Driving the Airstream Sport and GMC Yukon, the camping power couple

Our family loves to camp. Every summer we pack up a car full of gear, including a giant 3-room tent and we set out to be with nature for a week. And inevitably every year we’ll pass motorhomes and travel trailers, and our two boys ages 11 and 9 will chime in: “When can we get a RV and camp?”

Immediately the images of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s 1953 “The Long, Long Trailer” comes to mind. The idea of having all the creature comforts of home with you is undeniably exciting. But the thought of piloting a big rig, let alone towing a few thousand pounds of metal and parking the land-train combo can be equally intimating. When GMC and Airstream offered us to take its 22FB Sport travel trailer and a 2015 GMC Yukon for our camping trip this year, we quickly answered “yes!” — followed by my wife's dubious stare over whether we could handle it.

At 22 feet, the 22FB Sport is the second-smallest trailer sold in the iconic Airstream shape, yet big enough to haul four people. After filling its tanks for fresh and gray water, the 22FB can hold more than 800 lbs. of people and cargo. With the Airstream’s water and propane gas tanks topped off, and battery fully charged, we set out for our week-long road trip exploring northern California.

Our first stop is the Big Basin Redwoods State Park near Santa Cruz, Calif. The park spans more than 18,000 acres full of redwoods, with some more than 1,000 years old. Once there, our campsite is just slightly off the access road tucked in between a few giant trees, making it an easy back-in parking job without too much trouble. Admittedly being a bit lazy and trying to avoid the hassle of unhitching/hitching the Airstream, we decide to leave it connected to the Yukon.

Setting up the Airstream 22FB Sport is a breeze: Crank down the jack at the hitch and the stabilizer legs at each corner, turn on the electrical power and open the propane tank valves and you’re good to go. The Sport is a single-axle model. Inside the iconic shinny aluminum exterior is a well-planned space that sleeps four (two adults and two children) comfortably. As you enter, on your left is the bathroom complete with a shower, a toilet, wash basin, even counter space with wood cabinetry underneath. The kitchen includes a refrigerator that runs on either battery, propane gas or outlet power; a microwave oven, two stove tops and a sink. On the right is the dinning area where the table stows to make the entire space into a bed at night. At the far end of the trailer (or the front closest to the towing vehicle) is another ample-size bed surrounded by wrap-around windows. With the Airstream’s shell constructed with riveting together sheet aluminum sandwiching an internal frame and then mounted on a steel chassis, the 22FB has a max gross weight of 4,500 lbs, and weighs about 3,600 lbs. unloaded.