Sport 16 Values

[hollanddc]

I think I've finally figured out why I'm torturing myself with larger and larger models despite all of the issues they create for me - new TV, driveway storage, cost of ownership, convincing the wife. Did I mention convincing the wife? It's because the 16's don't seem to depreciate like the bigger models. A 2015 Sport 16 and a 2014 FC 23D Bunk shouldn't even be in the same league, and yet they are listed (generally speaking) $6000-8000 apart.

I really just wanted a little 16 for my first AS but for such a small increase in spend it seems I can get so much more trailer. Thoughts? Someone talk me down from this tree.

[AWCHIEF]

Not even going to try to convince you. Only you know what is right for you. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut. Personily I started with a vintage 17 foot and after a couple of years moved up to a newer 23.

[D Greene]

Why do you want more trailer? Space for stuff, other people, dogs and cats? My wife and I still have not used all the storage in our 16 Sport and we just returned from a 14 day trip. The 16 seems huge to us and is so easy to live with. Different strokes as they say. Good luck with your decision.

[hollanddc]

Thanks for your thoughts. Because the prices are so close and you seem to get so much more for your money? Because I'm worried the trailer will start to feel small? Because many folks here have spoken of getting a little one then going bigger later? Those reasons I suppose. Honestly I just don't know how much trailer I need and I'm seeking value so that if I do need to make a change I won't be underwater.

[remphoto]

We stuggle(d) with this, too. We really wanted a 25' FC twin bed but the tow vehicle and extra cost were too much of a reach. So, we decided to buy what we could afford and got the 16' Sport after a misstep buying a T@B. For us right now (3 years until retirement) it fits our need of weekend trips and an annual haul down to Florida for a couple weeks. We view it as a hotel room on wheels. We are storing it inside and taking care to keep it in good condition for hopefully not-too-painful trade-in. All that said, we are finding it much more liveable than we thought it would be. For 2 it has good room (especially headroom) and we have adapted to the wet bath in lieu of the bath house. Compared to our short-lived T@B is is spacious. Who knows, we might just keep it as it is so easy to tow.

[Piggy Bank]

I was in the same situation.

There are a couple of threads I started with lots of responses on this topic.

All in the Trailers>Bambi section>2005 and newer.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f295...es-120231.html

and this one.http://www.airforums.com/forums/f295...-a-136645.html

[hollanddc]

Wow, Thanks Piggy. Awesome detail in that first thread. I just read my eyeballs out. Still confused, but it's a well-informed confusion. ;-) As someone wrote on the thread, there's fun in the hunt as well.

After all that and now in hindsight are you happy with the choice and did the homework make a difference? Would you make the same choice? I get the feeling that we'd all like a different trailer for every occasion and the best we can do is pick the one that fits most often.

[Piggy Bank]

Thanks Holland.

We are happy with our 22 for a lot of reasons.

Large bed is very comfortable.
Lots of windows that open for excellent cross ventilation.
Narrow width makes towing and parking a bit easier.
Kitchen counter spaces is amazing. Let's face it, the 22 probably has more kitchen counter space than anything besides the 20, until you get to the 27.
Storage is very good. I really wanted a place in the bathroom to keep toiletries and towels, and a place in the kitchen for dishes and silver ware and bar ware.
Under the dinette the storage is much better than a lot of the front dinettes, since there is no drawer taking up real estate.
Our booze, ice bucket, (diva here don't you know!), grill, pots and pans, and fan and extension cord all fit under the dinette.
Under the bed we have the bag chairs, coleman stove, side table for outside, baby gate for the dog, and 2 of the airstream bins. One empty bin (will probably put extra tools there for long trips) Other has extra towels and TP.
Then we keep the power cord and surge protector in the closet, and the hoses and hand tools in the outside storage compartment.

I was pretty adamant about not having to keep much in the tow vehicle.

I like the look of things put away to minimize the clutter. It would get on my last nerve to have things out and everywhere.

Our clothes all fit in the closet.
The bathroom is large enough to change clothes in or towel off after a shower.

So once we set up camp, in our TV is only the stuff that lives outside: large cooler, bikes, lantern, smokey joe weber grill. All our clothes and food fit inside and put away in the trailer. I have a vintage wooden pic nic basket for chips, crackers, etc. A soft side bag cooler that fits under the dinette for transit of things that I don't put in the "wet" cooler like fruit, cheese, butter, lettuce, sandwiches, etc.
Condiments fit in a bin under the sink, as do utensils and a cutting board and linens and cleaning items.
We we keep beverages and any meats in the Yeti cooler outside. (thanks to Protagonist's post last winter on the Yeti)

We can't leave from home, so we can't pre-cool the fridge. So we need a good cooler until the fridge cools down.

I also like that the 22 was one of the most affordable AS, and we were fortunate to find a 2015 used at a dealer. So someone else who wanted a larger unit got to take the depreciation hit and we got a trailer that was 9 months old and didn't have to pay new.

I would think that for 2 people that this would be large enough to camp on multi week trips. But if you are looking for more of a second-home, then this would be not the best option, and then I would think a 27-28 would be better.