New and no clue

[Kangasox]

Not even sure if this is the right place to post this, but...where do you start?? We are beginning the search for a trailer to travel regionally with our kids. I've wanted an Airstream since I was a teenager. But I have no idea how to know what I don't know. What are good first steps? What should we know before purchasing? How do we know what we WANT to purchase (as far as holding kids and dogs)? I'm looking at forums and reading, but it's overwhelming! Thanks!!

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us. Be patient and do your research. Things will eventually become clearer. You might try a visit to an RV dealer to just get a feel for what RV's are like inside. Best wishes in your quest.

Brian

[lsbrodsky]

Here is some advice from a fellow Tarheel. Don't feel locked into an Airstream. Figure out what leisure/vacation activity you really want to do. Is it really staying in RV parks? National Park campgrounds? Or would you rather stay in rental cabins or even motels? There is a surge of camping right now and that may not fit with your desires. Then think about what you are going to do with kids and dogs. If it is still an RV look at a bunch of different brands, size, service proximity and reputation. Airstreams are iconic and look sweet, but the build quality is inconsistent and they cost a lot of money, especially new. After 7 years owning an Airstream, I will say that, for me, the only great thing about owning an Airstream is the Airstream owners, the people, the scheduled activities, the new friends. Many have dogs but very, very few have kids with them.
The shell of another brand may not last as long, but you can get more room at far lower cost if your objective is just RV camping with the family. I cannot speak first-hand about RV camping with a young family, but we did it with a sailboat and it was not an experience I would enthusiastically repeat.
Larry

[Dennis C]

That’s an interesting comment about Airstream owners typically having no kids with them, and often having dogs. My wife and I fall into that category; our Airstream was purchased for just the two of us with our Great Dane. I suppose that many owners wait to buy an Airstream until their kids are grown and out of the house.

I agree that trying different RVs to determine what you like is important. My wife and I rented several varieties and sizes of RVs before deciding on Airstream. We decided that we wanted a travel trailer that was relatively small and easy to tow, but still had nice features and overall quality. We almost bought a Bowlus Road Chief, but it was more than double the price of the Airstream and I wasn’t willing to spend that much at this time. For comparison, my brother and his wife recently purchased a huge Jayco travel trailer with slide-outs, a huge television, etc. It probably cost them 1/3 of the price of our Airstream. They love it, but it’s not our style. They like campgrounds with full hook-ups, and they like to watch TV and movies. My wife and I don’t care much for big campgrounds with hook-ups, and I have little interest in watching TV while camping. I’m more interested in being away from people, and close to hiking trails, rivers, etc.

I think you really need to consider what you want, and how you’ll use a trailer. That will point you in the right direction.

[Kangasox]

This is helpful! We have investigated different rv options. We definitely want a trailer and something relatively small. I suppose we should look at some other trailers in person; we've looked at several on YouTube and always come back to the Airstream. I don't like the look or the fanciness of the sleeker ones. We plan to use it as a place to sleep on trips. We do a lot of traveling and hiking and national parks. We're not fancy people. Half our family loves actual tent camping and half hates it, so a bed and stove might make them more amenable. Wifi would be the only real necessity. We also live in a very small house with 1 bathroom, so are used to constantly bumping into each other! I guess what I'm trying to figure out is how to know if I'm looking at a particular trailer, it is in good shape and worth the price, since we'll be looking used.

[lsbrodsky]

Go talk to these guys: https://www.billplemmonsrv.com/ They are close to you and this is where I bought my Airstream, used. They treated me very well, were very honest, and gave me a good deal. They fixed some things I identified in my inspection and they took the trailer up to Winston Salem for a dealer inspection to validate what was left of my warranty. My Airstream was a fluke; it had been traded on a Winnebago. You can always try to buy from a private owner, but buyer beware. Most RV places have very low inventory right now.
Larry

[chris_kelly]

I echo a lot of the same comments.

Try RV’ing out first. Then shop around.

My wife and I started out in a T@G teardrop but hated getting out of the warmth/cool to go to the bathroom across the campground.

Oddly enough The Fit RV published a new video about purchasing and selecting a new RV.

https://youtu.be/NIGIn1EiXTc

[LaRoze]

We still don’t even have our AitstreamBasecamp, but we picked it after watching a gazillion you tube videos. We aren’t you tubers usually but search things on there for what you want and you will get all kinds of great reviews from walk through to people who are “ambassadors” for a brand giving good honest reviews. For example we search for thing like “small Tavel trailer reviews” or “small travel trailer with bathrooms”. We ended up going with the Basecamp because it is essentially the smallest one my 5’11” Husband can easily stand all the way up in with a bathroom. Obviously with a family you need bigger things I was just trying to give examples how we did searches.

[Suendan]

Take the time to look at a variety of makes and models and carefully consider the layout and floorplan. All too often, people buy on impulse at RV shows or dealerships without really thinking about how the trailer layout will work for them. For example, some AS models have the queen or double bed in the rear quarter of the trailer, in line. The bathroom occupies the other rear quarter. This necessitates the adult or child sleeping next to the wall to have to crawl over the other person if they have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. That was a major factor in our choice of the 27 FB which also allows us to walk around both sides of the bed. RV dealers know all too well that folks can become quickly disenchanted with the trailer they bought on impulse and often they see units being traded in after a short use period or simply sold. A friend of mine who is also an Airstream owner and I were discussing this phenomenon of AS dealers being sold out of just about everything in their inventory. This suggests to me that we will see a lot of them back on the market as folks discover the floor plan doesn't really work for them as they gobbled up whatever was available. Take your time. Your tow vehicle capacity is a major determinant as well.

[Mollysdad]

My advice is to start with a budget. Don't go deep into debt for a toy that will lose value, as well as a tow vehicle too.
I knew I wanted an Airstream, and nothing else would satisfy that need. I didn't want to buy a box trailer only to sell it and buy an Airstream. So far, no regrets.
But there are a lot on nice box trailers with more storage and sq ft than an Airstream for a lot less $$$.
Then decide how you'll use it. Weekends? Month vacations? Trip to Grandma's?
Half the fun is shopping. Don't rush anything. Go to the big RV shows, lay on the beds, sit at the table, sit on the toilet. Can you all fit? Where's the dog sleep? Is there room for rainy days?
Research quality. Will you use it in the winter? Are the cabinets made with real wood? Can you flex the walls by leaning on them?

Finally, some things will be left to experience. Until you spend that first weekend, you won't really know how the tanks drain, or the water hooks up.

There is no perfect RV.

[BrendaKB]

We bought a 2016 27FB Flying Cloud specifically to travel with our two teenagers to the National Parks. We range from four day local trips to the mountains or coastal trips to surf. Our longest trip was three weeks on a trip down the Oregon coast to California redwoods. We love the floor plan and size. I would say 75% of our time is dry camping with no hook ups. We are a very active outdoor family so we are hiking, surfing, kayaking and fly fishing. We have never once turned on the television. The Pacific Northwest is very wet in the spring and fall so having the Airstream has extended our camping season. When we started looking for a camper we thought we would buy used. We couldn’t really find one we wanted so we ended up buying new. There is a dealership nearby so we could tour all the models which was extremely helpful. I think determining what kind of camping you want to do helps narrow down the field. We wanted to be comfortable in cold wet weather with enough space for all of us...and the capacity to dry camp.
I have an Instagram called brendainseattle that documents our Airstream trips.
Good luck!

[Rgentum]

What worked for us:

1. Go to your local RV Show and spend the afternoon going from one RV exhibit to the next, including the AS exhibit.

2. Go to your local AS dealer and spend the afternoon beginning in the smallest AS, going to the next larger AS, ad infinitum until you reach the largest AS. By that time, you will likely have a pretty good idea of "How much (in terms of size and space)" AS would work for you and your family. Once my sweetie got into an AS 27 and discovered its "island" queen bed, that was "it" for her.

3. As many, many RV salespersons told us, "Probably 90% of RV owners sell or trade-in their first RV within a year or two." Anything you can do to acquire your "ultimate" RV your first time around will most likely be beneficial for you, even if it means acquiring larger or at a higher cost than you first anticipated.

My best to you and your family on your new adventure.

[Doc Foster]

Hi, If you definitely want an Airstream, then other than going to a local dealer and sitting in and spending time in a bunch of different models, I would suggest spending some time on Youtube, especially with the many excellent videos by Patrick from Colonial Airstream, such as https://youtu.be/KO9jyt5XamU . He gives a very thorough walk through all of the different models.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaZ...aSI6-WO4zm3VGQ. you can learn a lot about Airstreams from Patrick.

[cegardner]

Your best opportunity is to go to a large RV sales room and lot. Sit in everything you can. Take notes. We have been traveling all summer and found it very crowded in the campgrounds. Look at all the different sizes and models. What do your favorites need if you are going to tow it. Also, there are very few airstreams on any dealers lot. We just stopped at one that has 90 on order. Nothing to view on the lot. They normally have 100 and have 2. Give your self the joy of seeing as much as you can of every brand and model. Do not forget to think about your choice and the resulting tow vehicle if it is trailer.
We all learned through exploration. Have fun getting to know all the choices out there

[mbsprouse]

As a VERY new Airstream owner, we were in your boat about a year ago and didn't know exactly where to start. We had been backpackers (young and without kids), then car campers (with young kids), and now with one out of the nest, we wanted to enter the world of campers. From the moment we set foot in a friend's AS, it was love at first sight. We looked at lots of trailers, went to dealerships and shows, and always gravitated back to Airstream. Yes -they are more expensive. You just know that going into it. It took us total about 8 months to find and buy both the AS and tow vehicle. We knew we had to find a used one that we were comfortable towing. Being in the triangle area, you should check out Airstreamland in Knighdale. Look it up on Facebook. He has trailers coming through all the time and is close by. It is VERY hard to see trailers on lots for sale right now. There are very few used ones and almost no new ones to see. I can tell you after looking for many months during a pandemic and an unprecedented rush of trailer sales that there are no deals.



I echo the Youtube comment - we watched (and still watch) tons of videos on Airstreams, This forum has helped me immensely. Most of the people on this forum are super friendly and want to help.



If there is any specific advice I have about which trailer, I would say it comes down to what you are comfortable towing. I tow a 19 ft with a VW Touareg TDI (and love it). It's about as big as I would want to pull with an SUV. We looked at 16 - 20 ft Airstreams and found the layout of the 19CB was perfect for us.



Finally - enjoy the hunt. If you are truly set on an Airstream, finding one is almost as fun as owning it. It was a family affair for us, and everyone got involved in the hunt and decision. With so many still on the road, they all have stories. We have found that anyone that owns one is more than happy to talk about them.

[dnsapp]

Welcome to the Group. I too always wanted an Airstream. I wasn’t sure when I retired if my wife was serious about camping with an RV. We have backpacked when we were younger and did bicycle trips across country for weeks at a time. But younger is the key word. We had always took vacation trips on the Amtrak and had goal to ride every train in the US which we did. I bought a used trailer and used it for 3 years before buying our AS. My wife loves it. I sold the used trailer getting my money I had paid for it back. We looked and looked at the AS’s before making up our minds which model was the one we wanted. My advice to you is:
1. By the model best suited for the two of you. Kids grow up and leave sooner than you think.
2. Look at the models on-line but they look different than you think once you see the real thing on the dealer lot.
3. Don’t believe everything you read on this forum. Especially thing like buying a tow vehicle. It’s just everybody opinion in many cases.
4. Don’t believe that when you buy you AS your done. Your not. Your just beginning. There’s pots and pans, sheets, towels, a satellite dish, chairs, hose, and on and on. Also things go wrong even on an AS. I just replaced my tires so more expenses.
5. Don’t believe you can just hookup and leave and there will be a campsite open without a reservation. Especially this year.
Also there are things to consider. Like, we got a model with the microwave/convection oven, therefore you can’t boondock and have an oven unless you have electricity or an generator. You may want to get a gas range.
I suggest you make friends with an Airstream owner like my wife and I. Set up a zoom meeting and talk to them. Learning what not to do sometimes is more important than what to do.
Don’t get me wrong, we love our AS. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made. She’s been from coast to coast and everywhere in between since we bought her new in 2018.
If you have question contact me (Danny) dnsapp@me.com

[Dennis C]

Our last rental unit before purchasing the Airstream was this beast. It was the thing that made us decide that we definitely wanted a trailer, and that we wanted solar power. We also rented a small Jayco trailer for a trip to Moab. We liked the size and convenience of the trailer, but the quality was not great.

[bibbs]

You always wanted an airstream , So try to find a gently used trailer and check it out. It sounds to me you might like a 23’. This might be a good time of year to find one. Good luck have fun

[guskmg]

Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate and it will be gone. If you find what you like, and it is at a fair price, buy while it is available. A rich uncle once told me that years ago and he was right. On the other hand if you don't need it it is not a good deal at any price.
guskmg

[SUP'n Woman]

My spouse and I went to RV shows (Prior to COVID) in addition to going to an airstream dealer. With that being said, I am also quite new to the airstream world (just brought our Bambi 16ft home a couple of weeks ago), and I’ve learned there are MANY people on this website as well as on facebook (airstreaming for newbies, airstream addicts to name a couple of groups) that are also quite helpful! Best of luck to you!