Slowmover wrote:
gmw photos wrote:
Regarding the post about "regular" travel trailer being ready to scrap out after six years, that's not been my observation or experience. There are literally tens of thousands of RV's that are twenty years old or older still being used. And as to an Airstream being superior in that regard, that's wishful thinking. They deteriorate like any other RV. Their steel frames rust away, suspension sacks out, the wood floor rots away, components ( furnaces, fridge, etc ) are the same as what the rest of the industry uses, so they fail at the same rate as in other trailers. Honestly, at the end of 25 plus years, that brand is simply a shiney shell, with all the underpinnings needing restoration. Some of those folks go back in and spend from $20K to $40K to restore them.
Let's face it, all of these RV's require constant attention and some level of work to keep them usable. Just like a sticks and bricks house....you have to take care of your "building".
You've no experience with the type, have you? Zip, zero, nada. Nor I'd imagine have you ever looked into it even though the Internet makes that easy as can be. Design, construction and maintenance. They all matter.
I'm third generation on this trailer type. Mines a quarter century old and has none of these problems you cite. Appliance cost is meaningless compared to structural rot. Given even minor maintenance it's the common condition to have no serious problems. Not so for the boxes. They were never intended to be anything but disposable.
The cheapest trailer is the one that lasts the longest. Plenty of good used examples of this type all over the country. Easier to tow and with a wider range of vehicles. So that cost can be comparatively lower as well.
Ross, for every 25 year old airstream you can show me, I can show you ten "other box" trailers that are still being used. I travel all over this great country of ours, and stay in lots of campgrounds. They are all over the place. You really should get out of Texas more often and look around, there's lots to see. ;). And lots of folks using loads of different kinds of trailers to enjoy traveling.
I'm not saying Airstreams are bad. I'm simply saying there are many other brands of "the other design" that are very usable as well. Your comment that white box trailers are junk at six years shows your bias. Best regards, I hope to see you sometime in camp. Would love to sit and buy you a cold one and talk trailers and towing.
