Why Did We Buy Another Airstream?

We get asked a lot of questions. To wit:

How do you get your mail on the road?
How do you do your laundry on the road?
What did you do with all of your stuff?
Do you have enough room in there for all of your stuff?
How can two people live in such a small space and still like/talk to each other?
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

While these are all good and reasonable questions for full-time RVers (well, maybe not that last one), the one question we get all the time and that only we can answer is:

Why did you buy an Airstream for your full-time RV travels?

Like a good onion, parfait, or ogre, the answer to that question is layered.

In late June and early July of 2022, we made a trip to Colorado to visit RV dealers in Fort Collins, Denver, and Colorado Springs. After that trip, we made an offer on a used 2019 Airstream Classic 33FB but, after an inspection and some introspection, we decided that we would let it go and keep looking (although David still talks about that amazing bathroom!). The inspection turned up a few issues, the 33′ trailer turned out to be a bit too large for most National Park campgrounds, and, to be honest, we hadn’t yet done enough research by that point to make that kind of commitment. With our deposit returned to us, we visited more dealers (this time in New Mexico) and did lots and lots (and lots!) of internet research.

When we visited dealers, we wanted to look at everything from every manufacturer. We saw fifth wheels, travel trailers, Class A motorhomes, Class C motorhomes, and Class B motorhomes (a.k.a. vans), even though we knew that we were not #VanLife people. We saw RVs from (in no particular order) Jayco, Grand Design, Keystone, Tiffin, Airstream, Forest River, Arctic Fox, Winnebago, Vanleigh, Northwood, and more names that we can’t remember. Of all of these (other than the aforementioned used Airstream and its palatial bathroom), we were most tempted by the Grand Design fifth wheels and travel trailers and a Freedom Traveler Class A motorhome with an outdoor kitchen (indoor too!), onboard generator, and three (count ’em: three!) TVs including one outside. 

When we felt that we had done enough research, or maybe it was just fatigue from decision paralysis, we sat down and did the typical pro/con list thing. In the end, we decided that the reasons in favor of an Airstream and against any other options far outweighed all of the reasons in favor of any of the other options. So, at long last, here are the reasons why we bought another Airstream (also in no particular order):

• • Airstreams have so many windows! We want to see and enjoy our surroundings even when we are inside, and we found that a lot of other brands just do not offer the panoramic views that we get to enjoy in our Airstreams.
  • Airstreams do not have slide-outs. Slide-outs expand the square footage of an RV but there are thousands of stories about slide-outs that won’t slide out, in, or evenly, thereby causing all kinds of headaches for the owners. Also, slide-outs need to be slid out when you stop for lunch at a Walmart or need to make a quick pit stop.
  • When a motorhome has a mechanical issue and needs to go in for repair, you become homeless.
  • The bedroom in a fifth wheel is usually in the part that overhangs the tow vehicle. While this can allow for a larger bed, closet, and even room for laundry machines, it also results in a fairly claustrophobia-inducing bedroom.  
  • We prefer the way that Airstream outfits the interiors of its travel trailers. This is totally subjective and very personal, but we like the more solid feel of the metallic walls and we wanted an RV not a house. Too often, RV manufacturers try to make the interiors of their units look and feel like a home, but since they have to, by necessity, use lightweight materials we just felt that this design aesthetic didn’t match our idea of a camper.
  • While all RVs depreciate, Airstreams hold their value much better than most, if not all, other RVs.
  • The office. Somewhere near the start of the COVID lockdowns, some bright person or persons at Airstream came up with the idea to add a new model of 30′ Flying Cloud by reimagining the bunk area into a very usable, very functional office. Knowing that we would need an office in order to make this new lifestyle work for us (pun intended), we made sure to look at the office offerings from every one of the manufacturers mentioned above. None of them came close to the office we have in our Airstream.   
  • And, as snooty as some people have told us this sounds, we think we are just Airstream people. There is something we find appealing in the classic look, feel, and yes the community that surrounds Airstreams. In fact, we often wonder if other Jayco owners flash their lights and wave at each other as they pass on the highway like all Airstreamers do.