A Brief Flirtation

After our recent trip to Massachusetts, I was a little tired of the “geeing and hawing” of maneuvering the Airstream out of our winding driveway, through crowded downtowns and tight construction zones, and in and out of parking sites. To say nothing of the hitching up, with the help of mosquitoes, and the setting up after arrival. I think the incessant heat and humidity were getting to me.
I got thinking, ” Wouldn’t it be nice just to have everything in one unit?” (I think every rv owner thinks about what other rigs might work better – and there are pros and cons to each option.) I have been intrigued with the Class B Airstream, in spite of its hefty $100k plus price tag new. We have no Airstream dealers close by so the other day, I paid a visit to a local rv dealer, Vermont Country Campers, to check out a few of their Class B and Class C campers.
It was a hot morning and I was reluctant to drag a sales guy out of his air-conditioned office and made it clear that I was just “tire-kicking.” The first unit I went into was this expensive Winnebago diesel which is similar to the Airstream Interstate.

I was impressed with the design and the fuel economy but saw no need for the two extra captain’s chairs taking up valuable space. The $125k price tag was … well, not in our price range. The salesman, in talking about the lack of storage, said “You wouldn’t be taking bikes and lawn chairs in this.” (Which made me think of all the gear we haul in the truck.)
I’ve seen many RoadTrek vans in our travels and their owners seem to love them – except during long stretches of rainy days where they can develop cabin fever. As soon as I entered the unit shown below, and could not even stand upright, I knew these Class B’s were not for us. Even used and affordable ones.

I looked at a couple of Class C’s, ones with the little bunk area over the truck cab, but by now was realizing that this little Saturday morning fling was over. I thanked the guy, who had been very accomodating, and drove away in the truck thinking, “that old Airstream may be our best bet.”
Who knows, we may upgrade to a newer model Airstream, buy an older one with more character, or continue to improve our present rig. Stay tuned.  (photos courtesy of Vermont Country Campers)