25 or 28, That is the question

[gwg]

This from someone that has "lost" some dollars on trading in. We started with a FC25, went to a FC27 and now have a 2015 30' Classic. The few extra feet is nice and doesn't seem to make a difference in towing or parking.
Either way enjoy the adventures..

[Rocinante]

One thought: check the specs for length. The 25 is actually 25'11" long. The 26 is actually 26'11" long. The 28 is actually 27"11" long, and the 27 is actually 28' long.

Another: Airstream significantly understates the tongue weight on their trailers. It's much closer to 15% of GVW.

[silverbp]

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


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[sheriff1]

We have a 27 and will probably go to a 30. Just two of us and a pair of Yorkies.


2015 F350 CC 4X4 6.7 Diesel
2010 27FB Silver Cloud "The Silver Spoon"

[harryk]

I love my 92 25 with twin beds but if I had a bigger truck I might like a 28 and convert to twin rear beds if it didn't have them...moral is, its about what you can afford and can tow.

[Silver Hawk]

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

[DanB]

Originally Posted by Silver Hawk

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

This is a huge generalization and mostly incorrect.

A quick google search on various NPS sites confirms that may parks have upgraded. This should be expected as units larger than the longest Airstream are very common.

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by NC Camper

After months of talking and looking at floor plans, two RV shows, and two visits to the local Airstream dealer, I thought we had settled on purchasing a new FC 25 twin. We decided on the spur of the moment to make one last fact-finding trip up to Colonial Airstream so that we could actually sit in the front and rear bedroom models since our local dealer is very small and only has three models on the lot. On the 8+ hour trip the Colonial my husband made an off handed comment that he thinks we need to consider the 28'. My thoughts at that moment were not for public consumption, but I vaguely remember saying something like, "Oh, and what makes you say that?"

After hours of discussion (it was a 1300 mile trip), I think it is boiling down to: he likes the separate seating room with the dinette and lounge, and my concern is 28' seems like and awful lot of trailer for (primarily) two people. We plan to be free to travel frequently with two or three long trips a year within the next 6-8 months (although I may be doing some computer-based work on the road). We have been tent campers (read as car campers with everything but the kitchen sink) for years and primarily enjoy the state and national parks. My husband thinks he wants us to do some boondocking, but I think we need to get to know the trailer and build up our capacity to go off-grid first. My husband also is adamant about buying new, and the smallest floor plan that we think will fit us is the 25', primarily because we like the twin layout.

I have learned a tremendous amount from my Air Forum "friends" in the months I have been following all the new posts. I wondered who out there has had experience with the 28' and the 25' and are there any thoughts/lessons learned you could share?

Any thoughts or comments are appreciated!
Cathy

From the voice of experience:
GO with the 28 ft'er.
You will need the storage space, and the single bed on the 25' is an 'east west' bed that's very difficult to get in or out of, especially out. Don't know about a double bed.
Also no place for bedside items.
The 28' has a 'North-South' bed that's easier to use, and has better bedside storage for clocks, magazines, and so forth.
After four months, I traded my 25' FC in for a 30' FC. What a difference.

[tjdonahoe]

28' by a landslide, 2 of use the 31' classic , out 2 mos at a time, we like it..

[Rocinante]

At least two national Parks in WA are best camped in with a trailer of 26' or less. This is true of Mount Rainier, and Olympic National Parks. OTOH, if you're willing to camp nearby, there are lots of National Forest spots that will suit, as well as an interesting and unique privately operated campground on Lake Crescent (e.g. the Log Cabin Resort). There are also lots of State Park campgrounds all over the WA that can easily accommodate longer trailers - though in the summer months you'll be best served if you make reservations wherever you plan to go.

That said, we love our 27FB - we prefer the queen bed and its North/South orientation. We're just fine with the head and shower being across the hall from each other, but of course it's just the two of us and our Golden Retriever.

That said, who cares what we like? Pick the one that works best for you, regardless of size or floor plan. No matter what you choose you'll have an Airstream, which will be awesome in any book.

[kscherzi]

Originally Posted by Silver Hawk

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

Sometimes my 27fb will shrink when I check in.

[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!

[rodsterinfl]

Ok two feet here.

Technically, the bedroom and the bathroom are the same.
In the 28' you gain an L lounge and have a dinette too but you lose the pantry.
Most of the two feet more are divided between counter/dinette and lounge area.

BUT, while you are considering, look at the 27' (actually 1 inch bigger than the 28 and 2' 1" bigger than the 25').
adds back the pantry and keeps 1 foot for the galley area. The second foot more is open space at the foot of the twin beds.

Think about how you would live when in the trailer. I can say that I would like the 28 better as a 25 owner because I often need more counter space- the 28 has it both in the galley area and on the dinette. I often watch a movie at night and want a nice place to sit FACING the TV. The 26U, 28 twin and 30 twin in my opinion have great lounge areas. The 30 offers the largest bath by utilizing the hallway and side together to form a large space. My model is different than the new 25' with a front sofa so that works for me but if I were looking new- it would be a 28 for the lounge and counter space. If like others, you plan to have guests more often, the additional bedding is a boon too. The 25 is still comfortable though and, it has a pantry. If you consider the 27' the main benefit of that one IMO is the galley. One foot of open space at the beds is somewhat of a waste though. All that said and guess what many full timers or modders dump first? The dinettes! Think about conveniences to you, how you live and what would be most comfortable. There is a couple in Naples I know that find their 16' Bambi perfect and mine less cozy.

[Moflash]

We have a 28 and have never had any problems at any national parks with length limits even with our 22ft long tow vehicle.We have from day one used the large closet to the left of the refrigerator for a pantry(I thought that was what it was designed for),with his and hers closets in the bedroom it works perfect. Everyone has their favorite and ours is the 28.


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[Cyclist]

We had a similar discussion three years ago. We thought we wanted a 25 and then saw a 28 at an RV show. That convinced us to get the larger unit and we haven't regretted it since. This was also our first RV.

[BassCan]

I love it. I wish we went a little bigger when we purchased ours.

[SCOTTinNJ]

We went from a 25 to 30 foot airstream. The nominal difference in towing (just a tad more care in gas stations and parking lots) is easily outweighed by the added space inside.

Go with the 27/28 if that's what you like.

[NC Camper]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Know that with the door open on the 28, it blocks the "view" and the ventilation out one of the dinette windows. And that if that window is open for ventilation, you cannot open the door for ventilation.

Doug, great point that I hadn’t noticed. Lauren up at Colonial also pointed out the same thing.

[NC Camper]

Originally Posted by m.hony

30'...
Go ahead and get it now to prevent trading next year...

Funny!! 28’ is already out of my comfort zone and I am the one with the towing experience! LOL

[NC Camper]

Originally Posted by graysailor

I opted for the 30' just too have separation of spaces. Almost like adding another room. When looking to buy my first trailer the best advice I received was to go 1 size bigger then you think you will need. That proved to be very true. Glad I listened.

You make a great point! Since I had made my mind up on a 25’, I’m hoping by making my DH happy with a 28’ I will prevent a case of 2ftitis.