Lookin' for opinions on this, so please share yours!
We have an '08 25FB Safari which we love, for the most part (would love the 27'FB more!), and may have an opportunity to change over to a '05 30' Bunkhouse.
The 25FB: * layout, love the dinette in the rear window, have enjoyed lovely views from there most of the time when camping (occasionally we find ourselves looking at the back end of another AS). will really miss the rear dinette and sofa next to it (forms a nice L shaped hang out space for us)
* We do not like that we have to get son moving in morning to make up bed, get him to keep his stuff put away, generally constantly seem to be working around him or his stuff
* plumbing enclosed and heated on underside, making winter camping much more feasible (I LOVE to SKI!!!)
The Bunkhouse: * dedicated bedroom for our teen son and any friend that comes along (this is biggest motivating factor, he is with us for another four or so years, we spend a lot of time camping in the AS, and I'm hoping to convince family to fulltime for a year BEFORE manchild leaves home
* queen bed rotated so head is at the front instead of sideways (MUCH easier to get around and make bed!)
* lots more pantry space (I LOVE to cook), though part may have to be converted to make up for loss of wardrobe that 25FB has
* bathroom in one room, not split across the hall (not sure this is a pro or a con!)
* plumbing appears to be open below, not enclosed and heated
We have a 3/4 ton diesel, so TV is no problem
Any opinions about resale 3 - 5 years down the line?
We have used our bunkhouse for almost two years now and I can say we are still in love with the layout. While your 25FB is great, I think it is perfect for a couple but maybe not a family. Before the BH came out we considered the 25 six sleeper, but the idea of having to get everyone up to have coffee or privacy etc. was not appealing. We have 4 girls and they have there own space, we have tons of storage, tons of pantry and and a great kitchen.
Really the only big variance on the BH is wether you get the table and chairs curbside or gaucho (couch). Having camped ours for a while, I think I am still impartial. With the couch you can sleep even more, but for additional eating space you need to bring TV trays. We have the table/chairs. The drawback is the chairs do go a flyin' underway, but they give a nice place to put a trashcan.
Lastly, towing...you will not even know the difference. I use a 3/4 ton suburban and I was just telling my wife I feel like I have 23 footer back there!
I think you and the other contributors have hit most of the high and low points of the Safari 30. I'll just toss in a couple of thoughts:
1) Unless the 2005 Safari is new or recently purchased, it won't as much warranty as the '08 you have. But you might not care about that, especially if the trailer has been debugged by the prior owner.
2) 2air is dead-on about the windows. There's reasonable light but you'll never get the openness and views that any FB model offers. You also don't get the living room effect. The trade off is of course the luxury of two full-time bedrooms.
3) You may take quite a depreciation hit, changing trailers so soon after your initial purchase.
For us, spending months at a time in the trailer, there's no alternative to the Safari 30. If you plan some longer trips, you might start to feel the same way. For weekending, I'd stick with the one you have. But if you really are going to go full-time with your son, then the Safari 30 becomes almost essential.
BTW, the tanks under the Safari 30 BH are indeed enclosed and heated just like your 25FB. Every Safari in 2005-2006 had that feature. All were heated by forced air from the furnace except the 22, which used 12-volt heaters.
Glad to see that this works great for your family! Nice to read
Having not actually been in one yet, it is hard to get a "feel" for the interior living space, despite seeing lots of pictures of several units so far. Looks like my wardrobe next to the fridge becomes a pantry in the BH, so while extra pantry will be fab, I may hurt with less wardrobe (only wear long skirts, or dresses).
I think if we had not already spent so much time in the FB, we would not miss the open feeling of spaciousness and access to the outside that it affords.
Interesting how designers often do not take into account the little things like trash cans, animal feeding stations, litter boxes, even how we do laundry or prepare meals - the stuff of every day living - in the "home" spaces they create, whether on wheels or off!
I appreciate your response, thank you, it really helps
Yeah, the windows! We have the Hehr windows now, really like the privacy from outside, the feeling of security the small opening affords me at night or when camping alone, but even in the FB they limit airflow. Seems it might be a lot worse in the BH.
I also like the idea of a more central door, and would really prefer two!
We do not have the shiny interior due to my desire to winter camp (can't wait to see how THAT goes!), but it sure is pretty! Not at all pleased with the carpeted and padded interior, long term will have to find some other solution.
IF we need the floorplan, this is the question. Realistically, right now, we are looking at one big trip a year, probably 4 to 8 weeks in length, for the next few years. The rest are lots of four day trips within a tank or two of home, which thus far we do frequently (I'd rather be Streamin'!).
Original plan (only mine at this point, only resurged AFTER buying the AS; though with enough patience and persistance on my part my DH usually goes along with my dreams ), was for hubby and I to fulltime AFTER kiddo has gone off to his next adventure (due to health issues his timetable is flexible, but we figure he is home for another 4 - 5 years at this point).
BUT, the more I think about it, the more I want him to experience exploring this continent in a more leisurely, extended way, and thus am working on a way to make it happen in a year or two, max.
We'll see. Still prayin' 'bout all this!
Thanks, 2air', I always appreciate the feedback, food for thought, and links you offer in your posts. It is becoming a game for me to see if I have read the links you offer BEFORE you offer them - then I know I am doing my research
Nice to see that nobody wrote in (yet!) thinking I am nuts, though I get a fair amount of that around here anyway
Rich, wish I had asked to see inside of your BH at the JAM, but I knew you were very busy with the event and hoped that any free time you had (right!) would be spent catching up with friends or getting some rest. BTW, M and I learned a lot at your presentations, and thank you for all that you and the team did to make the JAM happen. Will be there early next year to help!
The only way DH is willing to let me do this "swap" is if I can find a way for it not to cost him any more cash. Have it worked out with the bank, working on the next part. MIGHT be possible, but having to be patient.
Would really love a 34' front bedroom! For right now, one with a center second bedroom that could later be an office would be way cool! Or an enclosed loft like set-up, so popular in college dorms, so his computer and school stuff could be other than at the dinette and he could still have his own bed - this would be perfect! Although, bedrooms at opposite ends would be a bit more private for all parties . But I do love the open and inviting living space that the FB floorplan affords us.
There is so much more that I know now than just a few months ago, that I am tempted to regret the impulsive purchase of our AS. BUT, long dormant dreams have been reignited thanks to the flash of aluminum in our lives, we are out camping, exploring, spending lots of time together, really using the AS! We especially enjoy have a quite, private place to slip away to often . We could so easily have been stuck in analysis parallisis, then the diesel prices would have risen, we would have remembered the central AC that we had hoped to have installed in our house this summer, kiddo's health, there would have been lots of "reasons" to delay the purchase. So, no regrets allowed!
We have the sofa model and my warning there is if you don't just want it or need or think it would be more comfortable than the chairs (we did) you give up a lot of floor space for it, or at least the perception of floor space. We take our cocker spaniel with us and have two pre-teen sons and it can really get cramped on a rainy day.
BTW, our dog's feeding station is at the head of the bunk beds and we keep the trash can by the door...not my idea, my wife's. The L-shaped kitchen does make food prep easier. We really don't like the windows but the "padded" interior does deaden sound during rain and help keep it warmer inside during winter camping. We do most of our camping in Florida where it is generally too hot to not use A/C so the windows aren't that big of a deal for us, but we still would have preferred the Classic windows. We had the dealer install a roadside and end awning which helps with cooling on sunny days.
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2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
Well, got the new BH home. Beautiful! 2005 LS w/ a/v and solar upgrades, forest sage interior. Picked it up Weds and camped at Palo Duro Canyon before heading back home. We're so excited to finally go out w/ a unit that doesn't need constant repair, keeping us from enjoying what we should be doing: enjoying the Great Outdoors. As we have only ever camped in vintage units, some of the modern-day amenities will take some getting used to. I'm sure we'll adjust....
__________________ "Train a boy in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not swerve from it." --Proverbs 22:6.
"A fairly bright boy is far more intelligent and far better company than the average adult." --John B. Haldane
Congratulations campw/4sons and welcome to the "Club". We used ours this weekend at a great lake near Columbus, GA. I'm sure you'll get lots of enjoyment out of yours. But wow, 4 sons...I guess you really need those bunk beds!
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2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
Colonial Airstream maintains archived layout and exterior/interior pictures of the Safari Bunkhouse here.
On another subject, a not so funny thing happened to us in Vernal, Utah. As we were pulling out of a business parking lot, we somehow scraped the black tank valve and almost broke it off. Luckily it held and no black water surprise. The road surface/curb just touched the lower flange of the valve, but that was enough to bend the thing back and almost break it. We had been concerned that with the black water tank and associated plumbing being at the rear of the trailer that this would eventually happen. So it was time for re-engineering.
We took a look at some pictures of 34 footers (again Colonial Airstream's website) and decided that our trailer's cloaca needed relocation to just behind the axles for better shielding:
Features include two flexible rubber elements, a 90 degree 3" elbow attached to the black tank opening and a coupler connecting the black pipe to the valves/cloaca. We hope this will give the pipes some degree of flexibility if they ever hit the street again. We also included a flexible 1 1/2" rubber elbow and extra piping to connect up the gray tank. After 700 miles of travel the stitches are still holding.
Bye
Paul and Miriam
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2005 30' Bunkhouse "Nedapedalua" 2003 GMC 2500HD Duramax/Allison CC LB
WBCCI #5182
AIR # 6050
Features include two flexible rubber elements, a 90 degree 3" elbow attached to the black tank opening and a coupler connecting the black pipe to the valves/cloaca. We hope this will give the pipes some degree of flexibility if they ever hit the street again. We also included a flexible 1 1/2" rubber elbow and extra piping to connect up the gray tank. After 700 miles of travel the stitches are still holding.
Bye
Paul and Miriam
An added "plus" is the extra piping will hold a couple more gallons of "stuff".
On our three week vacation this summer we found out the hard way how tender the piping rig is. I was concerned about the design from the first time I saw it, it appeared to be an afterthought. We tore ours off off road when the trailer dropped into a trench/hole, and did get the blue water surprise (without solids!!).
I did a similar boot style repair in the True Value parking lot and it now sits at JC. It sure would be great to get the grey water tank up in the frame rails and the sewer line inside the belly wrap.
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would you go from 25FB to a 30' Bunkhouse?
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