When we decided we wanted to travel North America in an RV, we realized there were hundreds of options. We wanted our RV to be unique and we wanted to stay true to our financial philosophies.
#1 – Vintage Airstreams Appreciate
Most RVs out there lose value year after year after year. Just like most cars do. But I don’t believe in losing value – I want to GAIN value! Airstreams are one of the few RVs that don’t lose their value over time. That is partly because of the way they are built (All aluminum framing with an exterior aluminum shell and an interior aluminum shell – there’s almost nothing to rot). You’ll see Airstreams traveling down the roads that were built in the 50s. 60-70% of all Airstreams made are still in use today. They just keep going.
However, we still saw all the benefits of traveling with a motorhome (not a pull behind trailer) like a passenger being able to make a sandwich or go rest in bed while the driver continues down the road. Class A motor coaches are nicer than most people’s houses. Smaller motorhomes (class B or C) would be shorter in length – therefore allowing you to fit it in tighter spaces and go places that have length limitations.
It wasn’t an easy decision – but after traveling for 8 months we are still happy with our decision on an airstream!
Top 10 Reasons
- Airstreams don’t lose value. Especially vintage airstreams that will only go up in value.
- Airstreams are built to last. Your average camper trailer is cheaply made and will fall apart in a decade or two even with proper maintenance. Airstreams built in the 50’s are still on the road today.
- The all aluminum construction (outer shell, frame, inner shell, cabinet and furniture framing, etc) makes Airstreams extremely lightweight and easy to pull. With all that aluminum there isn’t much that can even rot if you do end up with a leak.
- Water will never pool on the rounded roof of an airstream.
- You don’t have to maintain a drivetrain on a trailer. Combining that with the durability of airstream construction and maintenance – it could last forever.
- Insurance is less expensive on a trailer vs a motorhome.
- Maintenance is less expensive on a trailer vs a motorhome
- Having a truck as a tow vehicle keeps the motorized portion of our travel rig easier to work on: 1) I’m more familiar with working on a regular truck vs a push diesel. 2) Parts for a truck are more readily available and more affordable than parts for a motorhome. 3) If it does have to go into the shop, we still have our living quarters separate.
- You can park the trailer and drive the truck around like a normal vehicle to access places some RVs can’t access. Plus you can always use a truck for something.
- It’s an Airstream 🙂
Cons to an Airstream
- Lower ground clearance
- Typically more expensive to begin with
- Less storage space
- We have a longer airstream, sometimes it can be difficult to find parking or even fit into some places at all. For out west where there’s plenty of space it works just fine. But we have thought about doing something different for when we travel the northeastern New England states mainly because of how much more populated and crowded it is (80% of the US Population lives on the eastern side of the U.S.) = harder to find parking for a 50 foot rig (truck + airstream).
The Hunt
We spent 6 months deciding what kind of RV / Model of airstream we wanted and another 6 months finding the right one. We found a 1977 Airstream Sovereign that was lived in by an oil field worker as he traveled the country working on different pipelines. He retired in August of 2017 which is why he eventually decided to put it up for sale a couple months later. Knowing it had been lived in and used – we knew it was being maintained, which is much better than most vintage airstreams for sale that have been sitting in a field for 10 years. No use is almost always worse than over use. By taking our time and shopping around, we found our airstream at about 1/3 the price of what most in the same condition were going for. Be patient in your search!
