Is the Time Right to Dive Back In?

[Kmdodge]

Hi community...first post here...and hopefully in the right place? I'm 51 now and spent my 20's with a 5th wheel in a permanent spot during the summers in Montana. Was a weekend/holiday/PTO warrior and loved every minute of the camping life. I moved to TX at 28 and, safe to say, I knew that camping in TX after camping in MT would only lead to disappointment, so...I didn't. Fast forward 22 years and a move to NW Oregon and I find myself in a situation where I would love to get back to it, but I have some thoughts/concerns. 1) How does camping feel now vs. 20 years ago? I know I read threads that talk about how inconsiderate people are, theft, etc. I know that's always been a little bit of a thing, and I know that the negative experiences are typically what hits the interwebs, but I'm wondering if, in general, the camping community truly has gotten that much worse and that much more crowded than it was? 2) I'm considering a 27' FC to still be able to fit into spots that may be less accessible, but to have enough room for the two of us and our two large elderly dogs. The dealership has been reaching out to me telling me "Things are slow and we're basically giving away trailers" (uh huh), but it's giving me the itch to make a move. I have looked at SO many trailers, and frankly the quality of the trailers just is unmatched between AS and "the others". I'm less concerned about weight and more concerned about being able to push my finger through the pressed paneling inside. That and just the layout/feel. AS doesn't feel like a box on wheels...dark and cheap inside (a good T-shirt!). Any perspective, opinions and/or guidance is very much appreciated. :-)

[JeffKim]

Welcome! You're in a beautiful place to start camping again and tons of great places a short drive away if just to cut your teeth. There's a recent discussion here that is somewhat similar about choosing Airstream, that has quite a few perspectives and advice.

1) We have been camping in a tent and more recently in Airstreams for 15 years or so. I think in general camping and campgrounds are more crowded (especially National Parks). But there's usually options, especially if you are willing to camp unplugged or off-season. I can't think of any time we felt threatened or had any safety concerns and never had anything stolen. Most bad behavior (noise, campground litter, etc.) is the exception in the places we go.

2) From what I read in the forums, the dealer is correct and it's a buyer's market. We bought our 2023 Globetrotter 25FBT this year and got 15% off list. I've read 20% isn't unusual. I wouldn't necessarily pick the local guys. If you're willing to travel to pick it up then you can shop for a good deal regionally or even nationally. I'd be fussy too about what you get if you plan to keep it for quite a while. We really like the twin bed layout. We also like the trim level of the Globetrotter. It was extra over the FC and International, but we plan on keeping it quite a while and travel more in the future, so we opted for the fanciest. But everyone has their own needs and camping style.

[dznf0g]

The only things I find substantially different now than 30 years ago, is campground prices, reservation requirements and systems, and the shear volume of campers.

[field & stream]

Q: is the time right to dive back in? A: Yes.

The only negative development is the increased number of people (everywhere?), and the related increased difficulty of getting reservations in the popular places. You can learn to work around both of those things.

Mother Nature is just as wonderful as ever, and maybe even a greater antidote to modern times.

[nurselady815]

Ct Holiday Camper Lighted Village Scene
QTY
1
Item #: 5286185|Model #: NM-X12309HA
Unit Price: $24.99|Subtotal: $24.99

We had a 2017 27 foot FC queen bed 4 yrs ago. My husband navigated it great.We loved the quality of the airstream. So we decided on a 2020 30 foot FC. We kept it for two years. He had such a problem parking it and I felt it was extra space I didnt need.In short for us it wasnt a good fit. So we found another 2017 27 foot International signature twin bed. This is the best one for us.We feel that the upgrade to the international quality to us was nice. The extra space in the twin we love and we got Matt Hughes to make us a support system. In short we are so happy with this. We enclosed information on a great Christmas decoration that is on sale at Lowes for half off. It is so cute.

[Bill M.]

It is time when you think it is time.

Camping is still fine. Yes, it is crowded enough now to have to plan and reserve most of your sites.

[Mollysdad]

Let's suppose you don't jump in.
Will you wake up one day and say,
"I'm 75 and I wasted my life on things that didn't bring me joy."?
Don't be that guy.
Let's consider the worst case scenario. You jump in and hate it.
So sell. It's not like you have a millstone around your neck forever!

[JeffKim]

...just saw this post, 25% off. I'm a little jealous.

[RWitherspoon]

I had a hitch receiver welded to the front right frame rail.
When I want to get into a difficult site, I unhitch the rear and hitch to the front. This cost under $50.00.

This gives me the ability to not only see the door side of the trailer while my wife watches the left side, but I can swing the front end in a turn that would be impossible using a rear hitch.

I was born on a farm and can back up anything, but the only way to park is to have the option to drive the trailer backwards. Ours is a 29 foot, we live on Vancouver Island which has been rated as the best tourist destination in Canada. So one has to book well in advance during peak seasons. We often boondock, so a truck mounted generator, solar panels with a ground stand and a long power cord are essential. 90% of the time the trailer in parked under trees.

We stayed in a middle of the road hotel for $450/night with the senior discount, wereas we could have camped for free or paid $75 for a full service site.

We also carry a dump tank and we have a 12 volt macerator for dumping the tank into our dump tank in the back of the truck. That way we can dump wihout moving.

We paid $7300 for our trailer 30 years ago, and it would sell for $40,000 at the peak of the market. So we plan to give our trailer to our grandson when we get too old to camp. He could give it to his kids 30 years from now.

Lastly, friends bought a wood framed trailer, with thin metal siding. The humidity is high out here, and the nails rusted out. They had to get rid of it as it was starting to shake apart on the road.

[coasttocoast]

Buy a Sprinter. Forget the campground. Eat take out. Lighten the load. Go see the places you can’t go in a trailer.

[switz]

We started in 2013 with a 2013 built in July 2012 25FB International Serenity. The cross bed queen and other issues found us in a custom ordered 2014 31' Classic twin beds. We tried using a 2007 Mercedes ML320 CDI turbo diesel and it towed the 24FB through the mountains from California to Phoenix AZ satisfactorily arv55 mph being the sweet speed for the engine and gears. But loaded, the Mercedes was not happy towing 7,000 pounds and we acquitted our still in use 2012 Ram 2500HD Cummins which has been upgraded tom be a great tow vehicle.

We added a 2015 23D International Serenity for small parks and initially towed it with the Mercedes. But it got too old and a 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser was acquired. We added a 12,5 gallon auxiliary gas tank and Firestone air bags inside the rear coil springs to stiffen the sag. Great tow vehicle for the 23D.

We discoveed in 2014 the only Airstream only membership RV park in Arizona up in the White Mountains at Lakeside, AZ and joined. We use it as a hub up in the mountains for going to the other summer activities. Each space is 8,000 square feet and the annual $1,700 dues (for 2024) covers everything except custom cable service from last week in April to first week of October.

The success for the big parks is to reserve at the opening gate the prior summer. Expect crowds. The biggest like Yellowstone and the Tetons can become slowly moving parking. Kind of like going to Disney World. Plan to eat off the normal times and it all works out. A great serving of patience really helps. The newbies are just that so defensive driving is a must.

Good Luck. Jump in! The water is wet.

[switz]

Ask Sprinter about the every 75,000 mile failures of the oil cooler gasket at the back of their 3.0L V6 turbo diesel.

The repairs for my 2007 Mercedes ML320 CDI cost $4,500 twice for me and I quit at 207,000 when it was starting again. The problem was also in my wife's 2009 E320 CDI with the same engine.

Note that just a chip change was used for the various "displacement" numbers on either side of the 3.0L actual displacement and the engine is still being used today.

An undocumented or disclosed feature at time of purchase.

[369goose]

Originally Posted by field & stream

Q: is the time right to dive back in? A: Yes.

The only negative development is the increased number of people (everywhere?), and the related increased difficulty of getting reservations in the popular places. You can learn to work around both of those things.

Mother Nature is just as wonderful as ever, and maybe even a greater antidote to modern times.

Couldn’t agree more

[3OnOurWay]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Let's suppose you don't jump in.
Will you wake up one day and say,
"I'm 75 and I wasted my life on things that didn't bring me joy."?
Don't be that guy.
Let's consider the worst case scenario. You jump in and hate it.
So sell. It's not like you have a millstone around your neck forever!

Thanks trying to not be this guy as I approach 50. When is the right time for anything/ how much saving and work does one need in their lives.

Are we alive or living life.

[ant guy]

I love where we live in the Chiricahua NF in AZ but my wife kicked me in the retirement but and we got a 23' FB that we have, after a few mods to the Jeep Gladiator Sport, fallen in love with the boondocking world. Once a week to dump and maybe do laundry and that's all we need. I am 76 and totally recommend life on the road - at least a few weeks at a time. Have fun and dance!

[JeffKim]

Originally Posted by 3OnOurWay

Thanks trying to not be this guy as I approach 50. When is the right time for anything/ how much saving and work does one need in their lives.

Are we alive or living life.

Well, I'm approaching 70 and I hate to be the wet blanket but yes it's great to jump in and do things and live life. However, when making a $100K purchase (or so) realize it opens doors but closes others. For us, that cottage on the coast of Portugal is probably not going to happen. I went all in on a wine business that went belly up after 10 years and now I'll probably be working until I'm 75 (not that I'm bitter or anything).

[superChop]

Here’s another take on the OP’s question.

Pick an AS that will meet your needs. Twin beds are popular. Checkout these forums for our most entertaining discussions on Tow Vehicles. Here is the entertainment portion of these discussions - you may need an SUV or a diesel dually to tow your AS, but whatever you choose consider the following info:

1. As an AS’er you can join the AS club and meet thousands of great people from across this great nation during local club rallies of a few days, regional rallies of a few days or national caravans from a couple of weeks, to longer duration events.

2. When did you ever hear of “courtesy parking”? AS’ers often offer their property for other AS’ers to park on their land, driveway etc. It provides an inexpensive stop while enroute to your destination.

3. Forums like these may be new to you where you can discuss any and all issues that may arise during your AS ownership.

4. AS’ers are willing to assist you in reviewing a used AS trailer if needed. This can provide a lot of peace of mind and enable you to negotiate a good price on the used trailer.

Seems like if OP has the “itch” to get back into camping, selecting an AS is probably the right solution. Check out the AS marketplace to gauge used AS prices, and then some dealers are offering up to 25% off new prices. Beauty of used pricing is that with a little TLC and upgrades you can minimize the price drop when reselling. We have a friend who has used this buy/TLC/sell on used AS’s over 20 times.

Finally - let us know which AS you select and which Rally or Caravan you will attend first!

[Bearstream01]

Welcome Km! Glad you joined the forum. If the time is not right now, then ask yourself what conditions would you like to see change to make it right? People are not going to become more considerate. Maybe crowds will die down. ?who knows.

Idk what it was like 20 yrs ago but this was my first full year camping and based on what I heard and read beforehand, I was expecting it to be downright vicious! I had booked things prob around 9 months in advance. Places I wasnt even crazy about just so I had something secured. Turns out I didnt need to do that.

My 2 cents….I wouldnt let other people stop me. Dont mean to sound dark, but we are all on borrowed time. If you can swing it financially, do it now.

[DaveG]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Let's suppose you don't jump in.
Will you wake up one day and say,
"I'm 75 and I wasted my life on things that didn't bring me joy."?
Don't be that guy.
Let's consider the worst case scenario. You jump in and hate it.
So sell. It's not like you have a millstone around your neck forever!

Good with the idea but hey, 75 isn’t like the end of the line

[Hans627]

I wish I would have done it sooner!