Please help us decide between a FC 27FB and 30

[Phoedis]

We are in a 29' excella (92) and getting ready for full time next year, on the lookout for a 30 Flying Cloud with recliners (2010 to 2014). Our longest time out has been 8 months and find we long for designated dining/lounging area, as well as being able to go to our separate corners from time to time. Have not (as yet) had a problem in NP or state parks and we have never made reservations. There's a skill to that too but have gotten in 25' spaces using the "overhang".

[jimfa440]

We went from a 25' to a 30' for our plans to winter in a warmer climate. We're happy with our choice.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Tampatomgirl

I continue to see posts here with people asking for advice on length. I'm a single gal with a fairly large dog (not that that matters). Size matters!!!!! I live in a 34' Excella & I would lose my mind in anything smaller! Forget about views from a rear window. Think about comfort! There's very few places I can't go. That's not even a consideration for me. Storage, the ability to organize my things & COMFORT having everything i need is most important. If you plan to live in your Airstream, get the biggest badass you can buy! My 90' has everything! It's beautiful, comfortable, cabinets, drawers, closets, windows galore... I am upgrading the technology in mine very affordably & for what i paid for a well kept older model, i got a steal of a deal. I wouldn't change a thing about my purchase. The money i saved buying an older unit has afforded me sooo many opportunities to customize my trailer for my needs. I wish you all the best!!!

Rock on wit' yo' 34' having self!
Those are the most awesome Airstreams ever.

[Howard L.]

My 2 cents worth. 30, plus get two A/Cs. I like power, stability, and not stoping for gas every 150 miles. So, I would think about a 3/4 ton truck with a big kerosene burning engine. I only made one trip in my 30 and a 1/2 ton chevy with the 6.2 liter engine--second trip was with the diesel. But, I know a lot of people like their 1/2 ton trucks, so that is just my preference for anything larger than 25. I believe the 30 Classic will have the big windows in back since the master has night tables on each side where the FC has the standing wardrobes.

[Gneiss Guy]

We have a 30' and had a 25', so I have no experience with any others. We enjoyed the 25, but found there was no comfortable place to sit. We opted for the 30' because it had two recliners, which we enjoy. The extra storage was a bonus. I also like the orientation of the bed, which makes it easier to make. I don't really see much difference in the way they tow, because I have an F250. Some campgrounds let you back up to beautiful views, some back you up to a fence, so I think that is a wash.

[m.hony]

Get 2 a/c units for more reasons than that.
Get 2 a/c units so you will be getting a 50 amp trailer.
No more microwave OR a/c, but microwave AND a/c.

[Riverdrifter]

Originally Posted by explore more

We fulltime in our 30 and we LOVE it. Here's an overview of it for you, maybe it'll help you get an idea of what the layout's like and if it would work for you:

Shameless plug... it's for sale.

I would not be worried in the slightest towing it with an ecoboost. It's well below the GVWR. That ecoboost motor is fantastic. It'll be our next motor.

We think the front beds are cool, but here's what we love about the FC30:
- the tanks are so much bigger on the 30, which allows us to stay out longer. that advantage cannot be overstated.
- the corner closets are AWESOME. We don't need tons of windows in our bedroom. We thought we would , but we don't. We're in the lounge/dinette area 99% of the time when it's light outside. We love the extra storage in the bedroom
- We love the size of the pass-thru on the rear of the trailer. On the 27 fb, your exterior pass through is stuck behind the propane tanks. Not easy to access, and not very big either.
- When we get to a spot, our best views are typically out the SIDE of our trailer, rather than front or back. Besides, we like to spend as much time OUTSIDE the trailer as possible.
- the extra counter space is AWESOME
- the extra room to move around in is great
- the sink doesn't stick out into the middle of the living area
- the front couch is fantastic. I'd take that over a dinette/bench any day

The truth of the matter is that you can't go wrong with either a FC27 or a 30. I seriously doubt you'd feel the length or weight difference between the two, and i doubt the 2' of difference between the two would be noticeable at the campgi round.

I really enjoyed your video. I have some thoughts from a non full timer. We have a 30' Serenity chosen a lot for the light interior cabinets. Like you we crave lots of interior light. I could care less whether our bedroom is in the front or back (ours is in back like yours) as we seldom spend a lot of time in our trailer looking at views. We are outside a lot. The things I like better on our trailer are
1. No overhead cabinet over the dinette. I love the light we get from the windows overhead. Instead we have a longer overhead over the sink.
2. We couldn't live without a dinette. We are always having another couple over for dinner and it is a great place to socialize. Also, the seat facing the rear is a great place to watch the TV news over breakfast.
3. We have the "L" shaped couch which gives us a great place to prop our feet up to read or watch TV. Also an awesome amount of storage under that couch.
4. While the flip up cabinets overhead are convenient we really like the indirect lighting that comes through our sliding fronts and they are very convenient to access.
5. We use our oven almost daily (I make bacon in it often). The drawers you get instead are great but we don't miss them like we would the oven.
I work part time so we don't need to do any work on a computer so the desk would be wasted on us. Our iPads are our computer, pay our bills and we get our news and read our books on them so I can't see the value of a desk for us or most people. I love the bed bag and need to look into that! Thanks for posting the video! I assume that since the trailer is on the market, you are no longer on the road?

[explore more]

We are still on the road, and will continue to be on the road for many years.

It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. Once we sell it we will have to put all our stuff in storage for a week or two while we shop for our next trailer (the van we want can't tow this one, so we are forced to downsize our trailer.)

[Pongo]

Originally Posted by Yooperchick

You are going through exactly what we wavered, and waffled, and debated over for at least 3 months this spring. We liked the seating in the 30, and the extra space. We liked the bathroom window, and more storage. Same as you we want to travel to national parks and were concerned with fitting in those sometimes tiny spaces at campgrounds. Towability and maneuverability was a factor, just like you. This is a very personal decision. We asked for help and got some great answers, but ultimately chose the Intl. Serenity 27FB. We are very happy with it! The 30' will be more comfortable probably because of the extra space, but everything is a trade-off, there is no perfect solution. When we picked up the 27FB and saw how big is was, and is, and how much room we have, our only regret is that it doesn't come with the rear and separate seating. In researching national parks, their total length limitation at a lot of them (TV plus trailer plus hitch) is 42 to 48 feet. Good luck, and whatever you choose will be beautiful! Oh, and one more thing, the 27' seems to have better resale value. I think 25' is the sweet spot for resale value but someone here will dispute that I'm sure. I do know that not everyone has a 3/4 ton pickup truck and a 1/2 ton will tow the 27' nicely.

... and here are YooperChick's SO's supplementary thoughts:

I was the one that waffled back and forth on length before eventually deciding to go with our original decision for an International Serenity 27FB in salsa. I will confess that I did like the 30 for all the very valid reasons cited by others, and even went so far as to call the dealer after having ordered our 2017 to see if I could change the order to a 30. I made that call on our drive out to Glacier Park this summer in a class A motorhome while our trailer was on order. We'd seen larger RVs of all sorts on the 1400 mile trip to Glacier.

When we got to the park I contacted the dealer to confirm that we wanted the 27FB. The fundamental reasons are these:

• All dealers told us 28" was the maximum length to consider for National Parks and we've found this to be a sage advice.
• We tow with a 1500 GMC Denali equipped with a ProPride hitch. The towing specs of the 27FB were better suited to the TV; our initial 8 hour towing experience bringing it home was excellent.
• We came to realize that we were purchasing an Airstream to see and enjoy the National Parks, and the focus shifted from trailer interior specs, to ready accessability to the type of campgrounds we wanted to stay in.
  
  
  BTW, we opted for the 2017 160 watt solar package and augmented this with the Zamp 160 watt portable unit, which plugs directly into a connector on the trailer for 320 watts total. The portable unit ought to be nice compliment when in shaded campsites.

All model and trailer lengths have pros and cons. Our first real outing starts this Friday, but I can confirm that my YooperChick is completely in love with her Salsa Serenity. ... and when she's happy, so am I!

[MelGoddard]

I'm also biased in favour of the 30'er Flying Cloud.
I traded in a new 25' FC for the 30 because I didn't like the 'East-West' bed as too difficult to get in/out of; and I wanted more storage capacity.
This 30' is a hands down 'keeper'.

Comfortable, lots of room for two people, (no pets) and the 'North-South' bed is easy to use and comfortable.
I rejected the smaller 27-and 28 footers, as having smaller or no closets, smaller wardrobe, smaller toilet room. This 30'er has it all.
Easy to tow, not hard to back into a 'pad', my Ford F-150 3.5 EcoBoost handles it very well, even in a stiff headwind, at highway speeds.
My recommend? The 30 footer Flying Cloud.

[dasams]

We're six weeks into our year long adventure with our new 25 FC. I have second guessed our decision as the extra room of a 30 would be welcomed but this is our first RV and a 30 footer was just too big of a bite. And don't be surprised if we move up to a 30 next year

My advice is to buy the biggest AS that you dare. GL, Dave

[Riverdrifter]

Originally Posted by explore more

We are still on the road, and will continue to be on the road for many years.

It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. Once we sell it we will have to put all our stuff in storage for a week or two while we shop for our next trailer (the van we want can't tow this one, so we are forced to downsize our trailer.)

I'm interested in the "Beddy" bedding. I looked at their website and it looks great. Do they make it to fit the short radius corner mattress found in the Airstream? We changed our mattress to a Sleep Comfort short radius queen from Camping World and we love it! So much more comfortable than what came with the trailer! Thanks!

[m.hony]

I wanted to do it once- purchase an RV once- so I got a 30' the first time.
You just lose too much money when you trade and the money you lose ain't comin' back.

[Williker]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

Watching TV from the rear dinette 25/27 is not comfortable for the person sitting in the curb dinette seat. Putting down the table to make a large lounge doesn't work for us either as its still awkward seating.

My TV is on an arm that I can move pretty far over to the center. It's not uncomfortable at all really.

[explore more]

Originally Posted by Riverdrifter

I'm interested in the "Beddy" bedding. I looked at their website and it looks great. Do they make it to fit the short radius corner mattress found in the Airstream? We changed our mattress to a Sleep Comfort short radius queen from Camping World and we love it! So much more comfortable than what came with the trailer! Thanks!

They built their bedding for regular house-sized beds, but our rv size bed works just fine. My wife thought she'd need to use those little elastic clips you put under your fitted sheet, but so far so good. Take some good measurements and shoot them the dimensions of your bed and they'll let you know what size they recommend.

[jomondnv]

I agree...I went from a 30 to the new 26u. Love it...its much more comfortable that the 30 for relaxing. Shower is great. We took all of our stuff out of the 30 and it fit in the 26u. Unbelievable amount of storage...As mentioned we can get into state and national parks also.