5 reasons NOT to buy an Airstream

So my top 5 reasons NOT to buy an Airstream are:

Expensive
Heavy
Low Clearance
No slideouts
HIGHER outside maintenance costs and time consuming

OK, so before you hate me, I DO love the look of an Airstream.

All that vintage vibe going on. Yes. I do LOVE the look of an Airstream. And they’re cool. Like, I mean, really. Buy one of those babies, and you have definitely joined the cool kids club. Or the cool camper’s club? Anyway. Just not for me, because of the reasons below.

This is why I would NOT buy an Airstream.

1. They are expensive.

Not that they may be definitely worth it, just out of my particular price range. If you calculate the price per square foot, they are up there in price compared to many other travel trailers. Price of a new 23′ Keystone Premier 23RBPR , msrp – $33,574 compared to a 23′ Airstream 23FB Flying Cloud, msrp – $81,059 … see what I mean? Yes, I know you can buy used ones and you can almost always get a travel trailer for less than the MSRP, but I needed something to use for comparison. And what better to compare than the starting prices set by the manufacturers.

2. They are heavy.

Heavier than other comparable travel trailers in the same size. Take the same comparison of the Keystone Premier 23RBPR, 5265 lbs. and Airstream Flying Cloud (2018) , 6000lbs. listed in the previous paragraph and you can see that they are considerably heavier.

Update: Now with further research, the current newer models actually come in lighter weight. Airstream must have done something different to lighten the RV in the last two years. So I am not sure that that argument still holds weight. (pardon the pun)

Still, many people will buy used, to save on initial costs. With more weight, you cut down on gas mileage. And you most likely will need to buy a larger truck. Which means more initial up front cost. And also even worse gas mileage. If you travel a lot, like full time, gas mileage is a significant cost.

3. Low clearance.

Yep, again if you compare most Airstreams with conventional travel trailers, you will see that there is a significant difference in clearance. This is another reason not to buy an Airstream. This leaves the Airstream very prone to bottoming out both front and rear with its low ground clearance. In fact, in some Airstream forums, they actually talk about a lift kit you can get to retrofit the trailer so that it has higher clearance!

Now, if you are driving on straight paved roads and you camp in commercial RV parks, its not a big deal. Or even in many state and national RV campgrounds. But if you like to boondock or go into some of the more remote campgrounds, the roads leading into these areas are sometimes quite rough. I would be concerned about clearance after driving some of the roads that I have covered in the last three years. Just something to look at.

4. No Slide-outs.

I travel in a 19.5′ Keystone Premier 195BPR travel trailer. It has just one slide out. But that one slide-out is incredible. It keeps the inside of the trailer from feeling claustrophobic in a fairly small travel trailer. I can move around and feel comfortable.

Whenever I have been in an Airstream, either on an RV lot or at a show, I have definitely felt claustrophobic. This is just one more reason not to buy an Airstream. Airstreams are very nicely appointed inside and very pretty to look at as well as being well layed out for function. But not enough space for me. Just my opinion.

5. Last but not least, they are more time and cash consuming on outside maintenance.

With the research I have done, the time and cost to maintain that quite beautiful polished exterior is not something I want to get into. Yes they are very beautiful and retro feeling. I love that about them. But after counting the costs and time involved, I would rather be hiking than polishing. If you get my drift.

So that’s my two cents.

Many people love Airstream Travel Trailers and extol the RV life traveling in an Airstream. You can find many articles talking about the benefits of an Airstream like here on the Airstream blog, and found here, on Do It Yourself RV blog.

And you may feel differently. But for me – not going to happen.

Happy Travels!

Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.