Visit our Popular Forums

CanyonCrazy · 01-14-2008, 09:58 PM

Folks,

We finally did it and placed our order!

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!

Anyway, now the waiting begins.....

DFord79 · 01-14-2008, 10:54 PM

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

TIMEMACHINE · 01-14-2008, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanyonCrazy

Folks,

We finally did it and placed our order!

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

**moosetags** · 01-14-2008, 11:17 PM

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

RIstream'n · 01-15-2008, 06:30 AM

Congrats!!! Keep us posted on the arrival and of course plenty of pics are much appreciated.

DPeakMD · 01-15-2008, 07:43 AM

Congrats CanyonCrazy! That's a very nice unit...it would be one of my top, if not the top, pick of a new model 'stream. Enjoy!

Allen H · 01-15-2008, 02:47 PM

Your going to love this unit, we have had our 25 FB for about 9mo. WE are getting ready to hit the road for 2 1/2 mo.

CanyonCrazy · 01-16-2008, 10:58 PM

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.

CanoeStream · 01-16-2008, 11:14 PM

CC - You have unparalleled good taste in Airstreams and deserve kudos from the other 25,018 AIR Forums members!

Enjoy dreamin'...

janetb · 01-16-2008, 11:46 PM

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.

Allen H · 01-17-2008, 10:34 AM

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?

RIstream'n · 01-17-2008, 02:32 PM

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.

Midamrail · 01-17-2008, 03:00 PM

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.

Gene · 01-22-2008, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TIMEMACHINE

Congratulations, but

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.

Gene

KeithC · 01-22-2008, 06:03 PM

Congratulations on your new Safari! You'll have to keep everything pic and span, for all the visitors in very campground wanting to see your new trailer.

CanyonCrazy · 01-22-2008, 06:36 PM

We are really looking forward to receiving the AS in early March. We went to an RV show in ABQ this last weekend and toured a few Airstreams. I had never seen the AS trailers with all of their inside lights on, which was necessary at the show because it was held inside of (marginally) heated tents with poor ambient lighting. The lights really make the colors, textures and features stand out.

1Bombshell · 01-28-2008, 12:45 AM

Congradulations on your new Safari! I remember when we ordered ours. The wait was torture, however, very exciting. We had ours delivered to our house. To see that big silver A/S in our driveway was such a rush. The great thing is that it fits in the driveway in the backyard. So we get to see it everyday! It makes loading up for our monthly trips a breeze. Plus, it's great to just sit in it, staring and admiring how beautiful it is... Have fun!

Silvertwinkie · 01-28-2008, 07:02 AM

Gene,

Back in October of 2003, I too placed an order for my current unit. At that time, only the Classics had the 15k BTU A/C unit as an option, even the 25' Classic. I pressed the factory via the dealer for this to be put on my 25' Safari. No Safaris that I am aware of before my unit had this and I was really questioned by the dealer. I finally told them, that dimensionally, the 25' Classic is no different that the 25' Safari and that the wiring paths and control locations looked similar and that there should be no reason why this would behave differently in a 25' Safari vs a 25' Classic. The dealer (and I think the factory agreed). There were even naysayers here on the forms, saying it would cycle too much, have too much humidity because of the freq cycling, etc. I felt that they were in fact wrong. I took all this into consideration and still went for it. It was something around a $250 upcharge (this was before Airstream added an additional charge for off the menu options to install-- which last I heard was an addtional $500).

Anyway, I love it. It has the Comfort Control System which controls both the furnace and the A/C and the unit has a heat pump for those not so cold night where the A/C unit actually runs a a heater (not a simple heat strip). It can work automatically between heat and cool and the added cooling is excellent. I have been in direct sunlight, well into the 90s outside, and could hang meat in the RV if I wanted to. I could not say that with by 19' Bambi's 11k unit, nor could most folks I spoke with do it with their 13,500BTU units with RVs of similar size and larger. The unit does NOT cycle too much, does NOT have too much humidity and unlike my old 11k unit on my Bambi, it actually turns completely off when the desired temp is reached.

I would IMPLORE anyone that is ordering a unit of 25' or longer (regardless of model--Classic, Safari, SE, CCD, ETC), to consider this upgrade. Not only for the reasons I've already stated, but here is one other good reason.

About a year or so ago, I was looking at the 31' Classic dinette model as a possible upgrade. I found a good price on one on a dealer lot, but it only had the 13,500k BTU A/C unit. So, I emailed the factory about how much it would cost to remove and replace with a 15k unit if I brought it to them. They came back with a price of about $1600 to take out the 13.5k unit and install the 15k unit.

Today, as has been pointed out, many units now come from the factory with the 15k unit, no matter which model based on dealer ordering. The 15k Penguin that I have, and that I think they still use, is a workhorse that has met or in most cases exceeded my expectations. IMHO, the smallest A/C unit should be the 13.5k units and they would be perfect in any unit 23' or smaller.

You have a unique opportunity now, as the plans are on paper still to make this call should you choose to do it now before it's built.

bernermom · 01-29-2008, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanyonCrazy

I had never seen the AS trailers with all of their inside lights on, which was necessary at the show because it was held inside of (marginally) heated tents with poor ambient lighting. The lights really make the colors, textures and features stand out.

I first saw the AS with all the lights on when we went to pick up ours at the dealer. WOW, what a difference the lights made. It felt good that I liked it even more then 6 weeks earlier when we ordered her! Can't wait to see your pictures, March will be here before you know it.

Diane

Goin camping · 01-29-2008, 09:47 AM

Wow! We sure got lucky.

I called our dealer and said."This 19 won't do. Do you have a 25 FB LS SE with front and rear Pano's?"

She said "No but we have one enroute. It's already left the factory and should be here in three days."

"Fine, It's sold to me." I said. A week later when we picked it up she had sold my 19 footer for what I paid for it and ticked off everyone at her dealership by selling the 25 FB out from under them. Well, everyone but her boss.

We camped in it that night and were already tucked into bed when I discovered that you could turn off the light with your big toe. From then to now the more we use the trailer the more we love the floorplan and all the other little things we've discovered about it.

By the way the trailer does exceedingly well on desert dirt roads.

Enjoy.