Hello all,
Doug and Melanie here. In a previous post, we mentioned we were selling our Airstream and buying an off-road trailer. (As Shelly said, we love getting into wild places to hike and explore and enjoy nature, and an off-road trailer will let us do that more.) Well, the transition is complete: the Airstream is sold and we took our first shakedown trip in the Kimberly Kamper.
It was the worst of times and the best of times. Transition is never easy: there’s so much to be gained, but something has to be lost.
Selling Our Airstream
We loved our Airstream and wish we could have kept it, but financially it wasn’t feasible.
We posted on three Airstream selling platforms, and the sale took about two months. It was a roller coaster of activity and emotions. There was an immediate spike of interest (from as far away as Hawaii) then crickets for about six weeks.
We knew we were at the top of the price range so we reduced the price and reposted, contacted dealers and an Airstream selling/service consultant, and added it to an Airstream Facebook group. Again, a flurry of activity and crickets for a couple of weeks.
Then the gates opened. We had offers made sight unseen; counter-offers made and accepted then the buyers backing out the following day; and contacts from “very interested cash buyers” only to be ghosted. One party (call him Dr. Dentist) kept requesting additional pictures and information but made no offer.
Until … we finally received very cryptic emails from a local party late at night wanting to see the trailer the next morning. We obliged, and they looked and made an immediate offer, which we accepted.
(We notified Dr. Dentist, and he was angry that we sold the trailer “out from under him” and wanted to counter offer, which I turned down.)
Two days later, the sale was complete and the money was in the bank. It was surprisingly emotional watching the Airstream being towed away. We had great times and made some amazing friends with that trailer.
Melanie is so happy about the people we sold it to. One half of the couple is a firefighter/paramedic—retired military—for whom Melanie has a soft spot. She is so glad it went to a good home. He and his wife purchased it to take their grandchildren camping.
The Kimberly
Our new off-road trailer, a Kimberly Kamper from Australia, arrived almost two months behind schedule. We spent a day and a half with the dealer, who went over everything in great detail, answered all questions and made sure any concern was addressed.
A little over a week later, we took the Kimberly out for a few nights for an initial shakedown cruise. We love our new home, and the shakedown went without a hitch.
Well, one small incident (small on a planetary scale).
Our kitchen is outside, and there is a two-burner stove and a “wok” (one burner). I wanted to use the wok burner to heat water for coffee on the first morning out and hooked up one of the two propane hoses.
I turn the knob, the lighter clicks and WHOOSH, the whole burner was ingulfed in flames. My hand goes through the flames to turn off the gas.
Try again, same thing, hand once again through the flames.
Call the dealer.
“Which hose did you use?”
OH OH. OOPS. Wrong hose.
Try again with the correct hose. Everything worked perfectly. Luckily no burns on the hands and nothing but the burner caught fire.
We are now off on a five-day shakedown cruise. Wish us luck—and no more fire balls.
