Top 5 things you love about your Airstream, and top 5 things you hate

[StreaminNP]

I have been full-timing in a ‘22 Pottery Barn for the last 7 months and so far here’s my list!

Likes:

- The interior design. It definitely has a homey feel to it and when inside, it really doesn’t seem like I’m in a travel trailer at all! That was the most important thing for me when making the decision to full-time; a place that really feels like home.

- C-zone giving me the capability to control things when I’m away from home. I love being able to have directive over the lights, AC and furnace, fan and awning when I’m away! Super convenient and takes a lot of worry out of the equation.

- Of course, the iconic nature of the Airstream brand and what it represents in terms of dependability and reliability. This trailer is well-made and I haven’t had any structural or safety issues (yet).

- The coziness of the rear bedroom space. Just pull the curtains, turn off the lights, turn on the TV or grab a book, and snuggle in with your favorite human or pet! It’s my favorite thing to do on a snowy or rainy day for sure.

- The kitchen and bathroom sinks. Shout out to the ridiculous amount of space that lets the dishes pile up unnoticed or for washing my face without feeling like I have to do it over a salad bowl. The design and function of both, including the faucets, is top notch!

Dislikes:

- There is little to NO room when trying to walk around my queen bed. At this price point, the PB model should’ve undoubtedly come with the same standard the Classic is equipped with- a powered bed that will retract during the day to provide more space to move around back there. My shins and lower thighs have an embarrassing amount of bruises in various stages of healing just from trying to make my bed in the morning.

- The main door. I mean, let’s be honest- that thing is the worst. I haven’t been able to lock my deadbolt from the inside since shortly after I took it off the lot. One wrong move and the door gets all wonky on the hinges and the lock latch won’t line up. I have to put the entirety of my body weight into it when trying to lock from the outside (pressing against it to get the bolt in the latch space). And the fact that you have to slam the door to get it to close is disturbing to neighbors.

- The semi-antiquated sound/entertainment system. I hear Airstream will finally put hookups for Apple TV so it’ll slave to both of the TVs. Would be wonderful to have Smart TVs and the capability to have TV audio over the sound system.

- I am not a fan of the slippery, white flooring that Pottery Barn chose to put in the rig. It’s pretty bland and gets dirty way too easy. Would’ve loved some vinyl wood or even the textured flooring that comes in some models.

- I would have loved to have had the option of a propane stove. There are lots of limitations to the convection microwave and it’s effectiveness.

Cheers!
Laura

[dbj216]

Good, well thought out assessment of your new Airstream.

A good Airstream dealer tech can adjust that door so it closes correctly. You can research Airstream door adjustments on the internet and see how they do it. It is not too involved at all.

David

[Piggy Bank]

We have owned a 2015 Sport 22, a 2017 Flying Cloud 25 rear bed twin, and a 2019 Flying Cloud 27 front bed twin.

Likes
Overall how AS holds its value

Made without off-gassing formaldehyde fake wood

Decor-it's timeless-avoids what other brands all seem to have--, stupid over the top trendy decor, fireplaces, stick on backsplashes, ugly brown RV fabrics, decals on the exterior, etc.

No slides - can get into everything when you stop for lunch

Great ventilation for sleeping with the windows open

Dislikes since you asked
The steps-I feel like I'm gonna lose a finger. Sport 22 in 2015 had a lighter weight single step that was much easier that the double step on the Flying Cloud.

Flooring-The Sport in 2015 had a charcoal colored textured floor (a "more basic" floor covering than the Flying Clouds have.) It was easier to keep looking clean since it was basically the color of gravel.

Door locks-Would be nice to get rid of the keys and have better locks

Bed Avalanche-why oh why is the platform so narrow on the twin beds? It feels like you are going to roll into the center of the Airstream. Make it wider!

Bathroom mirror /medicine cabinet/towels I am not a huge fan of the angled lift up medicine cabinet in the 27. I much preferred the dual sided flip mirror in the 22 and 25 rear bed. Also with that 27 mirror and cabinet, the towel bar has to be a bit lower so the mirror can clear it. This puts the towels closer to the floor, and the toilet seat when its up hits the towels which is just icky.

[Verdecamp]

Likes:
1. Iconic design
2. Being able to stay at AS only campgrounds
3. Nice towing trailer
4. Windows (view)
5. Ducted AC even on a 25ft TT

Dislikes
1. Price
2. Bathroom
3. No factory place to put a bike rack
4. Windows (stick)
5. That’s it! I really like our Airstream

[guskmg]

I like all of my Airstream. I especially like the Factory Service Center in JC. They are quite accommodating and thorough and easy to work with. It is cheaper to go there and more convent in the long run than to a dealer. They have all parts on hand and no waiting.
No real dislikes. If I could buy an identical unit new, I would.
guskmg

[StreaminNP]

Originally Posted by dbj216

Good, well thought out assessment of your new Airstream.



A good Airstream dealer tech can adjust that door so it closes correctly. You can research Airstream door adjustments on the internet and see how they do it. It is not too involved at all.



David

Thanks for the tip, will give it a shot. I’m not very handy when it comes to things like that but always willing to try!

[tommym1]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

In a format similar to that found on YouTube reviews, please let us know your top 5 in each category. Here are mine:

Things I love (no particular order):

• The iconic Airstream shape and design
• Ease of towing compared to other travel trailers
• Interior layout and design
• The Airstream owners’ clubs and community
• The unique history of the brand and the company

Things I hate (no particular order):

• The size and shape of the overhead lockers and outside storage makes storage and organizing a challenge
• The size of the shower; it’s too small
• Factory power/battery/solar options offered from Airstream
• No factory TPMS sensors on a ~$100K trailer
• The overall electronics package (televisions, stereo system, USB ports, connectivity, etc.)

I’ve found ways to deal with the things that I hate, but many of the solutions weren’t inexpensive. We love our 23FB, but it took a little while to modify it to suit our needs.

What’s on your list?

Thanks, Dennis. We're waiting to receive our 2023 International 23 FBQ and selling our 27 flying cloud FBQ. We agree with what you said except that they do have killer sound systems. At 6'2 and a half inches tall, you were right, the shower is to short. Best of luck, Tom

[Dennis C]

I’m just shy of 6’4”, so I’d probably feel the same way about most RV showers. The shower in our 23FB is essentially a sitting shower, which works just fine.

Overall we have found good solutions to the things that I dislike about the Airstream. I’ve found storage bins that work pretty well in the overhead lockers. I’ve added solar and TPMS sensors. I’ve added a USB-A/USB-C port to the side of the bed. I upgraded the dinette table top to a custom wood piece. I added Window Poppers to deal with the annoying sticking window problem. I replaced the television with a Smart TV and added a sound bar. I added a WiFi Ranger router and Category 12 LTE modem. The list goes on and on. We’ve got the trailer in a pretty good place now…

[hampstead38]

Like:

1. The aesthetics.
2. The durability.
3. The post-renovation open floor plan.
4. No black water tank.
5. The “it” factor of camping in a travel trailer 55 years old.

Dislike:

1. The leaks.
2. The leaks.
3. Parts availability/expense.
4. The door.
5. The window gaskets.

[diabu]

I love our 30' International, but why are there SO many unnecessary lighting options? I wish they had spent that money improving all of the other things we end up repairing each time we use it.

2 current complaints: we have to replace the entire fan in the shower instead of just the screen which has rotted after 4 years and the shoddy factory installed solar system controller. Also, although we always hang a dehumidifier bag when we finish a trip, I regularly have to reglue the plastic edge trim back on.

[AKNate]

Love:
• The look - a beautiful camper. Not painful to behold like 99% of other campers out there.
• Windows - tons of light and also ventilation when you open them. The full-pane opening is awesome.
• Quality - the only camper you can buy that will likely still be around and still valuable in 50 years.
• Form - tows wonderfully, fits in any site, no slides to worry about.
• Community - anywhere you go you make new airstream friends.

Hate:
• The hood. So, so loud and all or nothing.
• Windows - when your wife opens the window while you’re setting up and you slice a few inches of your scalp open. Why can’t they make the bottoms of the latch receiver more blunt shaped/thicker. Or just plasti-dip them. Also the window seals - isn’t there a material they can use that won’t stick?
• Quality. The wiring workmanship is horrendous. The vent holes look like they’re cut with a hatchet. Cutouts for the tank drain pulls were misaligned and binding. Just too many QC things that shouldn’t be. The door nuts.
• Insulation. They should use spray foam and pvc conduit.
• Random inferior components. Most stuff is high quality but then they mix in a few pieces of junk. Cheap plastic lights under the cabinets (we replaced ours with some nice aluminum touch bars). Plywood floors (they’ve since fixed that, but then you’re stuck with a tankless water heater and electric fridge). Plastic outlet covers. Cheap faucet in the bathroom that didn’t even properly reach over the edge of the sink. Terrible stereo. 720p TVs that were outdated even in 2018. An oven you have to manually light like it’s 1900. Any one component may not be the biggest deal, but there’s enough bad choices they made that it grates on you. Over time we’ve fixed the worst offenders but I just hate replacing/fixing things due to bad design choices. Do things right to begin with and save everybody’s time, money, and frustration. Cheaper things don’t save money when you pay for the cheaper thing then pay again for the replacement that does the job properly.

[Jeff7176]

I love most things about my trailer. It’s pretty, easy to clean, easy to tow and all that.

There is one thing that I absolutely can’t stand. It seems to me that Airstream made a conscious decision to make simple repairs unnecessarily complicated.

Three recent examples:

1. The rivet that holds the gray dump valve handle to the rod that operates the dump valve broke. The handle pulled right completely off. No problem…should be a 5 minute repair. But because the handle is encased in the belly I had to spend an hour cutting an access panel to be able to reach in and make the simple fix. It took me a long time since the best tool I had available was a drill, which I used to make a few hundred little holes that allowed my Dremel to cut through. The belly skin is a little too thick for the Dremel to cut through reasonably well without the holes. Had Airstream simply cut a few access panels and secured some covers with rivets, it would have been much simpler and quicker.

2. The deadbolt came misaligned and wasn’t able to fit through the hole in the door. I had to drill out each rivet on the lower inner door panel to access it. I found a pretty cheap stamped and folded metal carrier that held the deadbolt. One of the little folded fingers had separated wich allowed the deadbolt to point too low to operate. It would have been a simple 5 minute fix if there was some kind of access panel to quickly remove.

3. The bathroom sink was starting to drain slowly. I knew it was due to soap and hair buildup. I pulled out the p-trap and cleaned that out, but the sink drain was still in need of cleaning. I presumed the sink stopper simply unscrewed to allow for a proper cleaning (similar to those I have seen in my homes), but the stopper in the sink was secured by a set screw that I had no way of accessing. So i had to pull out the sink and drill out the stopper from the bottom to get everything cleaned well. I purchased a Tub Shroom in place of the stopper to alleviate that issue in the future.

I realize I use my trailer much more than most (full-timer) but it would be nice if Airstream could consider making some slight tweaks to make simple repairs like these much more simple.

In the end I do still love her very much and wouldn’t trade her for anything else.

[skyguyscott]

Love:

• the overall durability and cleanliness
• aerodynamic & light weight
• this is really for Dometic, but the fact that my 1969 vintage fridge is STILL working well is astonishing
• Clever design and layout
• how customizable the trailers are.

Hate:

• the INSANE suicidce door (still in use on some current models)
• the plywood subfloor that rots every 10 years or so (since fixed, Praise Be!)
• the poor insulation and impracticality of making any AL trailer a 4-season one
• the way AS tapes wiring to the skin, making repairs/replacements or upgrades practically impossible short of a complete tear down.
• The faraday cage effect inside the trailer.

[One Smith]

LikeClassic and iconic shape and design.
Ease of towing.
Use of real wood inside.
12 V fridge.
Instant water heater.


Dislike
Poor quality control when it comes to alignment on the interior finishes. For example, light switches that are crooked, outlets that are crooked, bathroom light switch crooked.
Upright backs on dinette.
All the white curtains which get dirty after handling.
Why so many pillows?
Why are closets filled with rods for hanging clothes when mostly all we have are clothes that fold. We have had to add shelves in all three airstreams we’ve had.


With all that being said, we still keep buying airstreams! We love them.

[One Smith]

Originally Posted by One Smith

LikeClassic and iconic shape and design.
Years of towing.
Use of real wood inside.
12 V fridge.
Instant water heater.


Dislike
Poor quality control when it comes to alignment on the interior finishes. For example, light switches that are crooked, outlets that are crooked, bathroom light switch crooked.
Upright backs on dinette.
All the white curtains which get dirty after handling.
Why so many pillows?
Why are closets filled with rods for hanging clothes when mostly all we have are clothes that fold. We have had to add shelves in all three airstreams we’ve had.


With all that being said, we still keep mine airstreams! We love them.

Should have said EASE OF TOWING.

[Mikebrady62]

Originally Posted by One Smith

Dislike

Why so many pillows?
Why are closets filled with rods for hanging clothes when mostly all we have are clothes that fold. We have had to add shelves in all three airstreams we’ve had.


With all that being said, we still keep buying airstreams! We love them.

We have used a lot of the extra pillows for cushion around some stuff (plates, glasses, bottles, Berkey, etc) and others just get left at home.
We actually like the wardrobe hanging space. We hang and jackets and sweatshirts we bring along with any collard shirts and long pants we bring. The rest is packed with other items and pillows around them.
To each his own😀

[bobzdar]

Things I Like:

Shape
Towing ability/stability
Weight for the size
interior amenities
ducted a/c

Things I don't like:
price
tongue weight
tv's
screen door latch
fairly useless low pressure propane port

[Dennis C]

I find the low pressure propane port to be incredibly useful! Ours is always connected to either our Weber Q1200 gas grille or to our Outland Fire Bowl portable fire pit. It works great for both of these applications!

[Bcc75]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

I find the low pressure propane port to be incredibly useful! Ours is always connected to either our Weber Q1200 gas grille or to our Outland Fire Bowl portable fire pit. It works great for both of these applications!

Yeah I agree with Dennis. We have the Airstream Weber Q and it’s very convenient. The key is that you have to have appliances that are converted to work the LP port. Meaning the regulator has been removed.

[bobzdar]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

I find the low pressure propane port to be incredibly useful! Ours is always connected to either our Weber Q1200 gas grille or to our Outland Fire Bowl portable fire pit. It works great for both of these applications!

Originally Posted by Bcc75

Yeah I agree with Dennis. We have the Airstream Weber Q and it’s very convenient. The key is that you have to have appliances that are converted to work the LP port. Meaning the regulator has been removed.

Yeah - that's my problem with it! I have a bunch of propane appliances and none of them work with it (yet). I've ordered some adapters to attempt to use the LP port but it's a pita and I don't feel like spending a bunch more on new appliances when I already have them. And a bunch of LP devices use higher internal pressure (eg all of the myriad camp stoves that operate at 10psi internally) that the low pressure port won't provide (.5psi), so there's no adapting them to it. It seems like it was expressly put there to get you to buy the Airstream branded Weber Q...