Growing up from Casita to FC20FB

[RFP]

Originally Posted by Steamy1

This comment is begging for more information......

Or not (!)

[rmkrum]

Some things are better left to the imagination...and I’m quite sure this is one of them.

[jchodgdon]

They will miss you over at Casita forums. I did notice that while the FC 20 is larger, the Casita actually had more capacity for fresh water, grey water, and black water. That does speak well for the folks at Casita. On the flip side, I’ve owned a Casita, and the FC 20 has substantially more kitchen space, along with space in general!
Enjoy the Airstream!

[gypsydad]

We went from a 25' AS to a 17' Casita SD for couple years, then back to a 25' AS. Then to a "new" 25' AS and now a 28' AS...next, perhaps a 30' Classic! Casita was nice, but as you found out, pretty small for 2 and if you have a big dog, forget about it! Good thing about TT's is we try to spend most of the time outside anyway, so sleeping and bathroom primary use of the TT's in our case...nice to pull a "bathroom" along on long trips! But, as we have gotten older, more room and storage becomes very nice. Enjoy!

[PKI]

So for those of you have grown up or down, a few impressions (positive and negative) on the Casitas might be helpful if a newby is looking for a limited risk way to engage the world of RV travel. Pat

Is the Casita a little fibreglass Bambi?
Does a well maintained Casita net most of the purchase price when you sell it?
Is the Casita more or less of a Four Season trailer than a Bambi?
Is the Casita easier than an AS to store?
Is the Casita maintenance less or more than an AS?
Would you buy a Casita or AS if you had it all to do over again?

Or any other viable point you might like to make.

[Wrangler]

We traded our 1999 Scamp 19’ for a 2019 19’ Flying Cloud. The Scamp was a much simpler trailer. No AC, no oven, wet bath, no television, or sound system. I bought the Scamp as a five Y.O. Used trailer, traded it 15 years later, and got the same for it as I paid. Storage is a similar effort, however, I never had an issue with mice in the Scamp. Maintenance cost for the Scamp was very minimal, and my AS is still under warranty. The AS is wider, so we have more room to maneuver in the FC, the brakes are better, and we LOVE the larger shower, and dry toilet space. The only regret that I have is that we did not look a the 20’ AS.

[TouringDan]

Welcome to the Airstream family.

I hear the Airstream 20 has a nice floor plan.

The SNP is one of our favorite places to camp. We will be on the lookout for your Airstream when we camp there.

Dan

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by PKI

So for those of you have grown up or down, a few impressions (positive and negative) on the Casitas might be helpful if a newby is looking for a limited risk way to engage the world of RV travel. Pat

Is the Casita a little fibreglass Bambi?
Does a well maintained Casita net most of the purchase price when you sell it?
Is the Casita more or less of a Four Season trailer than a Bambi?
Is the Casita easier than an AS to store?
Is the Casita maintenance less or more than an AS?
Would you buy a Casita or AS if you had it all to do over again?

Or any other viable point you might like to make.

Casita impressions over the 2 years we owned one, between first 25' AS Safari and second 25' AS Safari... Casita is narrower then the Bambi; bathroom is arguable, but may have a bit more room in the wet bath Casita for shower? Getting around inside however, the Casita is more of a challenge in the layout vs the Bambi. (our opinion)
Casita's typically retain their value "as good or better" then an AS.
AS is not a 4 season travel trailer; neither is a Casita...no double pain windows unless your getting special order...plumbing in both is fine if your using the heater in my opinion if it gets very cold. .
Casita is easy to tow as it is lighter; think parking about equal; easy.
Not sure about maintenance; both need to be cleaned and waxed outside. Fiberglass seems a bit more durable and not susceptible to rock pitting and scratches, like the AS. To us, the AS offers more options for size, which is why we went back to the 25'. The 17' Casita is really small for 2 plus a dog, but it's a nice trailer also.

We were going to order a new Casita, at $18,600 (10 years ago). Went to the factory and the wait was around 5-7 months unless there was going to be a cancelation. We started looking on line for used at the Casita site and also Craigs list...found a 4 year old model for $16K; (they pretty much were all are the same inside/outside; every year) We purchased it used and then used it for 2 years, put it up for sale for same price, $16K and sold it in 2 days...had a few people wanting it! I have had similar experience selling our 3 different year 25' AS's also...broke even after owning them for a couple years...even made a couple K$ on last one. Both great...depends on budget and lifestyle...I will tell you, the larger AS's are much more comfortable; I would think the width of the Bambi would be welcome also over the Casita layout!

[Roundabouts]

So far we have spent a week in the Airstream at SNP. I'm looking forward to meeting other AS, so stop by if you're at Big Meadows.

We had the Casita 10 years and have been camp hosts for 5 years. We have always loved it but the luxury of the extra space we now have is amazing. We like to be outside when camping but right now it is early season and Monday morning it was 18 and Tuesday 25 and the day didn't warm up much. The width of the AS gives a lot more room than the Casita even though we are only 3'10" longer. I now have separate areas for cooking and eating and two people can relax and move about comfortably inside. The furnace is quiet and everything has worked well. The tank heater is great. The outside pipe of our gray tank drain did freeze and we are getting some heat tape for that.

Towing is a bit harder because of the width, especially on the tight curves climbing the mountain to the Skyline Drive. When planning future trips we have discussed lowering the mileage we try to drive each day and move at a relaxed pace.

We will sell the Casita when we get home. We bought it slightly used (I don't think it had gone on any trips) in April 2009 for $15K. It has been used a lot so the price will not be near that, but after 10 years of use I think we should get a good return.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Roundabouts

. . .
. . . separate areas for cooking and eating . . .
. . .

Bingo!

That is what sold us . . . the galley . . . best in any AS under 25’ IMO.

Real gas oven.

Dry bath.

Bingo!