We began looking for an RV when we first seriously started considering this adventure. And we knew what we wanted – a comfortable home for a year on the road. However, that was really the extent of it. So we started doing research on the internet. We determined that we needed:
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- our RV to be 30 feet or less because it seemed that was a good size for National Park campsites, any longer than that was going to be difficult to fit into campsites at some National Parks.
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- two real beds – we did not want to have to turn the kitchen table into Elle’s bed every night! That seemed not only a hassle but we did not want to have to leave the main living area when she had to go to bed every night.
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- to have a car with us – we did not want to end up driving our RV every time we needed to run to the grocery.
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- something fairly new – we are NOT handy people and we had had no experience RVing.
The next question: Class A motorhome (like a bus), Class C motorhome (truck cabs with direct access to the living area), a towable travel trailer (like an Airstream) or a Fifth wheel (a travel trailer that extends over the truck bed).
At first we decided that a Class C was best for our needs – they were the least expensive RV and we could tow a small car for errands and sightseeing. We went to our first RV show, and focused on Class Cs. We then went to RV dealers to see more models. But then we came across a 30 foot… Class A.
Class A’s were a little more expensive but roomer and more comfortable than the Class C’s and since we were traveling for a year… this was a better choice! The one question we had was where the latch system for Elle’s carseat was located. It did not exist. After looking into it further it turned out rear seats in motor homes, unlike passenger vehicles, are not subject to the federal motor vehicle safety standards and it is much safer to have children in a separate vehicle. That was the end of Class A or Class C motorhomes. Not for us. More research. Travel trailers appeared not to be as recommended for long-term travel. They could fishtail while driving, fifth wheels were easier to tow. As towing novices, we wanted easy. Ok, it was a fifth wheel for us!
We went to dealer after dealer looking at fifth wheels. Nothing really felt like home to us. Nothing really felt like something we’d want to live in. They were either too big or too dark or too… not right. One of the dealers happened to have some Airstream travel trailers on the lot and we decided just to pop in and window shop, even though we were certain we did not want a travel trailer. They were just so sleek looking from the outside. We walked into a 30-foot Flying Cloud bunkhouse…and fell in love! This really was it!
It was the correct length, had two separate bedroom areas, and we would have our tow vehicle to drive around in. And it was gorgeous inside – sleek and streamlined. Light and airy. It looked like a New York City apartment inside! Lots of storage. We asked the salesman about the fishtailing issue. He assured us with the proper towing set up we’d be fine. DT was ready to purchase on the spot, but I wanted to check to see if we could buy a gently used one – this was our tried and true strategy for buying cars and we hate to pay sticker prices. I got home and took a look, only to discover that used Airstream bunkhouse models are NOT easy to find. I did a nationwide search and found one, only two years old, in New Jersey. The price, however, was not significantly less than a new one. Airstreams hold their value well! Nevertheless, I called New Jersey only to find it had already sold! That decided it – we bought the one we had walked through the day before. And for us it has been the perfect home!
