Choosing the Right Model Airstream MH

[grassgd]

I have been looking for an older Airstream MH off and on for a couple years. I'm sure my question has been asked by most new commers searching to find the right MH.... What is the best size and floor plan? Of course the answer is always different based on needs and desires but in the process of looking I seem to be zeroing in on what I think I want... a 24 to 28 footer (shorter the better for ease of handling in tight places and hopefully pulling and launching a boat) with sleeping for 4 to 5 max. From what I can tell form pictures on the internet, the increased lenght dosn't seem to provide much difference in sleeping capacity but the 24 footers with rear bath actually look like they would give the feeling of a large MH since there are two sofa's in one kinda kitchen/living space. Can anyone with real experinece in these size MH's provide their thoughts?

[thenewkid64]

Katy,

I have a 28 ft MH with a side bed and front couch. The real issue comes down to privacy and not kust sleeping space. a 24 foot more than likely will have center twins and a front couch or dinette, but to put 4 or five peole in it to sleep or travel it will get a bit crowded IMHO.

If sleeping capacity is what you want I would suggest staying in the 28 ft range , also there were many more of this size made so you will have more choices. You may also want to look at the Argosy MH as it was built as the prototype to the Airstream ones and has the same type floorplans.

To sleep 5 you will either have to be really close or someone gets the floor, this would go for most of the 28 or 24 ft models. The only thing you may find is a 28 foot center twin that has the original bunk beds still installed. Ok that is a needle in a hay stack, but they do exist. The 28 ft will pull a boat just fine as long as it isn't a 38 ft ocean going yacht.


Here is a link to forum members site that has many pictures of many models.
Fred's motorhome Archive Scrolll down on the left and pick a year.

Ask questions and keep looking. All I can say is to be ready to buy it if you like it cause good ones go fast!

[PeterH-350LE]

Tires are expensive
Airstream parts are expensive
purchase prices are high
they are hard to keep cool in the summer
a 28 footer barely sleeps 4
you are always paranoid about the skin
people look at you funny
they use a lot of gas
a class C has an entire bedroom above the cab
their funny round body is wasting a lot of space in the overhead compartments
people think you are a snob
you hardly ever see another one on the road
when you drive up to repair shop, the owner is giving all his employees a raise.
your trusted floorjack collapsed the first time you used it
it takes up your entire drive way
your wife hates to drive it
people think you are cool
your cat loves to jump on it from the roof
you thought you could do a brake job on the rear wheels
you constantly find yourself looking for the next one to buy
all your wrenches and sockets are too small
the word 'hail' takes on a whole new meaning
lets not talk about clear coats....

[74Argosy24MH]

I have a 24 ft Argosy with the center bath/rear bed. It is a nice arrangement for 2 people, but be prepared to use the smallest bath ever designed (approx 27"x47", shower, toilet, sink). The actual living space (minus driver/passenger area) in these is 17 1/2 feet, so you really have a Bambi motor home. You can sleep 2 more on the dinette but when everyone is awake and trying to move around it would be very tight. In reality I would say it is a 2 person vehicle for anything other than weekend trips.

On the positive side, it is easy to maneuver, short enough to get in under a lot of restrictions and has a plenty of storage for the size. Mine can carry 2700 lbs of fuel, water, supplies, etc. which is more than anything else I have seen short of a bus. That should be good for 2 people for 6 months of boondocking.

John

[PeterH-350LE]

We actually moved up from a 22' Class C Avion MH, which was extremely compact and well laid out. It was somewhat of a problem for extended stays, even though it had the above cab sleeping quarters.
Since we use the Airstream for the occasional out-of -town job, the seperate livng/sleeping quarters make it very enjoyable.

[ALANSD]

We have the rear bath 28 footer. The bedrooom is twin beds, and we have the fold out couch which will sleep two. We put one teen on the floor on a rubber mat/sleeping bag combo.
We can sleep 5-6 this way. The only negative is the front sleepers have to pass thru the bedroom area to get to the bathroom at night.
So far this has not been a big deal, although I sometimes think I would like the 310 for the rear bedroom,wrap around windows and side split bath.Then again...
....I set out to get a 29 or shorter, and really like the 28 length.
I looked at a 24, and it was all in one large room. Not much in the way of privacy, but would be great for a couple.
Yes you have to be a bit nuts to even want one, with all the newer fiberglass boxes out there for less money. But they just wouldn't be the same, for me anyway.

[Edie]

I'm Brett's (thenewkid64) co-pilot. I've noticed that we don't have nearly the problems keeping the coach cool that the people with longer coaches have. That's another good reason to stick with 28' or shorter, IMO.

Happy hunting...

[CBBOB]

We recently bought a 92 30ft. We looked at a 92 24ft with a rear
queen. In that model, the queen and front fold out couch were to short for a 6' person. People size is a factor, also.

[Curtis-79MH]

We have a 28 footer, rear bath. Our post production dineete sleeps two Munchkins (our children). Our twin beds sleep one adult each unless, I suppose, they were newlyweds. Six snoring adults within 15 feet of each other doesn't interest me, of course one snoring husband within 100 yards doesn't interest my wife either! A class "C" that sleeps 8....Yikes.

[zamboni]

Our 28' rear twins is perfect for our family of four (two kids 6 & 2) for our weekend camping, long vacation trips and those trips to the grocery store when really hungery (have actually taken to the store instead of the family mini van to get the looks).

But as others have stated...it's like buying a house...make a list of what you want to do with it, what you want on it, how much you want to work on it, how much you want to spend on it, AND THE REST JUST FALLS INTO PLACE.

Best of luck witht he search for YOUR perfect A/S.

[evan]

I started off with a 34ft Airstream trailer. What a mistake. Unless your going to be living full time in this thing, stick with a smaller rig. I'd say 28ft max. I had a 25ft AS trailer and I used it much more than the 34 because it was so much easier to get ready, tow, manuver, etc. Your right there is not that much difference between the 24 and the 28ft units. A 24ft twin couch will sleep four in comfort. The 5th guy will be in the passenger's seat or on the floor. Argosy has a 1975 26 ft unit that is a very nice length ( there's one on ebay right now). A 270 or 250 Airstream would be nice. One thing to consider, the shorter MH's are harder to find and can cost more. They are somewhat collectable and will probably hold and/or gain value in the future. Just look at the short AS trailer craze. The Silver Bullet MH's are next, so get yours now!

[ALANSD]

remeber that you have to go to a 270 or 280 to get a bedroom seperate from the front room. The 24 and many 27s have all in one room with the bath in the rear. This is fine if you are two, but for more people to live comfortably you might prefer a seperated room. The 310 has a rear bedroom area.
I agree on the fact that the shorter than 30' motorhomes are more manuverable, as mine has been in some fairly tight spaces.
Also to this point I haven't towed a car...although I will do so on occassion in the future.

[evan]

My 91 25Ft AS-MH sort of has a rear bedroom. The bed is at the back with the bath along side of it. It is very much like the new bambie model, kind of a funky design. You still have to walk by the end of the bed to reach the bathroom which we would perfer not to have it this way but you can't have everything. An alternative would be the older Argosy models. Both the 74-75 24, 26ft models have a rear bed/lounge version with a side bath. There is a very nice 26ft version on ebay with 50k miles. It looks near mint, they just lowered the price to $9,999. The condition and size make it a fair deal at that price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1875813172

[pepepepe]

The 26' Argosy on Ebay was just relisted at $9950.pics at http://www.infiniteweb.com/rv/ Delivery possible for expenses only.