Three Magee: Airstream Progress: Gutting, floors, must haves

We worked tirelessly to get at minimum the floors installed for our first camping trip in our 1978 Argosy Airstream we have affectionately named Three Magee. We took her to the bones and thankfully there wasn't much underbelly damage. The hardest part of gutting for us was taking off the wheel wells! Here are some of the things we did and what we did on our first trip!

Once we had everything out we checked and sealed any leaks. This part is super important, nobody wants to get wet or deal with water damage. We will be testing to see if we got them all soon, more on that later. We purchased a bunch of insulation and decided to go with a higher grade so that we would save on heating and cooling costs and make it easier to maintain a comfortable temperature. Even on a 50-60 degree day it would get really warm in there without the insulation and walls in. We really wanted to be able to go anywhere without temperature limitations. We tucked the insulation in and began cutting the floors using old flooring as cutting guides. We did not place our plywood under the shell (like when it was built). We didn't measure it correctly somewhere and ended up with a one inch gap going across the width of the trailer. We were putting in some serious time on it and well, I guess we only measured once. It was around 2 a.m on the day we were supposed to be leaving so we MacGuyver'd it and made what reminds me of a door way threshold cover. Dale made it nice and smooth so it wouldn't be too bothersome. It sure worked for the first trip, but we will have to go in and fix it.

After we got the floor in we set to getting the electrical hooked back up and getting all of the outlets and wires duct taped to the walls. We made sure that no one would accidentally electrocute themselves and that it would be kid friendly! We assembled a futon at the front for Dale and I to sleep on and pulled 2 of the kids mattresses down from their rooms instead of using air mattresses. We also had a cot that we put on one side. Best purchase ever was a mini-fridge. It was the most convenient thing to have. We put a spare TV on top of the fridge and brought a cable cord. I strung up Christmas lights and had pretty bedding and put some rugs down.

It was super rainy before we got there and during, which means mud. The spot we reserved was a muddy mess and not big enough to put our pergola in front of the door...which I've decided would have made the trip much more pleasant. I brought our outdoor rugs and they helped with the mud control, but it would have made a huge difference if we had had the pergola in front of the door. I was so glad that we brought the TV. It rained just after we finished cooking dinner over the fire on the first night and we snuggled up and watched movies together and listened to the rain. Everyone was so tired from walking all day that they pretty much crashed.

Here are the must haves for the next trip, which we hope to take at the end of summer. Walls up and painted. Bunk beds for the kids. This one is a biggie. Of course when they are at home they want to share beds and have slumber parties. You would have thought we were torturing them this time! I want to leave it open so that they can see out of their bunks towards the TV. I have always wanted it to feel open, and I think this will really help with that. I really want the toilet back in. Just for those early morning trips to the bathroom. A kitchen sink. Okay this one isn't so much a need as a want. I am definitely an outdoor kinda girl, but it would have been so much easier to have done dishes inside and have a nice place to wash my hands for things like contacts or teeth brushing. Curtains or some major window tinting. Changing while laying down or putting a sheet up only cut it because I knew it was only for a few days. I found some neat tutorials on new curtain rods. Now I just have to settle on some fabric!

Now for my wants. At first I didn't really care if we had a shower, but if we are going to put the toilet back in and since we have a practically brand new hot water heater, I say why not. We had originally planned on reconfiguring it to have the bathroom in the middle and the bunks all the way pushed to the back, but snuggle family movies totally trumped that. For me glamping and camping isn't necessarily about removing electronics, for the daytime sure, but at night, I just want some peace and quiet and to be able to relax together. Especially if it's raining! I really want to have cute coordinating bedding for the kids. I also want some pretty light fixtures. We ditched the 70's and I am not looking back! I also want it to have more storage and shelving. There were so many times that I just really wanted a hook or a shelf to put things. We were kind of living out of totes and suitcases. Maybe storage is a need! With the bunks and storage we will have walking space which is at a premium when you are confined to 24 ft!

What worked. The futon worked great. I don't know if it will be the last thing we have there, but it made for a decent nights sleep. There was still plenty of room back there if we decided to put a fresh water tank in behind it like what had been in there originally. I loved the functionality of it and being able to have a couch or a bed. It was also really light weight so moving it was a breeze. We got a great little space heater too. It worked perfectly to heat the whole place, as long as the kids didn't mess with the buttons...which for sure happened. I was happily surprised with how warm it was and the temperatures were in the 40's. I also was so glad we got a mini fridge. It just made it feel more like a little home and it was great to have things like milk for cereal.

We had a pretty good time. I can't wait to get some more done and take her out again.

We stayed at the Silver Dollar City Wilderness Campground. I would totally stay there again. The showers were decent, but hopefully next time I will have my own.

Lots and lots of insulation.

He worked so, so hard!

Bare bones, but a floor and mattresses.

You can see the standing pools of water! Our pergola was amazing, I just wish it would have been in front of our door. That would have made all the difference.