WE TEST DROVE & SLEPT IN AN AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE GRAND TOUR EXT VAN - HOW WAS IT? | RV LIFE
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- čas přidán 3. 03. 2020
- We took an Airstream Interstate Grand Tour Class B Van out for a weekend - test driving it and sleeping in the convertible bed. How did we do? We share our experience in the first of a series of smaller RVs we have been trying on for size, as we consider getting a second RV. ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ Click Show More ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
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ℹ️ About this Episode: We took a friend's 2018 Airstream Interstate Grand Tour Ext out for a test drive - and stayed the night! How did we sleep? How did it drive? How was the livability? Could we travel part time in this Class B RV? Find out in the video, with even more insights over at the blog: rvlove.com/drivesleepairstream... - Huge thanks to our friends Erik and Kala of Livinlite.net for letting us take borrow their van for the weekend!
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#AIRSTREAMINTERSTATE #MERCEDESSPRINTER #RVLIFESTYLE #RVLIFE #MOTORHOME #CLASSB #VANLIFE #RVSHOPPING #TESTDRIVE
Hope you enjoyed our test drive and overnight stay in this Airstream Interstate Van - we share more of our thoughts and experience over at the blog: rvlove.com/2020/03/04/airstream-interstate-van-drive-sleep/ - leave us a comment, ask questions. This is the first smaller RV test drive as we commence our search for a smaller, second RV.
We have this motorhome, and we love the bed, which we leave down almost all the time. Those little ironing board looking things built into the wall near the back doors are extenders, and if you remove the headrest and let those down, the bed is 82” long. I’m 6’2”, so the bed size in the Interstate GT was a selling point. We had a 4” foam mattress cut to 82”x68”, and it fits perfectly and is so comfortable. We can roll it up and fit it behind the sofa when we carry passengers, as the Interstate Grand Tour has 5 lap seat belts in the rear when the sofa and fold down seats are used.
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing. Sounds like you have found a great solution. -M
Thanks, Marc and Julie. I was attracted to Class B and B+ RVs because of their size, but when I finally got to sit in one, I, too, realized that I needed more space and greater cargo capacity (they look great on video, though). I really liked that they fit virtually anywhere and are the only RVs that I would consider bringing into a city.
Safe travels!
Cool that you have given them a look too. They are really fun to drive, and love the versatility and accessibility of having your RV everywhere with you, even parking in touristy areas of down town in bigger cities. But, as you mentioned, they definitely have their limitations too. Fun to try them out and deepen our experiences. -M
We travelled for 2.5 months this winter in Florida in a 19.5' Hymer Aktiv Van (2 adults, 1 dog). It has a murphy type bed. It was a bit of adjustment at first but we ended up really loving the fit. We could drive it anywhere and stay anywhere. Trips into town were a breeze. Both of us love the ease of driving a Dodge chassis. Turns on a dime. With a camper van, you are living "out" of the van instead of "in" it. It offers freedom in and diversity in travel & adventure.
Thanks for sharing your experience. We totally see the advantages, and also know some couples who live full time in similar sized class B vans. Loved hearing that you enjoyed it so much. Agreed that one of the keys of traveling in a smaller RV like that is being able to do more living outside. If we were not working so much, it would be much easier. Traveling in a smaller RV is amazing with all the freedom it offers. -M
I love those screen window walls!! :)
It's cool that you're testing these all out and letting us know your thoughts.
It's also really cool that your friends let you borrow their RV for a little while. What nice people they must be. :)
Thank you. Yes, we loved the screen wall too. Fun to be able to share our experiences with you. and Yes, so generous of our friend to let us borrow their virtually brand new RV to try it out. -M
Great video, Thanks! We're looking at the Mercedes-based coaches from Airstream, Winnebago and Coachmen. We're leaning toward the Airstream. Thanks for the tour! ~Dan
Glad it was helpful!
A little put off by the rattling when you hit a bump. For as much as those cost, I would think it would be quieter.
Roads were pretty bad in that area. rattling was much less on good roads, and if loaded a bit heavier, we are told it is quieter too. -M
Well done.
Thank you. Glad you liked it. -M
We have had drawers go flying as well in our travel trailer...Glad we are not alone... lol But, not sure we could handle making the bed and crawling into the bed all the time. Knees are getting older lol Thanks for sharing
Glad to be able to share our experiences to help others. Yep, we didn't like that bed arrangement either. If you need to get up in the night like me, you also need to crawl out. Our rental RVs both had better bed set ups. Looking forward to sharing that you with you soon. -M
The Airstream and other vans like this are available with rear twin beds. I think that’d be the right way to go. You don’t have to make them up / break them down each day and they can be used as lounges or opposing couches during the day. Many often feature a table that sets up between the twins. If I do a van that is absolutely how I’d spec it.
We have spoken with a few manufacturers, and they have mentioned that twin bed floor plans are very popular. I agree that the floor plans make a lot of sense. I especially like the Leisure Travel Van Wonder RTB. Coachhouse mentioned many of their buyers like the twin beds. Julie and I really like sleeping in the same bed, but can definitely see the appeal of the twin bed units and would still consider one. -M
Dear Marc & Julie: Thanks for making this video. I'm looking at the Lounge myself. I have my eyes on a black beauty with black ultra leather interiors. It offers two more additional seating than the Grand Tour model. I hadn't seen one fully lived in and put through its motions as you guys did in this video, so I'm appreciative that I got the chance to see that. Wish me luck as I head out to one of two remaining dealers on the market today offering the model I'm looking for.
Good luck. If you want to see a rear lounge model truly lived in, check our our friends at Irene Iron Fitness. They have been living full time in their Airstream lounge for over a year. -M
Leisure Travel Van Unity CB 2020 is my favourite of them all....
We love Leisure Travel Vans too. Unity and Serenity -M
wow i know exactly where sorry we did not get to see you both you were
Fun that we were so close. It was a super short visit, so we didn't arrange a meet up. -M
@@Rvlove may be
next time
Do you really want a B Plus? I know that your diesel pusher is kind of big for eastern seaboard traveling you want to do but it is not as bad as you might think. Some friends just got through doing it in a full sized fifth wheel pulled by a dually. The advice in your book, that you autographed for me, says to evaluate your needs separating the long term from the short and make wise decisions accordingly. I am not lecturing you but reminding you of your own advice. You have a beautiful, recently renovated diesel pusher motorhome. There is a lot of country you would really enjoy. Now you have the equipment to enjoy it. Go do it and ignore the voice that says that it would be great if only . . . Don't forget to enjoy what you have already and use it for your full enjoyment!!! Have the time of your lives with what you have already!!!
Thanks Carl. Yes, we still love traveling in our big diesel pusher, and don't have any plans to sell it right now. Just trying out the smaller RVs to see how we like them, and thought it would be fun to share with our audience. Renting RVs is a great way to get a feel for other RVs without over committing. We have visited many big cities, including many in the east coast with our class As, and would again. Appreciate your reminder of what we already advise. Just fun to try some of our other advice in continuing to build our knowledge and experience base. Definitely been having some fun. Thanks again Carl..-M
Love this RV & all 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖🎌
Thanks. It was very nice, but a little small for us. -M
I agree with the making up the bed every night...Hubs & I tented across N. America, we were on the road for 32days & I was good for the first 21 days then I was talking TT that had a permanent bed & separate table (especially after a certain Ohio rest stop for lunch & wanted a power hose to clean the table off). Often we were one night stands & while the tent was easy to set up, the air mattress inflation began to be tedious. We bought a bigger tent so we can now stand up inside & the dog fits in (he missed out on the big trip) but for prolonged trips it will be a towable, 5th wheel perhaps, in a couple of years. Awesome vehicle but too tight for Hubs & I & the large dog. We like each other but need our introvert space.
Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. Cross country with a tent is a very different experience indeed. Great learnings. Great you have a bigger tent now. That will be much more comfortable, and a towable will be wonderful when you start traveling more. Even if it is a small one. We have friends that went a whole year in a T@b. If you have a vehicle that could tow a TT large enough to have a separate bed and table you will feel quite luxurious. :) -M
Hi Marc and Julie
Can you recommend the best place to repair my Interstate GT 24 2021 I have several problems, including the rear view camera
And the refrigerator and freezer.
Thank you very much
We would recommend that you get involved in an owners group for your type of RV to get recommendations. Would probably also depend on the part of the country you are in, and the time of year. -M
We have a Leisure Travel Vans 2017 Unity FX. It is 7'10" in width and 25' in length. A queen Murphy bed and two lounge areas. Check them out.
Congratulations. Those are SUPER nice! We love Leisure Travel Vans. I believe the Unity FX is the same model Mike and Jen Wendland from RV Lifestyle travel in. -M
Me personally, Class B good as a weekender, would prefer Class C as my second home... enjoy the journey !! 👍🏻
We are looking forward to sharing our experience with our slightly larger B+ and C rentals coming soon. -M
To make the bed, remove the arm and head rest and place them in the cab area in front of the seats. Lower the bed extensions on each side that have velcro straps, this extends the length of the bed to allow for taller people. For an optional 'easy out of bed' experience, leave the dinette seats in the sitting position, no climbing out of the bed. Once you get a routine down, it does not take that much time to set the bed up and in a small space everything needs to serve more than one purpose, hence: bed/living space. 10lb hooks on the cabinets to keep them from flying open during turns. QUESTION, where did they get their cab window shades?
Thanks for sharing the detail on how to properly set up the bed. AS you could tell, we were winging it a bit. We were sure that it would get easier with time, and our friends Aaron and Chris who have traveled and worked full time from their similar (but smaller) Airstream have worked it out quite well. As for the cab window shades. Our friend said they came with it, but they are available aftermarket. -M
Can you provide a link to the roll up mattress you showed in this video?
Thanks for the question. We didn't buy those, and it was not our van. But if you reach out to the folks at livinlite.net they might be able to help you. -M
Class B+ with a slide is the berries , same fuel millage with more room .
We also like the wide-body Bs (downsized Cs) without slides. Floor plans feel very spacious, and water tank capacities are a bit larger. And, can still fit in almost as many parking spaces as regular Bs. Just not as good at stealth camping. We will be sharing more on our experiences in the B+ coaches once that content feels appropriate again. -M
wow you were in my area
So close.
Hi Marc! Did your AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE GRAND TOUR EXT VAN have leveling jacks system installed? Can you share the benefits of it? We plan to buy an Airstream Interstate 24 GT soon. Thanks
This van did not have leveling jacks. Honestly, if given the option, I probably would not be interested in adding the weight and complexity of leveling jacks on a class B. They are so easy to maneuver to to get level. I would just carry a couple leveling blocks. But, we have known people that love leveling jacks on their B+ and Class C. -M
@@Rvlove I really appreciate your experience and perspective on this. Thanks a million!
What were the rolls for the matress you had here? They fit in the overhead storage perfectly!
Sorry, it wasn't our RV, so I don't have any details on those.
@@Rvlove hey, no worries!
Hello Guys good evening... Why do you guys try the Thor Vegas/Axis it is built on a class C chassis but with a Class A body and it’s the smallest Class A in the market also budget friendly
Thanks for the suggestion on the Vegas/Axis. We are definitely familiar with them as we have known a few folks that own them and seem reasonably happy with them. Just not what we are looking for. -M
@@Rvlove Brilliant hopefully you find what you are looking for ..Happy Christmas
Why would you set up and take down the bed every day for just the two of you? Leave it down - no extra time when you stop for the day.
If traveling and working in it full time, we would need the extra work space in the back during the day. If only touring and traveling, leaving the bed area as a bed would be fine. -M
Under your new circumstances, I’m wondering if this is now a good option for you both?
Yes, a class B would be a very good for our new (Dec 2020) circumstances. But, so is our Jeep and Casita for now. The Casita is super inexpensive to maintain, and we can do some local exploring (including off roading) with the Jeep. But again, yes.. a class B is also great for when you have a home base. -M
Travato KL has twin beds.
Thanks for sharing. It seems twin bed units are very popular. -M
For me if it were just me or a friend it would be fine. But my 6”4 husband would never fee comfortable with this. Then the amount of money would make him even more uncomfortable!😂 And for that price point those dang drawers better stay locked or airstream would be fixing that for me. I do love the ability to move about easily though! Thanks for the video!
Thanks for sharing. Yes, vans are challenging for somebody as tall as your husband. Glad we checked it out, but we are excited to check out some slightly larger ones, and sharing that experience with you. -M
There is a lock on the micro and Frig but you do have to manually lock them.
RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett I am 6’ 4” and we have an Airstream interstate lounge (with two additional captains chairs) and i do just fine in ours. Obviously you have to learn how to make it work but it sure beats a tent🤣
@@selnut1 How's that neck feelin?
Just wondering: my wife is just under 5’ tall and has no trouble at all driving a Sprinter. How tall is Julie?
Also there are so called van-lifers that live out of Sprinters- even 144” WB models. Not suggesting that life for you, but it is a point of note that every long term successful couple I have seen Sprinter-living designs their house with a fixed bed of some sort. Food for thought.
Julie is 4'8" tall. She tried driving our rental RVs, one of which was on a sprinter. those videos coming soon. Yes, we have met a number of folks who do extended travel, and even full time in Sprinters. We would want a different bed solution too. Fixed bed uses a lot of space, but we place such a high value on sleep. Thanks for sharing your comment. -M
You need to push in the knobs to lock the drawers
Actually, the knobs on this particular van were not functional as locks. We have seen others that are, so we were extra disappointed to see that these didn't lock. Even confirmed with the owner. -M
Looks like the one Chis and Aaron (Irene Iron Fitness) have!
VERY similar. A newer version of Chris and Aaron's, which has another foot of length. We have spent a lot of time in Chris and Aarons too. Not sure if you saw our tour of their rig and interview at their 1 year anniversary.. here is a link -M
czcams.com/video/dT95GvOSymc/video.html
wherein conn were you guys we live in Easton ct (tillthe house sells lol)
We were in the Trumbull, Monroe, Fairfield area. Hoping you can sell your house for every bit you want, right when you want. CT is really nice. -M
@@Rvlove thanks looking forward to full timing safe travels
Class B or B+ do have a certain appeal. But at over $100K, and you need to buy a pad for the bed, I don’t think so.
Pros and cons to every type of RV. Looking forward to sharing our other experiences with you soon. -M
Right off the bat you said the drawers open up seems they were not locked the button
has to be pressed in....
Thank you. Yes, we are aware of the button that supposedly locks the drawers. But it was not working on this RV They would not lock. -M
If the unit does not have factory : Solar Panels, plenty of storage batteries, security cams; do not get involved. After market items are not the same design quality, compared to manufactures design/build.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. True, sometimes aftermarket are grossly inferior. But, sometimes aftermarket is far better than original. Just depends on the product and supplier. -M
What B class did you decide on?
We were very excited about a Class B, and might still get one in the future, but we recently made a different purchase. We bought a small camper to pull behind our Jeep. Here is a link to the two posts and videos about that.
rvlove.com/2RVS
rvlove.com/CasitaRVTour
Thank you -M
Julie you look great without make up👍 Marks a lucky man
Thank you. Yes, I am a lucky man. -M
try a b+
Yes, we think B+ (also known as downsized Cs) are a great size. -M
@@Rvlove yeah I'm a newell /Prevost type guy myself or maybe a cyclone 4200 with a big old Kenworth with 120-in sleeper pulling it
What part of CT?
You answered it, Thanks, great 👍 vid
You are welcome.
Very nice coach but I started to feel claustrophobic just watching this. There are class B's out there with a slide which is almost a necessity at this size. I think I will stay with my 37' class A with 3 slides.
Wide body Bs are nice too. Looking forward to sharing those experiences with you. Yes, we also love our 40' coach for full time living. But these smaller coaches are definitely fun to travel in shorter term. -M
Great video! But Julie, stop looking at the camera's screen all the time. Maybe you need to cover it with something. :) We're over *here*, LOL
Thanks. Yes, it is tricky trying to hold the camera and make sure you have it framed properly in a moving vehicle and look at the lens instead of framing. Maybe we can just set up a frame and mount a camera in position in stead of holding it. -M
Why didn’t you take shower?
We only had it for the night and had easy access to other shower option at our friends house, so just showered there. -M
I wouldn't to live in nothing smaller than a 30ft. RV. The class B+ are nice but not to live in.... But that's me...
We don't want to live full time in anything this small right now either. We love our 40' Class A. Just exploring the idea of a second RV, or renting small RVs when it doesn't make sense to drive our big coach. -M
Not good at all ! I like a dedicated bed space.
We have heard from many who are ok with convertible, and we understand wanting to make better use of the space. But, we too really like having a dedicated bed. After all, we have had custom mattresses made for both of our motorhomes. If you haven't seen that already, here is a link. rvlove.com/buyingrvmattress
-M
200 grand
Actually, two years old and 90 grand. You might be thinking of a new Atlas MSRP if looking at $200K But very few educated buyers pay close to MSRP. -M
The vehicle drives easier but your field of view is diminished. We used our class b when we went to parent events when our daughter was in college. We stayed in a state park even when the lows got into the teens. We went with an inflatable mattress.
Wow! lows in the teens. That is very cold. But I guess the heater can make quick work of such a small space. Great for short trips. -M
these civilians make such a big deal over this little rvs try a 45' with a 30' car trailer then you can cry a lil bit ......the bigger the more fun and challenging plus you need a garmin gps that you can put your hgt/wgt in its saved me more than a100 times ove...... be safe
Yes, a 45' coach towing a 30' trailer is a VERY large rig. Surely has many additional challenges compared to our normal 40' rig towing a Jeep. -M
Not sure i’d spend 200K for this
Agreed that $200K is quite expensive for these. Our friends that have them all paid under $100K for theirs. But we have seen Custom class B vans sell for nearly $300K. The market for class B vans is very hot lately, so with the low supply and high demand, prices are running pretty high. -M
Too small for me
It is a bit small for the two of us with trying to work full time. But could see it being great for vacation trips without needing to work. -M
My god just go, look and test drive 2018 Vegas 25.2 it's just 2.6' feet longer 26.6' it's a Thor yes a Thor Baby Class A I loath Mercedes overrated and overpriced
Thanks for sharing. We know a few people who have been very happy with their Thor Vegas coaches. And can definitely see why they like them. We have looked at them, but have not test driven one. -M
I wanted to buy an RV... nahhhhhh. I'm 6'2" and that looks very uncomfortable. For $150-200k I can get a nice SUV and stay at the nicest hotels for decades and still have money left over.
Of course there are other RVs that are better for taller people. But yes, for the kind of money spent on some RVs, you could spend a lot of time doing other types of travel. If only doing part time travel, you need to carefully weigh the options. If full time traveling the balance likely shifts to RV travel affordability. -M