We want to be able to use NM and Colorado National Forest campgrounds and do not want to have a TT that is too big.
It is not just the AS length, although the campgrounds use TT length as a guide, they almost never measure. Many times the campground maps and descriptions of campsites are just plain wrong, usually much larger than what is printed. The real question is will you fit and can you maneuver your truck and trailer in the space available. We have a 25FB and have not found a situation where we were denied access even though some sites were designated for 23 feet. We also found that when we switched from a CrewCab-Long Bed truck to a Short Bed truck, the task of getting into tight spots became easier.
Buy the Airstream that fits you comfortably, if the 23 is it, go for it, but if the 25 is your thing, don't let the fear of access into some parks be the reason to say no.
Just opinion here, based on our experience.
__________________ Travel is in my blood, adventure is my passport, aluminum is my favorite construction medium, and therefore, an Airstream was my destiny.
I'm towing with a 06 Ford Expedition which is essentially a 1/4 ton. We have over 12,000 miles towing all over the West, including up and down several mountains, with no problems.
John
__________________
"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results."
23 or 25 should get you into most any space. Some older places do have restrictions on size, but those restrictions are usually closer to the 30 foot mark.
Call around to the parks. Do some homework where you think you might want to stay. "Let your fingers do the walking".
I'm towing with a 06 Ford Expedition which is essentially a 1/4 ton. We have over 12,000 miles towing all over the West, including up and down several mountains, with no problems.
John
Did I say 1/4 ton?
I meant 1/2 ton.
John
__________________
"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results."
We are looking to buy a AS soon and we will be mainly boondocking. We are looking at a 23FB or a 25FB. Should we be looking for something smaller?
If I remember correctly, Airstream measures including the tongue. Most other trailers do not include the tongue. So a 25' Airstream is the same as 22' SOB. I have not had any impossible situations in any campgrounds just a tight one in the redwoods in No Cal.
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Roger & Roxie Smith (WBCCI#27380 - Air#178)
Visalia, CA (between Fresno & Bakersfield)
1992 25' Excella - Nuestra casa rodante
2003 F-250 6.0 Turbo Diesel Crew Cab http://www.casarodante.org
We have a 20' and have camped in many places where a larger unit would have been difficult - not impossible, but difficult. We also really liked the floor plan of the 20. So I think that should be your deciding factor- which floor plan works best for you.
We've done a lot of camping without hookups available. National forest campgrounds seem to have good sized slots with good clearance in general. They'll put sites where you'd drag your tail backing in but there usually are enough other choices. Only a small number of natl forest campgrounds take reservations in our area.
State forest campgrounds are another issue altogether. They're widely variable and you've just got to cruise sites when you get there. Branches may be low enough in some that a tent or popup would be all that fits. They won't appreciate your efforts at making it big enough for an Airstream. All Airstreams are virtually the same height.
A 23 or 25 ought to fit most places. But if boondocking is your thing, think a) tank size; and b) batteries or generator or solar. It's no fun to find THE perfect spot for a few days' R&R and then before the few days are up, to run out of water or black tank capacity or electricity.
A 23 or 25 ought to fit most places. But if boondocking is your thing, think a) tank size; and b) batteries or generator or solar. It's no fun to find THE perfect spot for a few days' R&R and then before the few days are up, to run out of water or black tank capacity or electricity.
I agree with all of the above.
I boondock, a lot, an absurd amount in fact. If the question is truly boondocking as opposed to national forest campgrounds, then the real issue is WIDTH. When you get into the boonies, it is common for the prime boondocking spots to be down narrow lanes or tracts. A couple of my favorite boondocking spots would simply be inaccessible with a wide body. So if you really mean boondocking when you say boondocking, then you might want to think about the narrow body that the vintage units have
__________________ "If a man does not have an ideal and try to live up to it, then he becomes a mean, base and sordid creature, no matter how successful." Letter to his son Kermit, quoted in Theodore Roosevelt by Joseph Bucklin Bishop, 1915
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