Going from Class B to Airstream trailer, soon we hope!

[pwlldvd]

Hi all. My wife and I have enjoyed our class B Road-trek very much but have decided to try a trailer now. Looking around, nothing we saw even compares to the Airstream, so here we are.

We've decided on a 27FB or maybe a 25FB. We eat vegan(ish) and rarely eat out, so a large fridge and galley are important. We don't want the trailer so large it limits us taking it on the occasional dirt road and into the national parks, so that's why we ended up at 25 or 27 feet.

Any comments or recommendations will be much appreciated!

David in Austin, Texas

[dbj216]

Towing a trailer is more challenging than a Class B rig, but maybe a lot more versitile as you can use the tow vehicle for daily chores too, and you can use it for sightseeing and the like when traveling.

You will learn all about hitches, hitching up, wide turns, and backing into a campsite. This is all easy to learn and easy to get proficient with practice.

I've only had an Airstream trailer for traveling, so I'm biased. I think you will find Air Forums very useful as you research the possibilities. Many folks will say get the trailer that suits your needs. Bigger is usually better, and cheaper than trading up later 'cause you don't have enough room to be comfortable.

David

[Meeks]

Ahhhh, our needs and desires are always in flux, are they not ? We have an Airstream trailer and are thinking about switching to a Class B in a couple of years when our son leaves the nest. The exact opposite RV switch that you are doing!

I would highly recommend renting a truck and trailer before purchasing a trailer and making sure that indeed this is the way you want to go. Pros and cons to all RVs as I'm sure you are aware of. But you want to be as close to 100% sure of your decision before spending the big bucks!

If a trailer is your decision it is tough to beat an Airstream. We enjoy ours so much it's crazy!

Chris

[Piggy Bank]

I think you may want to consider looking at the 25 rear bed twin. If offers both a propane oven and a microwave, and the toilet room on the rear bed 25 is larger and has a daylight window.

My personal opinion is that if you for sure want a queen you should get the 27, and if you want a shorter trailer for more national park camping options you should get the twin in the 25. Either front or rear. The queen on the 25 has the bed across the trailer and an overhead locker that is easy to smack your head on it, with very little room to walk around the bed.

[DBinSD]

Same here. We went from a 25’ motorhome to a AS 28’ International Signature and love the quality and layout.
Best decision!
Enjoy your new adventure.

Dan

[Protagonist]

I know someone who pulls a 19' Airstream trailer with a Roadtrek Adventurous RS. And another who pulls a 19' Airstream trailer with an Airstream Interstate class B. Best of both worlds!

[pwlldvd]

Thanks for the replies.

I've pulled boat trailers most of my life, up to about 5,000 lbs which is of course less than the trailers I'm looking at. One trailer question I have is, do I need load leveling and sway control? The tow vehicle will most likely be a 1/2 ton pickup. THere's probably a thread here somewhere...

Thanks PB for the tip on the sideways bed. Those head-knockers are a real nuisance, especially in the middle of the night.

[nvestysly]

So many choices in the RVing world! Sometimes too many.

I'd like to mention a feature of both the 25 and 27 that you may want to consider... the bed(s).

It may seem odd at first but the twin bed arrangement has many advantages regarding storage compared to the queen bed layout. In the twin bed floor plan you'll get three outside storage compartments compared to the single outside storage of the queen floor plan. In addition, with the twin bed layout the hallway extends the entire length of the trailer.

The interior storage of queen bed layout is larger than the twin bed because the bed lifts to provide a large area under the bed. The twin bed layout has reasonable storage under the beds - plenty of room for added blankets or clothing.

Regarding length, I'd opt for the 27 - at least that's what we're considering if we ever replace our existing 29' Classic.

[Dan_Rox]

Originally Posted by pwlldvd

Thanks for the replies.

I've pulled boat trailers most of my life, up to about 5,000 lbs which is of course less than the trailers I'm looking at. One trailer question I have is, do I need load leveling and sway control? The tow vehicle will most likely be a 1/2 ton pickup. THere's probably a thread here somewhere...

Thanks PB for the tip on the sideways bed. Those head-knockers are a real nuisance, especially in the middle of the night.

You will definitely need weight distribution and sway control. I don't think you will find many people that will tell you differently.

As far as the 1/2 ton truck, get ready for lots of opinions and advice. I will just say that you will need to educate yourself on GVWR / payload capacity of your tow vehicle. There is a lot more to safe towing than the stated tow rating of a vehicle. Good luck and enjoy the process.

[Lucky Dog]

We had a Pleasure Way Class B before going to a ‘23 Flying Cloud and our now 25’ Flying Cloud. Best RV decisions made. You get an awesome trailer and and

[Lucky Dog]

Oops...an awesome trailer and an awesome community in fellow Airstreamers. Can’t beat it.

[pwlldvd]

Thanks for the comments and advice! We are getting serious now, going to drive some trucks this morning. Once that's settled we will go on to trailer shopping.

[Lve42dy]

Hello there,

I chose the globetrotter for the size, layout and the 3 way fridge. It’s the only AS rig with the 3 way fridge. If going to NP and boondocking this feature will be essential for your cold foods.

Lve42dy

[pwlldvd]

We went to a couple of dealers last week and one gave us a good deal on a new 27fb Tommy Bahama. We’ll go back in about a week to pick it up.

We were going to get an International, but chose the Tommy for several reasons. Likes: wet bar with extra counter space for meal prep. Rear hatch. Woven vinyl flooring. Real oven and microwave instead of convection microwave. Minor stuff like usb ports. Louvers on cabinets. Dislikes: style ranging from meh (branding logos) to ick (bathroom).

Really looking forward to it!

Oh yeah, I bought a Tundra to tow it with. Like that too.

[ShinyPete]

Pwlldvd-

Congratulations on your new TB 27fb and Tundra! We love our 27fb twin, and spend 50 or more nights aboard every year. We tow with a '15 F150, and I am firmly rooted in the "most Airstreams can be towed by a properly configured 1/2 ton pickup" crowd. We do it very easily with our rig, using first a BlueOx hitch setup, and then a used ProPride. It tows very well, as if it "welded together".

Your assignment for the next week is to read many "tow vehicle selection" and "hitch selection/setup" threads on AirForums. There is a lot to learn, and a lot of opinion to wade through, but the bottom line is, you can setup your Tundra and 27fb to tow safely and securely with a quality Weight Distribution/Sway Control hitch, given a proper installation and dial-in of the equipment.

Your coach has a 7600 lb GVWR, and will most likely weigh 6500-7000 lbs loaded, with a 850-1000 lb hitch weight (as long as you don't bring your cast iron pot collection aboard). We recently had our rig run through the Escapees SmartWeigh program, and it revealed a very good setup and balance with our truck and coach loaded as normal for camping. I have posted the ticket here, hoping you find it a helpful example of how your rig might weigh out.

One thing I have read about Tundra's is they tend to have a lower Payload rating than some 1/2 tons, so watch what you put in the truck carefully against that Payload number. I hunted for our F150 xlt with MaxTow and a 6.5' bed, getting a 1907 lb Payload......

I hope this helps, and wish you all the best with your new adventure!

[pwlldvd]

Thanks for the info Pete. SmartWeigh looks worthwhile. I think I'll do that after we have it home a while and all loaded up. Livingston isn't too far from me, and we go to Houston from time to time to visit family so that should work out. I hadn't thought too much about the Tundra payload, but we tend to travel light so I think it won't be a problem. I already did some hitch research and ordered an Equal-i-zer from etrailer. The dealer is going to assemble and install for a small fee, which saves me trying to torque bolts to 320 ft/lbs.

[nvestysly]

Originally Posted by pwlldvd

...I already did some hitch research and ordered an Equal-i-zer from etrailer. The dealer is going to assemble and install for a small fee, which saves me trying to torque bolts to 320 ft/lbs.

Be sure to take time to understand how the hitch should be setup (hitch head angle, pre-load on bars, tongue height, etc.) and keep an eye on the dealer during installation. If you've never installed a hitch some of the information may seem trivial but a few degrees of change in hitch head angle make a big difference.

The "weight" of the bars make a big difference too. Every hitch manufacturer I looked at indicated our trailer and tow vehicle required 1000# bars. That was not the case at all. The 1000# bars flexed very little and almost locked the coupler. Consequently, there was very little movement between the tow vehicle and trailer. Some research indicated that lower "weight" bars may be better for our setup and I suspect many people are driving with weight distribution bars that are too "heavy." My conclusion... even hitch manufacturers don't take time to understand the day-to-day use of their product.

Some dealers take time to install hitches properly and some do not. If you're paying them don't simply take their word for it - watch them, ask questions, double-check their measurements. In the end you want to ensure your trailer is riding level and an appropriate amount of tongue weight has been transferred back to the front wheels of your tow vehicle.

It's surprising how many ill-installed hitches are seen in campgrounds, at gas stations, and truck stops. In many cases the owner indicates "the dealer installed it" and they assumed it was set up properly.

+1 on SmartWeigh - you can do the same thing with CAT scales but if you can arrange a meeting with SmartWeigh it's a much more straightforward process and our rep indicated we could return and re-check for free if we needed to tweak the hitch. No tweaks were needed.