(energized intro music) Denise: Hey everybody, it's Kory and Denise from Does Size Matter, and we have a bit of a unique review to do for you today As you've probably already seen in previous videos, we have reviewed the Airstream Nest But, since WE had that as a Rental for a full 12 days, a lot of our viewers are wanting more in-depth information about how we used it, and the Pros and Cons of its use Kory: So as Denise said, we were away for 12 nights. About 4 of those nights we were Plugged-In We have never been hooked up to Water or Sewer So Boondocking 8 of those nights, completely And without Water and Sewer for 8 of those nights. D: And how far did we go? K: A total of about 3,500 kilometers D: We went way up North K: Mmmm Hmmmm D: We stayed in Provincial Parks, and we stayed in Parking Lots, and we stayed in RV Parks So this video is going to tell you OUR personal Pros and Cons, so they may be different for YOU, in that everybody kind of boondocks their own style and has different priorities K: And expectations D: And expectations, right! So what's important to us, may not be important to you And you might think we're complaining about something that is silly! Or, we might miss something that would be important to you K: The car that we've been using to pull the 3400 pound Single Axle Airstream Nest, is a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee It has 300 horse, it's six cylinder. I'm not sure what the torque is on it, but it is rated to pull 5000 pounds And it had no problem pulling this, unless we were pulling a big hill, you really could almost forget that it was there And we did pull some big hills. Recently, in the last two days, there's been some 13 % grades that we went Up and Down, and it managed it just fine I wouldn't want to do that all day-every day, but it DID manage Also, on the Trailer there are no Sway Bars and it wasn't really needed actually, it was good. We went through heavy rains..... D: Oh my God...oh my God! (voice muffled by torrential rain and hail) Wind! We had a side wind for most of a day, like a heavy side wind, and it you know, you could feel it, but it wasn't throwing the car around at all. It wasn't uncomfortable at all Overall, it was a pretty good experience to own this trailer D: We want to talk about the Exterior of the Airstream Nest, and some Pros and Cons about that Big PRO for me, you know I LOVE this awning and its LED lighting, and how the Beaver doesn't have it, and I LOVE it! So that's really great! The other thing that I really like, is the screen door. Being that the door is on the Back of the Nest, having that screen door on there, and it's beautiful and seamless... But I did have a problem with it! (Both Laughing) But, I still really liked having that screen door back there. K: So, what happened? D: OK, well, this is a Con to this screen door! It is ABSOLUTELY seamless, you don't know it's there all the time...... and the "Con" is that I spilled my wine down the screen as I rammed my face into it! K: (Laughing) K: Right! Just one problem? D: Just one little problem with that! K: the other Pro about the Nest, that I think is a Pro, it's built in three pieces that are Bonded together So, in order to get a leak, it would have to be one of those Bonding Joints, which is unlikely Or like an Opening. Like a Window Opening, or a Door Opening, Air Conditioning Opening... that could potentially have a leak, but those should be easy to fix, or easy to identify and fix. So I DO like that D: Yeah K: A Con to that though, would be if you were to have some damage, you know, other than a surface scratch which could be buffed out or easily fixed. If you had some more serious damage, it could be very expensive to fix D: Just because it's an All-Fiberglass Structure, so a crack in fiberglass is kind of a big deal We didn't use the A/C system on the Nest, so we can't really speak to that, but we did have some pretty hot days while we were using this And I just found that opening the Vent at the top, turning the Fan on, opening the windows... really allowed good ventilation, and cooled the trailer off very nicely Now, I know. I have to eat crow on that! Because, I've always said that I didn't like these Frameless Windows, that opened out like that, because I didn't think they gave enough circulation Well, they DID, so THERE! They look good, and they ventilated well (Laughs) So, yah, that was with that! D: The Propane Furnace, we thought worked really well You know, there were times when I really wanted the heating, and since we were Boondocking most of the time, Propane was the best choice for us We didn't use the Heat Pump or the Heat Strip as those were electrical components, So, I can't really speak to those, and I had heard in different Forums that people have had trouble with that. I can't say. What WAS good, was that that Propane Furnace heated us up nicely, and quickly, and I was a Happy Camper K: This trailer is equipped with an On-Demand hot water system, and I think that in our minds, that was a bit of a Con I THOUGHT I would like THAT, but really, it took a long time to get hot water And if you are Boondocking, like we were most of the time, you're doing an On-Off shower You're trying not to use any water, but you're spending most of your shower in cold water D: Yeah K: And sometimes when you DO get hot water, and you turn it back a little bit, it cuts off as well So, I didn't find that was the best system, I would have preferred a Tank Probably if you were...it had full connections all the tim..the On-Demand hot water would be great because you'd have water all the time But, in Boondocking situations not so much D: And we did have some experience with an On-Demand hot water system, that we had had in our Houseboat years ago. We DID find a similar issue K: MmmHmm. But we DID have unlimited water.... D: We DID! We were floating around on the lake for that! K: So, let's talk about Tanks and dumping D: That's a "Blue job"! (Laughing) K: Here's a "Blue boy". Nobody likes to do it! But, really, it was pretty easy to do. The hose was accessible. The valve was accessible. The connection was accessible. It was relatively easy to do! K: A Conduit though, on this particular unit- I don't know if it's on all of them- but, the outlet is kind of angled up a little bit. Soooo, You get some" residual". And it seems in a combined tank like this, where you have your Gray and your Black together A lot of the Black stays to the end. And it's NOT a nice situation when it doesn't all drain out and it also doesn't flush the hose out, because usually you flush that with your Gray D: When it comes to Boondocking, we know a lot of people will dump their Gray wherever they may be Now, that's not our personal practice, but we do know that some folks do that. And with this system you wouldn't really be able to do that, because the Black and Gray are combined So, you would have to have some type of Blueboy System, and you would have to have some type of Jug System to refill your tanks, because they ARE small So again, just a bit of a Con in the Boondocking situation. If you're hooked up, you would be JUST fine! K: So, come on into our Airstream Nest...this is OUR Airstream Nest for another day So, everything that we have is actually in here right now, and everything in here has a spot to be put away So, the Pro is everything has a spot to be put away.... The Con is, everything NEEDS to be put away in order to function properly in here So, it's been taking some..... D: Adjustment K: Adjustment. But we're getting it. And it's not that bad. D: Pros and Cons for the Refrigerator are a few One of the Cons would be that it's a smaller refrigerator than we're used to. So that meant shopping more frequently I think it's about a 3.2 or 4 cubic foot refrigerator And it was a bit tough to regulate for some reason, it kind of was freezing stuff, and then we'd find a little bit of melting and so we were having trouble regulating it, but it was a Pro! Very efficient, because this is an Electric-only refrigerator and it managed off of the batteries with no problem at all We never had a problem with that So, the other issue we had with this refrigerator, which I think was more operator error than refrigerator error... Apparently, these trailers Shake, Rattle, and Roll a little more than we were used to, and the beer in the fridge, it doesn't like that, which somehow...escaped And, we've got beer all over the floor, we have beer soaked onions, we have beer soaked eggs... We have, well, beer-flavoured everything, I guess is the bright side (giggles) So yeah, I guess the other bright side is this is a pretty small floor, and this is a very easy to wipe down rig So, I am cleaning up with the supplies that I have in a Rental! I think I kind of loaded the door a bit heavy, and it did come open at one point and we had a spilled mess So, I think it's just I needed to be a little more thoughtful about the way we packed it, but take a look inside One more Con, is that the freezer is small but again, that's what you expect in a small refrigerator It's the way that it opens. And coming out like this, I can't reach in there. I can't see in there. I don't even know what's going on and So, I wish it opened in a different direction that I could access it better, because that's a real problem for us Otherwise, we had a good fridge K: It is a D/C electric fridge too D: The stove has a nice cover, that allows you to use it for space if you need to, and then lifts up like this It is a 2 burner propane stove, and I know normally I kind of don't like that, but in a trailer this size, the 2 burners is just fine We almost exclusively- only a couple times did we cook outside of the trailer- just due to we didn't have a barbecue and things like that So we cooked a lot inside the trailer and it worked just fine, so it was good Something that really impressed us in this trailer is the amount of Electrical outlets and USB You can see here just in the kitchen alone, there's two plugs and two USB There's other USB throughout the trailer and electrical, very well positioned and easy to use These are my most favourite USB ports and there's one on this end and one on the other end. Because when this is a bed, this is my handy-dandy nightstand that I always have to have. It's perfect for having your phone or doing any charging. LOVE it! This Dinette is FABULOUS! It's big. You could seat a lot of people in here, I don't know how many people you would want in this Trailer... ...but it has very comfortable seating. You can relax and lounge, you can sit up to the table. The cushions are good, I mean they look good, but they're also a nice fabric. They're really easy to clean, they're comfortable to sit on I mean, you're surrounded by all these windows and a skylight Like, this is a WONDERFUL Dinette! The table is very Multifunctional, it can be small like this, it can open up, like this And there's another one of these on this side, so you can you can move this around to make it easier to get in, or however you're sitting or whatever you want to do. You can make it bigger, you could make it smaller So, we we really liked this Dinette, A LOT! The other thing that I want to talk about while I'm sitting here, is these GREAT windows have GREAT window coverings! These are very nicely insulated window coverings, and they're on these little sliders, and you can slide them back and forth And they do wrap around, and even the center one zips up So you can really cover these windows, if you feel you need to We don't. We've only actually covered these windows one time since we've had it The Con about this, is that these little plastic things that are in this track get stuck easily, and you kind of have to pull, and wrench, and inch them along Over multiple years of use, and if people are opening and closing every day, and every night I could see those getting broke, or becoming a problem For us, it was just fine, cuz we leave them open! The lighting in the Airstream Nest has been very adequate You've got quite a bit of under-cabinet, and you've got some in the front, as well as back here It lights everything, all that you need When these are off, there's also a hidden LED light strip that changes colors and everything Now we used the light strip, but we didn't do the color features, so I can't speak to the colors... But, it's a very nice, subtle lighting that almost leaves the whole trailer with a bit of a glow, and it's really unique, and I really LIKED it! Countertops! Always an important topic for me when we're reviewing an RV, and for a 16 foot trailer, this has COUNTERTOP It's got a small amount of space back here, around the stove and sink, but it's got this expansive space over here So, I mean, we just used this for everything! Sometimes our computers are charging here. Sometimes we're using this for prep Sometimes this is where our bathroom things would go, Like, this is just totally a multi-surface, HUGE Countertop, and I LOVED it! Let's talk about the sink This is a decent sink, and we all know that I love having the sink covered, so that I have extra countertop space. The problem here is not with the cupboard, it's with the tap. This tap is so LOW that there's very little space so if I'm using this as countertop space, and I need to get some water or something, there's so little space here to put something under, and gather water to do the next thing with So, this tap just simply needs to be TALLER Then, once you take this out You do have a decent sized sink Yes, it's only a Single but that's fine. We're in a small Trailer, remember This is a GOOD sink. The problem is again, my TAP. Doesn't swivel! So, we're Boondocking, and every time I turn this tap on, it runs directly down the drain So, I'm constantly worried about too much water coming out, and ending up in the drain and in the tanks, that I haven't really used as well as I could have We have some other Sink issues in this Trailer, but I'll get to those in a minute Now we want to talk about Storage, and for this small Trailer, I can't say enough about the storage! Look at this Closet! This closet has room for hanging. We put all our bedding in here. There was an Upper that we didn't even need We've got all our shoes, and a Lower Like, everything's out of the way, it's not in front of the door And there's more room in here for more stuff, easily Everybody keeps asking us about this Cabinet underneath the Microwave, and I just want to show it to you. It is NOT a cabinet It is where your Fuse Box is, and your Battery turn off, and things like that And that's OK, because we have a lot of storage elsewhere So, this is a drawer, this is a drawer. This is a door opened up So, we've got clothes, we've got glasses, we've got more clothes Over here, I'll open this one for you is deep, good storage We got a LOT of stuff in there! Food, liquor, clothes, bathroom stuff, computer stuff, all kinds of stuff Over here, more Drawers and another Door We've got food, we've got utensils, we've got plates and things And then under the sink is more storage again, but it's not quite as deep on the bottom So, dishes, pots and pans, room for your garbage can, all that kind of stuff Up. If you go up, you'll see there are two on both sides of the trailer Two storage compartments with doors Now, there is a Con to these. First of all, for us, they're kind of high But, I do have clothes and stuff in here and I didn't use this one at all What I'm having a problem with here...and it's just a little detail... is that the security to hold these closed is this screw system So, you have to unscrew this little knob keep screwing Yep. I'm still unscrewing Almost there. OH, it's OUT! Now, what am I gonna do with this?? It's out. I want to use my cabinetry. I guess I gotta find a place to put it, so I'll set it here But, the reality is, that if you're not in motion for quite some time, maybe a week or so, that's probably gonna end up getting LOST! OK, now I can open these up, and that's great.... (door sliding) But when it comes time to go again, and I need to secure that, I'm going to need to find this, and it's just reality People are people. We're living in a small space. I would worry that this would get lost The other issue that I have, is I know Airstream is special, without a doubt, I agree! We don't need to recreate the wheel here (laughs) There are FAR better Latch and Locking systems for Cabinets than that I think they could do better For more storage even, you can, underneath this whole dinette, if you look under, there are compartments that you can get at Now, we did not utilize these, because we just simply didn't need to. We had enough space for all of our stuff But they're there. If you were gonna be in the Airstream Nest more K: So, let's talk about the Pros and the Cons of the Bathroom The big Pro being that it HAS a Bathroom, and we wouldn't have rented anything without a Bathroom, so that's a great thing! A Con of this Bathroom, is that you have a very large toilet, on a very large pedestal, which makes a very large distance from the floor to this seat Some of you may ask "why is that a problem?" Others know why that's a problem! Now, I know that's a little personal, but I'm just gonna show you the procedure to make this work So if we go in here... and we put a foot here... and we push here... and we swing here... Where there's a will there's always a way to make something work! I'm not sure it needed to be this way So, I'll leave the rest of the process to your imagination, but it's not real easy with a foot flush way up here D: So, if you were a taller person, you'd probably be able to sit in the toilet better? K: Yes D: But would a taller person REALLY want to be in this Bathroom? K: Um, you know what? Actually the ceiling height is pretty good in here Um, it could be...you wouldn't want to be... Yeah, it's manageable, I think, with a taller person D: How about a wider person? K: That could run into some challenges, possibly D: In the shower I just want to point out how much actual shower space there is between the toilet and the side here We found this adequate for OUR showering needs The shower fixture was a GOOD one, and it had a thing so you could turn it off and on, without having to turn the tap on and off So we liked that And it had good spray, we were happy with that The mirror is OK And then you come down you have a little shelf, and you have a cabinet And again, this is not sealed as good as I think it could be But, it does give you a space to put some of your things THIS is what we consider the biggest area that Airstream could make a change to improve the Nest THESE are of NO use to us This Trailer DESPERATELY needs a Sink in the Bathroom Many other RVs with Wet Baths have small Sinks They could easily put one right across here And give us a place to wash our hands, and brush your teeth The biggest problem that Kory and I have had since we've been in this Trailer, is that when your Boondocking, you're not doing dishes ALL of the time So, we have the Sink, which has some dishes in it, and now we're in the Bathroom, and now we're out to the Kitchen Sink to try and wash hands, or to try and brush our teeth. It just isn't a good flow, and it's not easy Having a VERY small Sink in this Wet Bath would have changed the experience for us We love this Dinette, but the Con of it, is making it into a Bed Now, I want to say that we would not choose the other Floorplan, with the Made-Up Bed, because we use the Dinette so much, and we REALLY do like the Dinette But, the making down into a Bed has been a REALLY big challenge for us So, we want to show YOU how to do it, because we actually looked on YouTube to see if we were doing something wrong (laughs) (energetic music) But, for us right now, on this 12-day adventure, we've been trying to fit Fitted Sheets on here, and it's really tough! (electronic music) K: We really enjoyed our time, our 12 days in the Nest Honestly, it got us more attention than walking through a Kindergarden Field trip! (laughing) But, for our Long-Term travels, I really do think that we do already have the right Rig for us D: We do. So we'll stick with the Beaver for now! But you know, it's always off in some other place So, we'll continue to rent, and use other RVs, and different types, so that we can share that information with you And you know, we always say there's a right RV out there for EVERYONE So, we're just gonna keep testing them out, until we find something different...OR, we stick with the Beaver! We hope that this little more In-Depth video has given you some extra information with which to make your next RV buying choices K: If you have any specific questions or concerns, feel free to leave them in the comments below, and give us a Thumbs Up And as always don't forget to Subscribe Kory and Denise: CHEERS to Airstream!