Airstream or Lance?

[eeltinge]

Greetings, Everyone! This is my very first post. I own a 2014 Toyota 4Runner that can tow 5,000 lbs. max. I want to buy a new Airstream 22-foot Sport or a Lance 23-foot 1985. Both weight about 3,800 lbs. dry. The Airstream is about $15,000.00 more expensive. Any recommendations? Thank you.

[My_Roadtrek]

Just curious what was the materials Lance uses that are so bad? Both the truck campers, and trailers use the same materials, and workmanship.
Trying to understand the difference of opinions about the Lance. People who own them seem to have very few problems, and really like them, but you formed an opinion, just on a factory tour, that they use poor materials, and workmanship. Can you be a little more definitive about this. Thanks
Also, you say not to get input from owners of a brand of TT, but to get it from people who haven't owned one. So your saying I should listen to people like you that formed an opinion from a factory tour, and ignore owners who have owned one because they are lying about their experiences? :S

[NinerBikes]

eeltinge wrote:
When I was in my 20's, I lived for 3 years in a Winnebago Minnie Winnie. My one remaining memory is the very small fresh and grey water. I was in no way self-contained.

In my spare time I fly fish, bird hunt, and sea kayak. I hire guides and their equipment to do all three. I will get dirty and do need to shower. Clothes, food, and my bulldog will constitute most of the weight.

My Coast Guard duties take me from the lighthouses in Puget Sound to the gun ranges at the Mexican border. I very rarely go to the mountains. Our scientific lab equipment is digital and weighs virtually nothing. I will camp most of the time at military RV bases with full hook-ups.

A fully optioned out 1985 weighs about 4,200lbs. 30 gallons of fluids at 8lbs. per gallon is 240lbs for a total of 4,440lbs. With food, clothes, fly rods, 43lb. 2,000 watt Honda generator, I am pushing it. I wonder how much the a weight distributing hitch and sway control will add? I don't mind driving 50-55mph, but a must be able to brake under control

Sell the Toyota and get something with a small 3.0L 400 lb ft of torque or some such diesel motor... A RAM 1500 Eco diesel, or the new Nissan Titan XD. I tow with a VW Touareg Sport SUV TDI with the 3.0L 240HP 406 lb ft model rated for 7700 lb of towing, with the tow package.

Or scale down and get a smaller, lighter TT.

I toured the Lance factory and was not impressed at all with the quality of material or workmanship, not for the price they ask for a Lance TT. Lance may have a good name in Full Length Campers in 8 foot pickup beds, but I didn't find them any better in the TT's they make.

Soliciting from where you did will get you fanboi input from various owners. Find input from people that don't own the product and don't have a dog in the hunt for better input.

[wincrasher65]

I'd be very reluctant to tow a square shaped trailer of any brand with a 4Runner. Most folks on here don't really appreciate the aerodynamics involved.

I'd highly recommend a smaller, high quality trailer like Little Guy's T@B line. It would probably work very well for the usage you've described. They are well built in Ohio, have an aerodynamic shape, are much lighter than the trailers you've mentioned and the price is MUCH lower. Check them out at www.golittleguy.com.

I've owned a couple of teardrops of thiers - the Silver Shadow and the T@G. Both were solid and completely problem free. I still have the T@G.

[kincade]

I have a Lance 2185 - and I'd hardly call it a throw away trailer. It's the best built trailer I've ever had, and we've owned a few. I'm sure there are nicer, but construction wise this is the nicest trailer we've owned. Zero complaints.

[jaycocreek]

Lance 1685, and hardly a throw away trailer.

Ditto and just what is a throw away trailer anyway? I have two in my driveway we use every year that are over 40 years old,when was I supposed to throw them away?

[2012Coleman]

tatest wrote:
Aluminum Can or Plastic Box? If you are willing to spend that much for a new Airstream you might also look at an Oliver, a double-shell molded TT in the same size range. That would make it three totally different types of construction.

I would add Bigfoot and Escape to the list, except that a Bigfoot on that size range is probably too heavy for you, and I'm not sure what Escape is currently building, there have been stories about moving production from Canada to the southern U.S.

Molded plastic hulls as TT shells (Oliver, Escape, Bigfoot and some other brands in smaller sizes) I understand; that's how small ocean-going yachts are built. It is the egg-shell principle.

X2 - if you are considering a TT with no slide-out then you should take a look at Oliver - see this thread.

Also, give more consideration to payload vs tow capacity on your Toyota 4 runner. Payload will be exceeded before reaching tow capacity. Search on Payload for lots of discussion. Make sure you can use a weight distributing hitch on your TV and hopefully it doesn't have passenger car tires. Good luck!

[Arizona_Kid]

Lance 1685, and hardly a throw away trailer. Lance also has good service, and one of the best warranties out there. Lance has a lot more storage, and the slide out makes a big difference in living space. The AS is more than $15,000 above the price of the Lance, probably closer to $20,000
I narrowed my choices down to the Lance, and AS, went with the Lance, I just couldn't justify the price of the AS.
I do like the cool factor of the AS though.

Lance 1685 loaded, 4 season package, etc., should be around $26,000, depending on transportation costs.

I'm towing with a 2011 V8 Pathfinder, tow capacity 7,000 lbs, I wouldn't want to tow it with less.

Go with the Lance, and use the money you save to get a proper TV. Your 4Runner is not enough truck!

[eeltinge]

Thank you everyone for your comments regarding the 22-foot Airstream Sport versus the 23-foot Lance 1985. I have received approximately 20 replies from Good Sam RV Net, 30 replies from Air Forum, and 60 replies from Lance Owners. Wow! The consensus seems to be the Airstream will tow better and last longer, and the Lance will camp better and is a much better value. I am going to rent 2 more trailers next month at the 3,800lb. dry weight for better evaluation of the capabilities of my 2014 Toyota 4Runner. I will camp at a Coast Guard Channel Islands station inspection and at The Good Sam Rally in Phoenix, AZ. At this point, I am strongly leaning toward the Lance and will start soliciting prices from dealers. Thank you all again for your most helpful input!

[gmw_photos]

RobertRyan wrote:
....snip...

Did not like the old DC3 bare aluminium look either...

Now THAT'S funny !!!!

[RobertRyan]

Too bad you people do not have Pop Tops Caravans like we have here, slightly bigger inside than the Lance and Airstream and nowhere as drab and gloomy.
Checked out Airstreams at the Sydney Caravan Show, different lengths, but felt cramped and claustrophobic. Did not like the old DC3 bare aluminium look either
Windsor Rapid
Jayco Journey

[eeltinge]

When I was in my 20's, I lived for 3 years in a Winnebago Minnie Winnie. My one remaining memory is the very small fresh and grey water. I was in no way self-contained.

In my spare time I fly fish, bird hunt, and sea kayak. I hire guides and their equipment to do all three. I will get dirty and do need to shower. Clothes, food, and my bulldog will constitute most of the weight.

My Coast Guard duties take me from the lighthouses in Puget Sound to the gun ranges at the Mexican border. I very rarely go to the mountains. Our scientific lab equipment is digital and weighs virtually nothing. I will camp most of the time at military RV bases with full hook-ups.

A fully optioned out 1985 weighs about 4,200lbs. 30 gallons of fluids at 8lbs. per gallon is 240lbs for a total of 4,440lbs. With food, clothes, fly rods, 43lb. 2,000 watt Honda generator, I am pushing it. I wonder how much the a weight distributing hitch and sway control will add? I don't mind driving 50-55mph, but a must be able to brake under control

[Bobj616]

In that price range you may want to look at the Oliver FG trailer. If I was spending that much it is the way I'd go. All the bells and whistles but none of the Glitz you see in so many trailers now.(do I really need etched glass on the doors of my outside kitchen?).

[camp-n-family]

The Airstream will pull easier (less drag), last longer, and hold its value longer.

That being said, I will agree with others that you may not be happy towing either with the 4Runner. You'll be maxed for sure. It might be ok for occasional shorter trips on flat lands but long, extended, or mountain trips would not be fun.

The 4.0l is a great engine but the gearing isn't ideal for towing. My old '04 T4R struggled to maintain highway speeds towing my 19' hybrid (3800lbs). Mind you it had slightly less power than the new ones and only a 4 speed tranny. Mated with the newer 5 speed may fair better but I'll bet you'd have to keep it locked in 4th to keep the engine from bogging down. After 1 season I traded for a V8 T4R which was awesome but unfortunately no longer an option.

If you plan/need to use a WD hitch (and you probably should with either tt) you'll need to upgrade to a frame mounted hitch. The factory receiver is only mounted to the x-member and is not rated for use with a WD hitch.

[scbwr]

I'll agree with Avoidcrowds....both trailers are going to be too heavy when loaded to pull comfortably with a 4 Runner. Consider a smaller & lighter trailer, or look at a hybrid which can feel more spacious once beds are opened.

And, I've always been interested in the Trailmanor units, but they just don't seem to be easy to see in our part of the country.

[eeltinge]

The Airstream 22' Sport has a dry weight of 3,634lbs., net carrying capacity of 866lbs., and a gross vehicle weight of 4,500lbs. The Lance 23' 1985 has dry weight of 3,600lbs., net carrying capacity of 2,040lbs., and a gross vehicle weight of 5,700lbs. Why the great disparity?