Need information on the SS model

[subfan1]

We are looking at a 25 SS. Because of the padding inside instead of the stainless steel interior.
If you own a SE model, is the stainless cold? Is it harder to maintain? We like the wrap around window in the front though.
Thoughts on the corner bed? Are you cramped? Is there enough room for both? I am 5' 10" and my wife is 5'5" tall average build. We are used to a island bed in our Komfort, I am worried about that. No, I don't want to go longer. I do want to continue to go to NTL parks, BLM and State parks.
What do you like most/least?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[GaryBrodie]

I have a 25 SE and I don't think the interior is cold. It feels clean soothing and so far I had little maintenance. I got the 25FB twin which some people don't like because you can't sleep in the same bed but my wife and I love it. The twin is not cramped at all. We got the wrap around windows in front and back and we really enjoy those too!

[Garfield]

We just bought a used 2001 Safari 25 SS - pick it up next week. We don't have any experience with it yet, but I had similar questions and here's my thinking...

I don't think the aluminum interior is any colder - there's 2.5" of fiberglass insulation in either version. The wall cloth (Ozite) is nylon so it has little or no R-Value, although it might be a tad quieter. We preferred the wall cloth/vinyl ceiling mainly because it made the trailer more "homey" to us. My only concern is keeping it clean.

As for the corner bed, we wrestled with that question too. It seems some really hate the corner bed (hard to make & small for two) while others can tolerate it. The main benefit of the corner bed, of course, is that it's space efficient - in the case of the 25 SS you get two wards, plus the dinette and sofa - which is quite a bit of living space for a 25 footer. We need to be able to comfortably sleep 4 when our teenage kids come along but didn't want to tow a larger trailer and felt the trade-off of a corner bed would be worth it. I Hope I'm right! BTW I'm 6'1" and my DW is 5', and although we haven't slept in the bed we've tried it out a half-dozen times and think we can live with it.

Good luck with your decision!

[millvalleyca]

[quote=subfan1]We are looking at a 25 SS. Because of the padding inside instead of the stainless steel interior.
If you own a SE model, is the stainless cold? Is it harder to maintain? We like the wrap around window in the front though.
Thoughts on the corner bed? Are you cramped? Is there enough room for both? I am 5' 10" and my wife is 5'5" tall average build. We are used to a island bed in our Komfort, I am worried about that. No, I don't want to go longer. I do want to continue to go to NTL parks, BLM and State parks.
What do you like most/least?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.[/quot

Hi Subfan1
How far from Los Banos are you? They have our 2007 SS Ocean Breeze listed at 45,000! We traded it in last month for a 27F FB. It's in perfect condition and only 6 months old.
We didn't find the interior cold.....just a lot cleaner looking.
Good luck on your search!

[subfan1]

We are in north Orange County. It sounds like the trailer is in the Bay area?
I'll do a search, thanks

[wheel interested]

We've had a corner bed and while I didn't mind it, especially alone, 6' hubby did not like the feeling of enclosure on all three sides and much of the foot of the bed. Ventilation is not as good as with cross ventilation. The toilet is also too cramped for knees for long legs too. However the rest of the living space is great. You could always use the couch and the bed for sleeping if it would prove to be a problem.

We have had an SE and a Classic, the SE interior holds an actual temperature both colder and hotter in comparison to the units with covered walls and obvious to the touch as well. The bare walls experience condensation. The aluminum walls will show dust more quickly on dusty roads and allow more outside noise in. But they look very stunning especially with the hallogens in the ceiling.

A Classic would have the wall covering and the wrap window if that is what you are leaning towards but at greater weight.

25' is a perfect size for travel!

[MegandMac]

We bought our AS in June and love it. Had the same issues and concerns as you. There are some tradeoffs but the living arrangement is well worth it. The sofa, folding table (perfect for a laptop), and dinette provide a nice living area with a larger group (i.e. mom, dad, two teenage daughters). We traveled for two weeks this summer to New England and there was room for everything and everybody. We did add a floor length mirror on the closet door - essential for living with teenagers!

Now there is the darn corner bed. You truly have to be a gymnist to make it up. So here's what we've done so far - bought a queen size futon cover in black (to go with Midnight Sun color scheme) to use as bottom sheet. Tucked a foam egg crate in before zipping up the cover - makes for a soft bed without standard bottom sheet and mattress cover popping off everytime you move. My next project is to modify a top sheet so that it will stay tucked in. And for those of you wondering - this trailer is just way too sweet to resort to sleeping bags. The sofa sleeps well and is a cinch to set up. But the girls kept sweating our bed - so we played dominoes several nights and the winning team got the bed. Yeah, they won. That's how I know about the sofa.

The bathroom is quite functional and works for us since we are somewhat vertically challenged (5'3" and 5'7").

Ventilation is good with the super fan on in the front, windows open around the bed, and the vent in the roof open. Can even glimpse the stars and hear the night noises.

The aluminum walls have not been a problem. A little cool to touch on cold nights - sort of like a window pane. We keep the walls clean with Windex, but only as necessary - maybe twice in five months. Have even hung some pictures using heavy duty velcro. And I agree the "look", especially with the halogen lights and the stereo playing in the background is simply awesome.

[Safari-Rick]

As you may or may not know, but many of us Airstreamers will be at the California Streamers Fall Rally in Kernville (Lake Isabella). As one might expect, there will be at least 16 of us with various designs and interiors at the Rally and you are more then welcome to pay us a visit and check out our rigs.

I have the 25' with cloth interior. Wife likes the feel and cozynes.

Safri-Rick

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by subfan1

We are looking at a 25 SS. Because of the padding inside instead of the stainless steel interior.
If you own a SE model, is the stainless cold? Is it harder to maintain? We like the wrap around window in the front though.
Thoughts on the corner bed? Are you cramped? Is there enough room for both? I am 5' 10" and my wife is 5'5" tall average build. We are used to a island bed in our Komfort, I am worried about that. No, I don't want to go longer. I do want to continue to go to NTL parks, BLM and State parks.
What do you like most/least?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Look at the 25 FB before you sign. It comes with a transverse queen - or twins. MUCH better AND the bath is better too.

[subfan1]

Thanks for your replys, we really appreciate everyone's input. I guess wth everything there are trade offs. For example, the 25 FB has the walk around bed and nice toilet and shower but, it is nice to have a couch to relax and watch some TV. The 25 FB rear dinette just does look comfortable to sit long. The SS model has everything in it that is functional and the price difference is very small relative to these units.
I am putting our Komfort up for sale and hopefully will decide by the time it is sold as to which model we are going to decide on.
Wish us luck in the sale.

[gaylejoe]

We purchased our SS in July and really love it. The shower is very nice. Yes, the bathroom in not for a large person though. As for the bed, it's something you have to get use to. The bed is much larger that it looks and we have plenty of room. It is the ideal size of trailer and very comfortable. Crawling out of bed in the middle of the night is a trip and would make an entertaining home video.

I never considered a larger trailer. To me the 25 footers is a perfect size for my wife and our 2 cats.

[Garfield]

Well, we got out one night a couple of weeks ago just to try out our new pride'n joy once before the snow came. Our 25 SS is our is our first Airstream and it certainly tows beautifully, especially with the Hensley.

I didn't care too much for the Zip-Dee awning compared to the standard version we're used to on our former SOB - found the Zip-Dee a little fussy to set up and the hardware not nearly as robust.

As for the corner bed, after being used to a queen in our former trailer it will take a little getting used to. The first time we made it up was a challenge but like most we're figuring a way fasten the bottom sheets underneath and we'll just "throw" the top covers/comforter on in the morning (so what if its a little wrinkled - we're camping!) We're going to try switching ends next time (feet to the rear of the trailer) which will give us a little more elbow room and we're going to put a 3" memory foam topper on the mattress to soften it up. But at this point I'm still confident it will work out just fine. Fortunately neither my DW or I have to get up at night so crawling in/out is not a big problem.

I miss the big underbed storage we had in our former 30 footer for large items, but it appears there's enough storage for us. Overall we're thrilled to own it and can't wait until spring!

[Jim Clark]

We are very happy with our SS. The shower is great the commode area not so great. We like the layout and as others have said we use the small table for a laptop and catch all area when camping. The rear bed is fine and works and the wife likes the table across from the cooking area. Storage is adequate, enough for what you need but will make you think about what you are carrying. The length is perfect and it can be towed with a F150 which is a big plus. With the newer trucks having even more capacity it becomes a no brainier. Once I get above 25’ I start thinking about a class A which I don’t need or want. The SS has a lot packed into it and is one of the rare designs which dose a lot of things very well.

I was thinking about the underbed storage, you do have it, just configured in a diffrent manner which of course makes it hard to store larger items.

[Goin camping]

Go out to the dealer and lie in the bed and sit on the throne on both models. Take your time and have the spouse with you.

Pictures do not tell you enough here. Your gonna spend eight hours a night on the bed you had better make sure its comfy. You also need to be sure you can fit and do the paperwork on the throne.

Its a whole lot of money so make sure you get it right.

If your local dealer does not have both styles in stock come out to a Calstreames rally and we'll feed you and let you test fit the FB and corner bed models.

[RIstream'n]

We went with the FB model after considering a 25SS. Too much money to spend to be cramped in the bed and in the bath

[millvalleyca]

Originally Posted by subfan1

Thanks for your replys, we really appreciate everyone's input. I guess wth everything there are trade offs. For example, the 25 FB has the walk around bed and nice toilet and shower but, it is nice to have a couch to relax and watch some TV. The 25 FB rear dinette just does look comfortable to sit long. The SS model has everything in it that is functional and the price difference is very small relative to these units.
I am putting our Komfort up for sale and hopefully will decide by the time it is sold as to which model we are going to decide on.
Wish us luck in the sale.

The FB has a great couch.....on our second trip out in our 27FB after dinner I dropped the table and made a "day bed" out of the dinette. It was much more comfy than the couch we had in the 25SS we traded in. I moved the "couch cushions" over to the "day bed" (perfect length). The added depth of the seat cushions made for a more comfy sofa.

The bottom line....the FB is the perfect AS.....at least for this family of four!

[Cathy&Pete]

We had a 19' Bambi for over six years. It has the side sleeper format. We started out with both of us in the bed. After a while we realized we were not getting great sleep. Then we added one dog, then another and we really couldn't make it work. So we switched to sleeping one human and one dog in each the bed and the converted dinette. That worked really well for a long time and we could probably could still be using that set up...except that my husband was really unhappy with the side bath element of the floor plan. There was not enough room for his legs and it really was driving him crazy. We moved up to a 25' Classic with the rear bedroom. I don't think they make that floorplan any longer. We bought a lightly used one (still in its warrenty period) and although we had to convert the rear east/west queen into two twins it was a fabulous bargain. By changing to twins it feels even more spacious, as we now have an area in the bedroom for dressing. We also preferred the rear bedroom for privacy and noise issues (husband likes to sleep in/nap when we are camping). We didn't need the dinette, in addition to the sofa, and the Classic sofa is very comfortable. Also, the FB uses alot of the storage space to allow for the 'across the hall' shower, and we felt that we only use the shower for a few minutes every day whereas the storage space is needed 100% of the time. Well, that about summarizes my thoughts on the 25 SS.
Cathy

[Sapharie]

My wife and I have had our 25ss for a year and a half now - bought it used in great shape with a year left on the wty. I am six foot two @ 250#'s and let's just say the wife (checking to see if she is in the room ) does not shop at Penny's Petites. We have had no problems sleeping comfortable all night on the corner bed, butt (pun intended) I can only fully use the bathroom with the door open (tested while on a fishing trip with guys).

Since then, I have gone to the local dealer and tried all the Seats and the 25FB is the best by far. However, I really like the living space of the 25ss and the 28 (which weighs the same as the 25ss), and so either I go public (campground restrooms that is) or door open and divider shut.