Excellent review. I've been thinking of upgrading to an airstream. You are the first person in a review to talk about the temperature of the windows and walls. I live in Florida and have wondered about those windows when it gets extremely hot as well as the walls. I know that in my current trailer which does not have many windows it can be a blessing because of the extreme heat. It's a shame that in many of the reviews of the trailer people complain about the rivets and some people know how to put them back in. I don't understand why this is such an issue with the product. Thanks again and have a wonderful day!
I know when you first take a trailer out, the rivets can come out just from the road shake. But I'm hopeful after those few that popped out, the rest will stay put. Airstream does put them back in for you, no problem though. And yeah, the temperature of the walls is definitely something I'm surprised more Airstream owners don't talk about. The trailer itself stays pretty comfortable in the varying temperatures....until you touch the side lol.
Hi! I have the Caravel 20fb. Your Dometic AC unit has a heat pump setting. Press the MODE button on your control panel until you see HP. That’s the heat pump and it runs off electricity (not propane) through your ducted ceiling. Just set your desired temp (just as you would with the AC), it works flawlessly and you wont need your space heater. The furnace uses propane and in my opinion gets way too hot for our 20’ trailers. I never use it.
Thanks for the tip! We've actually used it. But when it's 20 degrees outside, it doesn't do much to heat up the interior unless you have another heat source. We camped in the snow up in Lone Pine for Christmas last year and were so happy to have that little space heater!
Love your review! I have the same Caravel and had my Dad make a wood cover/counter to put over my stovetop when I’m not using it, so I can use it for extra counter space when not cooking and also it keeps the stovetop from collecting dust so much. :) I learned the hard way leaving the grates on it too while traveling. I also don’t leave anything in the microwave when traveling because I’ve scratched it. Have never had shower leaking issues with mine so hopefully they can resolve that for you! I also highly recommend a protective breathable mat/layer under your mattress to prevent condensation and mold. Amazon sells great options. Condensation is a beast if you don’t keep it under control esp in cold temps. Happy travels! Airstreams are great though. :)
Omg, these are all wonderful recommendations Hannah! Thank you so much. I really appreciate the feedback, especially on the mattress. I'm not only an Airstream noob, but I'm also new to RVs in general, and will happily take all the advice. :) My Caravel is with Airstream right now for it's initial maintenance visit. While there they discovered that the shower door was not properly installed. So that should hopefully be fixed when I get it back. Fingers crossed.
@@pinkhathiker You’re so welcome! I’m a noob too and learning as I go. ;) You will find that there are many little things you can learn to fix on your own as you go. I’ve learned a lot from other UA-cam AS owners as well as on the AS forum. Glad your shower is fixed! :)
Best window trick is to use a plastic straw (we use a tough Sonic straw 😂) with our Airstream to slide under edges to easily break the seal that forms in heat. It’s very easy and doesn’t risk a scratch or chipping credit card. Straw will bend.
Thanks for the review . I am trying to figure out which caravel will work best for just my husband and I . My thoughts on your food prep area are as follows . 1. Can you prep out on picnic table or small table outside weather permitting? 2. Maybe just have daughters bed be a bed at night after last meal has been prepared ? Just my humble offerings as a mother of 6 and grandmother to 17.
We will definitely plan to use a picnic table (if available) once it warms up. It's been so cold where we've been camping that it's not feasible to do any prep or cooking outside. But I am very much looking forward to warmer weather when I can :) For the bed, that's the plan in the future. Ours actually had a defect that is being repaired now in the telescoping feature. Now that it's being fixed, it should make it a lot easier to transition from bed to table! If you have an Airstream dealer near you, I definitely recommend going and seeing the different floorplans first. They feel so different in person than they do just looking online. We had been looking at a few models (including the Bambi), and seeing the 22fb Caravel really sealed the deal for me. Which is surprising because going in I wasn't even interested in the Caravel because I didn't think the upgrades were worth the price until I saw it. Good luck with your search, and an early welcome to the Airstream family!
Once you have the windows open.. maybe run sone silicon dressing on the rubber seals. That would probably prevent them from sticking and treat them at same time
I'll talk to Airstream about that. Wouldn't want to do anything that could potentially void the warranty. I've already had one window seal replaced since I got it.
Hi Jason! Yes, a banquette (I'm assuming it's French, but that's really just a guess haha). Google's definition is: a seat or bench which is specially designed to fit into a space, typically running along a wall. :)
Given enough time, enough screws will come off so whatever was being held in place by them will fall off.. then you’ll know where the screws came from lol. . Check the door hinges… that probably where the screws came off from. It’s happend to other airstream owners. Rivers will continue to come out. Dont know why the heck they dont do the rivets right. But yeah.. that’s all a sign your camper is coming apart.
I'm not too worried about it. Airstreams are made pretty well. And things come out on the maiden voyage. I've talked to enough other Airstream owners who had the same issue that I'm not too alarmed about it atm. If it persists, then yeah, I'll be worried.
Yes, it does. But it also has a smaller bed. We figured we'd be doing less cooking, and more sleeping in the space, so we opted for the larger bed with that rational. Now that I'm actually in it, I'm second guessing that decision.
Excellent review. I've been thinking of upgrading to an airstream. You are the first person in a review to talk about the temperature of the windows and walls. I live in Florida and have wondered about those windows when it gets extremely hot as well as the walls. I know that in my current trailer which does not have many windows it can be a blessing because of the extreme heat. It's a shame that in many of the reviews of the trailer people complain about the rivets and some people know how to put them back in. I don't understand why this is such an issue with the product. Thanks again and have a wonderful day!
I know when you first take a trailer out, the rivets can come out just from the road shake. But I'm hopeful after those few that popped out, the rest will stay put. Airstream does put them back in for you, no problem though.
And yeah, the temperature of the walls is definitely something I'm surprised more Airstream owners don't talk about. The trailer itself stays pretty comfortable in the varying temperatures....until you touch the side lol.
Hi! I have the Caravel 20fb. Your Dometic AC unit has a heat pump setting. Press the MODE button on your control panel until you see HP. That’s the heat pump and it runs off electricity (not propane) through your ducted ceiling. Just set your desired temp (just as you would with the AC), it works flawlessly and you wont need your space heater. The furnace uses propane and in my opinion gets way too hot for our 20’ trailers. I never use it.
Thanks for the tip! We've actually used it. But when it's 20 degrees outside, it doesn't do much to heat up the interior unless you have another heat source. We camped in the snow up in Lone Pine for Christmas last year and were so happy to have that little space heater!
Love your review! I have the same Caravel and had my Dad make a wood cover/counter to put over my stovetop when I’m not using it, so I can use it for extra counter space when not cooking and also it keeps the stovetop from collecting dust so much. :) I learned the hard way leaving the grates on it too while traveling. I also don’t leave anything in the microwave when traveling because I’ve scratched it. Have never had shower leaking issues with mine so hopefully they can resolve that for you! I also highly recommend a protective breathable mat/layer under your mattress to prevent condensation and mold. Amazon sells great options. Condensation is a beast if you don’t keep it under control esp in cold temps. Happy travels!
Airstreams are great though. :)
Omg, these are all wonderful recommendations Hannah! Thank you so much. I really appreciate the feedback, especially on the mattress. I'm not only an Airstream noob, but I'm also new to RVs in general, and will happily take all the advice. :)
My Caravel is with Airstream right now for it's initial maintenance visit. While there they discovered that the shower door was not properly installed. So that should hopefully be fixed when I get it back. Fingers crossed.
@@pinkhathiker You’re so welcome! I’m a noob too and learning as I go. ;) You will find that there are many little things you can learn to fix on your own as you go. I’ve learned a lot from other UA-cam AS owners as well as on the AS forum. Glad your shower is fixed! :)
Best window trick is to use a plastic straw (we use a tough Sonic straw 😂) with our Airstream to slide under edges to easily break the seal that forms in heat. It’s very easy and doesn’t risk a scratch or chipping credit card. Straw will bend.
Love that! Thanks for the tip. The whole credit card thing made me nervous when the Airstream folks told us to try that.
Thank you for sharing my favorite things. 😀
You're welcome kiddo!!
thank you for the review!!!
My pleasure. Thanks for watching 😊
Thanks for the review . I am trying to figure out which caravel will work best for just my husband and I . My thoughts on your food prep area are as follows . 1. Can you prep out on picnic table or small table outside weather permitting?
2. Maybe just have daughters bed be a bed at night after last meal has been prepared ? Just my humble offerings as a mother of 6 and grandmother to 17.
We will definitely plan to use a picnic table (if available) once it warms up. It's been so cold where we've been camping that it's not feasible to do any prep or cooking outside. But I am very much looking forward to warmer weather when I can :)
For the bed, that's the plan in the future. Ours actually had a defect that is being repaired now in the telescoping feature. Now that it's being fixed, it should make it a lot easier to transition from bed to table!
If you have an Airstream dealer near you, I definitely recommend going and seeing the different floorplans first. They feel so different in person than they do just looking online. We had been looking at a few models (including the Bambi), and seeing the 22fb Caravel really sealed the deal for me. Which is surprising because going in I wasn't even interested in the Caravel because I didn't think the upgrades were worth the price until I saw it. Good luck with your search, and an early welcome to the Airstream family!
Once you have the windows open.. maybe run sone silicon dressing on the rubber seals. That would probably prevent them from sticking and treat them at same time
I'll talk to Airstream about that. Wouldn't want to do anything that could potentially void the warranty. I've already had one window seal replaced since I got it.
Bankette? Trying so hard to figure out what you said but I have no idea.
Hi Jason! Yes, a banquette (I'm assuming it's French, but that's really just a guess haha). Google's definition is: a seat or bench which is specially designed to fit into a space, typically running along a wall. :)
Given enough time, enough screws will come off so whatever was being held in place by them will fall off.. then you’ll know where the screws came from lol. . Check the door hinges… that probably where the screws came off from. It’s happend to other airstream owners.
Rivers will continue to come out. Dont know why the heck they dont do the rivets right.
But yeah.. that’s all a sign your camper is coming apart.
I'm not too worried about it. Airstreams are made pretty well. And things come out on the maiden voyage. I've talked to enough other Airstream owners who had the same issue that I'm not too alarmed about it atm. If it persists, then yeah, I'll be worried.
The 20 foot Caravel has much more counter space.
Yes, it does. But it also has a smaller bed. We figured we'd be doing less cooking, and more sleeping in the space, so we opted for the larger bed with that rational. Now that I'm actually in it, I'm second guessing that decision.