Fall is a great time for Airstreaming almost everywhere in North America. Whether you're grabbing that last wonderful month of camping before winter arrives in the north, or you're looking forward to prime winter camping in the south and southwest, cooler temps and color changes make fall travel a joy. Fall is also the ideal season to check off a few quick and easy Airstream maintenance tasks, and here are the five we recommend (and do on our own Airstream) during this time of year. Everything on this list you can do by yourself, even if you have no prior experience. Completing these ..read more

We're traveling in northern New Mexico this week and yesterday Tothie noticed something seriously wrong in the Airstream. One of the upper cabinets had begun to sag down from the ceiling, and was in danger of coming completely loose. This is the sort of thing that rarely happens in an Airstream, but when it does it can signal the abrupt end of your trip—unless you're prepared to fix it yourself. If that cabinet had detached from the ceiling, it would have been a disaster. The stereo and DVD player are wired up there, along with a few lights. Imagine opening up your trailer after a day of towin ..read more

The temperature is still routinely breaking 100° F in southern Arizona in September, so I'm always intrigued when we get an email like this one:  Hi Rich, My wife and I are headed to Rocky Mountain National Park next week and the forecast is for snow on one of our 4 days at the park and the nighttime lows are below freezing 3 out 4 of our nights. Do you think our 16’ Airstream will do ok in this unexpected cold? Any suggestions? Thank you. John This might seem like a challenge to most folks, but to us desert dwellers it sounds great! A little overnight snow in September w ..read more

The temperature is still routinely breaking 100° F in southern Arizona in September, so I'm always intrigued when we get an email like this one:  Hi Rich, My wife and I are headed to Rocky Mountain National Park next week and the forecast is for snow on one of our 4 days at the park and the nighttime lows are below freezing 3 out 4 of our nights. Do you think our 16’ Airstream will do ok in this unexpected cold? Any suggestions? Thank you. John This might seem like a challenge to most folks, but to us desert dwellers it sounds great! A little overnight snow in September w ..read more

September is a great month for Airstream travel in most of the USA and Canada. Fall foliage starts to appear in the northern states, the worst heat of the summer is usually waning in the low elevations, and you don't yet have to start worrying about snow squalls in the western mountain passes. October is pretty good too, but by mid-month in the northern New England states you'll start to see campgrounds shut down due to persistent overnight freezes. By mid-November, conventional wisdom says that it's probably time to winterize your Airstream until the next season. Nah. Why we prefer uncon ..read more

Buying an Airstream or RV is very exciting. But once you’ve got your 6,000+ pound baby home, you’ve got some learning to do. Avoid common new owner mistakes with these tips. 1. Learn how basic operational systems work Stories abound about new Airstreamers who do things like attach the drinking water hose to the black tank flush and accidentally create a “chocolate fountain” on their first trip. Or fail to winterize and find that the Airstream floods with water in the spring. Or overlook the importance of spare entry door keys–and get locked out after their door slams shut. (Yes, all these exam ..read more

We get a lot of questions from Airstreamers who have rooftop solar panels installed, wondering whether they can add a portable solar system for extra charging power. Usually, the answer is yes–but not always. Here's what you need to know about the compatibility of adding a portable system to your rooftop setup. First, understand that all solar panels require a charge controller Every set of solar panels that connects to your Airstream batteries must have its own charge controller. This important device regulates the flow of power from the panels to the batteries so that they aren't o ..read more

This summer has been a scorcher so far, and it doesn't look like the heat is going away anytime soon. With an Airstream it's usually easy to get out of the heat—after all, we all have wheels—but there are times when it's inescapable for a few days, like when you are crossing the Great Plains states. Many times I've been crossing Kansas or Oklahoma or Missouri and been nearly steamed to death in what the meteorologists call "oppressive humidity." So even if you plan to drive away from the heat, you need strategies ready in case the heat follows you. Here are a few of the things I've learne ..read more

Yes, you really can maintain and make minor repairs to your Airstream! These practical posts and videos give you the information and details necessary to tackle the job with confidence. 1. 9 easy repairs you can do yourself – really There are many awesome things about an Airstream, and one of them is that most repairs can be done with very few tools and products. This blog breaks down 9 of the most common repairs and explains how to do them yourself. 2. Solar – simplified! A guide to the basics Most Airstreams come equipped with rooftop solar panels these days. For many new Airstreamers ..read more

There are mistakes, and then there are serious mistakes. Serious mistakes can seriously damage your Airstream, and even get you killed. There's one serious mistake that I am seeing over and over again, and for some reason it seems like hardly anyone is talking about it–except us. I'm referring to overheated and melted power plugs. And summer is the perfect time to discuss the issue, because it's the season when it's most likely to occur. The problem When it's hot and you're running the air conditioner a lot, your power plug is under a lot of stress. If the connectors on the plug are dirty, the ..read more