Airstreaming 101: Summer Safety Tips

Heading out to the woods or to the beach in your Airstream trailer is a great and relaxing way to spend your vacation time. You can explore the wilderness during the day, then return to your trailer in the evenings to relax and regroup every night. You shouldn’t overtax yourself, though, especially when temperatures are high, and you’ll also want to thoroughly prep your Airstream trailer for your trip so that you’re not missing something vital when you’re hundreds of miles from home.

Your local Airstream travel trailer dealership is Airstream of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. We want you to be safe and have an enjoyable time on your journey, wherever it takes you, so we’ve drawn up this list of tips for summer safety to give you a jumping-off point for your Airstream preparations!

Ready Your Airstream For Summer

Preparing your trailer in advance while you’re still at home will help to make your trip a success. Give it a thorough visual inspection to spot signs of damage or wear that need professional addressing before you go. Check the tires and their pressure, examine doors, windows and seals for leaks, clean off the roof and check that signals and lights all function properly.

Stock your Airstream with everything you might need for both your daily life and for emergencies. Keep a first aid kit close at hand that’s fully loaded with bandages, ointments like burn cream and aloe vera, painkillers, nausea medication, calamine lotion and tweezers. Make sure that everyone’s daily medications are also on board and that you have enough doses of everything to last your whole trip.

Carry two fire extinguishers at minimum. One should be in the kitchen to handle cooking fires and one should be towards the back of the trailer. If you have an outside storage space to stash a third fire extinguishers, this will be convenient for campfires that get out of control.

Keep several other emergency supplies in a storage cabinet that everyone can easily access. This should include waterproof clothing, extra food and water, blankets, an emergency radio, flashlights, flares, a hatchet and a repair kit for your Airstream with tire patches and maybe even an air compressor to deal with a flat quickly. Let everyone know where these items are and educate younger travelers on their usage.

Stay Cool When It’s Hot Out

Staving off heat exhaustion is important when it’s the peak of summer and you’re far from both home and medical care. In many areas of the country, temperatures climb close to 100°F and can get even higher. Reduce sun exposure during peak heat hours, which generally fall during the mid-afternoon. Try to schedule outdoor activities such as hikes during early morning hours or later in the evening when the sun is low on the horizon and temperatures aren’t as high. When you’re out during the day, keep yourself coated in sunscreen, wear natural fabrics that breathe well, don a hat and sunglasses to shield your face from UV rays and stick to the shade as much as you can to avoid overtaxing yourself. Stay hydrated at all times and carry water with you everywhere you go.

Keeping your Airstream’s interior cool can be done with some strategy. Open up rooftop vents to allow hot air to leave the trailer, and install covers on these to keep out dirt and rain. Park your trailer so that the side with the most windows faces away from the afternoon sun. Open those shaded windows and run fans to circulate air within your trailer. You can put reflective coverings on your windows to bounce off hot sunlight and make use of your awning if you have one to further shield your Airstream from the heat. If you have an air conditioning unit, make sure to get it serviced and functional before you leave town.

Looking to join the Airstream life? Drop in to our Salt Lake City showroom to see our full complement of Airstream travel trailers available for sale. Airstream of Utah serves Utah as a whole, including Park City. We’re also here for our customers coming from nearby Jackson, Wyoming.