Gone Silver

Testing

5 Ways to Carry Your Bikes with an Airstream

/ By / In Lessons

Colonial Airstream carries Fiamma racks – Useful Q & A Video

Trying to solve the Airstream bike rack conundrum? Here’s what we learned when we asked the same question.

A little background: For our bikes, we chose the Giant Sedona DX and Liv Sedona DXmodels. They are comfort bikes with more aggressive tires and suspension to allow for crossover between regular paved trails and gravel. I’ll cover that choice in a later post, but for this step that means about 60 lbs. of weight to consider when deciding where to carry them on our trailer/tow vehicle set-up.

Researching a Bike Rack for the Airstream

The part of this project that took the most time was researching which bike rack we wanted to use. We learned that there isn’t a single perfect bike rack solution for Airstreamers. The few options available each come with trade-offs, which makes the decision more difficult and clearly an individual one.

Trailer-based Solutions

There are two primary approaches to including bicycles in the mix when traveling with your Airstream; trailer-based solutions and those that rely on the tow vehicle. This post focuses more on the trailer solutions because that is the direction we chose, but we’ll mention the other ideas and flag the one that, given the opportunity to do this again, we may try on the next round.

Rear Frame Mount

Airstream doesn’t recommend a traditional frame-mounted hitch style rack on the back of the trailer. The frame was not designed to have the additional weight and jarring torque force from the added rack and bikes attached at this location. It jeopardizes the structural integrity of the trailer.

Custom rear hitch assembly by Seth Hughes

That said, Seth Hughes’ bike rack mod takes the concept to a higher level that seems to address some of the engineering concerns typically associated with a rear frame-mount solution. This is a must-watch video for anyone interested in this type of a solution.

Forward Mounting a Bike Rack Above the Propane Tanks


Images by Lippert, Arvika, and Stomberg-Carlson

Another trailer-based approach that addresses the rear torque concerns is forward mounting a bike rack above the propane tanks. This solution mounts to the A-frame at the front of your trailer and can accommodate up to four bikes. The bikes remain visible while towing and generally don’t interfere with most of your trailer and towing systems.

That said, the possible drawbacks of this solution include increased tongue weight, challenges with loading and unloading bikes from an elevated location, reduced fuel mileage caused by drag, loss of the ability to easily open the front window, diminished access to propane tanks, and catching bugs.

Tongue rack bracket options popular with Airstreamers:

Rear-mounted Fiamma Carry-Bike

The Fiamma Airstream bike rack was designed in conjunction with Airstream engineers and addresses the structural integrity concerns that are raised by some of the other solutions. It is light-weight and bikes are easily accessible from the back of the trailer.

Potential cons that have been noted about this solution include impeded access to the rear storage compartment, a propensity for bikes to be more exposed to road grime and dirt, and the lack of visibility to monitor the bikes while underway.

Photo by GoneSilver

We decided that this solution, given Airstream’s involvement in the design, felt like the right place for us to start. We are do-it-yourselfers and chose to buy our rack from Colonial Airstream and self-install. Our next post will share some of the things we learned in doing the project. So if this option interests you, stay tuned for more details.

Tow-vehicle Bike Hauling Options

Many Airstreamers have chosen to forego a trailer-based rack altogether and look to the tow vehicle for bike transport options. The options here range from a front-mounted receiver hitch to racks on top of the cab or tonneau cover, to storage inside the rig, whether in a van, topper or directly in the bed of a pick-up truck. One of the strong positives to this approach is your bikes are always with you, whether or not you are towing your trailer. While we chose to go with a rear-mount trailer bike rack, there are a couple of these tow vehicle solutions that might be contenders for us if there is a next time.

Front-mounted Receiver Hitch


Photos by Etrailer.com, Kuat, Swagman

Many haulers choose to use a front-mount hitch to avoid some of the downsides of a trailer-based solution. Just like a traditional rear-mounted bike rack, this solution uses a standard receiver hitch installed on the front of your tow vehicle in conjunction with a compatible rack. E-trailer.com (no affiliate) has a lot of good information about this option.

Some of the concerns that have been noted with this solution include the obstruction of the license plate, distracting to the driver, and reduced front-clearance. Proponents of this solution have found ways to address these concerns by choosing the right rack and adjusting its location on thetruck.

Components popular among Airstreamers:

Tonneau/Bed-mounted Bike Rack

The roll tonneau cover/ bike rack combination is a solution we would consider in the future.

Long Long Honeymoon YouTube

Sean and Kristy from Long Long Honeymoon have a great video that shows this configuration in action.

The cover rolls inside the rear of the bed of the truck, allowing for a rack system to be installed above, which can accommodate any of the available gear components for that system.

Some of the downsides of this solution are the cost, short-term loss of the ability to put taller items in the bed of the truck, rear visibility reduced when not towing the trailer, and sacrificing some bed space to the internal roll mechanism.

In Conclusion

This list covers most of the primary options for bringing bikes on the road with your Airstream. As an addendum, there are many who choose to carry their bicycles inside their tow vehicle or inside the trailer. Given the downsides of limited space, dealing with securing the bikes while at camp, and the inconvenience and risk of damage to the inside of the trailer, we chose to forego those options.

In the end, we chose to self-install the Fiamma on the back of our 2018 27’ Globetrotter. So far we are happy with our choice, which allows us to load and unload the bikes without lifting them over our heads, provides a securable storage location (bike locks), and is structurally approved by Airstream. We will keep you posted!

We are always learning; let us know in the comments if you have picked up any tips or tricks that can help the rest of us on this journey.

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Setting up House in the Airstream: Episode 4 – Sweeping and Suction Cups

/ By / In Housemaking, Uncategorized

Stationary upright sweeper

We found the best sweeper set for the Airstream last week. This duo is hands down better than anything we have tried over the past couple of decades. It’s best feature is the ability to quickly, and I mean lickety-split, sweep up small messes on the floor in the trailer without having to bend over or pull out the vacuum cleaner. I bought one for the boat too 🙂

Repositionable suction cups

These suction hooks were another great discovery. Each unit attaches to the wall, or any non-porous surface by turning the silver knob and creating a strong suction that holds into place. Release them simply by unscrewing the knob. They allow you to experiment with where you want to hang things. The Command Strips are great for remove-ability, but they are inconvenient if you want to move things around.

Nice and tidy

Do you have a favorite solution for keeping things clean? Tell us about it in the comments!

Setting up House in the Airstream: Episode 2
Keeping Things Together

/ By / In Airstream, Hacks, Resources

Creative ways to keep countertop items from sliding around.
Keeping it Together

We all learned about the RV earthquake effect at some point, likely when opening the door after our first trip. If we were lucky, just pillows were thrown about. But more likely, there were some things that caused us to say “Yikes, this isn’t safe!” This experience prompted us to adjust our strategies for battening down the hatches inside our Airstream travel trailer while we are underway (we’ll cover the kitchen faucet incident in a future episode…).

A fun technique we are playing with right now is using the baskets designed for showers and sinks that have suction cups on them. Here is a version that has a little style that goes well with our modern Airstream interior. This sponge holder works well as a small spice rack for the things we use most often. Because it has two strong suction cups on the back that really grab a hold of the aluminum interior of the trailer, it can be used just about anywhere in the Airstream where you need to corral items, such as the bathroom or along the bedside.

Do you have a similar hack that works well for you? Share it in the comments, we are always looking to learn more!

RV Checklist: Essential Tool for Successful Departures

/ By / In Airstream, Getting Started, Resource

RV Departure Checklist

RV Departure Checklist

Essential departure checklist for every Airstream or travel trailer traveler.

It took a “we should have known better” moment to prompt us to adopt a consistent RV checklist routine when packing and moving our travel trailer. Hopefully, the research you are doing now will save you from learning through the school of hard knocks (which seems to be our default).

We originally started with an informal list that we improved each time we traveled with the travel trailer. We have come to learn that the list of crucial steps is pretty similar, whether you are towing an Airstream like we are or another one of the many models that are out there today.

The point where we realized we needed to take the checklist seriously and do a little research to see if we were missing any critical steps was when we opened the door after a short haul and found all of the fresh water had been pumped into the interior of our trailer. Checklist item #1: Turn off the fresh water pump!

After mopping up the mess and starting the dehumidifier, we got serious about completing the checklist we now use right before we leave any campsite. We only have to remember one thing: Go through the checklist before towing the trailer. We made our list into a laminated card that we keep in the glove box of the truck so that it is always available, regardless of how our other devices are functioning at the time.

 

Checklist template

We are sharing our version of an RV checklist here in case it is helpful to you. Everyone’s details are slightly different, but the basics are pretty similar. There is a PDF of our specific checklist that you are welcome to use. The document is formatted for two-sided printing so that you can cut it out and laminate it. I am using some self-laminating pockets from Amazon because, as we downsize for trailer life no unitaskers are allowed, so an electric laminator is out of the question. Many FedEx Office stores, Staples, and craft stores also offer laminating services. There is also an editable Word version so that you can personalize the list to add your own details. Both versions are formatted to fit the 4” x 6” size of the laminating pockets.

Departure Checklist-two-sided PDF

Departure Checklist-two-sided – MS Word – Editable

We love learning from the Airstream and RV/travel trailer communities. If this is useful to you, please leave a comment with your experiences and suggestions for improvements.

Happy trails,

Danna and Jack

Gone Silver!

/ By / In Letters, Welcome

Hello World! (on our way to go pick up our brand new 2018 Airstream Globetrotter 27 FBQ)

We are a middle-income, two-profession, asymmetrical-age couple trying to figure out how to enjoy the fruits of our labor in a time where we may not get to retire together.

We have made decisions to moderate our retirement goals in favor of living some of those dreams now. Doing so in a way that paves the way towards the future we dream of if we are so fortunate to experience it.

We have spent the last several years experimenting with the boating side of those dreams on our “classic” trawler, “‘tis Grand”, mostly in the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior. If this online project works out, I expect we will branch out into boating resources down the road.

This year, however, we began a new leg of our adventures when we began to pursue another dream; that of owning and traveling the US and Canada in an Airstream trailer. As Jack eases his way into retirement from a long career of fixing things that are broken, he declared at the outset of this discussion that he did not want to buy another fixer-upper. It was a priority for him that we look at the new market and stay clear of anything that was more than a year or two old.

We didn’t spend much time looking beyond Airstream. We knew we wanted a classic; something that had solid construction, something that retained its resale value, and preferably a brand that had an established culture and community with which we could readily identify and feel a part of. It took one trip to an RV show to confirm that Airstream was the route for us.

This site has two missions. We have learned so much from other bloggers and Youtubers out there who have chosen to share their stories and the lessons they have learned through experience, we would like to reciprocate. We have talked to others in similar situations who are still dreaming and haven’t found the path to navigate the hurdles that stand between them and realizing some of their dreams. We hope that sharing our process might help others who just need a nudge.

We have also learned through our boating experience that we are gear heads and like to systematize our processes to help us not forget all of the things that need to be done when moving these big tiny homes around safely. By sharing our journey from the beginning, while our eyes are still fresh to RVing, we hope to help ourselves and others with similar goals.

And finally, we are both creators, users, and appreciators of good tools. We will spend part of our time developing online tools for RVers and ‘streamers that we think might be useful to others on a similar path.

In coming months, we will share some tools we are working on and a little bit of our process; everything from selecting and outfitting a tow vehicle, to some humor that came along with the fact that we both had to learn how to drive such a big rig. From there we got serious about shopping for our Airstream, only to learn first-hand that the new units were more in demand than we ever realized. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could bring myself to buy something of this magnitude sight-unseen. And I sure as heck would never have bet a penny that Jack could do it. But so it goes. We made an uncharacteristically fast decision about something big, and you will get the unvarnished view of how that worked out for us.

While our journey led us down the Airstream path, we think many of the lessons we learned along the way will resonate with RV’ers from other manufacturers. Thank you for joining us, and we hope you will share your stories with us as time goes on.

Looking forward to the journey,

Danna and Jack, new Globetrotters