25 vs 27 foot

[rodsterinfl]

My suggestion is to visit a dealer with twins and queen beds in them and take a tape measure. You will be surprised at the difference twin beds make. Often people scoff at the idea of twin beds but they are highly advantageous in an Airstream without slides. The open floor space and multi-purpose use is really nice. When I am in a 25 with dinette and queen, it seems like the trailer is a 20' to me- short hallway, bed, dinette, door. Yet, some will only have it that way. A twin 25 is like having a bigger model. Go see for yourself. While you are there, try accessing the bedroom roof lockers in both models. The tape measure will also help you to be more objective as you compare models. I have lots of measures now on baths, bedrooms and various models. I know, geeky but I obviously like Airstreams. Actually the 25 (26), 28 (27) and 27 (28) are very similar but they emphasize different things on the two larger ones with their "overall" 2 feet. The 28 is all about seating areas while the 27 has more storage. The 25 is similar to the 27.

As for the other brands discussion, there are some really cool ideas now in campers. I am liking that Canadian Unity Class C and that new Airstream Van. They are small and super nice and not much different in MSRP than an Airstream trailer when you consider truck too! They're cheaper!

[ctimberlake]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

We chose the 25 because of the 8'6" length of the east-west bedroom allows for an 80" queen mattress. A must for my 6'-5" height.

May I ask if you installed a custom mattress because I’m 6’2” (“74”) and wondered about the 75” mattress on the queen models which are either perpendicular or parallel would be a bit short for me also.

[GM Airstream]

When the campgrounds talk about this or that length, which number are they using? There's a lot of people who have asked and the answer appears to be the wall to wall number. Put another way, your "28' " AS that is 27' 11" long, likely will fit in a campsite that is advertised as 24' max. As with any other part of using an RV, one can never ever be 100% sure of anything.


Yep when we were at one NP campground.. that was run by consesionair..... they had painted lines on the ground... if you were over... you didn't fit.. otherwise... good to go... but in that case it was not the campsite that you wouldn't fit into.. it was the road to get to the campsite that was too narrow... and had trees along the side... to which you could see the bark missing where other TRIED... to get into the camp spot... ouch...

It is as they say.. the bumper makes the lenght of the AS... but then again if you put a bike rack on the back do you take that into consideration also...

I know that the older A/S such as mine are not 31 ft long... I measured mine and from tip of hitch to rear bumper.. (by measureing under the trailer...) it turns out to be less than what they say... by inches... yet others that I travel with who have the new AS 30 footer... measure out 31ft 2 inches... and yet they call it a 30 footer... go figure..

Best to meassure the ball to the back bumper.. and then measure back to the ouside wall of the trailer... to get useable space... I know a lot of those who I travel with... consider that to be the real length of the trailer... ad some of the box ones.. over hang the rear bumper with structure... yet they are considered smaller... ????

I usually round mine to 30 ft... just for ease of conversation... even though AS says it 31 ft... doesn't make a difference to me.. it follows my TV and provides happyness to use it... I guess that is what really counts...

[rollieboy]

You'll see a lot of 25' trailers for sale. The biggest reason is to move up a size. In the trailer and boating world its a disease called Two Footitious.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by ctimberlake

May I ask if you installed a custom mattress because I’m 6’2” (“74”) and wondered about the 75” mattress on the queen models which are either perpendicular or parallel would be a bit short for me also.

Hi

A lot depends on your sleep habits. At 6'4", I *do* notice how short the twins are every night. That's not the length of the mattress. I'm over that. It's my head and feet hitting solid objects. Stretch out and point your toes? Arms are where? You don't fully realize some of this until you are in a short bed. That's not to say that hanging off the mattress is a non-issue. It's just easier to deal with

Bob

[CRH]

Originally Posted by rollieboy

You'll see a lot of 25' trailers for sale. The biggest reason is to move up a size. In the trailer and boating world its a disease called Two Footitious.

Not in my area. It took me a long time to find a 25 footer.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by CRH

Not in my area. It took me a long time to find a 25 footer.

Hi

Around here, the very short trailers (< 20') do show up a bit more often on dealer's lots. As you get longer and longer than that, the population drops and drops. Indeed the dealer's story is that the <20' ones get traded for larger after people "decide they like camping". I'd bet that a few also get sold after people decide they don't like it ...

Bob

[Ruscal]

The larger Airstreams move slowly around here! Most boondockers seem to like the smaller lean and mean ones. We were at San Elijo State Beach last week where 90 percent of the sites have no hookups. We saw four other Bambi's, 4 19's and 1 16' and no other Airstreams that we noticed.
Earlier in the year we stayed at Anza Borrego Palm canyon in a hookup site. There were seven airstreams there. All 25'-27'. There were also 2 Bambi's across the street in the no hookup area. The brand was well represented!
Russ

[MelGoddard]

It seems to me that a lot of you guys are looking for "ants in a wormhole"!

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Around here, the very short trailers (< 20') do show up a bit more often on dealer's lots. As you get longer and longer than that, the population drops and drops. Indeed the dealer's story is that the <20' ones get traded for larger after people "decide they like camping". I'd bet that a few also get sold after people decide they don't like it ...

Bob

Even our 23' International was a product of "two footitis" The original owners (husband and wife only) bought it brand new, took one trip, decided it was too cramped for their personal (largish) size, and traded up (with a good sized depreciation loss) to a bigger unit.

The interesting bit--We ain't little either, and we easily sleep 2-3 adults and at least 4 little dogs in it, and have plenty of room. Whatever floats your boat, I guess...

[GM Airstream]

yep... now you know why airstream makes the longer trailers in ft dimensions.... The 31 or as they say 30 has been around since the 60's... and if it wasn't that good they would have stopped making it... but, people buy them.. and seem to be happy towing them around... look at the pix at the blog heading... their I count 4 or 5 30 footers...

But.... traveling... you only need the bed and maybe the kitchen... however, if your going to stay a while... you NEED the extra room... for storage of clothing, etc... as could you imagine a couple full time'n in a 12 footer... ouch... you would have things all over the place... and have to move things around to get to use it... kinda thing...

I started out with a old used '61 22 ft'r years ago... It lasted 2 years....then because others said.... the one to get was the 25 footer... dual axle ...that lasted 3 years... (very cramped for two people I thought) and we traded it even across to a guy who also thought that the 25 ft was the one to have... and had a new '71...30 ft'r...

I still chuckle at what happened next... about a year later... I got a call.. from the guy.. and he wanted his 30 ft'r back.... 25 ft'r was just a little too small.. he said... my wife wants the big one back.... My answer was ... nope... I like it too... but, we accomadated the guy... and traded back...

I used it for a trade in on a brand new '73 picked it up from the factory... and traveled around in the military... when we got out in '77... we sold it and bought a house... (big mistake)

Things changed... and I bought a cheaper argosy... 30 in '78... that the dealer had left over... kept that for about 2 years... and again sold it... and thought a 30 ft motorhome was the answer... (another mistake).. Kept it till the engine /trans died about 3 years later... was a big money pit... something was always breaking on the thing... and while I could store a trailer along side the house.. you couldn't with the motorhome... due to fire haz...and city ordances... so it didn't get used as much... due to mechanical...and other costs... so it stay'ed in storage lot.. got broke into... and we sold it...

Then came the '85 excella... friends had passes to go to the RV show... and their we saw the 31' excella... but, didn't buy one until a couple of years later... airstream wanted too much money for one new from the factory... so we gave up... until one came to our attention from our friend... the price was right... and it was just like new... hardly used... and yep that one is a keeper... it had real wood... and creature features... and through we have had to replace or overhaul a lot of the appliances... or re-worked 'em... but, good quality begets enjoyment...

Right now we are tackling the RV refrig... cooling unit... as the orginal after 35 years started showing signs of slowing down... and we put the better higher dometic big bowl toilet in... as we get older... them little low orginal toilets just didn't cut it anymore... so out with the old.. in with the new... and the new AS have nothing on it...
Heater motor... started to ge noisy.. so again... Utube and a new motor later.. good to go...
Preventive maintenance is easy on this one... thus we should enjoy it for a long time... and at the price we paid.. even if we scrap it later on... we got our money's worth out of it...
It is so nice to be able to stre'ch out and enjoy the rich life in it... not having to worry about what to leave behind... as its got lots of storage... and as I have said to others...this will be the last RV I probably will own....

Yep we even installed the ham radio in it as a modul'r item... antenna that break down... on the back so they don't offend... and good to go...

[rodsterinfl]

Just a few details to share. I do not have the measure for the 27', I thought I did. I will try and get them.

As for twin beds in Airstreams, they are the longest of all their mattresses- basically king bed length. The mattresses tops are 78" long and there is a good total 2-3" of gap between the top and bottom- "space" between the mattress and wall. That is at least 80" or 6' 6" of space.

The bathrooms, another area of contention, is at least, for comparison sake, a 2017 25FB bathroom/shower area has 41"x37" bath area and the shower is 22"x20" with a floor area of 28"x23"

a 2017 26U bathroom/shower area has 43.5"x39" bath area and the shower is 26"x38" with a floor area of 28"x23"

my 2006 Safari 25 (for comparison) has 37.5"x39" bath area, a shower of 25"x37" and a floor area of 22"x18"- it has a raised platform for commode that slightly cuts into floor area.

I will try to get measures for a 27' model. As I said before, a tape measure offers an objective comparison to model floorplan comparison. I have noticed that my measures on 23' models have changed as Airstream has altered the floorpan a bit since I started doing this but, in most cases, the 25,27 and 28 are very similar but with particular emphasis on something like- the 27' on stowage and the 28' on seating.

[switz]

The furniture and measurements from the Television mounted on the refrigerator wall back on the 25FB and 27FB are identical.

In the 27 the pantry is twice as wide as the 25FB pantry, there is more counter top space on the 27 and a slightly larger closet. Bed orientation is the major difference and became a deal breaker for us with our first Airstream, a 2013 25FB International Serenity with the cross frame bed.

In our 2014 31' Classic with twin beds, it would be possible to get custom twin mattresses up to 84" long in the space.

Just saying.....

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by switz

The furniture and measurements from the Television mounted on the refrigerator wall back on the 25FB and 27FB are identical.

In the 27 the pantry is twice as wide as the 25FB pantry, there is more counter top space on the 27 and a slightly larger closet. Bed orientation is the major difference and became a deal breaker for us with our first Airstream, a 2013 25FB International Serenity with the cross frame bed.

In our 2014 31' Classic with twin beds, it would be possible to get custom twin mattresses up to 84" long in the space.

Just saying.....

Hi

Again, just to be clear, you need a few more inches than your height to be comfortable between a couple of walls when sleeping ....

Bob

[BillF95]

As to bed length, the 2018 27FB twins now come with 80” long beds (vs. 78” previously). I’m 6’6” and that was the selling point for me to choose the 27. On the 25FBT, there isn’t room for the longer beds.

[rodsterinfl]

You'll see a lot of 25' trailers for sale. The biggest reason is to move up a size.

The most likely reason is that it was Airstream's #1 sold size for many years. I've heard that now the 22' Sport is #1.

Here are the measures for a Globetrotter 27'

27’ Globe Trotter FB
--37"x41.5" bathroom (wall to wall)
--bath floor area 22”x18"
--shower 28"x29”
-- kitchen counter workspace (L-Shaped) 24”x20” sink to stove
--bedroom 86" deep.

25’ Safari (mine again since I did not get a new 25' comparison)
--37.5”x39" bathroom (wall to wall)
--22”x18” bath floor area
--25”x37” shower
--25”x25” shower standing area
--12”x24” kitchen counter workspace sink to stove has flip up 11”
--bedroom 80" deep

Just looking at these two, you can see some difference for the extra 2 feet and inch or so, but I still hold to my opinion that the 25, 27 and 28 or very similar. The real decision, other than financial, is need. The 25 has most everything. I have compensated meagerly for its low points like kitchen counter space- I made a portable drop in counter that fits in across the hallway when needed it is 26" so now I have a total counter space of about 4 feet counting the flip up- more than any of the models I have figures for. The small bath? I created a bath drape to utilize the hallway in the bath area. Simple but effective. The seating area and bedroom are more than adequate comparison-wise with the exception of someone needing more than 80" of bed length.

BTW, just going by longer or, bigger does not necessarily mean better efficiency in every case. The 30' Classic shower, for example, has only 16"x30" of standing room- very narrow area to move around. The 33' has 24" of kitchen counter work space- about 10" less than a 30'. It really comes down to what you are going to need and how you make it work. I would rather have a smaller camper that still meets the need but, that is my preference and a non-full-time perspective. BTW, again, The 33' would be my choice to full-time in just because it goes against my size rule and it is just so super nice.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

It's pretty easy to sit and watch the inventory roll through the "internet enabled" dealer's lots. Based on a quick glance, they sell a *lot* of smaller trailers for every Classic that rolls out.

There is a lot of data in the auto market relating to people trading in a car as soon as it's (almost) paid off. I wonder if it works the same way for Airstreams? I can't relate to the basic logic of doing this. My guess would not be worth much in this case.

Bob

[rodsterinfl]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

It's pretty easy to sit and watch the inventory roll through the "internet enabled" dealer's lots. Based on a quick glance, they sell a *lot* of smaller trailers for every Classic that rolls out.

There is a lot of data in the auto market relating to people trading in a car as soon as it's (almost) paid off. I wonder if it works the same way for Airstreams? I can't relate to the basic logic of doing this. My guess would not be worth much in this case.

Bob

I agree. My local Airstream dealer on my visit the other day said they cannot keep Bambi models in stock. My take is that it is all about price point, tow capabilities and meeting basic camping needs. It must be a trend across the board. The local CampingWorld three years ago was almost entirely motorhome sales. Now they have mostly trailers on the lot. That would seem to signal price point marketing.

[switz]

I think that the switch to campers versus buses reflects the reality of the floor plan costs more than providing customers with choices.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

...I still hold to my opinion that the 25, 27 and 28 or very similar.

I completely agree. 25-28 models are all in the same fine class. The real difference seems to be between the 23FB and the 25-28 group. If you want smaller, the 23FB looks wonderful. If you want bigger, anything in the 25-28 family is great, depending on which floor plan you like best.