Storage is always important, whether full-timing or a few weeks at a time. For me, water is #1 priority. I'm often at blm or nat forests with no water available. Nice video.
Thanks for watching, Kurt. Agreed, water is a huge priority! We’ve even seen people do a 50 gallon storage bladder, but we couldn’t figure out how to integrate that with all the bikes.
Thank you so much for the much-anticipated truck tour!!! You fit a lot in there! I especially love the telescoping ladder. I was wondering how I would get up to the roof to clear snow off the solar panel, etc. Very cool!
We surprised ourselves with how much we managed to fit back there! That ladder really has been essential. On the Airstream, it can be tricky to find a place to lean the ladder without it pressing into the aluminum skin. We like to lean it against the street side awning with a towel between the two surfaces. Some people lean against the door frame.
Thanks for the video - very helpful! How do you like your A.R.E. Topper? I am considering a similar model for our Ram. Are there any topper options you wish you would have added?
Hey, Dan. Thanks for the question! We are very impressed with the quality of our A.R.E. and would recommend it to anyone. The rear hatch and side opening widows all line up and seal perfectly, and we've never had any issues with the latches. The paint to match was also dead-on. The only thing we might change if we were to order another one would be to omit the sliding side windows, because it makes the window opening a little bit taller. Although being able to ventilate the rear while driving is sometimes nice...
Hey there love your channel been following for a bit now. Would love to have your lifestyle. I noticed your truck is diesel and I wondered why you chose that over a gas model? Thanks
Hi, Christopher. Thanks for sharing our journey with us! There are a few reasons we like diesel: 1) Better fuel efficiency. We average 12.5 mpg towing; a gas would use almost 50% more fuel. 2) Lifespan. Diesel engines are happy to pull heavy loads for hundreds of thousands of miles. 3) Exhaust brake. A diesel with an exhaust brake has more engine braking than a gas engine. We can drive between Denver and Grand Junction on I-70without needing the brakes. 4) Power. This is the biggest advantage for us. The diesel always feels like it has plenty of immediately available power. It can easily pull our ~4 ton trailer up steep grades at the speed limit, often while staying at 2,000 RPM or lower. A gas engine would have to downshift more aggressively and be running closer to the red line. Acceleration and passing maneuvers are also easier. With the trailer behind us, the truck still feels as quick as our Subaru Outback! The diesel just makes towing easier. Downsides: 1) DEF refills every ~5k miles. More often when towing because DEF is consumed proportionally to fuel. 2) Expensive, and it's unlikely that you'll ever break even with the gas engine based on diesel fuel savings. Still, the diesel is more pleasant to tow with and does pollute less. In summary, the diesel is by no means a necessity, but it's a nice luxury.
@@ThisWyldeLife You will break even on the diesel and actually be ahead when you sell it, but probably not until then. I have a bed slide in my truck. They are great but you do lose 4" of height so that is something to consider. I don't like how Airstream measures the length of their trailers from the coupler to the back of the rear bumper. I would love to have an Airstream but I need to be able to use one more annually before I can justify the price. For you I don't think there is a better choice.
Good question, Joseph. We opted for the short bed due to the shorter wheelbase and overall length. The short bed is already a 20' truck, which just barely fits in most parking spaces and is already a lot of truck to maneuver. The 6.75' bed has been plenty large for our needs.
Very helpful, thanks! QUESTION: Love that telescoping ladder in your link, but need to check one thing... How do I lean it against my A/S when I need to clean the roof? Just want to make sure I don't scratch or dent the aluminum.
We like to lean it against the street side awning with a towel between the two surfaces. Some people lean against the door frame. Every model will be a little different; the main thing is to find something that isn't the aluminum skin to lean the ladder against. Thanks for watching-glad you found the video helpful!
Hey there love your channel been following for a bit now. Would love to have your lifestyle. I noticed your truck is diesel and I wondered why you chose that over a gas model? Thanks
Hi, Christopher. Thanks for sharing our journey with us! There are a few reasons we like diesel: 1) Better fuel efficiency. We average 12.5 mpg towing; a gas would use almost 50% more fuel. 2) Lifespan. Diesel engines are happy to pull heavy loads for hundreds of thousands of miles. 3) Exhaust brake. A diesel with an exhaust brake has more engine braking than a gas engine. We can drive between Denver and Grand Junction on I-70without needing the brakes. 4) Power. This is the biggest advantage for us. The diesel always feels like it has plenty of immediately available power. It can easily pull our ~4 ton trailer up steep grades at the speed limit, often while staying at 2,000 RPM or lower. A gas engine would have to downshift more aggressively and be running closer to the red line. Acceleration and passing maneuvers are also easier. With the trailer behind us, the truck still feels as quick as our Subaru Outback! The diesel just makes towing easier. Downsides: 1) DEF refills every ~5k miles. More often when towing because DEF is consumed proportionally to fuel. 2) Expensive, and it's unlikely that you'll ever break even with the gas engine based on diesel fuel savings. Still, the diesel is more pleasant to tow with and does pollute less. In summary, the diesel is by no means a necessity, but it's a nice luxury.
Your videos are very well done. I’m Inspired to do more with my setup!
Thank you, glad to hear you find our videos helpful. Have fun!
Storage is always important, whether full-timing or a few weeks at a time. For me, water is #1 priority. I'm often at blm or nat forests with no water available. Nice video.
Thanks for watching, Kurt. Agreed, water is a huge priority! We’ve even seen people do a 50 gallon storage bladder, but we couldn’t figure out how to integrate that with all the bikes.
Awesome tour!! Love you bikes solution!!
Thanks for watching! We were pretty stoked to fit all the bikes!
Thank you so much for the much-anticipated truck tour!!! You fit a lot in there! I especially love the telescoping ladder. I was wondering how I would get up to the roof to clear snow off the solar panel, etc. Very cool!
We surprised ourselves with how much we managed to fit back there! That ladder really has been essential. On the Airstream, it can be tricky to find a place to lean the ladder without it pressing into the aluminum skin. We like to lean it against the street side awning with a towel between the two surfaces. Some people lean against the door frame.
Thanks for the video - very helpful! How do you like your A.R.E. Topper? I am considering a similar model for our Ram. Are there any topper options you wish you would have added?
Hey, Dan. Thanks for the question! We are very impressed with the quality of our A.R.E. and would recommend it to anyone. The rear hatch and side opening widows all line up and seal perfectly, and we've never had any issues with the latches. The paint to match was also dead-on. The only thing we might change if we were to order another one would be to omit the sliding side windows, because it makes the window opening a little bit taller. Although being able to ventilate the rear while driving is sometimes nice...
Hey there love your channel been following for a bit now. Would love to have your lifestyle. I noticed your truck is diesel and I wondered why you chose that over a gas model? Thanks
Hi, Christopher. Thanks for sharing our journey with us! There are a few reasons we like diesel:
1) Better fuel efficiency. We average 12.5 mpg towing; a gas would use almost 50% more fuel.
2) Lifespan. Diesel engines are happy to pull heavy loads for hundreds of thousands of miles.
3) Exhaust brake. A diesel with an exhaust brake has more engine braking than a gas engine. We can drive between Denver and Grand Junction on I-70without needing the brakes.
4) Power. This is the biggest advantage for us. The diesel always feels like it has plenty of immediately available power. It can easily pull our ~4 ton trailer up steep grades at the speed limit, often while staying at 2,000 RPM or lower. A gas engine would have to downshift more aggressively and be running closer to the red line. Acceleration and passing maneuvers are also easier. With the trailer behind us, the truck still feels as quick as our Subaru Outback! The diesel just makes towing easier.
Downsides:
1) DEF refills every ~5k miles. More often when towing because DEF is consumed proportionally to fuel.
2) Expensive, and it's unlikely that you'll ever break even with the gas engine based on diesel fuel savings. Still, the diesel is more pleasant to tow with and does pollute less.
In summary, the diesel is by no means a necessity, but it's a nice luxury.
@@ThisWyldeLife You will break even on the diesel and actually be ahead when you sell it, but probably not until then.
I have a bed slide in my truck. They are great but you do lose 4" of height so that is something to consider.
I don't like how Airstream measures the length of their trailers from the coupler to the back of the rear bumper. I would love to have an Airstream but I need to be able to use one more annually before I can justify the price. For you I don't think there is a better choice.
Why did you opt for the short bed instead of a long bed?
Good question, Joseph. We opted for the short bed due to the shorter wheelbase and overall length. The short bed is already a 20' truck, which just barely fits in most parking spaces and is already a lot of truck to maneuver. The 6.75' bed has been plenty large for our needs.
Very helpful, thanks! QUESTION: Love that telescoping ladder in your link, but need to check one thing... How do I lean it against my A/S when I need to clean the roof? Just want to make sure I don't scratch or dent the aluminum.
We like to lean it against the street side awning with a towel between the two surfaces. Some people lean against the door frame. Every model will be a little different; the main thing is to find something that isn't the aluminum skin to lean the ladder against. Thanks for watching-glad you found the video helpful!
Hey there love your channel been following for a bit now. Would love to have your lifestyle. I noticed your truck is diesel and I wondered why you chose that over a gas model? Thanks
Hi, Christopher. Thanks for sharing our journey with us! There are a few reasons we like diesel:
1) Better fuel efficiency. We average 12.5 mpg towing; a gas would use almost 50% more fuel.
2) Lifespan. Diesel engines are happy to pull heavy loads for hundreds of thousands of miles.
3) Exhaust brake. A diesel with an exhaust brake has more engine braking than a gas engine. We can drive between Denver and Grand Junction on I-70without needing the brakes.
4) Power. This is the biggest advantage for us. The diesel always feels like it has plenty of immediately available power. It can easily pull our ~4 ton trailer up steep grades at the speed limit, often while staying at 2,000 RPM or lower. A gas engine would have to downshift more aggressively and be running closer to the red line. Acceleration and passing maneuvers are also easier. With the trailer behind us, the truck still feels as quick as our Subaru Outback! The diesel just makes towing easier.
Downsides:
1) DEF refills every ~5k miles. More often when towing because DEF is consumed proportionally to fuel.
2) Expensive, and it's unlikely that you'll ever break even with the gas engine based on diesel fuel savings. Still, the diesel is more pleasant to tow with and does pollute less.
In summary, the diesel is by no means a necessity, but it's a nice luxury.