Needed and wanted a comfortable, spacious coach...

[DHart]

Originally Posted by crispyboy

DHart,
The closet racks seem like a good solution for the space lost overhead, under the dinette and end table.
Do you still have a place to hang coats, ponchos, pants and collared shirts? I went back and looked at your pictures at the beginning of the thread. Is there room on each side of the bed?
I see that Airstream has built a narrow pantry area next to the stove. That a good idea!

Yes. Go back and look at the bedroom pics. Lots of storage high and low on each side of the bed. And under the bed. We don't need to take a huge wardrobe full of clothes when we travel.

[BoldAdventure]

Looks great, I think customizing is the key to each persons individual comforts.

[DHart]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

Looks great, I think customizing is the key to each persons individual comforts.

Thanks, Bold. Yes, I totally agree. It would be prohibitive for AS to build coaches for every different personal need that we owners have. Sometimes you just need to dive in, request as much customization as AS will allow, and then take things to your personal nth degree after delivery.

I do, however, think it was short-sighted to eliminate the recliner floorpans for 2016. Of course, people will likely be able to custom order recliner option Airstreams, but at a $2500 premium, vs. being a standard production offering.

Recliners certainly aren't for everyone, especially those who need sofa sleepers for kids, etc. But for those of us who subscribe to the "6-4-2" program (6 for drinks, 4 for dinner, 2 for sleeping), the recliner option offers exceptional sitting and reclining comfort in the coach. While this wouldn't work for most families, we, personally, for our needs, we wouldn't have an Airstream any other way.

[Danattherock]

After seeing two 30' Serenitys yesterday, we are sold. It's by far the nicest Airstream we have been in. Couldn't believe how roomy it felt with window blinds and sky lights opened up. At 6'6" 320 lbs, that's a big issue for me. We saw an Airforum members unit and then a good bit of time in one at nearby dealer. Ordering a 30' Serenity with twins when time comes.

Love what you did with the wardrobe.

Ally pack canoe would look better though


Dan

[DHart]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

After seeing two 30' Serenitys yesterday, we are sold. It's by far the nicest Airstream we have been in. Couldn't believe how roomy it felt with window blinds and sky lights opened up. At 6'6" 320 lbs, that's a big issue for me. We saw an Airforum members unit and then a good bit of time in one at nearby dealer. Ordering a 30' Serenity with twins when time comes.

Love what you did with the wardrobe.

Ally pack canoe would look better though


Dan

Dan... we are RVers who spend a good portion of our time, when traveling on the road, inside the coach. So, given that there are no slides and we are transitioning from a 44' diesel pusher with massive open floor space, having a bright, open, spacious feel in the Airstream is very important to us. And you're right, the 30' Serenity is Airstream's most open, most spacious-feeling, brightest coach.

A trailer with no slides can feel very confining, but combining all the windows in the Serenity 30' (including 3 Vista Views) along with bright white woodwork, two skylights, a Fantastic Fan roof-port, and an open wall area above the dinette... Airstream has produced a very bright, open-feeling coach.

Still pondering the ideal inflatable boat for us.. thanks for your help as we navigate those waters!

[Danattherock]

^^^ Joking of course. We are actually talking about buying a second one. Adult in back of each, with a kid in front. Dog in lightest canoe. We could, and likely would, store both canoes in the wardrobe.


I appreciate the space as much as you, but for different reasons. I was so pleasantly surprised by the open feeling in the Serenity. What a breath of fresh air. Prior to seeing the 30' Serenity we had only been in 27' FC and 28' signature. What a difference. Excited to imagine what the open bedroom floor with twins, along with dual pano windows would contribute.


Dan

[DHart]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

I appreciate the space as much as you, but for different reasons. I was so pleasantly surprised by the open feeling in the Serenity. What a breath of fresh air. Prior to seeing the 30' Serenity we had only been in 27' FC and 28' signature. What a difference. Excited to imagine what the open bedroom floor with twins, along with dual pano windows would contribute.


Dan

When are you guys planning to "pull the trigger?"

[Danattherock]

Hard to say with certainty, but this winter is our hope. We are not financing so it's a matter of lining up some ducks. Some we have more immediate control over than others.


Dan

[DHart]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

Hard to say with certainty, but this winter is our hope. We are not financing so it's a matter of lining up some ducks. Some we have more immediate control over than others.

Dan

Fantastic. And good for you for not financing. I know just how excited you must be!

[Danattherock]

Put that iPad down and get out there and clean my trailer. And truck.

[DHart]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

Put that iPad down and get out there and clean my trailer. And truck.

I think it must be WAAAY past your bedtime, young man! You have youngins and a family to look after. Go to sleep!!!

[mandolindave]

The fold out tables are cool, but looks a little inconvenient for two people, then I realized that the recliners move.

I have a small trailer, and infrastructure is underneath all furniture, SO changing the floor plan in mine is next to impossible.

I have an idea for if I was designing a floor plan from the get go, and wonder why no manufacturer has tried it ( maybe they have ) I was thinking about space and versatility, and thinking that a fold down counter top on the wall, with bar stools that could be secured while traveling. ( instead of or in addition to a dinette )

You could eat at it, use your laptop, use it as a bar, whatever, then stow it away. ( even put the barstools outside ) ( plus barstool songs are usually fun to sing, but I digress )

Anyway, I thought it might be a good idea for you, for when you win the lottery

[DHart]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

The fold out tables are cool, but looks a little inconvenient for two people, then I realized that the recliners move.

I have a small trailer, and infrastructure is underneath all furniture, SO changing the floor plan in mine is next to impossible.

I have an idea for if I was designing a floor plan from the get go, and wonder why no manufacturer has tried it ( maybe they have ) I was thinking about space and versatility, and thinking that a fold down counter top on the wall, with bar stools that could be secured while traveling. ( instead of or in addition to a dinette )

You could eat at it, use your laptop, use it as a bar, whatever, then stow it away. ( even put the barstools outside ) ( plus barstool songs are usually fun to sing, but I digress )

Anyway, I thought it might be a good idea for you, for when you win the lottery

Dave... good idea.

I think if I were to win the lotto, I'd still keep our Airstream as it is. Sure works perfectly for us.

We don't use the fold out table for two as we just don't feel the need. I sit on the road side of the coach and use it on occasion, but not all the time. I find it's great to have when needed and tucked away the rest of the time. We have "lap desks" which we use as tables for our laptop Macs and for eating while sitting in the recliners. We've done this for years in our motorhome and now with the Airstream. Works great!

[switz]

The 2016 floor plans for the International models per the Airstream website still do not show twin beds as an option.

In the past, like 2014, a $5,000 plus extra charge enabled the twin bed option in an International model.

One would need to have an aggressive dealer with connections to get that change order through. Perhaps Colonial in New Jersey or Northwest Airstream in Portland, Oregon would have that capability. They are the two largest dealers.

In our 2014 Classic, to select the twin bed option was a no charge event.

We selected only the 50 amp service with second air conditioner option for $2,129 MSRP from the factory price list.

FIW. The power awning option listed for $3,551 and we are glad we passed on that one.

[DHart]

Lou... I'm getting the impression that during the transition to bringing the new production facilities up to speed, it may be difficult to get much custom work approved on new production. But Denny thinks that once the new facilities are fully up and running smoothly, it may be easier to get custom changes approved for production-line units. We shall see.

[Danattherock]

Originally Posted by switz

The 2016 floor plans for the International models per the Airstream website still do not show twin beds as an option.

In the past, like 2014, a $5,000 plus extra charge enabled the twin bed option in an International model.

One would need to have an aggressive dealer with connections to get that change order through. Perhaps Colonial in New Jersey or Northwest Airstream in Portland, Oregon would have that capability. They are the two largest dealers.

In our 2014 Classic, to select the twin bed option was a no charge event.

We selected only the 50 amp service with second air conditioner option for $2,129 MSRP from the factory price list.

FIW. The power awning option listed for $3,551 and we are glad we passed on that one.

I spoke with Airstream and local dealer a few days ago and twins are just $2500 per AS, $3000 dealer said. Either way, if ordering a 30' Serenity, we will for sure be ordering twins. Well worth $3000 to us.

While on the phone with AS I also verified the twin option on 30' Serenity would include full overhead console as over L sofa, dual wall wardrobes w/tv, full pano window, and three outside storage compartments.

We share your thoughts on options, we want second AC, 50 amp, manual awning and adding street side awnings. Will pass on factory solar in favor of having Lew Farber design and install a much higher quality AM Solar system.

'Camping ' will never be the same


Dan

[FreshAirStmr]

DHart,

I've followed your Airstream journey with interest, as you were just months ahead of us in purchasing both your Airstream and truck. My reasoning for believing I could happily live in an Airstream was exactly the same as yours — as long as I had a comfy bed and a comfy place to lounge (that is, recliners) along with a reasonable amount of space in front of me, I could handle it. Although we briefly considered a Class A, we’ve pretty much been committed to the idea of an Airstream for all the reasons you’re in one now.

We've been planning our Airstream transition for several years and now we're almost there -- I'm 7 weeks from retiring and DH will retire at the end of the year. However, unlike you, we’re planning to full-time, having sold our house in May 2014. Our lease here is up in January and while we may extend it by a month, we hope to be on the road by March.

For the past three years, I’ve been checking out the Classifieds every day and checking out units at nearby dealerships and RV shows. But we purposefully held off purchasing our Airstream because we'd just have to store it, and we figured the longer we waited, the more up-to-date coach we'd have once we set off. While we waited, they redesigned the Classic (making it more of an option for us), ducted air became available (eliminating pre-2015s from our consideration and making getting a used unit more unlikely), Airstreams got really popular (prices went up and production wait times got longer), and they discontinued the recliners (drat!).

Three years ago, the Serenity was our pick. But in the end, we went with a Classic with Twins. It’s due in November. In the meantime we’ll buy our truck and by February or March, we’ll set off.

The decision to go with the Classic was agonizing though. I love light and I love what you’ve done with your Serenity. If we were part-timers, it would have been our choice. You were probably the last person who got the lounge delete option, btw. This week two dealers — Foley and Colonial — told us the factory will no longer delete the lounge. So that was one of our problems, but we could have lived with the lounge for awhile until we could get to Jackson Center.

In the end, the Classic was the path of least resistance. It offered greater storage (important to full-timers), ready-to-go recliners, and a tad more comfort (incline beds, day/night shades for greater temp control, bigger bathroom sink). We’re getting the light furniture and light countertops and I’m crossing my fingers the skylights and pano windows front and rear make the interior bright. But every time I see yours, I get a little envious. I’m hoping that goes away when I get mine!

We're heading west as soon as we take off. Maybe one day soon we'll see you on the road!

Joanne

[DHart]

Joanne... that is so exciting for you on several levels. Not having to show up somewhere and serve on a daily basis is an incredible blessing. And, the adventure of the new Classic and the roads ahead.

The Classic is a wonderful coach and will, I'm sure, serve you guys very well.

Any idea on what your TV is going to be?

[FreshAirStmr]

Originally Posted by DHart

Joanne... that is so exciting for you on several levels. Not having to show up somewhere and serve on a daily basis is an incredible blessing. And, the adventure of the new Classic and the roads ahead.

I know! We both can hardly believe the time has come where we can leave our jobs. That alone is so exciting, but then you add the prospect of leisurely full-time travel on top of that, I can hardly sleep at night!

Originally Posted by DHart

Any idea on what your TV is going to be?

We'll get at least a 3/4 ton diesel and add a bed topper. We're not financing anything, we want leather/heated seats, backup camera -- not the most fancy but still fancy -- and so our budget puts us looking at a 2014-2015 used model F250 Lariat maybe. We might get lucky and get a good deal on a new 2015. We aren't familiar with the other brands, so we've got some legwork to do.

[Remax gal]

Looks great!


Laura & Tom