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Our new Eddie Bauer 25FB
We picked up our new Eddie Bauer 25FB from Toscano RV in California on March 11, 2011....and we are loving it! Airstream tells us we were the very first to own one, after the prototype they had at Sundance Film Festival went to Eddie Bauer.
As a young family of three in So Calif, we were in the market to trade up from our 19' Int'l Bambi that we bought used about three years ago. We knew we were going to move up to a 23 or 25 FB for the queen bed, bigger bath, etc. My wife was really sold on the extra space, sofa, wraparound rear windows and skylights of the 25, and like every good AS husband, I wanted her to be happy. So even though it meant a wider body, much more weight and hence a new tow vehicle, I was psyching myself up to make the jump to a 25.
But if we were going to go with a 25, we did want to get a peek at the new Eddie design. And when Dave at Toscano emailed they got the very first one in, we drove up the next day. We spent an evening going back and forth between an Int'l 25FB and the EB 25FB, and although on issues like storage and style the Int'l made it a tight decision, it was the hatch on the EB that really sold us.
As the Toscano crew prepped our new trailer in record time, even wiring up a huge solar panel (thanks again, Jeff, for giving up your weekend!), we tracked down a new Land Cruiser to pull it. Found one an hour and a half away in green -- a perfect fit for the green accents and wraparound stripe on the Eddie Bauer. We pulled the new rig off the lot and back to Pasadena that Sunday, and the Cruiser towed the Eddie like a dream. No problem at all in the move up to bigger trailer, double axles, etc -- I'm feeling really comfortable with the upgrade.
An emergency renovation at home has caused us to be living in our trailer much more than the normal long camping weekends, and so we've had a great opportunity to really give the Eddie a good shake-down. It has more than lived up to the hype and we are loving it more and more each day. The hatch is by far the best innovation AS has come up with. We use it to load up the generator, camp chairs & grill, and will for sure use it to haul bikes and a kayak this summer. We love the versatility the fold-up seating provides -- its a huge space when the seats are up and the table stowed. But the best part is just opening the back and letting in nature. The big rolldown screen right next to the dinette is perfect for al fresco dining, watching our kid play, connecting to the rest of the world. I can't tell you how many people have approached us to comment on the cool factor of the hatch whenever we have it open.
Rains have kept us from getting many photos yet, but we'll post some soon. And we'll keep reporting on our experiences of this great new addition to the Airstream family. Can't wait to hear from other Eddie Bauer AS owners, too.
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braska
2012 Eddie Bauer 25FB
& green 2011 LandCruiser
in Southern California
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We have a 25FB INTL and we love it. The higher ground clearance and rear lift gate sounds like great features on the Eddie!
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