This weekend we bought a 27 ft Airstream. I’m excited about finally having the RV, since it’s something we’ve talked about for years. My family camped a lot (I mean a LOT) when I was kid. I always enjoyed what we saw and did together, but I grew to hate the work involved in camping itself.
Now that we have the RV, I could use some recommendations on how to outfit it. What’s useful to bring along? What is a waste of space? Any thoughts on what kids might like?
I’ll take any and all suggestions from those with experience for a noob.
The kids are going to want to be electronically connected wherever they are and be able to stream movies, etc. So you need a cell phone service with very wide availability like Verizon.
We traveled for years in a 28 ft airstream which was actually 2 inches shorter than the 27 ft, har, silly airstream.
Take bedding, dinner ware for two meals, typical cooking implements and spices. The fridge is small so you can’t carry a lot of perishables. Paper plates are good for on the road snack/lunches. Bins that fit in the overhead compartments to keep stuff from rolling around are good.
It’s kind of a learning experience. Walmart will be your friend (yeah I know) but they are everywhere and you can park with the camper hooked up.
Check out air forums they are the best place for airstream packing and suggestions.
Oh and get a generator if you are going to be dry camping at all. We only had a Honda 1k but a lot of people get the 2k or 3k. The 1k only sips gas and is very quiet and it powered all of our electronics and it’s not crazy heavy.
Some of the best camping is dry camping. You can camp for free on the north side of the Grand Canyon right on the rim! in the Kaibab National Forest!
I’m sorry to hear that Bill. We lived in our airstream for 9 months a year for 4 years and now live in a motorhome for the past 2.5 years. We love it and have no plans to go back to a sticks and bricks. As an aside we sold our airplane to buy the airstream. We loved the airplane but it was a hole in the sky to throw money into.
They’re all RVs, whether a trailer (like the OP) or a motor home.
As for recommendations:
Get a water pressure regulator for those times you connect to shore water. They’re cheap, screw onto the end of your connection hose, and will prevent your pipe joints from coming apart under too-high water pressure. Cheap insurance.
We carry bottled water for drinking. On board fresh water tanks can be breeding grounds for bacteria or algae, and I don’t always trust campground water for anything other than washing dishes or bodies. That said, you can purchase inline water filters.
If you can manage it, don’t use your RV toilet for solid waste, and ONLY use RV toilet paper, which will disintegrate. Solid waste has a habit of building up, even though you dump your tanks regularly. We use campground toilets for poop. If you DO use the RV toilet for this purpose, make sure you clean it out as thoroughly as you can. Many RVs have a backflush feature, which can help.
When the RV is being left unused, leave the refrigerator door ajar to prevent mold growth.
Go over your rig every spring to check for damage or wear, especially any caulked joints (although I don’t think Airstreams have many problems with that).
Since you are towing, you should have both a “wheels up” and “wheels down” checklist for setting up and taking down your campsite. For a trailer, you’ll need to raise or lower the front support, chock or unchock your wheels, connect runaway chains, etc. Once you have the routine down, you likely won’t need the lists. Also, always do a walk around of the rig prior to leaving your campsite: check the tires, make sure your roof vents are closed, lights and reflectors are clean, etc.
People HATE driving behind an RV. As a result, they will do stupid things like pulling out in front of you without regard for the fact that it takes considerable distance to stop a heavier vehicle. Or they will attempt to pass in dangerous areas. Always assume that people will do the dumbest thing possible… Keep a keen eye out for other cars entering the roadway, and keep your distance from whomever is in front of you. I highly recommend getting “west coaster” (extension) mirrors if your towing vehicle doesn’t have them.
