Best Size Airstream for National Parks and Alike?

[jonnie3]

We pull a 25 and have stayed at many state parks. There has been a couple times when I think if it were any longer it may not have fit. Also for the money you pay for the extra 2 feet I don't see much of a gain in terms of room/extras

[Wolf Alaska]

It's true that a 2nd RV can let you choose the RV that's best for the trip.
Over 20 years, I have accumulated 3. My 34' all aluminum trailer is on a leased site @ a mtn. lake. It may not move until Oct. I'm in a tight C G on Gulf coast in 26' trailer.
In 2012, used Coach House type B to tow aluminium trailer all over SW, + NM mtns, CO, WY, & Glacier NP. This may be what led to purchase of the 26'. Anyway, I'm glad we got it now.

BTW, I may have gotten "good deals" for cash. Dealers seemed very glad when I hooked up & towed off their lots. ☺

[Janet H]

Some Parks - especially Redwoods have substantial size restriction. These older parks were designed for car camping and site are often small and access to the sites is less than optimal. In some of the tighter Red Woods and Yellowstone parks I would not want a rig longer than 23 feet.

Camping a few years ago at Elk Prairie (which has restrictions) I watched a couple in a white box actually get wedged between two trees in the park loop road. They had no choice but to keep moving forward, clipping off the protruding rear corners of their rig essentially pulling off the back end of their rv. Cutting down the redwoods to widen the roads seemed like bad option.

You might give this a read to help make a selection: http://www.airstreamcentral.com/arti...eam/Page1.html

[Diesel75]

Your best source (in my opinion & 13 yrs of cross country of travel) is www.recreation.gov for national, forests. monuments, as well as parks. For state parks, look up state campground listings under any state. Both traditionally have camp site maps w/ the size of the sites. From 8/13 to 10/14, we used these sites as often as we could & especially www.recreation.gov as some state campgrounds can be pricey. Safe travels

[DavidIowa]

We've logged over 25,000 miles in the past two years with many more planned. We have a 28 foot and have never had a problem. Going to five or six National Parks this year. Have been to many state, national and others and enjoy our Airstream.

[KJRitchie]

The longer the trailer the more planning. When we reserve a site I try to use recreation.gov for any photo, campsitephotos.com and Google satellite to get an idea of the size of the spots. We thought at a 20ft then a 23ft and finally decided 25 was the best compromise in size and budget even buying preowned. However, we were coming from a Casita 17' fiberglass trailer so even that seemed humongous at the time.

Kelvin

[Wingeezer]

Another owner of a Classic 30 (actually 31 ft long - same as a Classic 31

Wasn't thrilled at buying this length as our previous non AS trailer was 27 and we liked it, but had to move up to 31 if we wanted an Airstream to get our chosen interior layout.

We camp probably 60% commercial, 40% state/federal/county/provincial parks and after 78 years with the new trailer have not been at a non-commercial park that we could not get the trailer into.

Having said that, most have been in the eastern half of the continent, US and Canada. I have heard that some of the western ones may not have as many larger sites.

Not sure - we have stopped at a few in the west and been fine.

Although we are not large people, my wife enjoys the space of our present trailer and would now be reluctant to move to a smaller one. I could accept a smaller one but I will say I like the space also!


Brian.

[dames7]

Our goal is see all the National Parks in the next 2 to 3 yrs, the only problem we saw in NP was that the longer trailers did not get the best spots as we did in our 25'. You will not have a problem getting in if you plan way ahead and know which spot will work for you.

I have seen them re-sign longer trailers once they check in, and look at your rig.

The 27' are nice, but the cost does not justify it.

[PKI]

Jack - the best size AS for national parks is the 22sport. Narrow, light weight and all the accommodations you need for NP visits and experiences. The just the right size trailer will encourage you to get out and enjoy the experience of the National Parks. A 27/28 will keep you inside watching TV and if that is your plan, stay home, it's more comfortable. Look also at the FC20s. The layout is open plan, which might be more to your liking. Do not under any circumstances go any bigger than a 23.

Now, a 34? You do like to tug on the old extremities, don't you. Important to notice that there is a common thread in the comments. "We loved our XX but ->25->27/28->30->34." There is a clear indication that the symptoms of the 2ftitis virus have infected both Americans and Canadians in a very systemic fashion. Do not allow yourself to be exposed. If it gets out of hand, you'll end up in an Interstate! The best deterrent is a good glass of California wine enjoyed seated comfortably in your favorite folding rocker under the shade of your AS awning as the sun slips slowly below the Western horizon of one of the many National/Provincial Parks.

Travel Safe. Pat

[McDave]

We've been to several parks where there was a 31' overall limit, including trailer and tow vehicle, where there was no space available to park the TV someplace away from the trailer. So we couldn't get in with our 23' AS and my truck. We always found someplace to stay, but not where we would have liked to stay. Still, I wouldn't trade my 23' trailer for anything smaller.


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[Brawny]

Originally Posted by n2916s

I have a 31' and I have not fit into exactly one campground over the past 10 years (we half-time, so roughly 1800 nights...).
If you are concerned, make reservations or use Google Earth to look at a prospective campground. I really enjoy the extra elbow room and storage of my rig.

Mike

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

We have a 30' International, been all over the parks cited above and yet to have to pass one up because we were too big. We have 2 dogs and like the extra room. We upgraded from a 28' unit, which really is only 27' long where as the 30' is a true 30'. Pull it with an F-150 Eco Boost short bed.

Glad to hear there are a few folks with longer trailers that are making it work. My wife and I just bought a 2004 30' Classic - taking possession later this month - and we're hoping it will be multi-purpose. One or two week vacations for the next few years, weekends away at local Provincial and US State and National parks, and long term, a trailer we can take to the southern US to avoid Canadian winters in retirement. We plan on only buying one AS, so the 30' was what we figure we can make work for all our needs.

Cheers!
Brawny

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by Brawny

Glad to hear there are a few folks with longer trailers that are making it work. My wife and I just bought a 2004 30' Classic - taking possession later this month - and we're hoping it will be multi-purpose. One or two week vacations for the next few years, weekends away at local Provincial and US State and National parks, and long term, a trailer we can take to the southern US to avoid Canadian winters in retirement. We plan on only buying one AS, so the 30' was what we figure we can make work for all our needs.

Cheers!
Brawny

We had or 28' for exactly 1 season. We could have saved a bundle going 30' to begin with. There are times I wish I had a 20' and there are times I wish I had a fifth wheel, so overall in the long haul, into the 4th week on the road we really appreciate the little bit extra elbow room.

Life is mostly lived by compromises !

[Ted S.]

Someone told me once to buy a trailer that fit my family's needs and not worry so much about size limits in campgrounds, which was important to me because we intended to camp on public lands.

So I bout a 30' and just went with it. No regrets, there is always a spot with good planning and diligence. Perhaps it may be easier with a shorter rig, but I don't find it a priority over the right sized trailer.

To be clear, I went with the smallest that comfortably fit my needs, it was a good decision.

[Tn Traveler]

Originally Posted by PKI

The best deterrent is a good glass of California wine enjoyed seated comfortably in your favorite folding rocker under the shade of your AS awning as the sun slips slowly below the Western horizon of one of the many National/Provincial Parks.

Travel Safe. Pat

Pat, that quote fits my idea of camping perfectly. We spend very little time inside the trailer. I do much of the cooking outside on the propane fired grill/stove or even the cast iron dutch oven over the camp fire.

My philosophy is buy the smallest trailer that will fit your needs. For us it was the 25' with twin beds. A stall shower contained within the bath was a high priority. A comfortable settee was also. We've had enough of straight backed dinettes. Mostly, we eat outside.

The tow vehicle also must be considered. I wanted to keep the hitch weight at about 750#, and the total weight of the trailer to approx 6,000#. This allows 750# bars on the WDH, which gives a softer ride for the trailer. Always consider the total payload of the tow vehicle.

Yes, at the end of the day relaxing under the awning in a folding rocking chair is to us what it is all about.

[Echelon73]

My wife and I have talked about this several times. We have a 30 and really like the space. We have not found many campgrounds on the east coast that we could not fit in with some planning and I do not mind towing the larger trailer. What we have learned is that in public campgrounds all the larger sites fill up quicker. If you have a shorter trailer you could get in nice campgrounds that would not have a vacancy for our 30. Gamble Rogers in Florida is a good example. Our 30 fits fine in some of the oceanfront sites, but those sites fill up quickly. The smaller sites are slower to fill and require less planning. We even thought about buying a used 19 -23 as a 2nd RV just for that purpose. We are unwilling to give up our 30 and we have trouble justifying the ownership of two Airstreams, but others on this site may inspire me to buy into the two trailer strategy before it is over with.

[jackvosney]

Originally Posted by PKI

Jack - the best size AS for national parks is the 22sport. Narrow, light weight and all the accommodations you need for NP visits and experiences. The just the right size trailer will encourage you to get out and enjoy the experience of the National Parks. A 27/28 will keep you inside watching TV and if that is your plan, stay home, it's more comfortable. Look also at the FC20s. The layout is open plan, which might be more to your liking. Do not under any circumstances go any bigger than a 23.

Now, a 34? You do like to tug on the old extremities, don't you. Important to notice that there is a common thread in the comments. "We loved our XX but ->25->27/28->30->34." There is a clear indication that the symptoms of the 2ftitis virus have infected both Americans and Canadians in a very systemic fashion. Do not allow yourself to be exposed. If it gets out of hand, you'll end up in an Interstate! The best deterrent is a good glass of California wine enjoyed seated comfortably in your favorite folding rocker under the shade of your AS awning as the sun slips slowly below the Western horizon of one of the many National/Provincial Parks.

Travel Safe. Pat

Haha you crack me up! Thanks for all the good advice Pat Lots of good points from everyone! My partner and I are very outdoor people, love backpacking and being in the wild, but we also love creature comforts, we play hard and like to rest peacefully in a comfy space. I also need an area to work (laptop and desk area) while traveling. I feel the 25 or 28 would fit us well, if we lose out on 1 or 2 spots out of 50 parks i can deal with that, but from what it sounds like we wont even have that issue.

Thanks everyone for all the recommendations, stories trials and tribulations!!!

[c177tx]

The road to the Chisos Basin campground in Big Bend NP restricts trailer lenght to 20' or shorter. But you can go down the road to Rio Grande village and park a 34. The only difference is Chisos CP will be nice and cool and Rio Grande Village will be hot as hell some days.

[Len n Jeanne]

One thing we like about the Bambi is that you can camp away from the Big Rigs. You can get into CG loops and sites that are unsuitable for the Jolly Jumbos. This would be places like the Mather CG at the Grand Canyon or Hovenweep National Monument. Closer to home, there is a great municipal campground at New Denver, BC, and with a small rig you have a hope of bagging one of the sites with its own waterfront and spectacular mountain views. For Wragge Beach at the north end of Slocan Lake, the site lengths are even more limited.

We also like the out-of-the-way BLM campgrounds in Utah, which typically have smaller sites.

Of course, most of these places don't have hookups, either, which is fine with us.

If we drive hundreds of miles to enjoy world class scenery, it is kind of disappointing to have a view consisting of our neighbour's White Box 5th wheel with slideouts.

I would say most of the western public lands campgrounds where we like to camp do have sites for big rigs, but not lots and they do tend to fill up first.

We just spent 8 weeks in the desert Southwest in our 19-footer, and never felt space was an issue.

[wbrisett]

Originally Posted by McDave

We've been to several parks where there was a 31' overall limit, including trailer and tow vehicle, where there was no space available to park the TV someplace away from the trailer. So we couldn't get in with our 23' AS and my truck. We always found someplace to stay, but not where we would have liked to stay. Still, I wouldn't trade my 23' trailer for anything smaller.

I'm interesting in knowing what parks these are, just so there's a record somewhere in my mind.

I find it interesting that the National Parks edition of the AS was a 27' unit.

[rjack]

Each length has benefits/limitations: our extensive travels, primarily to state and national parks and such areas, have found the 25' to be the best fit. Longer trailers begin to diminish the "camping" nature of the experience, and encourage living inside. Also, traditional half ton tow vehicles (ours is a Tundra) handle the 25 adeptly, and are more comfortable to use as a local vehicle when unhooked. While it is not a primary goal, resale is highest and easiest for a 25. Parking lots, fuel stops, etc. handle 25s better, even though a couple of feet does not seem much. Whichever you like is what you should get, but the 25 fits us and our yappy little dog well. Happy travels.