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JandS · 02-25-2015, 09:51 PM

Hi all,

Recently lurking newbys here, not AS owners as yet, but thinking about it...

We have seen a few posts about front bedroom vs rear bedroom.
It seems the only discussed advantage of one vs the other is the view from the windows when camped.

Perhaps we missed some posts. Are their other compelling reasons to consider a front bedroom vs rear? Seems to me the front of the trailer would get a smoother ride when travelling, so having a front dinette/kitchen might be better for appliances, glassware, etc.
Hope we're not opening a can of worms here...

**Rocinante** · 02-25-2015, 10:09 PM

No worries. The very best way to settle that question is to visit your dealer and spend time walking through and sitting in each style of trailer.

Otherwise, the thread will get into "Oh, with the FB you'll get too much noise in the BR, you'll never see anything out the rear except the backside of the motor home behind you, the RB has a bigger WC, and that front storage compartment door will leak," or "Wow, with an RB you'll never see anything out your front windows but the backside of your truck, and who needs that huge "L"-shaped couch?"

The core is that both models are Airstreams, and there are plenty of happy owners of each. You should buy the one that speaks to you the loudest. As long as you love the floor plan you choose, there's really no wrong answer no matter what anybody else might say. The best thing to do is go get that Airstream and start camping.

Provided by a very happy 27FB owner. We sleep very well at night in Rocinante, as do our colleagues in their lovely RB models.

A couple of shots from our dinette:
Log Cabin Resort May 2014 - Casa Rocinante
Salt Creek Rec Area May 2014 - Casa Rocinante

Oh, and the only dishware we've broken in our trailer is the wine glass I personally dropped from the upper storage compartment onto the countertop. Whoopsie! Glamping has its risks, I guess.

mrrealtor · 02-25-2015, 10:11 PM

Following

1972 Airstream International Land Yacht Sovereign

Flht2k · 02-25-2015, 10:11 PM

I have not purchased yet. Plan on picking up a 2015 discounted International or Flying cloud in Sept or october. I prefer the front (fb). Our preference is either a twin bed flying cloud or queen international. I have inquired to the factory, they would put the twins in our international for a small fee. Short answer is the bed direction

**Rocinante** · 02-25-2015, 11:22 PM

We're a queen bed family. We did the 27FB instead of the 25FB due to the bed position / direction difference you noted.

That said, many happy campers swear by the wonders of twin beds in their Airstream for plenty of good reasons that you'll see here in many threads. The only right answer for you is the one that makes you happy. The North/South queen bed makes *us* happy.

Good hunting to you. At the right dealer, the shopping process itself can be a lot of fun.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 02-25-2015, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JandS

Hi all,

Recently lurking newbys here, not AS owners as yet, but thinking about it...

We have seen a few posts about front bedroom vs rear bedroom.
It seems the only discussed advantage of one vs the other is the view from the windows when camped.

Perhaps we missed some posts. Are their other compelling reasons to consider a front bedroom vs rear? Seems to me the front of the trailer would get a smoother ride when travelling, so having a front dinette/kitchen might be better for appliances, glassware, etc.
Hope we're not opening a can of worms here...

Hi, when we bought our trailer there was no such thing as a front bedroom model; They came out later in the same model year. I like that our trailer has one complete bathroom instead of the toilet and sink on one side and the shower on the other side. Maybe someone with a front bedroom model can answer this: When you shower, where do you keep your towel? and where do you get dressed after showering? The reason that I ask this question is that you can't keep your towel in the shower room and I don't see a towel bar in the hallway. So do you shower on the curb side of your trailer, walk naked to the street side bathroom for a towel to dry off, and start dressing in the toilet room?

The other reason that we like our rear bedroom model is the fact that our trailer came with a stove top, an oven, and a micro wave. The front bedroom models came with a stove top, and an oven, or micro wave.

Now that was ten years ago so I'm not sure the same thing holds for the 2015 models.

**Rocinante** · 02-25-2015, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

When you shower, where do you keep your towel? and where do you get dressed after showering? The reason that I ask this question is that you can't keep your towel in the shower room and I don't see a towel bar in the hallway. So do you shower on the curb side of your trailer, walk naked to the street side bathroom for a towel to dry off, and start dressing in the toilet room?

Ah, well we pull an accordion door across the hall, aft of the shower, to provide privacy to the FB end of the trailer and hang a towel on the closet door handle just outside the shower. We usually dry off in the shower stall and then dance naked in the hallway between showering, toweling off and getting dressed. As a side note, we find there's plenty of room between the bed and the outside wall to get dressed, if we want to dress in the BR. Just don't put a bare cheek against aluminum in the process. Yowsers, that's cold!

Oh and our 2014 27FB includes a gas cooktop, gas oven, and microwave.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 02-26-2015, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocinante

(1.) Ah, well we pull an accordion door across the hall, aft of the shower, to provide privacy to the FB end of the trailer and

(2.) hang a towel on the closet door handle just outside the shower. We usually dry off in the shower stall and then dance naked in the hallway between showering, toweling off and getting dressed. As a side note, we find there's plenty of room between the bed and the outside wall to get dressed, if we want to dress in the BR.

(3.) Just don't put a bare cheek against aluminum in the process. Yowsers, that's cold!

(4.) Oh and our 2014 27FB includes a gas cooktop, gas oven, and microwave.

Hi,

(1.) Well that would work.

(2.) Good idea for the towel.

(3.) We don't have any bare aluminum except in the kitchen.

(4.) I could be wrong, but I think you have all three, like we do, because you have a 27'er. I think the 25'ers [our size] only have two of the choices.

**Rocinante** · 02-26-2015, 12:14 AM

Ah yes. The 25FB did not offer all three, excellent point.

jbroedlow · 02-26-2015, 06:15 AM

We're at Chicot State Park in Ville Platte, La right now. I'm sitting at my dinette, typing, coffee cup in hand looking out the back windows of our 27FB. My view is a beautiful wooded landscape and I'm wondering if I'll see the wild sow and her piglets that I spotted yesterday. If I had a RB I'd be looking at the back of our TV. This is a no brainer for us. BUT trust me, everyone have strong opinions about this. This has been discussed a number of times in the past. When picking a campsite we always try and chose a spot on the outside of the loop so that we'll have some sort of nature view out the back. Some of the reasons people chose the RB is because they state it's quieter for sleeping having the bed in the back, they like their door closer to the front of the road, and some have even stated they like to sit up front and watch the activity on the road. For us, it's all about the view out the back. One person even chimed in and stated rather strongly, "get out of the trailer and see the view if it's so important to you." Wow, thought that was rather harsh. When you're on the road full time and it's in the 30's like it is this a.m., that's not really a possibility. Concerning the shower and bathroom arrangement, we have a small bathroom rug we put down only when we're using the shower and put the towel on it to have it available after the shower. We use our shower very infrequently because we like to take long hot showers in big spaces so opt to use campground showers when available. This also keeps the trailer from picking up any additional moisture from the shower. Best advice is to find a dealer with a lot of models on the lot and go through all of them before making your decision. Also the position of the bed is important. We like the bed running parallel to the length of the trailer. That makes it easier to make and get into. Also some models have more room around the bed and sides of trailer than others. Good luck in your search.

**moosetags** · 02-26-2015, 06:41 AM

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

We are long time (1,500 nights) Airstream campers. We have had two 25FB's, a 2005 Safari and a 2015 Flying Cloud.

Our 2005 25FB was the first model year of that floor plan. At that time there was no RB. This was a queen bed as there was not yet a twin bed option available.

We spent over 1,300 nights over a eight period. We towed this trailer 120,000 miles all over the country. We traded this Airstream on a slightly used 2012 23FB. We thought we wanted t downsize. Within a year, and 150 nights of camping, we decided to go back to a 25.

The options were now a little different. There was a rear bed model and a 25FB twin now available. We carefully considered both the RB and the FB. Mainly because of our camping experience, we decided on a new FB. The dinette rear view was probably the tipping factor.

Then we had to decide between the queen and the twin layout. We had always liked the queen bed in our 2005. We decided to go with the twin
set-up to get the extra two outside storage compartments.

We have now spent about 60 nights in the 2015. We are learning to like the twin bed set-up with the extra floor space for dressing. The new outside storage is indispensable. We are happy with our choice.

Brian

LiLNomad · 02-26-2015, 06:53 AM

Just to throw out another option...I really like the 28 (listed as the 27'11)because the dinette is on the side and looks INTO your campsite. I really like this options because I camp solo and can see whos approaching my site and or door in advance. You can see this layout on the Colonial Airstream site.

JandS · 02-26-2015, 07:58 AM

Thanks all for your opinions and insight.
I guess I was mainly just wondering if the location of the bedroom would have any noticeable impact on cost to operate. I.E. maintenance, upkeep or trailer-ability. I suspect it is unlikely, but wondered if experienced owners had thoughts on this.

SuperTrouper · 02-26-2015, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, when we bought our trailer there was no such thing as a front bedroom model; They came out later in the same model year. I like that our trailer has one complete bathroom instead of the toilet and sink on one side and the shower on the other side. Maybe someone with a front bedroom model can answer this: When you shower, where do you keep your towel? and where do you get dressed after showering? The reason that I ask this question is that you can't keep your towel in the shower room and I don't see a towel bar in the hallway. So do you shower on the curb side of your trailer, walk naked to the street side bathroom for a towel to dry off, and start dressing in the toilet room? :

There's an accordion door forward and aft of the shower but usually we just close the BR shades and close the fore accordion. We have 4 kids and we all "rotate and serve" during shower time. I also bought 12 BJARNUM folding hooks from IKEA and placed 5 high in the hall near the shower, 4 in the BR and 3 up front by the door. Our towels hang high on these in the hall. Coats, LED headlights and dog leash up front and clothes at the end of the day in the BR. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60152590 Brad

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**moosetags** · 02-26-2015, 08:17 AM

I use those same Ikea folding hooks on the wardrobe door right outside the shower. they are perfect for a towel and clothes.

Brian

Gsmblue · 02-26-2015, 09:56 AM

One factor to consider, as far as I am concerned, is the furnace venting. In our 25RB there is a vent in the bedroom, one by the door and then one by the shower. The Furnace is located under the sink by the front door.

The front of the trailer definitely runs hotter than the back. This should be a consideration if you plan on doing a lot of cold camping (which my wife and I do).

If we have guests sleeping in the dinette, we would cook them, while we are just comfy in the back.

I am not sure how the vents are laid out in the 25FB configuration and I am not sure if this is even a consideration for you.

One other note: The toilet door opens the wrong bloody way!!! I am sure this is subjective, but when you are taking your shower, it is a bloody pain moving from shower to bathroom. If the door opened the other way around it would be better.

SuperTrouper · 02-26-2015, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gsmblue

One factor to consider, as far as I am concerned, is the furnace venting. In our 25RB there is a vent in the bedroom, one by the door and then one by the shower. The Furnace is located under the sink by the front door.

The front of the trailer definitely runs hotter than the back. This should be a consideration if you plan on doing a lot of cold camping (which my wife and I do).

If we have guests sleeping in the dinette, we would cook them, while we are just comfy in the back.

I am not sure how the vents are laid out in the 25FB configuration and I am not sure if this is even a consideration for you.

One other note: The toilet door opens the wrong bloody way!!! I am sure this is subjective, but when you are taking your shower, it is a bloody pain moving from shower to bathroom. If the door opened the other way around it would be better.

The 27FB works the same in reverse. Furnace and cooked guests in the back. We are comfy in the front. Actually, we like to sleep with it cool so kids and dog in the back are warm and comfy and we are cool and comfy in the front but that's cause we are weird. Brad

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kb0zke · 03-01-2015, 08:38 AM

I chuckle whenever I read a discussion of which end of the coach should have the bedroom and which end should have the living room. We currently live in our MH with a rear bedroom. Right now we're in a very small campground, and the view out the front is of the rest of the campground. If we had a coach with a front bedroom, the view out the back would be of the woods. At another campground the view out the back would be the rear of the neighboring campsite, and the view out the front was of the lake.

There are campsites that offer the better view out the front, and campsites that offer the better view out the rear. Pick the coach that has the floorplan that best suits you and accept that sometimes the better view will be at the bedroom end and sometimes at the living room end.

jbroedlow · 03-01-2015, 05:59 PM

It's a little different in a MH than an Airstream. In a MH you sit high and have good views out the front and back. In an Airstream there's always that tow vehicle staring back at me if I look out my front bedroom.

JandS · 03-01-2015, 06:28 PM

We certainly appreciate everyone taking the time to reply to this thread.
However, we are now at 18 messages into this and there hasn't been a single reply that is in direct response to the original question, or the clarifying message in post # 13.

I'll try again. Does anyone have opinion on FB vs RB OTHER than which provides the best view?

Thanks again,
JandS