Opinions on Airstream Trailer as a "home"....1980 to 1996

Fordy, I'm no authority on "best camper made", truck campers, motorhomes, toy haulers or on anything newer than mid 1990s. I never buy new and don't look for "top of the line" because both cost too much.

Our present fiver was made by Newmar (a 1994 Kountry Star). We bought it through eBay, got a heck of a deal, drove 1000 miles to pick it up, love it.

One thing that impresses me is that this rig has a full-length 12" steel I-Beam frame and excellent suspension. It is so stable that things inside hardly move in transit (as compared to other trailers we've owned) unless we do some real contortions getting somewhere. It just floats along back there.

Early slide-outs were often a PIA with poor mechanicals and a tendency to leak. Most of those problems have been adequately addressed by reputable manufacturers. This is our second trailer with slides and we have never had a problem with mechanicals or leaks (but know some who have, particularly mechanicals).

Slide-outs greatly increase livability. It’s hard to convey how much difference they make – a world of difference. Ours is a full 16’ x 4’ (more outward than the previous one and evidently more than many).

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...........My tendency is to buy "new" for the warranty , but your method is by far the best way to conserve capitol which , Ultimately is more important than New . I don't have to have a new anything anymore so I'm just letting my imagination run wild . When it actually , comes down to conserving cash , I'll be much more conserative and try to find the best deal possible . thanks for your help . fordy...

I know a guy who spent months in a dinky old camper. It had AC, so i guess thats what got him through. Although the interior smelled strongly of walleye.....?

Fordy,

I'm confused about your intended application. Are you planning on parking the rv on your property and living in it while you fix up the property/house, or are you going to travel around frequently, i.e. full-time rving? I would choose different options depending on your intended application.

Others have covered a great deal of ground already. I'll just add my .02 from living in a 35' travel trailer for 2 years. I like the Airstreams but find that the rounded roof/wall corner really makes it feel like the walls are closing in on you after living in it for a few months. I know that sounds like a minor deal, but for me the rounded corners made for a much smaller feeling trailer.

The thing that turns me off the most on older trailers is the dark interiors. They used a lot of dark color cabinets, curtains, tables, floors etc back in the day. It's not a big deal if you are just using it as a weekend camper, but the darkness really starts to get on your nerves after a short time if you are living in it. Our current rv has a bright, light colored interior with creative use of mirrored surfaces, and it makes a huge difference in how big the interior feels.

The key to living in one spot in a trailer is creative use of the area just outside of the trailer. You will want a patio, and a covered area maybe just outside the front door. You really need an outside place that is semi-protected from the weather to help increase the feeling of space in the trailer. I've seen a guy who would set up his travel trailer in a semi-permanent spot using two 40' shipping containers on either side, and then put trusses between the containers and a metal roof on the trusses. This kept the trailer out of the weather, provided a larger covered "outside" area for a patio, and allowed considerable storage in both the shipping containers.

As others have mentioned you will want to check the propane tanks for "OPD" valves. If the tanks don't have the opd valves most places won't fill them for you.

Wayne

Back in the 1990's my dog and I lived in a 24' Avion, like an Airstream, for about 9 months. It got pretty claustrophobic after awhile but we survived....

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.............Wayne , I'm just thinking outloud for right now . What I actually , end Up doing in terms of campers vs trailers is up in the air . What would be nice would be , to beable to find a couple of acres with an old barn that I could use for storage and to keep either a trailer and\or a camper in during the four coldest months of the winter , then I'd just take off , see the country , work along the way and enjoy life .
.............I'm just gonna do what I can afford to do and build my lifestyle around my budget , just like everybody has to do . fordy...

...........Avions are Very well built trailers . They're just airstreams with square corners . There is a very active website where folks list their Av's for sale and it seems to have quite a bit of activity . The biggest problem seems to be that replacement parts are very hard to come by . My biggest concern with both Av's and As is that they just aren't very well insulated and cost a ton of money to heat and cool given today's fuel costs . fordy...

I saw this article years ago - might work for you !

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green...velope_Trailer