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tksbaskets · 08-03-2010, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew05

Hi! This is my first post, and I would like to thank all who have added to this thread. My wife and I are looking at both a 2011 25' Flying Cloud FB, and a 2008 27' Safari SE FB. I sort of prefer the 25' because it has a queen bed, where the 27' has the twin beds. But the 27' is a clean one owner, and less expensive than the 25'.

Good food for thought as we are hoping to go look at both later this week. Some questions I have are:

Will we be limited on campsite locations because of size?
Is a 27' more difficult to pull and maneuver than a 25'?
Both trailers have pano windows front and rear and have metal finishes inside, how much of an effect will these have in maintaining inside temps?

Thanks
Drew

Hi Drew,
We have a 25' Safari FB SE with twins. We picked the twin configuration for the following reasons: Hubby is 6'2" and we liked the longer length, the outside storage and under the bed EASILY accessible storage met our needs, you can walk all the way to the front of the AS to access the two cupboards, plus you can easily stand in the bed room area to change clothes. Another plus - the boys can sleep back there after we get up, if you take a friend camping as I did last October you both have a bed, if you camp with kids you won't be getting 'busy' in the queen bed very often, if you don't camp with kids you can get busy anywhere you want

.

As for 25' vs 27' you get 2' more pantry with the 27'. As I could barely fit a good sized bottle of EVOO in my pantry the 2' would have been a welcome addition.

Just some thoughts. We haven't once regretted our choice of AS! Good luck.

Gene · 08-03-2010, 09:59 AM

Drew,

Just the other day Barb and I were talking about what trailer we would pick if we were going to do it all over again. When we were selecting, we went back and forth between 25' and 27' and chose the 25' because (1) it cost $4,000 less, (2) less weight for the Tundra to pull, (3) better maneuverability, (4) the round sink in the 27' is a lot less useful than the double sink in the '08 25'.

I have no regrets, but if we were doing it again, we might do it differently. Having towed the 25' for almost 3 years and 32,000+ miles, I am convinced the truck could handle the 27' or even the 28'. As Andrew says, I think there is little difference in maneuverability, but I expect there are times the extra length would be a problem, especially at some public campgrounds in the west. The stylish but less useful round sink has been standard in the 25's since '09 I believe. We use one side of the double sink to let dishes and fruit dry, leave things there while driving—the round sink means drying things on the counter and wasting space. And price—maybe up to $5,000.

We worried we would be claustrophobic in the 25' after a while. On our first 3 1/2 week trip, I was starting to feel confined! But, over time, we have gotten used to it and we just did 8 weeks on the road. Storage space can be tight, but we've always managed ok. In the 27' you can have a microwave in the pantry, but we put a cabinet on the gaucho for it and a printer, so that was solved. You don't gain 2' in storage (closer to a foot). Some of the extra length is taken up by the bed being lengthwise rather than crosswise. We lengthened our crosswise bed by adding some plywood below, moving the mattress down, and stuffing a bolster with hard bottom at the top so that it would hold a standard fitted queen sheet. That solved the short queen problem. The crosswise bed is harder to get out of for the person on the inside.

Queen or twin is an individual thing. We would not consider a twin, but it doesn't matter to others. If you want a queen, keep looking—you spend a lot of time in bed, some of it perhaps "busy". Converting a twin to queen would be a construction project and not cheap. The queen bed models are much more popular so there's one out there if you are willing to wait. The pull of getting an Airstream right away is strong, but resist until you find what you really want. Not liking what you buy is a very expensive mistake, especially if you buy a new one.

The panoramic windows are cool to look at, but not particularly sensible. We like them in the back because we get good views outside from the dinette. In the bedroom, we have covered all the windows with Reflectix to moderate heat gain or loss depending on the season. There's no doubt that more windows means less insulation and perhaps less structural strength. If it were up to me, the panos would only be at the back. We like the aluminum interior—easy to keep clean, cool looking, interesting light reflections. Some complain about the aluminum being cold to touch or sleep against, especially in the cooler seasons. If you like to sleep against the wall, get a blanket.

I was looking at the floor plan of the 28 the other day. You get a sofa and a dinette and a queen. The 27 and 28 are both about 28' long, but the 28 is one inch shorter than the 27.

Gene

tksbaskets · 08-03-2010, 02:22 PM

Drew,
After CrawfordGene's post I do recall that the pantry is only about a foot wider in the 27 footer. He brings up several good points about the panoramic windows.

Ours has them in the back dinette area but our bedroom has one window in the front and two side windows. My husband's issue with our bedroom windows with the mini blinds - he wacks them when he rolls over and has broken two hold down clips to date and startled his beloved awake.

With the panoramic windows in the bedroom do you get the curtains that are fabric attached top and bottom that slide?

Half the fun is looking. Some of the best advice I received from the fine posters here was to be patient and get the AS that was exactly what you wanted. (the next best was to be ready to pull the trigger right when you find it

)

SRoffe · 08-03-2010, 03:44 PM

@tksbaskets

We have the pano window in the bedroom - it has curtains that slide. But the two side windows have the mini blinds. After we turn out the lights, I raise the blind by my bed a bit so that I don't bump it, making all the crashing noises. (What really bugs me in the bedroom is the smoke detector which, when you are out away from city lights, flashes like lightning in the room every 2 minutes. For good or bad, that's where we hang the hubby's fishin' hat. I have at times wished the closet was wider, but only in the coolest weather when we are carrying 4 or more winter parkas.

wheel interested · 08-03-2010, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SRoffe

...What really bugs me in the bedroom is the smoke detector which, when you are out away from city lights, flashes like lightning in the room every 2 minutes. For good or bad, that's where we hang the hubby's fishin' hat...

I know exactly what you mean, that flashing light perturbs me to no end when I am lying down trying to sleep. I used to hang my hat over it. However my DH has convinced me to not cover the sensor so instead I put a piece of tape or mounting clay over the tiny flashing light. That way the critical operation of the detector is not hampered.

Gene · 08-03-2010, 05:15 PM

I think most units come with panos front and back instead of at one end only. The smaller side window has blinds and that means you can't prop up a pillow to read. Dumb design. I could pull up the blinds, but then I'd have to attach them again. I don't read in bed anyway, but I'd like to know it were easy if I did. I'd also like to prop up the pillow to watch TV, but we don't have a TV in the bedroom.

We have a CO detector in the bedroom above the thermostat and I don't notice the light flashing. Maybe the battery is dead. I'll check it in a few years. The smoke detector is in the living-dining-kitchen. I notice some units have a round white something detector up high on the side of the small wardrobe. Maybe that's the one that flashes, though ours doesn't flash either. Our propane detector flashes though.

Gene

JFScheck · 08-03-2010, 05:30 PM

Easy - 27FB with Queen Size bed...

gaylejoe · 08-03-2010, 07:13 PM

All 3 of my Airstreams have been 25 feet. Our current Airstream is the 25FB,SE,LS with queen bed. Each year we go out for 3 months and have never felt cramped. Would not trade the queen bed or the double sinks.

The SE interior is hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. Our previous Airstream was a 25 foot Sleeper Six and it had the cloth sides. No doubt about it, it was warmer in cold climates and cooler in the summer.

We take 2 sets of clothes with us. Fall or winter and summer. One set inside the Airstream the other packed in a box inside the tow vehicle. Same thing with food. Etra food in baxed in the tow vehicle. We just make do with the space we have.

The only thing I am going to try to improve on is the some TV speakers for the dinette area. I had been using some Bose computer speakers but I want to try something different.

I would not trade my 25 foot FB for a 27FB but if I had to replace the 25 I would consider the 27 but only a specific floor plan that would give 2 additional closets beside the queen bed. In that configuration the closet space is doubled over the standard 27FB.

fmr.capt.evi · 08-04-2010, 09:51 AM

Hi drew05,
If your plans include stopping by Bill Thomas in St. Louis, I just wanted to let you know in advance how pleased I have been with them over the years.

drew05 · 08-05-2010, 12:16 PM

fmrcaptevil,

Thanks, I'm glad to hear you had good experiences with them. My wife and I did go there Wednesday. They had aa '08 27' FB Safari SE w/ twin beds that we really wanted to look at (less$$). Unfortunately it had been sold before we arrived. Luckily we were also looking at a 2011, 25' FB Flying Cloud w/ a queen bed. (They also showed us a 2010 27' w/twins, but we found it hard to justify the extra $$).

We are in contract for the 25'. We will go back in 2 or 3 weeks to pick it up. It's another 'first' for us, and a 25th wedding present that we plan to use often.

I want to thank everyone who listed pros and cons of both sizes. Your input helped not only on size, but also other items to look at and ask about.

Drew

dstalzer · 08-05-2010, 02:15 PM

Drew

Congratulations on making a decision. If you have camped at all in any other trailer I am sure you will be impressed with the solid feeling of the Airstream. We started out with a used 18' Holiday Ramblette and really enjoyed it for 11 years. We always envied those with the Airstreams and finally we purchased ours. After taking 8 trips in it we are really happy with it and plan to use it extensively next year after retirement.

Dennis

Gene · 08-05-2010, 02:33 PM

Congratulations. You picked our trailer (actually a clone). Now it would be a good idea to start making a list of questions to ask when you pick it up. They will probably allot 2 hours, but ask for more time if you need it.

A lot of info comes at you really fast. Right down the info so you can refer to it later. Ask the dealer if you can have the owner's manual now so you can read it and that should help both them and you through the check out. It's best to stay in it for a few days near the dealer so you can check everything out to make sure it works.

Gene

2airishuman · 08-05-2010, 03:21 PM

i love the title of this thread...

it's GOOD that the title survived and wasn't toned down to dullness.

we need more death matches...

the owner manuals are ONLINE now...

download n enjoy...

Airstream, Inc :: Travel Trailer Manuals

this is a good advance tool for questions, inspections and so on...

cheers
2air'

Bluto · 08-05-2010, 04:19 PM

2Air,
Thanks for posting that link. I've been pestering everybody I could think of for blow-up drawings and part numbers of stuff. Now I can just download it and print a manual for my trailer.

Gene · 08-05-2010, 04:32 PM

Bluto, those are owner's manuals, not service manuals. They have a limited number of service manuals for sale for decades ago: https://store.airstream.com/product_...products_id=96

There's other info at: Airstream, Inc :: Specs - 2000

I don't know if they have service manuals for recent years, but won't sell them or even admit to them. There may be other stuff on the company website—I recall finding some arcane info somewhere, but had to look in every nook and cranny and that was a year ago. They move things around and sometimes stuff disappears for a while.

Gene

Gene

Mike Leary · 08-05-2010, 05:30 PM

One of the best things that ever happened to me was being serviced at the AS dealer that we had bought all four of our coaches from. I'd just paid the bill, the service tech took me aside and said, "we're going out of business, root our service manual collection and "steal" anything you want". I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Gene · 08-05-2010, 05:43 PM

I'd like the dealer where we bought ours to go out of business, but I doubt they'd want to see us since they know what we think of them.

Gene

gaylejoe · 08-05-2010, 05:48 PM

You made a great choice. Personally, we like the queen bed. In colder climates it sure is nice to have an extra body to warm up to. If we had twins our 2 cats would get confused at to which bed to sleep on.

fmr.capt.evi · 08-05-2010, 05:51 PM

Congratulations! What a great 25th Anniversary Gift!

Bluto · 08-05-2010, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

One of the best things that ever happened to me was being serviced at the AS dealer that we had bought all four of our coaches from. I'd just paid the bill, the service tech took me aside and said, "we're going out of business, root our service manual collection and "steal" anything you want". I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Mike,
You are one lucky son of a gun!
That almost never seems to happen.