We recently received this letter from a customer about his concerns for his gleaming new Airstream:

My wife and I bought a 2017 Serenity with dreams of travel, including beach locations. We were more than disappointed to learn, unfortunately after we bought, that sea air and beach life is brutal regarding rust and corrosion to our rig. Right now, lots of buyer’s remorse has set in as we had visions of time spent at many of the beach locations mentioned in your latest article.

We can see why that’s concerning, particularly with a spanking new rig. Yes, salt air is corrosive to just about any metal. But why limit your fun just because of that?

Seeing signs of use on our Airstreams makes all us smile. A few marks of wear remind us of adventures at beaches all over the USA. It doesn’t make sense to us to deprive ourselves of the fun of beach camping just so the Airstreams can stay new-looking longer.

Our take: “We bought this Airstream to use it,” and so we go to the beach whenever we want. Just make sure to rinse off the trailer with fresh water at a local truck wash as soon as possible afterward. (It’s risky to go to car washes because often they don’t have enough height clearance and/or turning radius for trailers to maneuver. Truck washes are harder to find but much easier to access.)

If someone were to be parked at the beach for a long time after their trailer has been exposed to salt spray, it would be a good idea to pull out and rinse off the salt, then return to the campground. It’s a shame to see a bit of that new-trailer shine dim a little, but that won’t really take anything away from the glow of good times on the road.