A month or so ago I wrote in and asked for advice from folks who owned the 25' or 27' front bed models. A number of you gave me some very good advice about what you liked, disliked, or would do differently. After boiling it all down and weighing your advice against our own situation and the type of travelling we plan to do, we came up with this:
25' FB Safari SE with
Front panoramic windows
Solar charging package
Window awning package
A/V upgrade package
2nd fantastic fan
What really sealed the deal for the 25' (for me anyway) is when "Goin camping" wrote in to say that you can turn the bedroom light out with your foot while laying in bed. How cool is that!
Keep us posted with details about your wait. The time frames and anything esle you might want to share. That is the package we are thinking real serious about...except for the solar. The anxieties of waiting is the hard part for me. When We do order it will be a new truck first 90 days wait at least. Then another month or two to get the truck rigged like I need it. Then order the Safari...another 90 days give or take. Thats 6 to 8 months of anxiety for me. I wonder if I can take it...lol. We have been waiting for the time that We can do this....and it is getting closer....I THINK?? Maybe next year. I have been on this forum for almost a year and a half and if I hang around here for another year and a half without a new Airstream I might be a candidate for the nut house..lol. But I am learning a lot about AS and knowledge is a good thing. I figure buy the time We get our AS I will have lived a couple years in one in my mind. I will be a professional camper the first time out...I hope..lol
What really sealed the deal for the 25' (for me anyway) is when "Goin camping" wrote in to say that you can turn the bedroom light out with your foot while laying in bed. How cool is that!
Anyway, now the waiting begins.....
Congratulations, but
Did he mention he is 7'8" tall and has a 9" big toe?
Time
__________________ Travel is in my blood, adventure is my passport, aluminum is my favorite construction medium, and therefore, an Airstream was my destiny.
Congratulations. I hope that the wait won't be too long.
We have an '05 25FB named Lucy. In the last 19 months, we have spent 210 nights in Lucy and pulled her almost 30,000 miles. We still love the layout of the FB. Every time we come home, we can't wait to leave again.
Brian
__________________ SuEllyn & Brian McCabe WBCCI #3628 --- AIR #14872 2005 25' Safari FB (Lucy) with HAHA 2005 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Olivia) & 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Daisy)
We received word that our new Safari will be in production in 2 weeks time, and that we will have our airstream in early March! Just in time for a spring break trip. We're thinking Big Bend National Park, but not certain yet.
That will give me (just barely) enough time to get our tow vehicle ready for the job. It is a '93 K2500 Suburban which we have owned for years and have put 230,000 miles on. I'm rebuilding the engine and transmission so that we can get a few more years down the road. For the rebuild, I'm modifying the 350ci engine to a 383ci with Vortec heads for a much needed increase in torque. The transmission is already the 4L80e heavy duty 4 speed auto, so a rebuild kit should prepare it well for towing. I really don't want the added expense of new TV right now, as I anticipate a number of diesel-equipped options to be available in the not-too-distant-future. It would be great if GM started offering diesel engines in 3/4 ton suburbans again.
We ordered the airstream with the stratus color package, and asked the factory to use the wood-plank look vinyl flooring in place of the cross hatch pattern which is now standard in the safari. For the cushions in the dinette and sofa, we asked the factory to use the "striped" stratus cloth. In viewing recent inventory photos on the web, the 25 and 27 FB models for Safari SE have had a solid tan color cloth on the cushions for the stratus package, but the cushions in the Bambi trailers, in stratus, have been a real nice blue and khaki striped fabric. I called the factory and they said that the stripes might be overwhelming in the larger trailers where the dinette and sofa cushions run together. I then went back to the web and found an example of an international Ocean Breeze 25' FB, with all striped cushions, and I thought it looked great. So the factory said they could use the striped stratus cloth on our trailer. Cool.
Anyway, I'll post some photos once we actually have our trailer.
We have the full Stratus stripe on the sofa and dinette cushions (special order) and love it. Not overwhelming at all, doesn't show smudges or the effects of "dogs on board," and has a very nice subtle texture.
The only thing I might have changed on our 25FB would be to upgrade to a 13500 AC. The Safari model comes with the 1100 AC. What do others think about this?
On our Safari 27 we upgraded from the 13500 btu a/c to the 15000. The cost was fairly minimal and I didn't want to take any chances because I hate to be to hot while sleeping.
__________________ Brian & Donna 08 27' Safari FB SE 03 Avalanche 2500 WBCCI #1199 - AIR #23847 NEU LIFE IS GOOD
We went to the 15K air conditioner on our 25' FB Classic, and we're glad we did. It added a heat strip as well, and the relatively minimal cost was well worth it. Our dealer said he wouldn't order a 25' or larger without the 15K unit unless someone really wanted the smaller unit or if they needed to stay within a particular generator capacity.
__________________
Ben & Molly (but Ben never types, so it's always Molly )
Did he mention he is 7'8" tall and has a 9" big toe?
Time
My thoughts too, though he might have been talking about the task light above the bed, though it would be easier with a four foot arm and Ming the Merciless' thumbnail.
Congratulations on your new Safari! We have the oatmeal fabric which sounds messy (and is if you add milk), but is just bland. We put a Navajo rug over the sofa and that jazzes it up.
Looks like you're mechanically inclined with all the work you're doing on your TV, so you'll pick up fast on all the needs and quirks of the A/S. Read a lot, ask a lot. There are always people willing to share their knowledge and opinions (regardless of facts sometimes, but we're only human).
If I remember the standard A/C on the 25' is the 13,500 BTU and I assume that's what we have because I never paid much attention.
I can't wait to get back on the road. We planning on de-winterizing in late March and going to New Mexico (if we can avoid snow), maybe as you leave for Texas.
And, DFord, order everything now before you talk yourself out of it. I just buy a truck off the lot (or they get it for me in a few days). I bought the Safari off the lot too and had it in a week (mainly because I couldn't get back any faster). Dealers want to get rid of vehicles they are paying loan interest on and they especially want to get rid of them at the end of the month because a lot of the loans are due then. That's how to get the best prices because there's less incentive for a dealer to cut prices on a special order.
Allen of Evergreen: we used to live in Marshdale between Evergreen and Conifer. Beautiful place, got to be too many people and traffic lights.
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How cool is that!
Enjoy dreamin'...
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