There are lots of options for travel trailers, our favorite is the Airstream.
One of Mike's hobbies is looking for the best deals online and he finds some great ones. We use whatever he finds (boats, trailers, motorhomes, etc.) for a few months before it's on to the next great deal. We get a good taste of that item and a pretty good idea of what is available and what will work best for families like ours.
Just because you are traveling doesn't mean you can't be comfortable, enjoy space for everyone and everything in the Airstream Classic!
The specs
This model is a 2003 Airstream Classic with the short queen-sized bed in the back. The dinette set converts to a bed and the couch folds out into a bed as well. Mike and Anne slept in the queen in the back, the two littles slept on the couch and our oldest slept in the dinette. He won't be able to sleep there for much longer, why do kids have to grow so much?
This airstream weighs about 7500 lbs dry weight (before you add all your stuff) and is 30 ft long. We used our F-150 to tow the trailer, and didn't have any problems. There are lighter options in other brands, and shorter options in the Airstream brand, make sure you understand towing capacity for your vehicle before taking off. We also don't fill the tanks before we leave to help reduce towing weight, and improve gas economy.
How to pack
We like to pack light for everyone and every activity. This helps reduce waste and weight. In this post there are more details about our basic packing tips to make the trip go more smoothly and to help the environment.
The airstream has some great options for storage. There are cupboards everywhere! Just remember the top cupboards are curved with the top of the trailer, so taller items need to be in the bottom. Like they say on the airlines, things may shift during travel, so make sure all items are secured, and balanced in weight (don't load all your stuff on one side of the trailer). We also packed some glow sticks to light up the inside for our littles at night, that way we didn't have to stay plugged in to the site and it wasn't super bright for our oldest sleeping in the same area.
There isn't really outside storage in the airstream, so we packed outdoor gear (chairs, roasting sticks) in the bed of the truck.
Don't pack firewood, you should use wood from the area you are staying in to avoid introducing new organisms in the ecosystem. And only use the wood you will need for the evening, don't build big bonfires, try to keep the smoke down, and of course don't burn plastic!
Sustainability Tips
If you are plugged in to the site, there are lots of electrical outlets in this model, but we keep everything unplugged unless in use. We charge our phones in the car while we are driving during the day, and we only use lights at night when we are getting in bed. We spend the majority of our evenings outside by the campfire, that's the fun of camping, right?!
If it's raining, and you do need to be inside with lights, make sure you have switched the lights to LED. These use way less power than the original lights installed, and are much brighter so fewer lights need to be on, but there are plenty of lights installed throughout the trailer. There are also several vents in the trailer, these can be opened to provide light and air flow.
If you are considering an Airstream, the classic floor plan is perfect for families and the exterior design helps improve towability and miles-per-gallon. It's a win all around in our book!
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