Traveling across the entire USA.

[Minniemouse]

We have had our 190b for 5 years, using it for short camping trips with our grand children and a place to stay when visiting family. In a few weeks we plan the BIG trip. North Carolina to Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and return to North Carolina. We are welcome to any suggestions. My husband is concerned about how long the propane in the tank will last and if it will be difficult to find places to refill. Also, we need to store some things on the roof rack. There is so little space with the A/C on the roof. Has anyone found a waterproof bag the right size to fit?

[skater]

Propane is pretty common in my experience- lots of gas stations, club stores (BJs, Costco, Sam's), campgrounds, and propane dealers like Suburban can all fill the tank.

[Minniemouse]

We were concerned due to our COSTCO says they can't fill our tank because the hose they have is not long enough to reach it. We assumed other providers may say the same thing.

[weekender]

I've found it to be rare that a place selling propane can't service the tank, but also easy enough to find a RV dealer, or camping world within easy reach. A couple of things that have made it easier because of the location of our tanks: carry a soft carpet or mat to offer the person filling the tank-- they appreciate it a lot. Also, I carry a small homemade ramp, that allows me to lift the van a bit, making access easier.

As for storage, one of the best investments I've make is to have a front mounted tow hitch installed. Here I mount a rack with a storage box. Much easier access to storage than the roof.

Steve

[twistedskipper]

Unless you are winter camping and using the furnace a lot, that propane will last quite a while. In descending order of consumption: furnace, water heater, stove, fridge. The owners manual for our 1999 model says the propane could last around a month. When we filled our tank this season after several trips last season, including some cool nights of light furnace use, it only took 2.8 gallons (13#).

I think it helps to only run the water heater on propane for about an hour or less once or twice a day (like during breakfast and dinner so there's hot water for dishes). It stays hot quite a while. If you're plugging in most nights, you should seldom have to heat water with propane anyway.

Our fridge isn't working on 12 volts, so while we're driving we must run it on propane, but it really doesn't use much (~1000 BTU per hour).

If you do plan to travel in cold weather, but you'll be plugging in most nights, consider installing a 120 volt wall heater, as a previous owner did to ours, right next to the converter beneath the sofa (see photo).

[Planck]

Thanks for posting the wall heater pic. Neat idea

Ref. The long trip. From personal experience I would do the following:

Make sure front brake calipers are in good shape. From years of not much use they can gum/corrode up and not retract the pads properly.

Have the alternator tested. We have lost 2 on the road. Could be because both batteries were low and put excessive load on the alternator.

Have the transmission serviced. Lost the trans on our current 2 month road trip($2000).

Make sure tires are not too old and have proper pressure. Have had 3 blown tires from unknown condition on recently purchased b190s.

Enjoy the trip.

[EricZ]

A few comments:

- I second other people's comments about propane. I've never had the slightest trouble finding gas stations that refill propane (do be aware that some just exchange tanks; you need one that refills) and have always been able to park in such a way that the hose could reach. If you do have trouble, though, you can look for AmeriGas or Suburban Propane.

- I've found the roof rack on my 1993 Airstream 190 to be very poorly attached. The screws holding it to the roof are tiny; a couple have pulled out despite having never attached anything to the rack.

- I, too, have installed a 2" front hitch receiver (I got a Reese 65001, but Draw-Tite uses the same part number, and other brands are available). I've found this useful for a variety of purposes, including bicycle carriers and a storage platform. Do be careful that anything you put on that platform is low enough that it doesn't block airflow to the radiator, though. Also, because I can't see the platform from the driver's seat, I attached markers to remind me that it's there, and how far it sticks out (I used two hoops of thinwall PVC pipe, the tops of which extend above the hood into my field of vision; but almost any kind of stick or marker would do).

- I find that the water heater brings the water up to temperature in about 15 minutes; I thus turn on the water heater shortly before I want hot water, then turn it off when I'm done (as was suggested above); this saves propane. As mentioned, though, the space heater can be the largest consumer of propane.

- In a message above, twistedskipper mentioned not needing propane to heat water when plugged in. That suggests a combination propane/AC water heater (as opposed to propane only). I don't believe any Airstream 190s came from the factory with such a water heater. However there are aftermarket kits to convert (that don't have great reviews), or you can install a new combination unit (which I actually plan to do eventually).

- The 120 volt wall heater shown above looks like a nice idea. Check first, though, to see if your rooftop air conditioner has a heat strip. I believe most Airstream 190s came from the factory with this option. Heat from an overhead source isn't as nice as the low-mounted wall heater pictured above, but it does work okay.

[Reddeer]

Yes, I had problems getting the propane filled on one occasion at Ferrell Gas. Had to back onto very high leveling blocks (back passenger side tire) so they could get the hose and fitting underneath. I have the yellow plastic blocks. It was a bit of a tricky exercise.

We use an electric oil filled radiator heater to reduce furnace use.