How this RV thing all began...
Several years ago a close friend and her family went on a sabbatical for several months, living primarily in an oversized travel van. At the time we learned our friends were going to embark on this journey, we couldn't fathom the idea - it's so small. Upon leaving their home the evening we heard the news, we had a conversation about how we could NEVER live in such a small, confined space with so few possessions. We were quite shocked they were seriously going to do this, however we followed their travels and continued to have multiple conversations about them and this crazy lifestyle they were living.
Fast forward a year.
As we were traveling to an RC Car event, the subject arose regarding travel options for similar events. We started entertaining the idea of what it would be like in a vehicle more equipped for long travel, inclusive necessities and overnight possibilities. After spending a week in a remote location utilizing the venues on-site cabins, we furthered our conversation on the return drive home about possibly renting a vehicle for the next year's event.
The seed was planted.
Once we got home we started researching different ways to travel for vacation and similar events. We came across a few YouTube channels; RV Love, Eat See RV and Alyssa & Heath. We discovered these folks were not only taking trips in RVs, they were also living full-time in them. Their channels sparked curiosity and eventually built a fire that would drive a passion and desire for full-time RV travel. For the next five years we engrossed ourselves in content available online for those who made the leap to live full-time outside of a typical sticks and bricks home. Additional channels like Livin R Vision, Happily Ever Hanks, Camping with the Kellys and Changing Lanes also deserve credit for adding to our motivation and inspiration.
What RV should we get?
Fleetwood Bounder 33C
Our first vehicle that we fell in love with was a Fleetwood Bounder 33C. It was beautiful and well thought out. It was glamorous and had a ton of space, both inside and out. It had a washer/dryer setup, sectional sofa and a residential refrigerator - it was snazzy. At the time, this particular RV checked all our boxes and then some! Unfortunately (or fortunately), we discovered this particular vehicle at a time when we were not ready financially to take the plunge. We held onto the idea of this rig for many months as we continued to research everything RV.
Nexus Rebel 4x4 Super C
After a year or so we came across another vehicle that caught our attention, the Nexus Rebel. The Rebel was bad ass. It was not as glamorous as the Bounder, but it was built like a tank. The manufacturer had a great reputation and we were sure this was "the one". The vinyl graphics in red and black were very similar to the racing paint job on Tony's RC car bodies. We had the opportunity to check one out in person on our annual Thanksgiving trip to Texas to visit family. As we walked inside, we both had the same exact reaction ... Meh. Really? Meh! In that very moment, after months and months of daydreaming about us living and adventuring in one, we were completely over it and now back on the hunt for something that "felt right".
Skoolie
While deep diving into the RV pool, we somehow landed on a video on YouTube where this guy named Chris had converted a traditional Bluebird school bus into a rolling home. His design and thoughtful planning made this bus very impressive. This intrigued us with the idea of making a space that was truly customized to our needs. We digested many videos and researched bus lengths, styles and configurations, thinking this would be the travel method we ultimately chose. We made schematics, followed the auctions and researched all the details of what it would take to convert and live in a school bus. The only issues we came across, which were pretty big issues, were where we could actually park this bus and live as well as getting insurance for the bus. We saw many people doing it but also heard a very large group not being accepted into RV parks and having their insurance canceled due to the company not carrying insurance for modified buses any longer. Two of the main features we were interested in - having a rooftop deck and a stove on board for heating in colder months - were being flagged as things that would keep people from getting insurance. This prompted us to switch gears, once again, and consider other options.
(If you have any interest in this area of tiny living please check out Chris and his bus, Zep II, at The Off Grid Skoolie.)
Airstream Flying Cloud
Que the discovery of KYD (Keep Your Daydream YouTube channel). As we were once again on the hunt for our adventuring and exploring vessel, KYD quickly became one of our favorite RV YouTubers. They started with a travel trailer, moved on to a 5th Wheel and then an Airstream 30' Flying Cloud Bunk. Even though we followed them and talked about their set up being really nice, we really never thought an Airstream would provide us with the right layout or space for our living needs. There were discussions, but it lacked quite a few "requirements" from our original list.
In early October, 2021, we got up on a Sunday morning and went to have a really nice breakfast at Creme de La Crepe. During that meal, a conversation ensued about how an Airstream dealer was near our breakfast location. Once we finished our lovely meal (this small cafe has the BEST waffles!), we headed over to Airstream of Orange County, Midway City, CA. We arrived at the dealership and the sales rep, Danny, met us in the parking lot. He was super nice and did not pressure us or follow us around. He opened all the units that were available on the lot to look at and left us to it. After walking in the first unit, we immediately knew our search was over! We both experienced the same feeling of "this is it". We had a quick chat and discussed how we had this same feeling when we got our new iPhones - simple, powerful, intuitive - JUST PERFECT! We went ahead and walked through almost every unit on the lot to see the variations and the styling differences. After we digested as many Airstream layouts as possible we went inside the dealership and had a conversation with Danny about ordering the one we were interested in. We put down a deposit and boom, within an hour of showing up, we were on our way to becoming owners of a 2022 Airstream Flying Cloud 30' Rear Bedroom Twin (RBT)!
Our story doesn't end here though. Almost 12 months later, on September 24, 2022, we took delivery of our beautiful 2023 30' Airstream Flying Cloud RBT. Yep, that's right, they upgraded us to the next model year which included 300 watts of solar instead of the 180 (which was included with the 2022). However, due to the updated model year, the price increased a bit as well, something we were not ready for. After some negotiation, we worked out a discount, received a dealer-installed 3" lift and a little credit money to buy some goodies from their store. We couldn't be more thrilled about our new Airstream!
Next Steps
We have a lot of ideas and plans for personalizing our Airstream. We named her Rollin Rivets because, well, she is 30' of rollin rivets, approximately 4,000 of them. We are looking to install a desk/video area, hobby storage setup and something to replace the microwave that we will eventually remove (maybe). We are hoping for a nice custom drawer that will hold our Barebones dishes and Ninja Express (shameless plug). We are total newbies and have a lot to learn, but totally jazzed about all the adventures we are about to have. We look forward to sharing every aspect of this journey with you.
See you down the road.
~ Tony, Danna & Bailey