Model help needed

[waggles02673]

So my wife and I are seriously thinking about pulling the trigger on a Bambi Airstream or other model and looking for some help from folks that already have been down this road. A little bit about us:
We are in our late 40's, just the 2 of us and we have 2 70+lb yellow Labs that will be traveling with us the majority of the time. The trailer will be used for long weekends and a week or so here and there. We live on Cape Cod in Mass so using it during the winter will not happen unless we move the Airstream down south so figure we can use it 6-7 months a year.

We are wondering what model we should look at? Would a 16' be big enough or would we feel cramped? Once the summer is over we will be looking in person at some trailers.



Thanks


Jon

[MWBishop]

Only YOU guys can answer that question.
For some 16 is just right, for some got to be bigger (or MUCH bigger).
Best thing to do is to go to an A/S dealership for a day and "try on" the different sizes.
Spent lots and lots of time in each.
Go back over a few weeks time if necessary.
Ultimately you'll settle on what you think will be best.
Don't forget the other considerations like tow vehicle, budget, etc.



For us (2 adults 1 big dog and 1 small) a 16 is just too small.
But the 26 fits us just right.

[larold007]

Hi Jon,

My wife and I were in the same boat as you roughly 1.5 years ago. Looked at 16's then, 19's and ended up ordering a 23' International Signature. We've had the unit, which we really like, for roughly 15 months now. We always loved the lounge but the kitchen and corner bed/bath were always very cramped. With all that being said we just ordered a new 27' Globetrotter and we'll be selling our barely touched 23' later this summer.

My advice especially with the 2 dogs of that size would be to spend as much time in several different size and floorpans. We never would have thought we'd need bigger until you start spending some time in there!

Good luck!

[brick1]

The 16 is tight for two adults. With two large dogs, I think you will be squished in anything less than a 23.
brick

[OTRA15]

Another vote for 23' or larger.

Look for used units advertised near you until you can go see various models after the summer, as you mentioned.

Whenever you sit in a possible size, imagine spending 4 days straight in that trailer, with two wet dogs, two wet owners, and no heat. Anything smaller than 23' gets real small in adverse conditions for four bodies.



Good luck,

Peter

PS -- Welcome to the forum!

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by waggles02673

<<snip>>
Would a 16' be big enough or would we feel cramped? Once the summer is over we will be looking in person at some trailers.

Thanks

Jon

Only you can answer.
My opinion: go larger than you think you need. Your tow vehicle will set the limit on how large you can go.
Many, many, many people buy a too small trailer first time, only to trade up to a larger trailer in a few years. Then some move up or down in size again as needs/desires change.
There is a name on the forum for this affliction, something like 2-foot-itis. Use the search box to find more.

[waggles02673]

Thanks for all the info so far. Forgot to mention that our tow vehicle will be our new 2018 5.7 Toyota Tundra double cab TRD.

[GMFL]

Vote for 23 here also and here is why. With a small trailer like a 16. You will always have to “drop” the dinette to make a bed. That will become a pain over time.

[waggles02673]

Thanks again everyone. So it is just like buying a boat, always go bigger than you think you need. That's easy i know the boat buying thing real, real well

[Martee]

For our very first trailer, we choose an Airstream, specifically the 2018 FC 25 FBT. Our Tundra tows this 25' unit really well and with extremely high confidence. I think anything short of 23 feet is just going to be too small for 2 adults and two large dogs.

[rmkrum]

We routinely do 2-3 adults and 4-5 smallish doggies in our 22 foot International...so it's not totally crazy. And this is on trips of 4-5 weeks duration...

Hm, now I'm wondering if this IS crazy?

Well, around our household, "normal" is just a setting on the clothes drier, and sanity is overrated, so we're cool with this.

[Piggy Bank]

Hi and welcome.

We also have a Tundra.

We also have 70 pound dog, but only 1.

Our first AS was a 22 sport which is a nice size for 2 people and 1 dog. Our was damaged in a minor accident last year and we opted to trade it in and we got a larger 25 twin. Even before the accident we had discussed getting a larger one in the future. We find that the larger layout in the 25 is much more desirable and that the larger water tanks make life much easier on trips longer than 1 or 2 nights.

You see, the water capacity is in my opinion the big limiting factor on the smaller trailers. Space only tells part of the story.

Also I suggest you really pay attention to the storage in the different models and figure out where you would keep all of the things that need to get used in the trailer. Is there room for all of them in the trailer? Because it is a pain to move things back and forth from the vehicle to the trailer. And in your situation you need the back seat empty for the doggies.

[casluis]

Things were very tight in my Bambi 16 with my 70 lb dog and me! He has passed on. I enjoy going it alone so 16 ft is enough. Texas to New York and back last summer. Utilize my Tundra backend (has a fold back waterproof cover I installed) as my garage (inflatable kayak, Yeti for extra cold storage, grill, air pump, clear storage boxes for paper products etc)
I am going to take a 5 day trip in October with a gf... first time out with a guest. I am used to spreading out, all on my own, so will take some discipline (on my part) to consolidate.
I am being very wordy... I think I would go bigger than 16 if I were traveling with another person routinely.

[waggles02673]

Thanks again everyone. My wife is going to find some trailers local to us that we can go take a look at. I'm leaning towards a 25' twin if we go with an AS.

[waninae39]

we love our 2017 sport 22FB

if we were to get a new one now ( we will NOT for at least 5-10 years)

we would get a flying cloud 23FB
just like our 22FB sport but a bit wider and real bed space and one of the other few with a double sink just like for sport

no other models, including bigger ones interest us

just too much wasted space on lounges

[Mollysdad]

After towing a motorcycle trailer across the country many times, I swore I'd never buy another single axle trailer.
Besides that, I looked at how I fit in all the places. Could I use the toilet with the door closed? Could I change sheets on the bed without looking like a Cirque Du Soleil arial act? Is there a place to store my "stuff".
RV's advertise, "sleeps 6". Yeah? Where do six people put their duffles? If there's six people, why is the fridge just 2 cu./ft.?
This thing called a dinette, can I actually sit there?
And a biggie, If I'm sitting on the "lounge" why is my head turned 90 degrees to see the TV?

[JJTX]

The solution to the " i need a big huge trailer " is usually, stop trying to pack so much junk.

And, a kennel for the dogs.


:P

[Msherw]

This is a 'Deep Thought' thread. {Read that again}

The narrow body of the 22 Sport is not a problem. Why? We go camping to get out of doors. Narrow body fits better behind the TV. It tows with little worry about getting into narrow camp sites. It requires no added side rear view mirrors.

The 22 Sport is cozy when it is bed time and when it rains. Else, we want to be outside sitting under the Zip Dee sipping something we like and enjoying the venue. The 22 is the best for us. You have to decide what your camping goals are.

We had our TV already when we went to shop for an AS. A bigger AS would have required a bigger TV. We didn't want that. We bought a 22 because the 16 was too much like the size of what we traded in (R-Pod).

Once upon a time we thought the 22 was a 'gateway' AS and we would want to get a bigger one. No longer do we think this. It fits us, our lifestyle, our goals, and the TV. Set for a long time we are...