearly not for us. We also rented a travel trailer (not an Airstream) and that helped us decide that it was better suited to our camping style.

The next big decision is the right size trailer for you. This is a very personal decision. Everyone is different. Common advice around here is to buy one size bigger than you think when it comes to Airstream size. I can see that point, but it’s not necessarily true if you do your research. Remember that a bigger trailer needs a more robust tow vehicle, it costs more, it’s not as easy to fit into some campgrounds, etc. These things may not be issues for you, but they need to be considered. Then you’ve got to decide how you’ll use your Airstream and how you want it to be configured. Do you want a queen bed or twin beds? Front bed or rear bed? Do you need lots of interior lounging space, or not? The list goes on and on.

It’s a fun journey and you should try to enjoy the process. One thing for certain is that you’ve got some ideas now about how you’ll use an Airstream that won’t actually happen if you buy one. Adapt and enjoy!

[Rich Jenkins]

Warm welcome from Florida.

We started in 2014 with a used 22' Class B Roadtrek Adventurous. Lots of fun. After five months extended travel, we were still married, but it was close.

Currently in a 23' with twin beds. This is our fourth AS trailer. We love the compromise of size and layout, for us.

Like the folks above said, it depends on what's important to you. At this point you may not know what you don't know, and possibly/may/will make a different decision after spending a few days/weeks/months in a travel trailer. But that's all part of the experience. Life is short! Good luck!

[KCurtis]

I just want to share my experience when was was in your position a couple of years ago.

Wife and I bought a 25 Foot Flying Cloud in 2020. Early on we were in a park in Kansas and an older couple that had a Classic told us we would eventually end up buying a Classic once we spent some time on the road. We laughed it off. Two years later we ordered a Classic. If I had known then what I know now about the way we travel I would have started with the Classic and saved some considerable money.

I’ve tried boon-docking for a week and I discovered I was fine for about 3 days; after that I wanted to shower not thinking about saving every drop of water. I also wanted a cell signal. I discovered I could stay in a nice RV park then go out and explore all day. This suited us very well. We still do some Boon-docking in some beautiful locations. We just don’t stay for more than 3 days in general. The Classic has larger tanks and that is helpful. So this is all about discovering the travel style that suites you the best. Some people boon-dock 90% of the time and they love it.

Consider comfort when it rains and the wind is blowing 50 mph for 2 days straight. Been there done that a few times and it wasn’t fun in the 25 foot dinette vs. having a sofa that reclines in the Classic. My original thought was we would always be outside and as long as we could simply eat and sleep in the trailer we would be just fine. This was a mistake on my part.

When or Classic arrives from the factory later this year we are having the 3 inch lift kit installed on it. Being the Classic is a bit longer doesn’t help with the problem of bottoming out when exiting some gas stations across the country either.

We also generally do a 2 to 3 month trip in the spring and fall. This is when we discovered the Classic was more suitable for us.

I hope this is helpful for you. It is an exciting time for you, so enjoy the journey.

[mwe333]

Thank you Hans627 for your kind reply and the awesome suggestion. I did checkout airstreamclub.org and turns out that there is a Rally scheduled just a few miles from my house at Ft. Christmas Florida in December. I'll be sure to stop in and check it out and ask some questions. We look forward to traveling, relaxing and discovering more of America.

[dbj216]

Welcome to these Airstream Forums: We are currently camping with the Airstream Club at a rally. These are serious Airstreamers and sometimes travel for months at a time. Their trailers keeps them warm and dry when they get back from exploring the area they are in. Here is a photo of our old 1986 Limited 34'. It is very comfortable for longer trips, it has lots of storage space and has been super reliable.

I prefer the longer trailers but others get along just fine in shorter rigs. You can do a lot of research here on these Forums and get different views about different aspects of Airstream travel.

David

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

Welcome to the forums!

I suggest that you try a few things before making a commitment. Our Airstream is our first RV. Before we bought it, we rented a couple of RVs to see what we liked and didn’t like. I thought we’d prefer a Class A motor home, but that was clearly not for us. We also rented a travel trailer (not an Airstream) and that helped us decide that it was better suited to our camping style.

The next big decision is the right size trailer for you. This is a very personal decision. Everyone is different. Common advice around here is to buy one size bigger than you think when it comes to Airstream size. I can see that point, but it’s not necessarily true if you do your research. Remember that a bigger trailer needs a more robust tow vehicle, it costs more, it’s not as easy to fit into some campgrounds, etc. These things may not be issues for you, but they need to be considered. Then you’ve got to decide how you’ll use your Airstream and how you want it to be configured. Do you want a queen bed or twin beds? Front bed or rear bed? Do you need lots of interior lounging space, or not? The list goes on and on.

It’s a fun journey and you should try to enjoy the process. One thing for certain is that you’ve got some ideas now about how you’ll use an Airstream that won’t actually happen if you buy one. Adapt and enjoy!

^^^^^
THIS...Plus, consider a gently used later model, let someone else take the depreciation and 'fix-it' hit. If for some reason the lifestyle isn't a fit you're not 150K in the hole.

POI...Like a comfortable pair of shoes go one size larger, AS offers the smaller trailers as 'bait'.

Bob
🇺🇦🇺🇸🇺🇦

[Foiled Again]

Bob is absolutely right about gently used. The pandemic caused a huge number of serious travelers to consider RV's for the first time, because foreign travel was next to impossible, cruises were canceled, and hotel a were hotbeds of contagion. Orders for new Airstreams and all other brands backed up for 2 years.

Now, many people who bought impulsively, then found out what a black tank was and what maintenance meant, and now what fuel costs are... has turned the trailer into "lawn art" ... a depreciating asset. There are many people thinking about selling.

Any club or Airforums rally... get some chutzpah and a pocketful of cash and tour a bunch of Airstreams, and win one.