Airstream - This may be a bad idea but they are so cool

[COcheesehead]

Fun blog about a couple of winemakers who shut down the winery and bought an Airstream to travel the country.
Tin Sheets to the Wind

 

[Walt34]

Not to burst any bubbles, but check specs carefully before buying. IMO, a 1/2-ton pickup won't safely pull many larger/heavier campers.

Absolutely on this. I spent about six months studying up on travel trailers (couldn't talk DW into it) and found that what I could tow with my GMC half-ton pickup was limited. For it, 75% of the maximum tow load (the max that should be used if for more than a very short time) is 6,500 lbs. That's a lightweight trailer.

I visited three dealers. Two of them tried to talk me into looking at trailers that, loaded, would have put our lives at risk if we used the current truck. They were disappointed that I'd done my homework.

 

[NW-Bound]

The Flying Cloud is surprisingly light though, as the OP pointed out. Its water tank capacities are a bit small, but that's the price to pay, I guess.

 

[imoldernu]

With 70 yrs. of camping experience... and even though I hate to offer advice...

Try a week renting a park model in a nice campground. Not for the sake of $$$'s, but to see if the experience is to your liking. Campers are a special breed, usually very social and welcoming, but it's not for everyone.

The historic dream of pulling up to a nice roadside lake or stream, and sitting by a campfire hasn't existed for 75+ years.

A week of socializing with experienced campers should give a good feel of whether it's right for you... or not.

 

[kcowan]

We had the boat. We had the self-contained travel trailer. We had the sports cars. We had the luxury cars. We had the estate on an acre lot. All good. All had their time.

Please enjoy them if you have never had the pleasure. We inherited the family cottage but it was not the time or place for us.

 

[Fermion]

With 70 yrs. of camping experience... and even though I hate to offer advice...


The historic dream of pulling up to a nice roadside lake or stream, and sitting by a campfire hasn't existed for 75+ years.

Dang, I guess we invented a time machine as we have done exactly this three of the past six weeks.

 

[HFWR]

All good questions. The towing capacity of my F-150 is rated at 9,750 pounds and the 20 foot Flying Cloud I am considering is:

Hitch Weight (w/ LP & Batteries) (lbs.) 631
Unit Base Weight (w/ LP & Batteries) (lbs.) 4,271

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs.) 5,000


So OK there. The point about sales tax is a good one which I did not consider.

Payload is a more pertinent number than towing capacity. Max payload is listed as 2340 lbs.

 

[Want2rv]

I would encourage you to go for it after you do your research. In addition to the airstream forum, please check out rv.net for information. We started out as tent campers then went to a popup camper with the air conditioner and then a travel trailer that weighed about 5600 lbs. We had a 1500 tow vehicle that worked well for the popup and seemed to work okay with the travel trailer once we had the proper weight distribution and sway control and brake control systems. Our camping was local and pretty much flat roads.
That worked for us until we took our 3 week Route 66 dream vacation. The tow vehicle was not a good match. We were stressed, or I should say my husband was stressed, pulling the camper. We had 3 people and gear in the tow vehicle that is weight that needs to be considered as well as camper's loaded weight when you travel. The trip worked out okay. But once we were back home we ended up buying a 2500 tow vehicle. The next trip was awesome with the different vehicle.
I also wanted to give you another possible option for you if you tire of traveling. We rent a seasonal site at a campground/resort about 20 minutes from our home. The campground is on a nice lake. When we were working, we would go out to the campground almost every weekend. Now we can go out to the campground whenever we want and travel when we want.
I would encourage you to go for your dream. We love our camper and the rv lifestyle.

 

[brett]

Like others, rent or buy used.

We had a neighbour who sold his business and bought one of those huge motorhomes-complete with slideouts etc.

He took it to Alaska (from Vancouver). Went in the ditch. Cost him $3K for tow and repair. Came home, parked it in his front yard. Neighbours loved that..not.

Sat for two years in the front driveway. He finallys sold it. Took a 35 percent hit. That plus the insurance for two years, gas, and the $3K repair.

VERY expensive trip to Alaska!


We did lots of camping and hiking in our day. Now, DW's idea of roughing it is a three star.

 

[38Chevy454]

Some other good sources for RVing information:

RV forum run by same folks as E-R is: iRV2 Forum | – RV Forum Community and RV News

Used RVs: RVTrader.com: RV Sales - Class A, B, C Motorhomes, Travel Trailers, & Pop Up Camper RVs For Sale

I have a motorhome and we do both dry camping and parks. Tend to stay in state parks, but also use some private. It just depends on what you want to do and where.

 

[NW-Bound]

Payload is a more pertinent number than towing capacity. Max payload is listed as 2340 lbs.

It's been many years since I had a Ford 1/2 ton pickup. Never put that much weight on it though, to see how it would hold up.

My 25' class C has a net carrying capacity of 2646 lbs. That's a lot, because it does not have any slide, and is lightweight compared to other class Cs.

When I first had it, did not know better so pumped its tires up to the max 80psi. Boy, was the ride rough!

Later, looked it up and they said 65 psi. And that's for carrying that max capacity.

 

[travelover]

I can't answer the question as to whether you'd like RVing, but in that size and price range, I'd look at an Oliver. It is all fiberglass, is a true 4 season camper and like all fiberglass campers, it has a low depreciation rate.

Oliver Travel Trailers | Fiberglass Travel Trailers

 

[ivinsfan]

I'll float another idea about the camping and outdoor experience..For 7K, I'd go to a site like O.A.R.S and look up some of their guided trips. That's real camping and adventure. you might that find one 7-10 day real camping trip a year in a different location might be what you are looking for. 3 weeks for a cross country trip and a return is not a lot of time.

Or look for a wonderful guided fishing trip, get the fishing and camping without a permanent commitment.

 

[Badger]

Many decades ago my father received orders to move to Alaska and thought it would be a good idea to travel across country in a trailer to get there. He bought a travel trailer and we took a short vacation to try it out. Mom hated it and wanted nothing to do with camping after that so it sat for awhile until it finally sold.
Fast forward fifty years later. My wife and I thought it would be a good idea to consider a pop-up/travel trailer/motorhome for retirement camping since we have been backpacking and tent camping for a few decades. I also have fond memories of traveling around the country a month at a time for a few years camping out of my old VW bus in the 70s. We could afford most anything but then started thinking about cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, laundry, having to drive a big vehicle with low gas milege, and thinking back to my mother's complaints compared to driving a nice luxury car, staying in nice hotels, eating in restaurants, and camping when we wanted either in tents or in cabins. We decided that for us vacations were not meant for extra hassles, extra expenses, and household chores.
I would suggest either driving a week or more in a rented trailer or at least stay where they rent a stationary trailer in a park somewhere before you spend the cash.

Cheers!

 

[hesperus]

7 days rental for $7000? We briefly looked at something like that - very briefly.
Think of the kind of room you could get for a $1000 a night....or make it 14 days @ $500 night. I think of Aspen, Vail, Crested Butte, etc... On the other hand if you want to camp, get a nice tent.
The prices these RV rental places ask are crazy.

 

[hesperus]

+1
You might pull it for a while till...........

Seriously check out the loaded capacity of the pickup it may surprise you. Then check out the Airstream with water, propane, groceries and all your stuff.

It's not so much the pull power as the braking capacity

 

[tps7742]

As stated above in different manners, I have seen people I know buy new rv/campers and realized it wasn't as much fun as they had originally dreamed it would be. I feel buying a slightly pre owned one is the way to go also and let someone else take the depreciation. The slide ours are a big deal, do add to the living experience also and
should be considered IMO. Good luck in your endeavors and uf it has been a dream to own an airstream go for it!!

 

[travelover]

It's not so much the pull power as the braking capacity

Actually, the trailer handles its own braking. What is critical is the ability to handle the tongue weight, ability to accelerate and climb grades and maintain speed without overheating. There is a minimal low speed braking with out trailer brakes requirement.

The Society of Automotive Engineers has developed criteria of all the important attributes. SAE J2807 Tow Tests - The Standard

 

[Sunset]

I read once that with an international drivers licence, the rental is 1/2 price compared to using an American drivers licence. I tried it out on a rental site, and it's true.

I think you can get an international drivers licence from AAA.

Maybe they do this because otherwise tourists won't rent ?

 

[NW-Bound]

Some people find out, in an expensive way, that RV'ing is not for them at all. For people who enjoy it, they get different things out of it.

Some people use their RV as a way to get out of town, particularly if they live in the city. They can be content to camp out near a lake, a river, an ocean shore. Many use their large trailer or fifth-wheel as a cabin on a leased lot and never tow it anywhere else.

As for me, when I want to get out of town, I will go "camp" out in my high-country home, where I am surrounded by evergreen trees and the nearby national forest. So, I use my RV for cross-country treks, what I used to do in my younger years with road trips. That was what we did in our 20s, until we got enough money and less free time and switched to the fly-and-drive mode. Then, we got into overseas travel. Now, I am back to seeing the US, but in a different way. I am a bit more mobile with my motorhome than some RV'ers. I do not think I ever stayed in the same campground for more than 4 nights.

I really like RV'ing for cross-country treks, compared to car road trips. Sure, it is more cumbersome compared to driving a car or even a minivan. However, we now take as long as 2 months off, and do not drive 400 or 500 miles a day. With an RV, we can take a lot of personal "stuff" with us. It's tough to live for two months out of a suitcase, and we would miss home a lot sooner.

With a car, one has more mobility, but then if you move too much there's the hassle of checking in/out of a hotel or motel. Then, you need to look for a place to eat twice a day, and for me it becomes a chore fast. My wife does not mind cooking at all, so when we eat out, it is a choice and not a necessity.

On our road treks, we take the back road to visit and stay in places that people doing car trips would not think of. Motels in these little rural towns can be a bit scary too.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have one more thing to add. For the last 2 years, I combined the RV treks with weekly timeshare stays. For a 2-month trip, we scheduled 2 stays of 1 week each in a nice timeshare condo. That allowed us room to stretch out, and for me to relax from driving.

We quickly found out that not all timeshare facilities have room to park a motorhome, even a smaller one like ours. So, that requires a bit more planning.

 

[MBAustin]

If you want to try it and are prepared to consider the loss on sale as the price of the experience, then do it.

The sewage issue is very easy - I can take care of it in about 15 minutes now (although it did take longer the first few times). Just remember a few key points:
- carry "sewer gloves" to wear while doing the job (I actually rarely get wet but it makes me feel better)
- attach sewer hose and make sure it is secure in the dump before opening tank valves
- dump black first, close valve, dump gray, close valve
- remove hose and rinse with water available at dump
(this is procedure for "dump stations" which is what we use almost exclusively).

We have found Corps of Engineers campgrounds to be superior to almost anything else for scenery and layout. Most now have water & electric hookups at each site. Otherwise we strongly prefer public parks to private RV parks. We use
Campgrounds and Camping Reservations - ReserveAmerica
as a main place to pick out parks. Some places even have site by site pictures.

I say go for it and enjoy, whether you become lifelong RVers or not. Keep us posted!

 

[Nemo2]

The sewage issue is very easy

I can recall the very first time my late wife & I undertook this simple operation.......you'd have thought we were dismantling an IED.

We have found Corps of Engineers campgrounds to be superior to almost anything else

Most definitely!

 

[NW-Bound]

Talk about the tank dumping...

In 2010, while looking on eBay, RVTrader, and craigslist for a used RV, I spent a lot of time researching this important subject. Before I even set foot on an RV, I already knew a lot about the danger of clogging the tank outlet with toilet paper, of the tank level sensors not being reliable, etc...

Then, when I bought my motorhome, I parked it up on the driveway, after I flushed and sanitized the fresh tank and the plumbing, I practiced dumping the tanks with that clean waste water into the sewer cleanout in my front yard. Still, when I dumped the real tank the 1st time, it was not without some trepidation.

I still do not take this task lightly, and make sure all connections are secure before pulling that lever. Better slow and safe than sorry.

 

[ElizabethT]

RV'ing is a lifestyle, meaning those of us that love it, love it because of what it affords, and in spite of what it doesn't.

IMHO it affords independence, coziness, the ability to get up close and personal with nature, the comfort of having your own stuff around you, the congeniality of most RV'ers, the ability to go out on the road for a whole lot of days at a pretty minimal cost, the sound of the ocean crashing, or the pine trees blowing, or the birds tweeting in your ears while you sleep, the smells of nature, like sea salt, pine trees, sage, manzanita - and taking your own home with you where ever you go.

There is a lot also it doesn't afford, or that would be considered a drawback - the hassle of set up and breakdown, the added stress towing a vehicle brings to driving and navigating parking lots, the lower gas mileage, the relative lack of privacy, the need to clean, wash and wax the RV on a regular basis, and, yes, the need to deal with gray and black water.

I think you know you are an RV'er when the things that fall under 'Cons' don't bother you one iota, but the things that fall under 'Pros' make you itch to go back out the moment you put the RV away after any given trip.

We've spent 400 days on the road in the six years we've been FIRE'd, and we have amazing vivid memories from our time out, as well as a good amount of stories (Keep in mind that Tragedy + Time eventually makes for a great story, and RV'ing pretty much guarantees you'll have plenty of stories over time!).

I grew up RV'ing, and I've always loved it, so there was no learning curve for me, though there most definitely was for my DH. So in the beginning we borrowed my dad's RV until DH gave indicators he'd caught the RV fever, at which point we purchased our own. Therefore, I concur with all the advice given here thus far about the wisdom of renting before owning, even if it is a bit costly to do so on a per-night basis. I think you'll quickly know whether or not this lifestyle is for you and your DW.