Airstream Hack - Find more space for garbage
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Setting up House in the Airstream: Episode 3 – Garbage Hack
Setting up House in the Airstream: Episode 2
Keeping Things 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!
Setting up House in the Airstream (aka “Gromit”): Episode 1
Kitchen tips for RVs and Airstreams.
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RV Checklist: Essential Tool for Successful Departures
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
8 YouTube Channels for Airstreamers
– Follow along with RV Living and How-Tos
If you are a fan of Airstreams, or RVing in general, and haven’t found and followed these Youtube channels, then you are missing out.
Here are some of our favorites (not all Airstream). Tell us about your favorites in the comments.
Youtube channels from the Airstream community:
less junk < more journey (101k subscribers)
– Nathan, Marissa and Hensley have shared their full-time Airstream RV journey since 2015, including everything from newbie mistakes and lessons, to what it’s like raising a young family on the road. Beautifully shot with lots of helpful tips and travel ideas.
Long Long Honeymoon (137k subscribers)
– Sean and Kristy focus on travel and RV tips in their very popular YouTube channel. Learn everything from how to back into a campsite like a pro to the pros and cons of different trailer hitch locks. All delivered with a sense of humor that makes learning about Airstreaming even more fun.
The More We Explore (30k subscribers)
– Steve, Tess, and Fender love the outdoors and have been sharing their story since 2015; from renting their first RV to the decision to invest in an Airstream. Their feed is a good mix of technical tutorials on how to do things like add a lift kit to your Airstream to backcountry mountain biking. We also appreciate the stories about how they made career changes that allowed them to go full-time Airstreaming.
Other entertaining and informative RV channels worth checking out:
Keep Your Daydreams (147k subscribers)
– This team makes a great case for the maxim “a family that RVs together thrives together”. Marc and Tricia teach us how to live the RV dream with teenage kids. Beautiful videography, intelligent observations, and a healthy interest in food all make this a channel worth checking out.
Mortons on the Move (22k subscribers)
– Wouldn’t we all love to have an engineer on board when traveling in our RV to help troubleshoot and customize our tiny homes? Tom and Cait produce a vlog that is both entertaining and informative. Some of Tom’s projects may be over our head, but they never fail to impress. Also follow along on their new movie project RV Nomads.
Technomadia (56k subscribers)
– Cherie and Chris have a great travel log where they share their journeys in both the RV and boating worlds. They are most well-known for their extensive work and knowledge about how to stay online while living a mobile lifestyle. Most RVers who have dreamed of finding a way to take their job with them full-time have consulted their resources on this topic.
From “official” channels:
Airstream (11k subscribers)
–Did you try and take pictures or video of all of the systems during the walk-thru when you bought your Airstream, or wish you had? Airstream has kindly done this for us and created some lush promotional videos that remind us of the feelings we were craving when we bought in.
Colonial RV (33k subscribers)
– Patrick and the team at Colonial RV crush it when it comes to dealer walk-throughs of Airstream trailers. By the sounds of what other Airstreamers are telling us, we aren’t the only ones who used this great resource to do our homework before buying our own Globetrotter AS.
Bonus link, just because they are fun to follow around the world on their never-ending adventure:
S/V Delos – (289k subscribers)
This crew of beautiful, smart people have been traveling around the world on their sailboat DELOS since 2007. They are able to repair just about anything on their boat and have become master videographers along the way. Beautiful and fun travel log.
Airstream Dealers Online
Research | Review | Follow
Here it is. All of the Airstream dealers in one place with their social media accounts. We needed this when we were getting to know them. We hope you find it as helpful as we did.
- Did you have a positive experience with your Airstream dealer? Let them and prospective buyers know about it.
- Could they benefit from some constructive feedback? Leave a review on Yelp, Facebook or Google+.
- Shopping for an Airstream? Check out your favorite dealers.
- Stay connected! Most dealers are on social media. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or Pinterest to give them a boost and stay in the loop.
If you have suggestions for how to make this resource better, please leave in the comments below.