Jayco vs Airstream: Help Me Gain Perspective for our Year-Long Trip

[bdreinv]

Thanks Buddy could not have said it any better.But I don't even own a watch!

[Janet H]

If your intent is to keep the camper for a long time I might still consider the Airstream. If the intent is to use it hard for a year and then sell it go for the Jayco. Most folks consider an Airstream a lifetime purchase and the commensurate cost bears this out.

The space needs you have may be challenging w/o a slide. The kids need space. Consider how a week of rain will impact your daily routine... there is hardly a camper big enough imo

I own a vintage Airstream and love it. It's light, tows well, feels good inside, etc but those rounded lines, cut living and storage space. I can fix almost everything that breaks myself. There are no electronic circuit boards

While older Airstreams have simple easily repairable systems the newer ones are as complex and any other new camper. Things to be concerned about:

• Holding tanks size for 5 people.
• Tow Vehicle - do you already have one? You'll need to choose a camper that it will handle.
• Cost of ownership - including ease of resale and cost recovery (if that's what you are going to do)
• Camping style. What sorts of places will you be staying? Do you need solid off grid capability?
• Stuff storage.

There are a number of blogs out there - families who have fulltimed in Airstreams (and other rigs) you might do some reading about their experiences.

One final thought - if you are still leaning towards Airstream - look up a nearby Airstream rally and see if you can get some walk throughs - most folks will gladly offer advice and experience input.

[RPreeb]

Originally Posted by BuddyRay

I grew up in the 1970's next door to a lovely couple who never had children. They had an Airstream and my parents had a "Honey" class C. My neighbors were REALLY into the Wally Bynam club, owned a lot in the Airstream resort in N. Georgia and loved that Airstream. They also drove a huge Cadillac.

My parents loved that Honey, were really into the Good Sam Club and camped at every state park in Georgia.

The only thing I remember about the Airstream was that when our families would camp together, I had to take my shoes off before I could enter the Airstream.

The way I look at the difference between Airstreams and other RV's is as follows:
I had a business partner for years. He always wore a Rolex, I wore a Timex - they both showed the same time. My partner drove a Porsche for a while, then a Landrover. I drove a Ford Explorer. We got to work in the same amount of time (and I was always giving him rides when his Landrover was in the shop :-)).

For some people the image of owning "Stuff" (to quote George Carlin) is as or more important than functionality. Me, even though I could afford an Airstream, I'd rather take that money and buy more gasoline and campground fees.

P.S. - No offence to any Rolex wearing LandRover owners :-).

My wife has a good friend who is similar to your partner. She and her husband drove Porches and Mercedes. They had to have a custom home on a golf course. The rest of their lifestyle was along similar veins. My wife and I drove Toyotas and Hondas. We bought a 20 year old house in a 70's style neighborhood when we got married in 1993. We never carried any credit card debt. We both saved the max allowed in our 401K plans, and further invested any other windfalls. I retired 10 years ago at 60, and my wife retired 5 years ago at 54. We then lived for 2 years in the Bahamas before moving here to my wife's home town, and now we live comfortably with no money concerns.

My wife's friend is still working - as is her husband. They actually had a higher combined income than my wife and I did, but they spent more too. When we first started building our beach house on the island, her friend was shocked that she could even consider retiring so young. How would our money last for a long retirement? She was clueless that by not buying the most expensive of everything, we had enough saved and invested for a worry free retirement. Not that we can spend at will, but by living now with the same philosophy as we did our entire lives, we can be comfortable without having to deprive ourselves.

Last September we paid cash for our TT and TV. We owe nothing to anyone, anywhere, and we are happy and stress free. If that means that I buy a $500 generator to do what someone else's $1000 generator does, that's just how we do it. I am by profession a journeyman machinist, and I know a little bit about tools. I'm certainly not going to made to feel like I had to settle for less, because I didn't. I did my research and I bought a quality product at a fair price.

Sorry for the long-winded post.

[bankr63]

JuryDuty,


I'm posting a link to a YouTube video from "Keep Your Daydream", a family of 5 living your dream right now. This particular video is a walkthrough of their trailer with some of good points about space and fulltime living with 3 kids on the road. They are in a good sized 30ish foot Northpoint so should provide some food for thought. I can't imagine them doing this in any size of Airstream.


Actually the whole series is pretty entertaining; they had no experience when they left on their adventure, so there has been a fair bit of learning en route (tires are a big issue as is the norm these days, and the awning gets ripped off on a particularly tight maneuver).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6q_u4wZntk

My grandfather had an Airstream for a bit about 50 years ago. He hated it because he "couldn't put a nail in the wall" As an ex-firefighter he was a do it yourselfer and much preferred the other stick and tin trailers he owned. Now if he had held onto it I would have loved to have inherited an Airstream with a low low serial number.

[bono]

No doubt that Porsche drives better than Ford Explorer (at least I do not have such doubts). Not sure about Rolex vs. Timex, as I do not wear any watch.

Airstream will tow better than any SOB – not due to higher price tag, but due to lower center of gravity, independent suspension, better aerodynamic profile, etc.

I could afford AS, but I do not like the design. This is the reason why I did not consider this trailer for a more than 5 seconds. Having two kids steers me even further from AS, due to lack of slide out.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by bankr63

JuryDuty,


I'm posting a link to a YouTube video from "Keep Your Daydream", a family of 5 living your dream right now. This particular video is a walkthrough of their trailer with some of good points about space and fulltime living with 3 kids on the road. They are in a good sized 30ish foot Northpoint so should provide some food for thought. I can't imagine them doing this in any size of Airstream.


Actually the whole series is pretty entertaining; they had no experience when they left on their adventure, so there has been a fair bit of learning en route (tires are a big issue as is the norm these days, and the awning gets ripped off on a particularly tight maneuver).

My grandfather had an Airstream for a bit about 50 years ago. He hated it because he "couldn't put a nail in the wall" As an ex-firefighter he was a do it yourselfer and much preferred the other stick and tin trailers he owned. Now if he had held onto it I would have loved to have inherited an Airstream with a low low serial number.

Watching their videos is actually a great idea for OP! Or anyone else considering a year-long cross-country RV adventure. I actually like watching simply for the entertainment value. We'll probably never have the opportunity to do something like this, so it's also a bit of "living vicariously".

[Lolead]

I would also consider the size of my resale market. Although the Air Stream is a fine unit, how many folks could afford it. Many now are looking for a unit with a slide so those potential buyers are not in the pool. In my limited experience, in this area, I have found there are many more potential buyers for a 160-180k home than there are for homes priced 500-750k. May be apples to oranges but I would have to consider this factor,

[Khans Keeper]

Originally Posted by bansai;

Edit.. if I had 5, I just saw Winnebago has the 'mini plus' which I would give a serious look. Not sure what your tow vehicle is, but I like these a lot too.
[url

https://winnebagoind.com/products/travel-trailer/2017/minnie-plus/overview[/url]

the storage space in those minnie plus trailers. I mean WOW !

[JuryDuty]

Originally Posted by bankr63

JuryDuty,


I'm posting a link to a YouTube video from "Keep Your Daydream", a family of 5 living your dream right now. This particular video is a walkthrough of their trailer with some of good points about space and fulltime living with 3 kids on the road. They are in a good sized 30ish foot Northpoint so should provide some food for thought. I can't imagine them doing this in any size of Airstream.


Actually the whole series is pretty entertaining; they had no experience when they left on their adventure, so there has been a fair bit of learning en route (tires are a big issue as is the norm these days, and the awning gets ripped off on a particularly tight maneuver).

My grandfather had an Airstream for a bit about 50 years ago. He hated it because he "couldn't put a nail in the wall" As an ex-firefighter he was a do it yourselfer and much preferred the other stick and tin trailers he owned. Now if he had held onto it I would have loved to have inherited an Airstream with a low low serial number.

Thx--I'm going to have the whole family watch this tonight!

[oh355mbqs]

I live about 15 minutes from the Airstream factory here in Ohio. I know several people that work there, one of them in the repair / modify shop. My brother owns an Airstream, I'm not sure what it is, it's about 30' long and 6000 lbs. It is very well balanced and it tows very well, my camper is about the same size and with an almost identical truck, my brother gets better gas mileage towing than I do. All that being said, I wouldn't want an Airstream. I'm buying a 355MBQS 5th wheel that is probably twice the size of any Airstream and it is 1/2 the price. The other thing I noticed about the Airstream when my I was helping my brother fix it, besides the aluminum on the outside, it's not really built any different than any other RV. The appliances like the stove, furnace, refrigerator, air conditioner etc are all the same brand as those in my current Laredo. The cabinets were mostly particle board and to be honest, after seeing it tore apart, I wasn't that impressed for the money.

[Magnolia Tom]

Our first TT was an airstream trade wind 25'. 1974 model. Everything worked. Towed great. Absolutely fell in love with it and made lots of memories. Our 3 kids were young and small. They grew! Trailer became too small quickly. We looked around for a bigger AS but decided a modern bunkhouse TT was better for us. We sold the airstream for more than we paid for it and got a new TT that was 27' with 2 slides but it felt huge compared to the AS. That led to needing a bigger TV, then a bigger TT, etc etc. now I have a 42' fifth wheel and a dually.

BTW, airstream did have a few years when they offered a slide in the dining area. One downside to airstream is that they don't really offer a family friendly floor plan
Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[motorbreath]

Northwood Mfg makes travel trailers that are more affordable than Airstreams and higher quality than Jayco, you should check them out.

Originally Posted by JuryDuty

My family (2 adults, 3 kids) have long wanted to have a year-long adventure of traveling the US. We’re finally at the place where we can do so and have been looking for an RV. Early on, we settled on the Airstream due to its quality construction, ability to hold its value and even the community aspects. We like the Flying Cloud because of the bunks. But it is expensive.

This last weekend we hit an RV convention and were surprised to walk inside a well-reviewed Jayco Jayflight that had two bunk beds inside, a larger floor plan with slide-outs, extra amenities such as an outside cooking area...and it was one-third of the price. I wouldn't say it’s made quite as well, and based on what I've seen online, it won’t hold its value, it's heavier and it’s not quite as pretty on the outside by comparison, but for a one-year trip, it could be more comfortable for a family of five.

So I’m looking for a bit of perspective, Jayco-ers. Are we finally seeing the light? Is it more realistic to consider a Jayco for our situation? Or, since we're planning on traveling a lot during the year--less staying in one place for a while--is the Airstream still a better solution?

[mohok1]

I have been RV'ing for 25 years and don't recall seeing any Airstreams pull in next door with 3 kids piling out. IMHO, going Jayco is the way to go. At the end of the day when all is said and done, the slide outs and bunks will make the difference.

[Murff]

for what it's worth, Jayco in now owned by Thor. Thor makes Airstreams.

Oh, well!

Murff

[Bookemdanno]

All I can do is echo what most have said here. I'd take another unit over an airstream. When I sold my '14 287BHBE after 2 years of ownership I accepted an over $2,200 under what I originally paid for it. I know that my family got our monies worth during those 2 years!

[secal48]

And with the money you would save with jayco vs airstream just think of all the side trips and museums you could afford to go into.

[Edd505]

Ok so I have read all the posts and I have traveled with a grandson we have raised for years. Air Streams are single area, no slides, and as said the slides make a huge difference. I had a small 5W prior to my current bunk house. Bed time kids crawl in, alls good, but I want to watch TV, play cards, and what ever. Kids are not going to go to sleep. Time for something different. Shopping we go and find my current 30.5BHLT. IT has a separate bunk room, and a loft! Grandson can now go to bed an DW and I can do what ever, even entertain. Separate TV in bunkhouse so they can watch TV game or what ever they want. Loft had wireless printer etc so grandson was able to do his home schooling. JMHO the kids need a separate space no matter what brand. If you go with slides you want access to bathroom & frig with the slides closed. With those things stops traveling, kids (& DW) can potty break, get drinks, make a sandwich etc. Good luck with your search and future travels.

[paulandkaci]

We also looked at Airstream, but only briefly. We could have paid the price but in the end went with the Jayco. It is just me and my wife and we wanted to go small, but even the small Airstreams are significantly more. Having raised 3 boys and if I were to make the decision when they were younger would have still bought the Jayco, one for the slides and space and two because boys seem to be rough on everything. All that being said the Airstream is a very nice product, and if you really want that brand I am sure you will be happy with your purchase.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[A2Z_Adventures]

Watching this thread is fantastic!

Love the Airstreams, but you know the Lance and Winnies have some sweet upper/mid end stuff in them. From a pure budget perspective as many have pointed out, you sure can do quite a bit more with $30k travelling and sight seeing for a year than stashing it in an TT. Space for the $$ on a rainy day is a huge value!

[bansai]

If I was in the market right now, I'd probably be ordering this one. Different color.

https://youtu.be/Vbz-YDdTfaA