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