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Old 09-25-2021, 12:00 AM   #1
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Tahoe Vista , California
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 117
1st “trip” with our Airstream!

We finally got our airstream out on our first “trip” last weekend and it was fantastic! It has been a long time coming as we had started the process of buying it back in July and brought it home in the beginning of August. However, not long after, forests and camp grounds were closed due to fires and smoke was too much to enjoy any sort of trip.

With the forests and many campgrounds opened after Labor Day, we planned our first trip. A short one, just one night at a little camp ground about 20 miles away from home; https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234113.

No hook ups, so it was perfect to test out our rig with a short overnight dry camp. My wife was very apprehensive about camping without any hooks ups, but I told her, these rigs are meant for this and if I am wrong, it would just be more ammo to hold against me the next time I get an idea. She is not the camping type being more of the high maintenance hotel type. So for her to tolerate family camping time, glamping it was going to be, but for her to enjoy family camping, an airstream it had to be.

Trip went great and the air stream performed beyond expectations. I was worried about running out of power as we only have 2 batteries. However, my son and I replaced 4 incandescent bulb switch lights with double led lights in the main living area the morning before we left. Needless to say, zero power issues, despite kids playing board games with all lights on after dinner and then watching (sleeping thru) 2 movies with the DVD player after.

We learned on one of our previous rental RV trips how frustrating trying to connect a fire stick to a campground WiFi in a zero cell reception area is, when all we want is our kids to leave us alone by falling asleep watching a movie inside the trailer while we enjoy our evening by the fire with some nice brews and wine. So, with that knowledge, a 12v TV/DVD combo had been ordered and installed. After some hot cocoa (with some Stillhouse Mint Chip whiskey for me) we converted the dinette and couch to beds, popped in a movie, said goodnight to the kids and shut the door. We then consumed several beverages and some fragrant herbs, carrying out enjoyable adult conversations under the moonlight while listening to the calming sounds of the river near by and not children screaming demands to reset the wifi connection. It was delightful.

Another bright spot was there is plenty of room for the dogs (big dogs at that). With plenty of deep couch space and low height Queen sized bed, there was always a place for the dogs to lay. With the couch pulled out and table turned to bed, we slept very well without being constantly disturbed in the middle of the night by confused dogs trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep. With the living area in full sleeping mode, it was great that there is still plenty of room to move around and access the kitchen and cupboards for late night munchies without disrupting the childrens.

And speaking of kitchen and cupboards, wow there is a ton of well thought out storage in this trailer! Another learning from previous RV rental experiences is that having very little storage space to stow away the ridiculous amount of unnecessary, food, drink and random supplies we just cannot leave behind really sucks ass and makes for quite a lot of arguments when your wife can’t find anything because everything is packed inside random bags and suitcases that are strewn haphazardly throughout all corners of the camper. I like to avoid stress on vacation, and nothing is more stressful than telling your wife you can’t find something after trying really hard and then seeing her go look for it. Needless to say, I couldn’t find my ass the last RV rental trip we had because the 24’ camper with extra large pop out we rented didn’t have **** for storage. It was not pleasant.

But really, at the end of the day, the biggest factor by far is how nice it is to be inside the airstream. While of course, hanging outside at the campsite at night is a must, when it’s time to roll in, having a space so crisp, spacious, stout and styled is worlds apart in comfort, enjoyment and well-being from the course edges, dreary structure and stogy textures of plastic RV campers. And when hanging outside during the day or rolling back into camp after a hike, it sure is nice not to have to have the scenery ruined by computer generated graffiti plastered on the side of giant blinding white corrugated plastic walls. Thankfully, the outside of the airstream has classic style that is intriguing without the need for graffiti.

We already have 2 weekend trips planned in Oct and can’t wait to get out into some more adventuring with my boys and then into some more relaxing relaxation with the wife. I am not a fan of hotels as I find them sterile, corporate and boring. Having a way for the whole family to spend quality time together while exploring nature and meeting new people with all of us enjoying our experience I think is going to strengthen our family bond and give our kids and my wife and I rich memories of happy times.

Thanks for reading of you made it this far and thanks to all here for your great knowledge and willingness to share it! Here are some pics of the fun

JJ
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Old 09-25-2021, 05:47 AM   #2
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Congrats! Bet if feels good to be able to hit the road and enjoy the Airstream.
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Old 09-25-2021, 05:49 AM   #3
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Congrats on your new Airstream! It seems to suit you and your family well!
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Old 09-25-2021, 06:00 AM   #4
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Welcome Aboard...👍

It's very refreshing to hear about such a blissful, felicific, glad, happy, joyous first outing.

Happy Trails....

Bob
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Old 09-25-2021, 09:42 AM   #5
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Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time! Enjoy life
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Old 09-25-2021, 09:58 AM   #6
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Congratulations!

Congratulations on your first Airstream trip. Dry camping in a state park off the grid is the way to go! That’s our usual preference. If you want to have more power, consider lithium batteries and some solar panel. Depending on the amount of sunlight, your power will last for several days. Have fun with your family!
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Old 09-25-2021, 10:16 AM   #7
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Thanks for sharing. Too often we hear about people’s nightmares instead of the great experiences we all know are more the norm than the exception. We love our state parks in Florida but for the most part dry damping is out of the question because it would prove;y leave us with only one or two months we could camp without AC. Today we can feel full fall weather as it barely hit 85 degrees and a nice dry 75% humidity.
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Old 09-25-2021, 11:31 AM   #8
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Sounds fantastic!
BTW, I guess you did a great job chocking the wheels since that stack under the tongue jack is shocking! Good time for a rear door.
Never be shy to ask the park for a 'more level' site also.
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Old 09-25-2021, 03:15 PM   #9
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Great Read!

Written like an article for a camping magazine! Very enjoyable read. Welcome to the Airstream life!
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Old 09-25-2021, 07:59 PM   #10
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Wow. Such a positive post! Enjoy your Airstream and camping. We have been doing it for the last 11 years and enjoyed every minute (almost)
Headed to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Rally this Friday to meet with a bunch of other Positive Airstreamers. Glad to have you onboard!
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Old 09-26-2021, 08:42 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS View Post
It's very refreshing to hear about such a blissful, felicific, glad, happy, joyous first outing.
AMEN! - Brad
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Old 09-26-2021, 04:27 PM   #12
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Tahoe Vista , California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Starlifter73 View Post
Congratulations on your first Airstream trip. Dry camping in a state park off the grid is the way to go! That’s our usual preference. If you want to have more power, consider lithium batteries and some solar panel. Depending on the amount of sunlight, your power will last for several days. Have fun with your family!
Thanks Starlifter! My brother-in-law who got this AS for us installed a solar panel along with 2 new batteries before we picked it up so batteries were charging first light in the morning. I dig off grid as well and we have a lot of options close to where we live. I hope to be able to do 2 to 3 nights in a row with wife and kids who do not yet comprehended the relationship between faucet handles/on-off switches and tank capacities/amp hours, so we will see.

I just started hearing about lithium for rvs, but need to learn more as well as learn more about what I have so I can compare properly. I was looking to get a generator, but think I will hold off for now. We live at high elevation so don’t “need” an AC and we get 300 days of sunshine, but also have a lot of trees being the forest and all. So not sure if solar will always be available. Will need to get a feel for it I guess.

Appreciate the advice!
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Old 09-26-2021, 04:42 PM   #13
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You’ll get a feel for it as you gain more experience. We camped without a generator for our first year, relying on 180W of rooftop solar and AGM batteries. We prefer boondocking or state and national parks that often don’t have hookups. It worked well overall, but shady campsites and the occasional need for air conditioning pushed me to buy a generator. I don’t take it out in every trip, but it’s nice to have when I think I might need it.
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Old 09-27-2021, 06:39 AM   #14
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Another happy camper, glad.
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