Heart says Airstream, head says Forest River

[mnoland30]

Our friends have an airstream and when the weather got bad with wind and rain, there wasn't room for 6 of us for dinner in their 27 footer. We all fit comfortably in our 21' foot ROO hybrid. I love our hybrid because it tows like a 21 footer, but opens up to 28'. It lets in lots of air and light, and feels like camping.

 

[ChrisPBacon]

If you want to tickle your airstream itch…

Love that! Gonna steal it. You want credit…?

 

[juice5]

Looking at doing a few RV road trips and signed up here as a FR makes sense but those Airstreams sure look good.

Plan to rent for a couple years. Newly retired, even thinking to buy an old Airstream but do an ultra modern interior fit suited for just the two of us.

Standby for the questions!

Airstream's expensive....Very !.....Forest River not so much ! Airstream is epitome of Quality !............Forest River has NO QUALITY CONTROL WHATSOEVER !.....Ten of the same models come from the plant and you have ten different trailers with the Thursday builds being closest to spec !

 

[ChrisPBacon]

Yeah, good point.

Bought a Forest River cargo trailer two years ago and wondered why all the screws fell out of one side. Turns out they weren’t even close to the structural member they were supposed to be sunk into. We had repairs authorized, but then discovered that their dealers won’t work on a trailer they didn’t sell, which meant taking the trailer back to the Washington State dealership we bought it from. Convenient when we made an appointment for a date following a 1400-mile drive to get there, only to find the business had closed.

Covid, yanno?

We finally made arrangements with the company to have the cargo trailer repaired by a company in Arizona, and delivered it to the Phoenix company… where it sat for 13 months untouched.

 

[bikendan]

Airstream's expensive....Very !.....Forest River not so much ! Airstream is epitome of Quality !............Forest River has NO QUALITY CONTROL WHATSOEVER !.....Ten of the same models come from the plant and you have ten different trailers with the Thursday builds being closest to spec !

If you went to the Airstream Owners Forum, you'd find out that Airstream no longer has that sacred "Quality" reputation it used to have, especially after Thor Industries acquired them. Quality has really gone downhill since then but the price has continued to go uphill.
It and the sacred Winnebago have sunk down into the mire of other RV manufacturers.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Forest River Forums mobile app

 

[Tlmgcamp]

We were about to cancel reservations because of a surprise mechanical issue. They wouldn't return my deposit, but they would credit it to renting a 23' travel trailer that they had set up as a permanent unit. Well that's what we did and it turned out to be an Airstream.

After the uniqueness wore off, I started to understand the nickname of "Chrome Coffin". That iconic shape may look cool but it make it very cramped feeling inside. I am 6 foot even and had to shower while crouching because of how short/small the shower was because of the curves.

The curved wall to ceiling shape also severely cuts into storage capacity, particularly with the upper kitchen cabinets and the wardrobe that was nearly full height.

After that visit, we took Airstream out of consideration when we went to RV #2

 

[OshawaDave]

We were about to cancel reservations because of a surprise mechanical issue. They wouldn't return my deposit, but they would credit it to renting a 23' travel trailer that they had set up as a permanent unit. Well that's what we did and it turned out to be an Airstream.

After the uniqueness wore off, I started to understand the nickname of "Chrome Coffin". That iconic shape may look cool but it make it very cramped feeling inside. I am 6 foot even and had to shower while crouching because of how short/small the shower was because of the curves.

The curved wall to ceiling shape also severely cuts into storage capacity, particularly with the upper kitchen cabinets and the wardrobe that was nearly full height.

After that visit, we took Airstream out of consideration when we went to RV #2

Way overpriced….. and no slide outs. I don’t see any value for money with Airstream.

 

[Bob K4TAX]

Way overpriced….. and no slide outs. I don’t see any value for money with Airstream.

I'd agree about value, but there are prestige and bragging rights that must add value. They are like Maytag, living on history.

Bob

 

[rowdy boys 3]

Thats all my grandfather traveled in was an airstream, he passed away in 2011, but i kept a wooden sign he had made with his wally byam caravan club, membership number on it.

 

[OshawaDave]

I'd agree about value, but there are prestige and bragging rights that must add value. They are like Maytag, living on history.

Bob

Airstream owners are a group unto themselves. They seem to think there is bragging rights- I don’t agree with that sentiment…… IMHO

 

[bikendan]

Airstream owners are a group unto themselves. They seem to think there is bragging rights- I don’t agree with that sentiment…… IMHO

I think the first "Pious"(Prius)owners had the same attitude when they first came out.
As I said, Airstream is not the same since Thor Industries bought them out.

 

[Reverse_snowbird]

Looking at doing a few RV road trips and signed up here as a FR makes sense but those Airstreams sure look good.

Plan to rent for a couple years. Newly retired, even thinking to buy an old Airstream but do an ultra modern interior fit suited for just the two of us.

Standby for the questions!

Are you traveling in the UK?
They sure are pretty to look at, but for us they weren't worth the price. Not a fan of curved ceilings or the cramped bathrooms. They do keep their value better than other trailers.

Welcome to the forum! All questions welcome.