25' or 28' ??

[DHart]

We don't have either size that you are considering, though we spent a good bit of time sitting in them and envisioning how it would feel to live in them for a few weeks or a couple of months at a time.

As a couple, our choice was the 30', and we still find this to be a tight fit! Others would feel differently, as we each have different perspectives on RVing (some call "camping".) Ultimately, however, only each individual/couple can determine for themselves what size and layout would work for best for their particular needs, desires, and style.

In addition to enjoying the great outdoors, when we travel, we also spend a good bit of time inside our RV. So the space and layout inside was more important to us than the ability to fit in the smallest of spaces. We've found plenty of wonderful sites in National Forest and State campgrounds that we can get into with our 30'. Our inside the trailer time revolves around: my wife likes to cooks wonderful meals (she needs some decent space to store the makings and to make the makings), we enjoy watching movies, reclining with a book or an iPad reading, etc. We find Airstreams to be particularly compact feeling inside and relatively tight for storage capacity. But we do enjoy the design, materials, and overall quality vs. most other trailers... so we choose an Airstream.

Three things of importance to us: seating comfort, sleeping comfort, and having a dinette (not necessarily to sit at, but for the additional counter/table space used for all manner of purposes - load-in, meal prep, occasional workspace, etc. Honestly, we can't imagine not having a dinette in a trailer. The dinette top space is exceptionally valuable real estate. We also determined that only recliners would meet our needs for long term sitting comfort... thus, we went with the 30'. Your desires and needs may differ drastically from ours, so...

The best advice that I can offer from our shopping and Airstreaming experience is go to the dealers and spend a LOT of time sitting in the models you are seriously considering. Narrow it down to just 2, 3 at the most and then dig in really deeply. Don't just walk in, do a leisurely walk through a few times and base your decision on that. You really have to sit in each model for an extended period of time. I'd say spend at least an hour in each one, fully envisioning yourself living with that trailer for years to come. You need to feel how it feels to be in it and envision how it would feel packed with your food, dishes, pots, pans, clothes, computers, whatever else you would want to bring along.

Where would your clothes go? Is the space adequate?

Where would the food go?

Where would the dishes, pots, pans, plates, glassware and such go?

How would it feel to dress and undress in the bedroom area?

Where would you sit when you are in the trailer for an extended period, say during bad weather, or in the evening for a few hours?

Would you be comfortable sitting there for a couple of hours watching a movie (if you like that sort of thing)?

Is the storage space adequate for whatever else you would want to have with you?

Do you have a pet? Where would the pet's "spot" be? The pet's food station? A litter box, perhaps?

It's easy to buy something a bit impulsively, that someone else tells you is wonderful, and ultimately come to the realization that you made a bad choice for yourself.

It's easy to do a brief walk through an RV, any RV, and think that you really like it.

But there are so many other things to consider when you take the time to very thoroughly evaluate the suitability of the space and the floorplan.

I'm not advocating for large or small, FB or RB, only you can make the call, but
you mentioned that you would want to keep this trailer for decades. Given that degree of semi-permanence... the more time you take to thoroughly evaluate this decision the better!

[switz]

Also look at the new Flying Cloud 26U which is between the 25 group and the 27/28 group. We walked into one at the International and while the bedroom was spacious with the cross frame bed, access is the same as in the 25FB. The hallway feels snug, almost train like, but the front sitting area and the customizable table are nice features as well as an arm to swing the TV out the door to view from outside (now really!).

[horseylady]

We had been going back and forth between the 25' rear twin bed model and the 28 twin. We didn't like the tv watching options in the 25, except going into the bedroom. I like my husband out of the way when I'm in the kitchen and the 28 allows that--either the bedroom or the sofa, and I can still use the dinette table for extra prep area. We like the extra hanging closet and shelf closet at the foot of the twin beds in the 28. I would like a pantry but not enough to go with the 25. Also wanted the micro convection and not the regular oven. I don't think only having two kitchen drawers will bother me as we have four now and the bottom one holds dish towels, the third holds knife storage, second utensils and top eating utensils. So, our decision is made and we should have our new 28 in about three weeks. This will be our 10th RV, yes tenth, in over 40 years so we have a pretty good idea what will work and what won't, having been there. We drove five hours, one way, last weekend to take another look and it was worth the long day. And, BTW, there has never been a campground, public or private, that we couldn't get into due to the size of our rig. Good luck on your decision!!!

[Howard L.]

Gram, include your TV into your decision. The 25 to 28 range is where most would say you need to think about bigger TV. I know many will tow most anything with a 1/2 ton truck or even Chrysler 300 (see Cam AM posts), but generally that 27 - 28 foot range is where most start to think of 3/4 ton tow and diesel power, etc.

[biyak269]

We've owned a 28 Queen Safari, a 25 Safari twin, and now have a 27FB Classic twin. They can all go anywhere you feel like camping. The Classic version is much heavier and we are probably going to start towing with a pickup rather than our trusty Expedition.

The 25 gets claustrophobic on rainy days. 28 is the best for those days, and the 27 is a compromise that we can live with.

We prefer the twin bed versions, especially for a 27 FB unit which has its largest outside storage space behind the LP tanks (i.e., you can't put big stuff like grills or lawn chairs in there). With a twin you get additional much needed and far more accessible outside storage spaces. They still can't hold a grill or a regular lawn chair, however!

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . .we had a Safari 25 which I was happy with but her, not so much. The FC 28 'feels' bigger, she loves the dinette, & a shower you can actually get in. As they say. . .happy wife etc. . . regards Craig

[twestover]

We have a 27 FB flying cloud and do love it. You can walk around the bed easily, which was a big plus for my husband. But the main thing for us is the front bedroom. Most often when you back into a spot, the view is out the back (the part not attached to the truck). You don't need a view of the back of the truck when you're sleeping, right? This isn't always true, but mostly true and I'm so glad he insisted on the front bedroom. I love the 28' layout but there is no front bedroom so we are sticking with the 27. We camp with friends who have a 25 and so far, there hasn't been a place we couldn't get into that they could. Another thing I love about the 27 is the bigger closet and the bigger pantry than the 25.

Terri

[tinman1]

We had a 25 Classic for 15 years, finally found a 30 Classic we've had approximately 5 years. We love the 30, mainly for reasons stated above, the dinette is always ready for use and it just feels more comfortable overall. For the extra 5 feet, seems like a lot when you're inside. The 30 also has a queen bed in rear, whereas the 25 had single beds and I could not stretch out (6'3").

Now that we finally have what we've always wanted, we're beginning to have health issues, and have discussed possibly selling in near future. Tough decision, as we looked for the present Classic 30 for over 5 years before locating just the right unit.

We recommend the 30 over the 25, simply because we've been there. Best of luck on your decision.

[ron7852]

There are many great insights here, with pros/cons of different floor plans. Ultimately, as has been stated, it is a personal decision based on your own wants and needs. Many of us have bought our "last Airstream", only to get another for any of a number of reasons. In our case, with bought a new 23' FC in 2012 an enjoyed it so much that we decided to retire early and full time. We sold the 23FC and bought a 30FC.

I was given a piece of advise before we bought our first one - have somewhere comfortable to sit. Our 23 was the lounge model and while being very versatile, the lounge (similar to the 28) was uncomfortable for me after 30 minutes or so. There are discussions on this topic somewhere on the Forum. This is one reason we got the 30FC with recliners. Not that this is best for you, but I do recommend to anyone that they gave somewhere they can sit for an afternoon if need be.

The other observation is that while it happens both ways, when getting their second Airstream, most end up getting a longer one.

Good luck in your search. You will be happy with whatever you Airstream you choose.

Ron


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[dkottum]

The 27 can be considered a 28 since it is 1" larger, but is compromised by the seating/dinette arrangement. Although some like the rear view, from a practical point of view it goes downhill from there.

We considered 25RB, 25 FB, 27FB, and 28 and decided on the 25RB mostly because we could easily replace the dinette/bench seating with recliners. And we like the size very much for touring the country. And as Howard mentioned earlier, will allow a greater choice of suitable tow vehicles.

Many mention the 25 queen bed as a problem but we haven't seen the difficulty with it. Maybe down the road when we are a lot less nimble a conversion to twin beds will happen, easy change to do. Twin beds are also an option on several sizes including the 25 when buying new, so take a look at both before deciding.

[DHart]

With respect to the two previous comments about recliners, I would suggest that any prospective Airstream buyer sit for 45 minutes on the bench sofas in the new Airstreams to make sure you would be content with the comfort of that seating arrangement. And if you would not be content with that, make inquiries are to what might be needed to do to convert to recliners.

We would not have purchased an Airstream if we could not have purchased or converted to twin recliners, as the seating comfort inside the coach is very important to us. We've full-timed for a year and a half and traveled extensively in RVs and determined that for us, seating comfort is paramount. As it turned out, Airstream agreed to a special order ($2500 upcharge) and built a 40' recliner layout for us and we installed our own, personally selected, recliners. We could not be happier with the choice. The comfort is top notch.

Link to our recliner layout thread:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f48/...ch-139797.html

[lindaebrewer]

Exact reasoning we had. 23' FC (although we don't like the dinette configuration & are planning a custom reconfiguration)

[gram]

Hugely appreciate everyone's insight and experiences. Leaning heavily towards the 28 but as a few of you said, those 30' recliners sure do look nice!!

Don't have a TV yet, looking to borrow folks Tundra while waiting for Toyota to make a diesel Tundra!

[Arcticfox]

Originally Posted by gram

Hugely appreciate everyone's insight and experiences. Leaning heavily towards the 28 but as a few of you said, those 30' recliners sure do look nice!!



Don't have a TV yet, looking to borrow folks Tundra while waiting for Toyota to make a diesel Tundra!

With DHart will chime in here, but it seems I read someplace that a recliner option from AS was no longer an option. As I said, I'm not 100% on this......
Cheers
Doug


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[DHart]

Originally Posted by DHart

As it turned out, Airstream agreed to a special order ($2500 upcharge) and built a 40' recliner layout for us and we installed our own, personally selected, recliners.

Oooops... fat finger typo... no, AS did not build a 40' recliner layout trailer for us.

[SafariBez]

Put your mind at rest, and buy the biggest current airstream available and forget the others. We love our 30 footer. IMO there is no discernable difference in towing a 25, 27, 28, or 30. Study the features in the 30, over the rest, I believe it is worth it.

[DHart]

Originally Posted by Arcticfox

With DHart will chime in here, but it seems I read someplace that a recliner option from AS was no longer an option. As I said, I'm not 100% on this......
Cheers
Doug


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Hi Doug.... here's what I know... first AS was not going to build any more. Then, they agreed to build a few 2016's for some of us folks. Then, that was going to be it. Now I'm hearing that enough people have seen some of the pics posted here and are inquiring at dealers about it and the dealers are inquiring with AS about it, so.... as it stands now... I think it MAY be possible for AS to accept some custom orders for recliner layouts. In fact, my dealer liked what we did so much that they're going to try to order the same coach we ordered (recliner layout, but without recliners), have it on the lot so that the future buyer can install their choice of recliners. Apparently, it was the Euro-style of recliners that Airstream was installing that a number of buyers weren't so crazy about. But if you could get the recliner layout and put in the recliners of your choice... that is much more appealing to recliner lovers. Time will tell how this all shakes out.

[silverlabs]

I thought that I would throw in my two cents on this as well. I have had both the 25FC and now have the 28FC. Both Rear Twins. As Arcticfox mentioned in his earlier post, we travelled with him and were happy with the 28 of his we spent time in, decided to trade our 2014 25FC Rear Twin for a 2015 28FC Twin. Yes there are some things we miss from the 25FC RB but overall the 28 is a very, very nice unit. The layout works very well for us and we have had no issues at all getting into any park.

We on many occasions travel with two labs and the twin option provided us the best overall layout, allowing the labs to sleep on the floor between us and in reality, this floorplan has the appearance of an even larger unit. Yes, we miss the pantry area but have adjusted to this fairly easily. We thought initially we would really miss the oven but in reality the Conv/Microwave does fine and doesn't heat up the unit like an oven does. Some mention that the oven is a big benefit boon docking but we in most all instances prefer to grill anyway.

One area that is different is the tongue weight. The 28 is one of the heavier tongue weights Airstream puts out. I did change from an Equalizer hitch to a ProPride hitch after I bought the 28. I currently pull with a 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 EcoBoost. No problems at all. I am currently on the road with it and have put 3,000 miles on it this trip and all has been great.

Good luck in your decision process on this. The 28 serves us very well and we really like the floor plan. Having the couch where we can watch TV as well as the dinette being separate is something that works well for us.

Chuck

[Wayne&Sam]

Obviously this is a personal decision based on personal likes and dislikes.

For us a 25' rear twin works well. We have more storage than we need, and we travel with two dogs. I am a fairly serious bicycle rider and my wife is a fly fishing guide. We travel with stuff for both of those activities. With room to spare.


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[DuncanK1]

We went through this process too. We started looking at the 23 FC then quickly decided the 27 was better, then started looking at the 28. We ended up buying the FC 30 because we really wanted the space. I'm sure you will love whatever you choose.