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NC Camper · 01-25-2016, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverlabs

...the extra weight and size of pulling the 28 vs the 25. The tongue weight is much heavier. In fact, I believe it is the heaviest of all of the Airstreams. That said, I pull with a 2015 F150 EcoBoost Platinum as well. With the ProPride hitch properly set up, it pulls wonderfully. In fact, I am not so sure it pulls better than my 25 which I pulled with both my 2011 F150 EcoBoost Platinum and my 2015. That one I had an Equalizer hitch on. The proPride allows an easier adjustment of weight distribution if you by chance have a heavier payload in your truck bed on one trip vs another. We have managed weight in the trucked easily and find it works out very well...

Chuck, thanks for sharing your experience. Your comments really reinforce our thinking. I had not even considered a Hensley or PP hitch because I had read so many comments on the forums about how heavy they are. The last thing I wanted to do was add any more tongue weight. Is this not a problem for you?

NC Camper · 01-25-2016, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverbp

Looking at everything and with just 2 of us the 2014 25FC RB Twin is perfect and all anyone could ask for. Attachment 256318 Attachment 256319 Attachment 256320

silverbp, thanks for sharing the pictures. You really captured one of the main reasons we want the twin...the long view!

NC Camper · 01-25-2016, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver Hawk

One thought is: The maximum length allowed in National Parks is 26'.

Hmm, this might be a regional thing, but we camped in the Great Smokey Mountains this past fall and their were RVs there way over 26'. The website says more than half of the campgrounds can take trailers 30' to 35', and some can accommodate up to 40' motorhomes. It is certainly true that a larger trailer may place some limits on campgrounds and/or site availability.

NC Camper · 01-25-2016, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dugster

I can appreciate your concerns because we were juggling the same considerations during this last year. My wife and I were convinced that the 25 FC twin was ideal for 2 people and 2 tiny dogs. We are also old enough to know that we do not want to trade up later. What convinced us to decide on the 28 FC twin was one wonderful weekend with our grandchildren at our house. We instantly recognized that a little more room to move around and the separation of dinette and lounge are better for accommodating guests and the occasional bad weather days inside.
For us, the longer length is not significant enough to warrant concern. Enjoy your experience!

LOL, great point!! No grandkids yet, but a son with a serious girlfriend. If we are planning for the future, we had better not forget future family expansion!

Arcticfox · 01-25-2016, 10:22 PM

Greetings
We're the folks that silverlabs referenced when he spoke about seeing the comforts in the 28 compared to the 25 and upgrading as a result. I think we're also the people who might have pointed him in the direction of the ProPride. (Sorry Chuck on both counts....

Anyway, we have the 28 with the ProPride and pull it with a 2014 F150, Eco, Max tow package, lariat. When we first purchased the truck a year ago, I was questioning my wisdom in going that route compared to a larger F250. But I can tell you that after 92,000 km in the past 12-months alone, I will simply buy another F150 when this one is ready to be traded.

In the end I'm not sure you can go wrong with this combination and in my opinion the ProPride is worth its weight in gold!

Good luck and with luck our paths will cross someday around a fire .........

Cheers
Doug

Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

NC Camper · 01-25-2016, 10:25 PM

Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful responses!! We got some confirmations and some food for thought. Just what I was hoping for. Air Forum folks are the best!!

Safe and fun travels to all!
Cathy

timhortons · 01-25-2016, 11:26 PM

From conversations with owners of larger units there seems to be a strong preference for the 28' with those who are going places longer term or near full timing.

It seems to come down to the set-up takedown on the dinette on the 25 and 27 as a work area and the lack of a great place to lounge when reading and watching tv.

The 25' and the 27' show better. The 28' may be more "liveable". I have also heard people say the 28' tows better than anything 25'-30'

As said the 26 will be a strong contender when it comes out in International. (I'm tired of mica) There's a new limited model pendleton 28' if you have an extra 100k lying around.

Somewhat ironic if this new national park themed model can't fit in national parks.

I have a 16' so anything with more than 1 axle seems huge.

paiceman · 01-26-2016, 04:37 AM

Our first AS was a used 25' from Colonial - great trailer, great people. We kept it one season. I replaced the dinette with two lounge chairs and we ate off TV trays. Traded it on a new 30' FC, which was in stock and I too changed out the dinette with lounge chairs. Then two years later ordered a 30' FC with lounge chairs and other options.

The 25' is the number one trailer for AS. According to their numbers they sell more 25' trailers than all others combined, so resale on that size should be higher as well. That said we've done well with the trade on the 25' and 30'. By the way I keep all the dinette and lounge parts and before trading or sale replace everything as factory.

We like room, we do not boondock intentionally and we most often only stay in full service parks. We travel with two Labrador Retrievers which also take up some space so for us a 30' would not be satisfactory.

We towed our first 30' with a F150 EcoBoost. The truck performed well, but we were headed out west and I was not comfortable with the braking capability of the F150 with a 30' behind us so we sold the truck outright and bought an F250 Diesel. Now with the new trailer we have an F350 Diesel. Personally I would not go back to gas, despite the added inconvenience and higher costs of the diesel and diesel maintenance. It's a pure joy to drive and tow. To the point if we ever went back to a 25' I would tow with an F250 Diesel.

There is no right or wrong decision, it's your trailer and you know what you both like. There are a lot of people on here who do 10,000 miles a year in a 25' and a large number who could not imagine it, we have friends in our club who have a 30' and thinking of going back down to 25' for state parks etc. You can always trade, AS is at their height now and the used ones are worth more than ever before.

Good Luck and enjoy.

Bud

baterup · 01-26-2016, 04:45 AM

I was in a similar situation with my wife, we were heading to Airstream LA to finalize the paperwork on our 27' FC Twin when my wife said, "What about the 28'?" It seems our oldest Son had sent her a Youtube video that showed a young man reviewing the 28'er. So we had to look at one, it was nice but, even with the dual seating area, that trailer is overall smaller. Additionally, what we LOVE about our 27' is that when you back it into a spot right on the water on the pacific ocean, there's nothing like have our first cup sitting looking at the rolling waves, the pelicans flying buy, and the surfers paddling out to catch the big ones. You can't do that in the 28'er, it's seating arrangement just doesn't let you enjoy that comfortable viewing.

Just Sayin'

dkottum · 01-26-2016, 09:34 AM

The comfort of the dinette seating diminishes rapidly with only a few days use. We're with Bud (paiceman) on this and have changed out our bench seeing to recliners. If you're not comfortable sitting in your Airstream, you won't enjoy long term travel in it..

Looking at new Airstreams, our first question is whether the seating is a genuine sofa (Classic) or can the benches be removed for better seating comfort. The last thing we need in our Airstream is a crowd, we'll entertain under the awning, around the campfire, or a restaurant.

switz · 01-26-2016, 09:54 AM

Our first go was a 2013 25FB International Serenity. By the second trip our issues were the bed and the dinette seating. So we ordered a 2014 27FB Classic with twin beds because we had seen and loved that hickory interior and and the bedroom issue was taken care of. After thinking more about the identical layout dinette situation of the 25FB and the 27FB, the uncharge of about $3,050 to go to the 2014 31' Classic model 30 with twin beds made perfect sense than do another trade. Thus ended any case of 2' longer. We had the 2012 Dodge Ram 2500HD Cummins with the 25FB and it continued as a more than adequate tow vehicle for the 31' Classic.

We went with a 23D as the second unit specifically for that floor plan. While the bed is snug and the dinette is the same designs the 25FB and 27FB, we plan shorter trips in the local Four Corners area of the Southwest. We tow with my existing 2007 Mercedes ML320 CDI diesel and it crosses the scales with the numbers where they should be which was not the case when we towed the 25FB loaded for camping.

field & stream · 01-26-2016, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by switz

Our first go was a 2013 25FB International Serenity. By the second trip our issues were the bed and the dinette seating. So we ordered a 2014 27FB Classic with twin beds because we had seen and loved that hickory interior and and the bedroom issue was taken care of. After thinking more about the identical layout dinette situation of the 25FB and the 27FB, the uncharge of about $3,050 to go to the 2014 31' Classic model 30 with twin beds made perfect sense than do another trade. Thus ended any case of 2' longer. We had the 2012 Dodge Ram 2500HD Cummins with the 25FB and it continued as a more than adequate tow vehicle for the 31' Classic.

We went with a 23D as the second unit specifically for that floor plan. While the bed is snug and the dinette is the same designs the 25FB and 27FB, we plan shorter trips in the local Four Corners area of the Southwest. We tow with my existing 2007 Mercedes ML320 CDI diesel and it crosses the scales with the numbers where they should be which was not the case when we towed the 25FB loaded for camping.

Hey switz: I think you and I have discovered the answer to the "which one should I get?" dilemma: Buy two !

NC Camper · 01-26-2016, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by field & stream

Hey switz: I think you and I have discovered the answer to the "which one should I get?" dilemma: Buy two !

LOL You guys are a hoot! Which one is pulling out their checkbook for the "spare"!?

field & stream · 01-26-2016, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NC Camper

LOL You guys are a hoot! Which one is pulling out their checkbook for the "spare"!?

And now, an opportunity to enjoy the sound of silence! Unless switz wants to step up........

IanPoulin · 01-27-2016, 08:35 AM

NC Camper --

If you're in Greensboro, you're about two hours from the Virginia Highland Haven airstream park just near Floyd Va. If you are not looking to pull the trigger on an airstream purchase in the immediate future, maybe we can get a forum springtime rally going at VHH and give you the opportunity to drive up and view through the different setups, configurations, user mods, etc.?

I think it's time for "Tax Break Rally #2"

Ian

switz · 01-27-2016, 03:40 PM

In an airline to Phoenix as I type this having left the UK this morning. Our Monday departure got changed to Wednesday due to the snow.

The initial off the cuff plan for the 23D was to serve as a sacrificial anode going to Alaska this summer. However, Murphy stepped up to the plate and all the plans changed from outside issues and the trip was also cancelled. It's mission is now for the smaller state and national parks in the SouthWest where our 31' is known to be too long from experience.

Note that when a park says they can handle a 25' trailer, they are talking about the measurement of the box of the SOBs. Airstream publishes overall length, which would be about three feet shorter if just measuring the structure. Thus a 28' Airstream becomes a 25' for park length purposes.

**Rocinante** · 01-27-2016, 03:51 PM

Hey, Switz, that's very good to know, thanks!

Have to say though, the campgrounds in Olympic National Park - I would not have wanted to tow anything longer than an Airstream 25 model in there. We looked at three NP campgrounds in the park (Heart 'O the Hills, Sol Duc, and Fairholme) while camped elsewhere. It gave us the "willies" to think about towing Rocinante in there, much less trying to park her. Sol Duc and Fairholme campgrounds had maybe 2-3 spots that might have worked for our 27FB - though there were some very tight turns within the campground. Heart O' the Hills had maybe 5 and was a bit less intimidating for towing. However, the all campsites in this NP are 1st come 1st served so no way to reserve.

OTOH, we're not exactly Bravehearts when it comes to squeezing through or into tight spots. Someone with more XP might not be as nervous as we would have been.

That said, we're not claiming this is the norm nationwide - just sharing our experience for one NP in particular.

switz · 01-27-2016, 04:38 PM

We were just barely able to snake our 25FB behind the Dodge 2500HD Cummins inside the Joshua Tree National Forest near Palm Springs to our assigned space(northwest corner, just outside of the park for access on a road where 5 mph was too fast).

No way we could get the 31' Classic in there and the 23D would be the easiest in our experience with the short wheel base Mercedes ML320 CDI as the tow vehicle.

dkottum · 01-27-2016, 05:24 PM

Good point switz, and reason to consider tow vehicle size and trailer size as a package. Maneuverability is more about tow vehicle wheelbase than trailer length in our experience as well.

NC Camper · 01-28-2016, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IanPoulin

NC Camper --

If you're in Greensboro, you're about two hours from the Virginia Highland Haven airstream park just near Floyd Va. If you are not looking to pull the trigger on an airstream purchase in the immediate future, maybe we can get a forum springtime rally going at VHH and give you the opportunity to drive up and view through the different setups, configurations, user mods, etc.?

I think it's time for "Tax Break Rally #2"

Ian

Oh, this sounds wonderful! The Floyd area is beautiful. I watched the video on the park and it makes me want to jump in the truck right now. I'll keep an eye out for possible rally plans this spring.

I would "pull the trigger" on a new trailer at any moment, but my husband is being the voice of reason (real role reversal for us haha) since we are still wrapping up my mother's estate. Oh well, more motivation to keep cracking so we can hopefully hit the road in the spring or early summer.

Safe travels!