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.

[avoidcrowds]

Well, due to your 4Runner, I would say "neither", also. Sister's family has a 4Runner, and a Hybrid TT. Don't know the make, but it is about 20'. They could not tow up a maintained gravel road while towing, and I had to pull them up. Yes, it was steep, but the trailer was too heavy.

As said, a dry wt of 3800 lbs will be near 5,000 when loaded. Your max tow is 5,000, which means you will be struggling up hills, and lots of weight pushing you down the hills.

Maybe, consider a TrailManor 2417, which is equivalent to a 24' TT. It tows like a popup, but it has no canvas. Dry wt is under 2,300 lbs, and loaded is 3,500 lbs. I have one, and we love it. Depending on your height, though, as the ceiling is 6'4". We are under 5'8", so no problem for us.

My point is, there are lighter trailers out there, that won't hit your max tow limit, which will make you happier on the road. And, folded for travel, there is less wind resistance, which will also make towing easier with the 4Runner.

Good luck with all the options to consider! For the length of your trips, I wouldn't come close to max tow limit. You will regret it.

[Mike_Up]

I've seen some really nice old Airstreams (70s/80s) around but haven't seen any newer ones (90s/2000s). Some have said they aren't the same and the new Thor Airstreams are much cheaper made and are not of the same quality. As long as all those rivets and seams are sealed, not much to go wrong except for the floor.

I don't ever see any old laminated builds at any campgrounds.

On the flip side, I always see a lot of stick and tin old Jaycos at the campgrounds. They are made today even better. Stick and tin construction is pretty basic, the same as many mobile homes with trussed ceiling, walls with studs and crossmembers and real floors. Aluminum siding is pretty much the same with better sealants, but roof coatings are now TPO, EDPM, or a mix of the two opposed to metal roofs back in the day.

[rexlion]

Airstreams certainly have a nice upscale look and feel to them. The lower and narrower Airstream will tow more easily, too. (Although I'd hate having to slide around that table for every meal; the Lance dinette seems more sensible to me.) But like others have pointed out, your ready-to-travel weight is likely to be 4500-4800 lb with quite possibly 550-650 lb hitch weight.

Definitely look at the Escape, sold from its factory in Chilliwack BC. The 21' Escape is just a bit over 3000 lb dry. Its molded fiberglass construction will be unaffected by sea salt, and the lack of seams means there are less places to eventually leak. Escape has a good reputation for quality and their trailers hold phenomenal resale value.

[bgum]

How many do you want to buy? If one then go Airstream, if a few then buy one of the throwaways.

[chr_]

Neither.

AS is nice but as they age, they require some maintenance that if not done, will Cost you$$$

They are heavier than they seem.

Lance makes a good truck camper, but they need to work on the floor stiffness, and put the next level up in axles. I guess they don't think about the truck bed that supports the floor in a TC is not there in a TT.

[tatest]

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.

I can't say much about the Lance, because they are not showing in this area, so I haven't looked at what goes into materials of their conventionally constructed (laminated walls fastened at edges) TTs to make them twice as expensive as the cheap TTs everyone else builds.

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.

Metal semi-monocoque shells (Airstream, Avion, Spartan) are an application of 1930's aircraft fabrication technology adapted to RVs initially to make use of factories and skilled workers no longer needed to make warplanes. It bothers me that Airstream assembles a partial hull atop a floor. I know they are sturdy, I don't know how they weather. I do know that really old ones are quite valuable, like antique luxury cars.

Most of today's lightweights are assembled atop a floor, using laminated panels on the sides, maybe on the ends, fastened to roof and floor structures at the edges. There is a lot of variability in materials used, methods for contructing floors, roofs and ends, and since most have slideouts, how those are built and supported. Forest River, Keystone, Dutchmen, K-Z, all make lightweights this way. Most mass production motorhomes are made the same way. Lance and Evergreen use the same construction principle, say the difference in material makes them worth a lot more.

[kknowlton]

All I can say is, we visited the Airstream factory and the factory that built our last trailer, and the difference was quite striking. We were very impressed with how the Airstreams are built. As DownTheAvenue pointed out, they tend to last many, many years (as long as they are maintained properly, of course). And it's also true that they lack headroom and space, and probably tend to be a bit heavier, compared to most TTs of similar sizes.

Not sure you'd be happy towing a trailer with the 4Runner, judging from our experience towing with a midsize SUV (Ford Explorers, in our case). One thing you'd get with the Airstream or a Lance would be a bit of a lower profile, which would help. It's still going to be a tough haul.

[FrankShore]

Lance in my book, are great! Took me 2 different trailers before I hit on the Lance. The thing about Airstream is that they lack storage and headroom, etc. Also, I've heard horror stories about the floor rotting out from them. Lance has a "pinch rolled" fiberglass exterior and NOT vacuum bonded like so many of the trailers that suffer from delamination. I read a lot before I went with Lance and their Factory Tour Video is online - I hope this helps

Lance Factory Tour Link

[eeltinge]

Thank you all for the many good points! Until I can afford a new Land Cruiser ($80K!), I will have to make do with the 4Runner. I will primarily be camping at military RV campgrounds as I am in the Coast Guard. I go from Puget Sound to the Mexican border doing inspections. I hope both trailers can handle the salt air!

[DownTheAvenue]

One thing about the Airstream is it will still be alive and serviceable when the others have fallen apart from delamination, particle board disintegrating, and mold from water intrusion. The factory support with Airstream is unequalled, and you will be able to get factory service and parts forever. While the Airstream may seem smaller, due to thoughtful engineering (not just some high school drop out kid with a staple gun) no inch goes unwasted.

I don't think you would be disappointed in a Airstream.

[Leo_Smith]

When looking for a trailer, everything is a trade-off and compromise. If you are planning on staying in campgrounds with full hook-ups, the Airstream might be a good choice. If you plan on boondocking, the Airstream might not be your best choice. The AS Sport 22 has a limited NCC of 866 lbs. and limited tankage (fresh: 20gal., grey: 24 gal., black: 18 gal.). These limits might be a deal breaker for boondocking. Compare the Airstream specs with the Lance specs and you will see that that Lance has substantially larger NCC and tankage, ideal for boondocking.

[Mike_Up]

eeltinge wrote:
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.

Definitely not the cramped 21'8" Airstream 22FB. It's only 7' wide and has a very low ceiling height of only 6'3" which is even worse with curved ceiling. Here's the inside. I couldn't be in it long, so cramped! I'd rather be in a tent that has a 7' ceiling and is open inside. Plus it only has one axle. Not good for control while backing and even with a blow out. Also has no oven and small refrigerator and very small holding tanks.

The Lance 1685 is only 20'9" but much larger inside and more spacious with a 78" interior ceiling height. Here's it inside. BUT it's a laminated build which are throw away trailers in my book.
The 2185 is 23'4" long but is within 3800 lbs dry as well and larger and roomier. Both have full size appliances unlike the Airstream which has pop up camper size appliances.

I'd look at a Jayco Jay Flight 19RD. Heres the inside. (also in laminated build) . It's at 3700 lbs dry weight but is 23'1". It's stick and tin construction that doesn't delaminate and the floor won't be soft and falling apart in a few years either. Has full size appliances and even a 81" interior ceiling height. Construction and quality are second to none next to competitors costing 2X as much. Just a thought. OH, and you'll save some money as Jayco sells so many, they can afford to discount the trailers a lot.

Either the Jayco or the Lance, but not the Airstream IMO.

Oh, you'll likely need to get a better tow vehicle as that 4runner won't have a hitch rated high enough after the trailers are loaded. Trailer tongue weights usually average around 13%. Figure on 1000 lbs heavier after loaded, at a "MINIMUM". 13% of 4800 lbs is 624 lbs. , way over your 4runner's 500 lbs tongue weight rating.

Good luck.

[robsouth]

Dry weight is not what you need to consider. Fully loaded weight (batteries, water, propane tanks, stuff you take that you will need, stuff you take that you will not need, etc). It all adds up fast, and I suspect you will be right at the max tow weight before you know it and you do not want to do that. What kind of hitch do you have? Class II,III,IV. What is the max tongue weight? What is the payload of your truck after adding you, gas, family, other stuff? Don't just go by "my truck will tow..." cause it don't usually mean much. 5000 lbs of what? You need to do a lot more research to be sure you are towing safely for all concerned. Good luck with your findings.

[GaryWT]

If money is no object and you don't mind the airstream design, they say that is the best but not my cup of tea. Look at the loaded weight, not the dry weight. Also look at the payload of your vehicle vs. the loaded tongue weight of the trailer plus the weight of what you plan on carrying in it. Good luck