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Old 09-23-2016, 09:45 PM   #1
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Wartrace , Tennessee
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Bath (16' vs 19')

Hey all. This is our first post of what we expect to be many here. My wife and I are attempting to learn all we can before our first Airstream purchase (first ever camper for that matter).

We are looking at either the 16' or 19' as we both have Toyota Tacomas and believe this to be the maximum sizes to be pulled by such a small rig. We will be using hers as it is crew cab LWB with 4.0L.

The option we are having a hard time deciding about is the wet bath in the 16'er or the full bath in 19'. Would like to hear some thoughts from those of you who have a 16 in regards to your thoughts on the wet bath and if you were doing it again would you purchase larger unit?

Thanks in advance
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Old 09-23-2016, 09:54 PM   #2
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We had a 16'. I didn't have a problem with the bathroom (5'10", a little overweight &#128521. My wife did not like the bathroom. But I'm easy to please, and she is not so easy to please. At least when it comes to bathrooms.

We sold our 16' this summer and have ordered a 25' that should be here in a couple of years, sorry weeks. 😝

When purchasing our 16', I didn't think there was much advantage in the 19'. Good luck on your choice! We used ours a lot!
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Old 09-23-2016, 10:15 PM   #3
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Bath in 19' is relatively spacious

We have a 2006 19' Bambi and the shower is fine for both my wife and me. I'm about 6' and there is plenty of head room. The shower door is a bit of a pain, but it works fine.
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Old 09-23-2016, 10:19 PM   #4
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Are there any disadvantages in going with the 19'?
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Old 09-23-2016, 10:23 PM   #5
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Thanks Matt and ghatfield. On the 16 with wet bath how pesky is it with the toilet getting wet when showering and then attempting to dry the area?
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Old 09-23-2016, 10:39 PM   #6
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Allum the disadvantage of going with 19 would be the potentially difficulty of hauling with the size truck we have. I suspect the 16 will pull much easier than the 19?
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Old 09-23-2016, 11:05 PM   #7
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Towing a Bambi 19'

We pull ours with a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I think the towing capacity is about 7000 lbs. It does a good job, but there are times we are going 30mph up hills. But braking is good. We have the V8 gas engine.
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Old 09-23-2016, 11:42 PM   #8
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Your 6 cylinder engine is strong enough to pull a 19', but the chassis wasn't designed to control that much weight. That's a shame...

Trade up to a Tundra??? Then you could pull any trailer AS ever made.
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Old 09-24-2016, 12:04 AM   #9
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Thanks allum for all your help. Definitely not interested Ina tundra so sounds like 16 may be our only option anyways from a hauling standpoint bath issues aside
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Old 09-24-2016, 01:10 AM   #10
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Bath (16' vs 19')

I haul a 23' international CCD with a 2012 crew cab 4wd Tacoma. It requires some patience on steep grades.

ProPride hitch setup. Prodigy brake controller.

Yup. Wet bath. Upgraded to tankless water heater for wife's long showers. Squeegee walls, flip top and seat of toilet up to drain. No issues if you run exhaust vent to dry it out.

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Old 09-24-2016, 01:30 AM   #11
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Not sure if your Tacoma has the factory tow package; but if properly equipped, it should be rated to tow the 19' Bambi, which weighs about 4,500 pounds. See towing test at this link:

http://www.tfltruck.com/2015/03/2015...ntlet-midsize/
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Old 09-24-2016, 05:11 AM   #12
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I assume used since you are not talking about the 16 vs. the 22? If you are talking used trailers absolutely go with the 19. If new, it's a *much* tougher call between the 19 and the 2017 22.

On the bath we've had both the 16 and now have the 23D (same rear plan as the 19)

The wet bath in the 16 is nice if you are going to shower somewhere else or outside all of the time since the shower is on the door side of the camper and the pass through is right there. The wet bath is super easy to clean you just hose everything off, there is slightly more room around the toilet as opposed to the 19 where the door cuts in real close.

The 19 has 2 HUGE advantages: A shower you actually will want to use, and a lavatory area with a ton of really great storage w/ a separate sink so you are not washing your hands off in the same sink as you do dishes. Plus you are getting a much more usable wardrobe.

Neither one has enough room to change in, but it's a no brainer go with the 19.

Also having purchased a trailer based on my TV in the past, don't make that mistake. Buy the right trailer, scale the TV accordingly. The new F150's get as good if not better fuel economy than the taco anyway...
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Old 09-24-2016, 09:21 AM   #13
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From reading many posts and from my own experiences, my advice is to heed your doubts, whether they may be. If you doubt that a 16' will meet your needs, because of the wet bath, the chances are you're right. If possible, even at great expense, rent one and try it out for a few days or a week. Whatever expense and effort it takes to rent one is nothing compared with the expense and effort of selling one because you don't like it. Or, if nothing is available to rent, buy something used that has a wet bath, even if it's not an Airstream, and try it out for a season. Hopefully, if you buy something used that has already depreciated in value about as much as it's going to, it won't cost you that much to trade it in or sell it after a year.


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Old 09-24-2016, 10:29 AM   #14
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If you plan to use the trailer mostly in the humid southeast I'd recommend wiping the wetbath completely dry after each use (I used to live in Murfreesboro and know how slow things tend to dry on their own). Was a bit of a hassle in the 16, but we still prefered it to the 22 Sport due to it's shorter length which opens up more options for smaller campsites as you'll find in many national parks, many of whose campgrounds were built before mega-behemoth motorhomes became popular.
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Old 09-24-2016, 11:25 AM   #15
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Had a 2014 16' and traded it for a 2017 19. Main reason was the addl. storage. They have the same dinette and the same size bed. Bathroom setup is much nicers, especially the separate shower. Toilet space is a little cramped but fine. The main advantage again is the storage, double or triple the storage space, also the stove has a fan in the 19 and the new 19's have the ducted AC system which is great. I used to tow the 16 with a Nissan Frontier with the 4.2 engine. Did fine and I'm sure it would tow the 19 and struggle just a bit more. Towing now with a Ram eco diesel and it's great. Have done as well as 22mpg, and never a power issue.
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Old 09-24-2016, 11:29 AM   #16
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16 vs 19

We had the 16 then went to the 25 now back to the 19. We hated the wet bath on the 16. We got the 25 which was older and we wanted the newer ASso we purchased the 19. Strange out TV is a 2014 F 150 and I believe the 25 was pulled better then the 19. We love the 19 but in a couple of years we will go back to the 25. The gas mileage on the 25 was 10.3 and the 19 is 10.7. For that we want the 25. Good luck.
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Old 09-24-2016, 11:30 AM   #17
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Our first Airstream was a 16' Bambi with wet bath. We used the toilet, but seldom showered, opting to use the campground showers most of the time.

Our second Airstream is a 20' Safari with the same bath pictured in one of the responses. More often than not, I choose to shower in the Airstream, while my husband still goes to the campground showers most of the time (at 6', he finds it a little cramped but usable).

I also like having a separate bathroom sink, so that kitchen sink is reserved for kitchen duty.

The towing question has never been an issue for us since we bought a truck big enough to haul a horse trailer. It is always nice to have more towing capability than you actually need.
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Old 09-24-2016, 11:36 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by McDave View Post
From reading many posts and from my own experiences, my advice is to heed your doubts, whether they may be. If you doubt that a 16' will meet your needs, because of the wet bath, the chances are you're right. If possible, even at great expense, rent one and try it out for a few days or a week. Whatever expense and effort it takes to rent one is nothing compared with the expense and effort of selling one because you don't like it. Or, if nothing is available to rent, buy something used that has a wet bath, even if it's not an Airstream, and try it out for a season. Hopefully, if you buy something used that has already depreciated in value about as much as it's going to, it won't cost you that much to trade it in or sell it after a year.


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Great advice, this ^^^^^^^^^
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Old 09-24-2016, 12:02 PM   #19
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16' v 19'

We have a 16' and love it. Didn't really like the floor plan on the 19 (two sinks in a 19' trailer?). We like the size of the 16', really easy to tow anywhere and we like to do dry camping. We normally don't stay anywhere more than 4 or 5 days and usually break up our trips with a night in a nice hotel so the shower size is not that big an issue for us. It is a small shower but will do the job for a quick soap down.
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Old 09-24-2016, 12:09 PM   #20
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You have another choice - the 22FB Sport. Larger bed, full bath and narrow body make for easy towing and actually lighter weight than a 19' FC. With a good hitch installation you would have no problem towing the 22.
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