We did the exact opposite of what you have done, I went from the 30 foot trailer to our Roadtrek 190 we tow a 5X8 enclosed utility trailer on big trips with everything we could ever need, from our bikes to our inflatable kayak. You are right there is no such thing as the perfect rig, like you, for right now a small van camper is what we want so we can travel those tiny two lane roads, not fearing turning around even with the utility trailer I can turn around just about anywhere even a single lane dirt road with a little room on the shoulders. We have driven the entire length of the blue ridge parkway with ease. Who knows maybe in a few years after traveling the back roads we will want to just snowbird and get that big 5th wheel. Enjoy your Airstream
Sounds like you have a great setup for you for now, glad to hear you're enjoying it. You are right that seasons of life change and our needs change and I could see us going back to something much smaller at some point to enjoy that flexibility again. -Ari
We went from truck and trailer to a Roadtrek. We have two ebikes we can use if we have to go somewhere. I LOVE van vs trailer! So simple. And if you have to leave you don’t have to go outside. You just drive away. Especially nice in rainstorms. We love the simplicity.
Yes, lots of reasons to love the small motorhome lifestyle -- especially on travel days! We had a few late night arrivals where we pulled in to camp, I put the van in Park and said, "OK, we're set up. Now what?" LOL Thanks for watching and commenting!
Still enjoying our Roadtrek. Just got home from a 3500 mile trip to Texas for the eclipse. First trip Sherman (07 Chevy 210 Versatile) did perfect. Thanks for your help along the way.
Glad we could be helpful and thrilled that you had a great trip for the eclipse. As Jessi noted in the video, we still miss our Roadtrek on a lot of days for lots of different reasons. But we also find a lot of reasons to like the Airstream. Who knows what the next rig might be?
Glad you enjoy the trailer. I change my own oil. I don’t want a huge tow behind. You certainly do pack every nook and cranny. I still wonder about the weight limits of both this and the Roadtrek. 😊 You’re only guessing until you weigh it.
You're absolutely right about the weight. Everyone needs to get their rigs onto a CAT Scale from time to time to make sure they're within in the limits and not "probably just fine." Thanks for watching and commenting!
Fellow Michigander here. We're at this stage right now. Our last child is graduating college, and retirement is a year away. Plan to travel 8-10 months of the year and use the home (or maybe downsize to a condo) as a home base. Such a hard decision between a van and a trailer. Love the idea of getting a newer tow vehicle and a spacious trailer vs an older Class B, but would love to avoid the stress of towing something. How much more does towing something limit your options, and how much more involved is setting up camp? I've always loved the idea of just pulling into a site late in the day in a Roadtrek and just relaxing vs having to set up and level a trailer.
It's always a tough choice, although remember that it doesn't have to be a forever decision. If something just isn't working, it can be changed! In terms of towing and limiting your options for camping -- it really depends on the size of the trailer. We're finding that 30 feet isn't a problem most of the time, although some places we've looked at had a 25-foot limit. It you go larger than 30, then you're going to consistently have an issue in more places, at least from what we've seen and experienced. Setting up camp isn't a tremendous amount of work, depending on how much you plan on hauling out of the trailer, since you can carry more with you than you would in a Class B. So, tables, chairs, screen tent, fire pit, etc. are things that take time to set up and tear down. Actually unhooking the trailer and stabilizing and leveling it doesn't take long once you get the hang of it. Still, it's not as simple as putting a Class B in Park and being set up! Travel days are a little more stressful simply because I have to deal with an extra 30 feet behind us, especially when traveling through cities or high-traffic areas. But we've been through big cities, small towns with tight turns, and mountain roads with tight curves and had no problems. I just end up a bit tired after a long day on the road, so we have found that we are plotting out shorter travel days in the trailer than we did in the Class B. If we were retired, we'd probably be traveling in something smaller and maybe even still a Class B. But with working from the road, the trailer just makes more sense for us right now in terms of day-to-day livability. I think I touched on all your points. Any other questions, drop a reply. Always happy to help! -Ari
Loved the tour! Looks very cozy. Wherever did you get the couch cover? Or was that a blanket? Really helped make the unit pop! We have a flying cloud, 25’, and really like having the vehicle free to venture off. Like the van idea but being over 6’ we’re not sure we’d fit. Would like to try it though.
Thanks for watching! The couch cover you saw is a blanket we found at Yellowstone that we keep folded over the back cushion. I hear you on the van roof and height. I'm not tall (5'7") and Jessi is short (4'11"), so that helps. Still, our Roadtrek had a lifted roof with just over 6 feet of height inside. When we bought the new van and it had the standard-height roof, we both ended up smacking our heads on it for a while until our muscle memory readjusted. -Ari
Did you keep your house? What did you do with the kids? How do they do their laundry. How do the kids borrow money? I need to know these things. So my kids don't keep borrowing money. They eventually get out of college right.
"RVing: The kids can't move back home if they can't find it." LOL We still have our house in Michigan and use it as a home base for 2 to 3 months per year to visit family, get maintenance work done, etc. Our kids are both grown and take care of their own laundry. Borrowing money can be done electronically now, so I'm not sure that ever ends anymore. 🤷♂️ -Ari
Yes, our legal residence is still Michigan, for now. Not sure what the future holds; a lot of people who go full-time on the road end up moving residency to Texas, Florida, or South Dakota, because they saved money by not having to pay a state income tax.
We did the exact opposite of what you have done, I went from the 30 foot trailer to our Roadtrek 190 we tow a 5X8 enclosed utility trailer on big trips with everything we could ever need, from our bikes to our inflatable kayak. You are right there is no such thing as the perfect rig, like you, for right now a small van camper is what we want so we can travel those tiny two lane roads, not fearing turning around even with the utility trailer I can turn around just about anywhere even a single lane dirt road with a little room on the shoulders. We have driven the entire length of the blue ridge parkway with ease. Who knows maybe in a few years after traveling the back roads we will want to just snowbird and get that big 5th wheel. Enjoy your Airstream
Sounds like you have a great setup for you for now, glad to hear you're enjoying it. You are right that seasons of life change and our needs change and I could see us going back to something much smaller at some point to enjoy that flexibility again. -Ari
We went from truck and trailer to a Roadtrek. We have two ebikes we can use if we have to go somewhere. I LOVE van vs trailer! So simple. And if you have to leave you don’t have to go outside. You just drive away. Especially nice in rainstorms. We love the simplicity.
Yes, lots of reasons to love the small motorhome lifestyle -- especially on travel days! We had a few late night arrivals where we pulled in to camp, I put the van in Park and said, "OK, we're set up. Now what?" LOL Thanks for watching and commenting!
Still enjoying our Roadtrek. Just got home from a 3500 mile trip to Texas for the eclipse. First trip Sherman (07 Chevy 210 Versatile) did perfect. Thanks for your help along the way.
Glad we could be helpful and thrilled that you had a great trip for the eclipse. As Jessi noted in the video, we still miss our Roadtrek on a lot of days for lots of different reasons. But we also find a lot of reasons to like the Airstream. Who knows what the next rig might be?
Glad you enjoy the trailer. I change my own oil. I don’t want a huge tow behind. You certainly do pack every nook and cranny. I still wonder about the weight limits of both this and the Roadtrek. 😊 You’re only guessing until you weigh it.
You're absolutely right about the weight. Everyone needs to get their rigs onto a CAT Scale from time to time to make sure they're within in the limits and not "probably just fine." Thanks for watching and commenting!
Fellow Michigander here. We're at this stage right now. Our last child is graduating college, and retirement is a year away. Plan to travel 8-10 months of the year and use the home (or maybe downsize to a condo) as a home base. Such a hard decision between a van and a trailer. Love the idea of getting a newer tow vehicle and a spacious trailer vs an older Class B, but would love to avoid the stress of towing something. How much more does towing something limit your options, and how much more involved is setting up camp? I've always loved the idea of just pulling into a site late in the day in a Roadtrek and just relaxing vs having to set up and level a trailer.
It's always a tough choice, although remember that it doesn't have to be a forever decision. If something just isn't working, it can be changed! In terms of towing and limiting your options for camping -- it really depends on the size of the trailer. We're finding that 30 feet isn't a problem most of the time, although some places we've looked at had a 25-foot limit. It you go larger than 30, then you're going to consistently have an issue in more places, at least from what we've seen and experienced.
Setting up camp isn't a tremendous amount of work, depending on how much you plan on hauling out of the trailer, since you can carry more with you than you would in a Class B. So, tables, chairs, screen tent, fire pit, etc. are things that take time to set up and tear down. Actually unhooking the trailer and stabilizing and leveling it doesn't take long once you get the hang of it. Still, it's not as simple as putting a Class B in Park and being set up! Travel days are a little more stressful simply because I have to deal with an extra 30 feet behind us, especially when traveling through cities or high-traffic areas. But we've been through big cities, small towns with tight turns, and mountain roads with tight curves and had no problems. I just end up a bit tired after a long day on the road, so we have found that we are plotting out shorter travel days in the trailer than we did in the Class B.
If we were retired, we'd probably be traveling in something smaller and maybe even still a Class B. But with working from the road, the trailer just makes more sense for us right now in terms of day-to-day livability. I think I touched on all your points. Any other questions, drop a reply. Always happy to help! -Ari
Loved the tour! Looks very cozy. Wherever did you get the couch cover? Or was that a blanket? Really helped make the unit pop! We have a flying cloud, 25’, and really like having the vehicle free to venture off. Like the van idea but being over 6’ we’re not sure we’d fit. Would like to try it though.
Thanks for watching! The couch cover you saw is a blanket we found at Yellowstone that we keep folded over the back cushion. I hear you on the van roof and height. I'm not tall (5'7") and Jessi is short (4'11"), so that helps. Still, our Roadtrek had a lifted roof with just over 6 feet of height inside. When we bought the new van and it had the standard-height roof, we both ended up smacking our heads on it for a while until our muscle memory readjusted. -Ari
Did you keep your house? What did you do with the kids? How do they do their laundry. How do the kids borrow money? I need to know these things. So my kids don't keep borrowing money. They eventually get out of college right.
Sold all of them.
"RVing: The kids can't move back home if they can't find it." LOL We still have our house in Michigan and use it as a home base for 2 to 3 months per year to visit family, get maintenance work done, etc. Our kids are both grown and take care of their own laundry. Borrowing money can be done electronically now, so I'm not sure that ever ends anymore. 🤷♂️ -Ari
I definitely think the Airstream Flying Cloud provides a better quality of life now and during any future Zombie Apocalypse...🤔🧟♀️🧟♂️
Ha! I always wanted to get a tire cover for the Roadtrek that read Zombie Apocalypse Mobile Unit, but Jessi frowned upon it. 😄 -Ari
I forgot to ask this. Are you still a michigander?
Yes, our legal residence is still Michigan, for now. Not sure what the future holds; a lot of people who go full-time on the road end up moving residency to Texas, Florida, or South Dakota, because they saved money by not having to pay a state income tax.