Airstream wannabe here

[Msmoto]

@tvketchum

LOL…. yup, I try to avoid backing into the garbage as well….

I might have been a victim of autocorrect…. or am becoming paranoid...

[Tomy]

Originally Posted by mefly2

We found the parallel Honda EU2000 gens to be adequate for boondocking, but it is simpler for us to have just one EU3000 in the back of the truck ... electric start is quite nice when it is raining or snowing outside! The front electrical socket on the EB makes using a gen quite easy to connect from TV to AS.

One of the other reasons I was inclined to the two units is it is easier to handle two 50 lbs units instead of the 134 lbs EU3000, but I didn't realize that the EU2000's were pull start. Can you run the AC on the EU3000?

I see from the AS website that Dometic specifies 3500 watts to handle the startup serge, even though 2800 watts is enough to run it after startup.

[Tomy]

One last question. My wife and I are pretty convinced that either the 25FB or 27FB fits us perfectly. The 23 is ruled out simply because if I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I don't want to crawl over her. She gets up earlier than me and doesn't want to crawl over me. Also seems like changing sheets would be harder.

The dilemma is over nightstands vs length. We both want nightstands and the 25 only has one. But the 25 might get into more spaces.

Any AS owners done Pinyon Flats in an AS? This is one of my favorite destinations.

Have any of you gone from a 27FB to a 25FB because of space limitations?

[Msmoto]

I have gone from a 25 RB to a 27FB, primarily due to the 2007 25D having a bed like the 23 does, and making this up was an impossibility IMO.

My travel experience suggests there is no practical difference between a 25 & 27 (2' - 1") to be exact, but I have fit a 44' Moho into 40' spaces.....LOL. The biggest difference is in storage, wardrobes, galley size, and galley storage. And the $5,000 of course.

The next jump up, 30 has huge storage increases FWIW. One mistake I made in 2007 was getting a trailer too small, and trading up after a year can be painful.

Good luck


Ms Tommie Lauer
Greensboro, NC
2015 Serenity 30 RB / 2008 Dodge Cummins 4 X 4
WBCCI #4165 AIR #31871

[Tomy]

My wife and I went to the Tacoma RV show today. I went with an open mind, allowing the possibility that there might be something out there that would suit us more.

One large fifth wheel had so much out-gasing and formaldehyde smell, that my wife couldn't enter. It made my eyes burn. Most had interiors that looked like they were designed for my grandmother.

Those huge fifth wheels could make you forget you were camping. And therein lies the rub. I like camping. I like nature, and I like the outdoors. I just want a little comfort, now that I'm getting older.

I want to feel outside even when I'm inside. I want the transition from inside to outside to feel gradual. Those big 40+ motorhomes seemed awkward having a canopy because the living space is so high off the ground. Some of them had compartments that opened to big screen TV's and kitchens on the outside. I suppose those are geared to the tailgating crowd.

I love the International Signature interior, but my wife and I have pretty much decided on the Eddie Bauer. That hatch just allows more outside inside, more gradual transition. I wish you could order the hatch with some of the other decors. I worry about losing storage under the seats on the EB.

There was one ginormous fifth wheel that had two foldout balconies. But even those felt like 'near nature,' or 'looking down on nature,' rather than participating in nature.

NW Airstream was there with a 23FB International Signature, a 16 Sport, a 28 FC, and an Interstate (Lounge maybe?). Apparently they sold the 28 on Friday. It had a sold sticker on it.

I couldn't imagine sitting next to any of those giant things. I can easily see my wife and I sitting next to an Airstream with the awning out, enjoying the evening after having explored our surroundings. Or sitting at the dinette and eating and watching a glorious sunset, hatch up when warm enough, down in cooler weather.

So I guess my wife and I are hopelessly in love with Airstream. It has no equal. But I suppose you guys already know that.

[RVDreamer]

That is the problem.

There maybe a lot of issues with an Airstream; price, storage space, leaks, corrosion, etc. But there is just nothing like an Airstream.

SOB trailers also have their fair share of problems and with their slide-outs, cheap furniture, they look like your grandma's mobile home.

The fifth wheels are just too big to actually be considered a camper.

Motorhomes cost even more, usually require a toad to be convenient, and have all problems of maintaining a large bus.

[westernjeep401]

Hi Tomy,

It might sound silly, but wife and I located a dealer that had 8 new AS's on the lot. We toured their website, talked to sales for several weeks and decided that the best way to know what fit our needs best was to visit them and just "dry run live" in each one. Thus, we took the 200 mile drive to TN and spent four hours going from the 16' all the way to a 30' Serenity with bark-o-loungers. Wash, rinse, repeat...napping, in and out of shower stalls, making sure the both of us (and dogs) could fit comfortably on the bed. We expected to get the 25' Sterling with pink carpet...we left having placed a deposit on the 28' Serenity. And it was a feature that neither one of us EVER expected to be the cinch...the "L" sofa. Dogs and humans can lounge together.

The dealer was awesome...they just let us open-up each one and essentially bum in them all half the day until we figured out what worked.

[Tomy]

Originally Posted by lgwaldrop

Hi Tomy,

It might sound silly, but wife and I located a dealer that had 8 new AS's on the lot. We toured their website, talked to sales for several weeks and decided that the best way to know what fit our needs best was to visit them and just "dry run live" in each one. Thus, we took the 200 mile drive to TN and spent four hours going from the 16' all the way to a 30' Serenity with bark-o-loungers. Wash, rinse, repeat...napping, in and out of shower stalls, making sure the both of us (and dogs) could fit comfortably on the bed. We expected to get the 25' Sterling with pink carpet...we left having placed a deposit on the 28' Serenity. And it was a feature that neither one of us EVER expected to be the cinch...the "L" sofa. Dogs and humans can lounge together.

The dealer was awesome...they just let us open-up each one and essentially bum in them all half the day until we figured out what worked.

I would totally go for the 28 if I could get it in a front bedroom. The extra lounge area looks great.

[polevault]

50 t0 60 year old trailers were probably sturdier than newer ones.Please remember that Wally led a caravan from Cape Town to Cairo about 60 years ago, some roads were worse and some had to be built by the carvaners themselves. If you can get a copy of the movie, "Cape Town to Cairo" enjoy watching it. If you are considering rough roading, you cannot beat an Airstream. Polevault

[Msmoto]

I like the idea of "more outside inside", as is the case in the Eddie Bauer. However, what I have discovered in my new Serenity 30 RB, is, when I open all the windows and have the screen door only closed, the feeling of being outdoors is pretty close to sitting under the patio awning. Also, with both side windows and the head of the bed window open at night, this is sleeping under the stars, yet extremely comfortable in my bed with a feather topper on it.

If storage is an issue, IMHO, the 30 RB units are the ones with the most, huge wardrobe area and other cabinets, especially at bedside. And, I have more stuff to carry than most, yet have not even come close to filling up all the storage.

I also think the "L" sofa may be better than the recliners, as a lot of storage is lost with the recliners, and they take up a lot of space, albeit, are very comfortable…...

[Len n Jeanne]

Tomy--- exactly! You get the picture.

Have a wonderful time camping the way you like it with your new AS.