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Old 08-12-2012, 09:15 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by casa3805 View Post
JimGolden,
...My son in law has a quote. " I don't care if the Airstreams last 50 years, I am only going to have my trailer 3 or 4 and then I will be getting something else." ...
Ah, if only I could afford this kind of lifestyle. I think I would jump directly into a Prevost.
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Old 08-12-2012, 09:24 AM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimGolden
I was just thinking of the screened in "tent room" for the card table with the Lego's. They can sleep on the bunk racks I'm going to make inside the coach. If some Lego thief comes along in the night, he'll just have to live with his guilt at robbing a seven year old engineer in training of his wares.

I forgot to mention in the beginning that we do bring a dog with us as well, but he likes being inside with us. He also likes wallowing in the sand, and he enjoys eating a lot too....watching movies, he's a real vacation animal who says a dog's life is bad!

But anyway, I wasn't meaning to stick them out there in the tent to sleep unless they wanted to. I was just thinking of a little extra room for my son to spread out his "empire".

see ya,
It seems to me that the screened in tent room would be a perfect solution, along with one of those sun/rain shade things you could move round as needed for wind/rain/sun.

Our grandsons love their legos, too.


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Old 08-12-2012, 11:16 AM   #43
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Is there any chance of buying a smaller family so you can stay in your 34'?

For what it's worth, I have 3 young children, all under 6. I have the same issues. It is just a matter of "stuff" management, orrganization, and patience.
We fulltime so we have to have play time rules like only one toy per kid out at a time....

Good luck
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Old 08-12-2012, 12:38 PM   #44
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My wife and I "full timed" with our yellow lab, one small puppy and a big, mean green pariot in a 20 Safari for 3 years. Yes we just bought a 30ft excella but thats because we aren't on the road quite as much. Vacation is to travel, live outside and bve well behaved inside
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Old 08-12-2012, 01:24 PM   #45
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Our kids are grown and livining their own lives. My problem is my wife's habit(?) of taking more than really necessary.

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Old 08-12-2012, 02:08 PM   #46
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We just came back from a 2 week trip with our Caravel that measures 14' inside. We are a family of 4, with 2 boys (8 & 10 years old) sleeping in bunk beds. We also took our 17 year old AuPair girl along who opted to sleep in the air conditioned aisle rather than in the hot VW Eurovan.
Was it tight? Sure, but we had a blast.
There will always be a larger option to whatever it is we set our eyes on (i.e. car, house, boat, trailer etc.) but I doubt that size by itself is the solution.
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Old 08-12-2012, 02:20 PM   #47
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Our kids are grown and livining their own lives. My problem is my wife's habit(?) of taking more than really necessary.

Neil
Hey Neil, That seems to be my problem also - or so says my husband. Susan
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Old 08-12-2012, 07:20 PM   #48
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I wound up sleeping on the floor. It was totally miserable. I vowed to never put my kids through that.

I slept on the floor of my folks 28' Silver Streak as a 6' teenager. Sisters got the foldout couch and folks on their twins. I didn't find the experience bad at all with an air mattress . . I had as much room as I wanted (as in a tent), but it was heated/cooled and the toilet was six steps away (unlike a tent).

As I read this thread yesterday my initial response was, "No, you don't need another trailer so much as you and yours need some more and better hats as rain is hardly a reason to stay inside all day".

I'd rather change plans and rent a cabin for that stay.

And my folks kept that SS for 27-years. Served beautifully for all the years up to and into retirement. Cabins were rented from time to time. As were hotel rooms to break up a long trip (and to do cleaning and repairs on our schedule).

I think we all want to "improve" things for our kids . . but they're different people than us. And, as Americans we tend to have too much room anyway. A bit of family togetherness is hardly a burden. Plus the problem of a rainy day is not a function of space, but of what to do.

I agree that a tent room (or additions to the awning) are the answer, in main. Why would I want to be inside if there is a really great "porch" outside? (Unless you're a lot cheaper than I take you for and are parked at WM or a truckstop on that rainy day: "Hey, you kids, . . which of you can slide farther on the oil slick over there?")

One reason I want a rear bedroom trailer is to have two "living areas" so that two or four or six can have some choice about space whether reading, watching TV, sewing or conversing. But one needs a decent table around which to seat all, be it for dinner or for cards. Prep dinner. Room for a project or repair as well. With a "desk" and a "table" (open to interpretation) I can have both given enough seating that can be moved around.

Yes, the differences from 28' to 34' are not that great. And OEM dinettes are wasted space, IMO. Too small for four adults where a "desk" with portable chairs would work better. Same for the couch being at the front end. I'd rather have an L-shaped lounge where the couch (sleeper) continues from the kitchen along the street side to the front of the trailer, with a built-in corner table, and then a smaller love seat across the front itself. And cabinetry/shelving down the curb side to the door for electronics, etc. Then, removable tables on stands. Plenty of seating for four adults, even up to five plus a kid. Measure, measure, order furniture carefully.

This level of TT is a family asset. Unlike casa3805's relation, for some of us a TT is a lifetime acquistion. In itself more valuable than any car, etc, as it provides shelter and shelter of a dignified type when hell has broken out (fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods) and the TT is available when stick/brick is not. A motel full of strangers is no more acceptable than an apartment complex of same.

And when I am cash-strapped the last thing I want is an SOB with delaminating walls . . a rotting roof. And the need of an overly expensive to buy & operate TV. No disaster ever comes at a good time. A paid-for, low-operating-cost, easy-to-tow permanent TT is no small thing. Assuming that cash or credit will be available is a fundamental mistake (when weeks seem like years). Great when all is "normal", but not under historical circumstances that argue otherwise in favor of being well-prepared.

As always I like your threads. I step back a little on the big purchases to see where the day-to-day compromises will be made. I bought the right truck (business use, also), but reduced op/owner expense by first running fewer miles to achieve the same ends, and then doing a better job of running those fewer miles for mpg purposes. Tires & brakes that last 120k and a fuel mpg average of 22+ the past 40k miles on a 3/4T diesel was the result.

The TT is up for the same analysis and changes for current use. The "tent room" is an ideal suggestion. And the motorcycle hardly needs to go on many trips . . maybe the ones where only Ma & Pa take the trailer out, huh? Plenty of ways to take things apart to see what is and what isn't.

If it is permanent, then changes to favor the current situation are the way to go. Not ditch it today in favor of another, and then ditch that in another five years. Too much money for too little in return . . I also highly favor becoming familiar with only one RV over a long period of time which also favors it's continued use and use at a higher rate.

.
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Old 08-12-2012, 08:15 PM   #49
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We spent two mo. in one location last year. We had a screen room which became the living room for meals, relaxing, visits w friends, games/read a book, almost everything. Nice dry outdoors space. Easy to set up, take down. We also have a canopy we take for "just in case inclement weather.
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Old 08-13-2012, 09:52 AM   #50
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Rednax, you literally had me laughing out loud with the quote about sliding on the oil slick in the Walmart parking lot. That was funny!

On our last vacation, I wanted to break the drive down up so we stayed at Carolina Crossroads RV park in Roanoke Rapidsk NC. It's a nice place, and it cost $33 per night. If you get there after 6:00pm, it's $25 to stay the night. I am cheap, but at that price, I'd rather have a pool and clubroom and not have to listen to diesel trucks idle all night. Plus they had full hoookups.

I have to say, I agree with everything you just said. I do own this one free and clear, and it's in very good shape. I was thinking exactly as you on the dinette. I may just alter the floor plan on it some. There's a bunch of valving and stuff under the dinette though, as well as the water pump, so it's hard to move it out altogether. But there's a large cabinet just ahead of the dinette that could come out. The dinette ends even with the counter on the other side, so that from there forward it's all the salon. I may change that a lot. We've already determined that we can pull the front gaucho out and replace it with the bunk racks I've come up with where the top one slides down to be a normal height couch, but you just click it back up higher and you have two separate bunk beds. That'll help out a lot.

The screen room would be awesome. I like the idea of being able to eat outside all the time and not get eaten by bugs. I see us getting one of those soon.

But by dang I am a hard head and will figure a way to bring my bike. Not on all trips, but I'd really like to have had it to ride down in the outer banks the other week. That'd be fun.

take care all,
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Old 08-14-2012, 10:33 AM   #51
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It's just a personal call. My 25' can feel crowded with dogs and just my wife and son. But I met a family last time we were camping that had two boys and one of their friends, so 5 people sleeping in a cargo trailer with a/c that couldn't have been 15' long and they were having a blast. Of course weather was great all weekend and they were rarely at the trailer.

We've got plans for more kids and I'm planning on the AS lasting a long time.
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Old 08-14-2012, 10:49 AM   #52
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We just did a 3500 mile trip in our 22' Safari twin with 2 Adults and 4 Girls 11,8,3, and 1. ( We drug our 11 year old niece with us ).

It was a 3 week trip from Austin, Tx to Liconln, Ne to Myrtle Beach, SC and back.

It was great trip and we had good/bad weather, was glad I redid my front twin beds into a Large "U" Dinette and expanded the width of my goucho

We bought everyone equal-sized duffel bags, to control clutter
You can only bring what you can fit and when not in use keep it in the bag.
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Old 08-14-2012, 10:57 AM   #53
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OK, I'm a newbie here but I thought I'd chime in. We currently own a 36 ft Jayco fiver. It is terrific...........once you get where you're going and get it set up. It has three slides, huge tanks, two a/c's, etc, etc.

There is a part of me that yearns for something simpler, with fewer electrical gizmos that constantly break (slide motors, slide seals, electric jacks, etc). The wife, however, is sold on the "homey" feel of the fiver.

I'd love to be able to fit into more rustic State Park campgrounds, not have to be stuck driving a 1 ton diesel pickup everywhere, plus Airstreams are just plain cooler than fifth wheels! LOL

Anyway, I look forward to learning a lot about Airstreams so that in a few years when it comes time to replace the "Queen Mary" we can get a more manageable RV.
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Old 08-14-2012, 07:23 PM   #54
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"Kids today!"

Quote:
Originally Posted by REDNAX View Post
[B]
...This level of TT is a family asset. Unlike casa3805's relation, for some of us a TT is a lifetime acquistion. ...the last thing I want is an SOB with delaminating walls . . a rotting roof.
So true...I look at his decison to buy a box as his own, entitled, decision to make. Not the choice I made and not one I want to make. So maybe the right thing to do is get another Airstream and bring 'em both to the campgrounds..plenty of room then!
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Old 08-14-2012, 07:38 PM   #55
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We just downsized to a 25FB International. My hubby said he would sell you the 31' Excella to tow behind your 34'. That should give you ample room to carry all the legos your little guy wants!
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Old 08-16-2012, 03:50 PM   #56
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I understand your pain. There are 5 of us fulltiming currently in our 25FB international. AS hasn't catered their trailers to families since the 30 ft bunkhouse model. I think when our kids get bigger, the only way to make it work for us will be to do some remodeling so everyone has a little corner of the interior they can call their own.
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Old 08-16-2012, 07:13 PM   #57
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We have 5 girls from 16 to 2 and my wife and I. We just did (and have done the last 5 summers) a 2 week 4500 mile trip with a majority of boondocking in our Bunkhouse Safari 30. I honestly could not change anything on our floolplan that would make it better. Plenty of storage, great galley and two private bedrooms.

People who think airstreams are for two people are amazed when 7 people come out of the camper!
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Old 08-16-2012, 08:30 PM   #58
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I would never put my kids in a tent while I slept in a trailer. I wouldn't be able to sleep. There are too many weirdos in the world! Sad, but true. I got a bigger trailer to fit my kids in where we all could sleep safely.
In the late 1970's there was a guy who was finally arrested near Three Forks, Montana for abducting and killing kids from a nearby campground. He unfornately died from an accident while incarcerated in the county jail. The abductions stopped.
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Old 08-17-2012, 03:47 PM   #59
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SafariSS, it's all about the floorplan man! Those bunkhouse models are awesome!
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