16DB or 21RBS

[acm]

I wanted to get some opinions about which model would be the best to purchase. It's just my wife and I, no kids or pets. The Tow Vehicle is not an issue. The advantage of the 16DB is that it nice and compact. I would go with the sofa instead of the dinette, just in case we have another couple with us. On the other hand the 21 is only a few more feet but it does seem that the extra room would be nice to have. I just don't want to buy the smaller unit and then a year later wish that I bought the larger unit. That may be unavoidable. Does anyone have any thoughts???

[david]

I went through the same decision process about a year ago. I did have a TV constraint, a towing weight limit of 5,000 lbs and I wanted to stay well below that. The 16TBS with a sofa slide was our choice and it works well for us. You can also get it with a convertible king to twin bed arrangement.

Our style of camping is sitting around the campfire outdoors in the evening. If you camp in developed RV parks you might want the extra room of the 21 as you will probably spend more time inside. For us it isn't needed.

David

[charliem]

[quote timestamp="1422611290" source="/post/6286/thread" author="@imageben"]I wanted to get some opinions about which model would be the best to purchase. It's just my wife and I, no kids or pets. The Tow Vehicle is not an issue. The advantage of the 16DB is that it nice and compact. I would go with the sofa instead of the dinette, just in case we have another couple with us. On the other hand the 21 is only a few more feet but it does seem that the extra room would be nice to have. I just don't want to buy the smaller unit and then a year later wish that I bought the larger unit. That may be unavoidable. Does anyone have any thoughts???[/quote][font size="3"]To set the stage: We are a retired couple on our second trailer after reentering the camping scene. Kids are gone, no more drive to work, now we can travel, etc. Our first camper was a 18 foot Forest River RPOD with bunk beds. We went with the bunk bed option because we didn't want to climb over each other getting in and out of bed. We were somewhat limited by our TV so weight, size, and cost were considerations. Since we were just graduating back to an RV from the Hampton Inn routine we wanted to start small. We loved the RPOD, but after a year, there were some limitations.

The bunks were a pain, the fridge was too small, and the tiny wet bath was a major drawback. Time to move up a bit. The 16 foot CLs solve the bath problem and the 16TBS would have solved the bed problem, but it was not available when we were looking. The fridge in the 16s was slightly bigger, but still small.

Enter our present 21RBS. The walk around queen allows access from either side and is much easier to make up. The larger seven cu. ft. fridge with separate freezer is great and not having to choose between bed and dinette table works great for when one of us gets up early or turns in early. The bath is dry and significantly larger than in the 16s. The extra room provided by the slide allows a larger table which then converts to another bed if required. These are the features you'll appreciate on longer trips or rainy days and the added 4.5 foot length is hardly noticeable. 'Nuff said. I recommend the 21RBS.
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[acm]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I didn't even consider the 16TBS as an option.  Do you keep the king bed set up all the time?  Do you lose much space over the 16DB or is it about the same. Thank you so much for everyones replys.

[david]

We have the twin bed 16TBS which is always set up as a bed. If you look at the floor plan for the 16TBS on LL's site you will see a little note that says that the twin bed is easily converted to a king. They give you a filler piece that fills the gap between the twins to make it a king.

We haven't done that and don't have the filler, but if we did we would keep it set up all of the time. It is out of the way and isn't like a dinette that you need to use during the day.

The one downside to the 16TBS vs the 16DBS is that the slide out is narrower on the 16TBS to make room for the length of the twins or king, so in our case the slide out sofa is shorter.

David

David

[david]

We have the twin bed 16TBS which is always set up as a bed. If you look at the floor plan for the 16TBS on LL's site you will see a little note that says that the twin bed is easily converted to a king. They give you a filler piece that fills the gap between the twins to make it a king.

We haven't done that and don't have the filler, but if we did we would keep it set up all of the time. It is out of the way and isn't like a dinette that you need to use during the day.

The one downside to the 16TBS vs the 16DBS is that the slide out is narrower on the 16TBS to make room for the length of the twins or king, so in our case the slide out sofa is shorter. So it is really a one person sofa or at best a love seat ;-).

David

[acm]

Thanks for the info on the 21RBS. I have the feeling that we would be happy with that model. I also think that even if we start with the 16 at some point we will end up with the 21. I might be crazy for thinking that I wanted to start with the same model that I wanted end up  with.   I'm thinking I a used  Mercedes GL450 for the tow vehicle. I'm a little concerned about towing anything. I've done it before so I know that I can. I wonder would 4 or 5 feet really make that much of a difference. A month or two after towing the trailer I'm sure that I will be very comfortable.  

[acm]

David, thanks for the reply. So the sofa is small.  If it were at least the size of a loveseat that would be ok. I like the idea of keeping the Kingsized bed set up that way all the time. If we had another set of close friends or family that came with us the smaller couple might be able to sleep on the sofabed.

[pinstriper]

I concur about the RPOD bathrooms. It is what drove us away from that choice. Plus the dual axles of the CL's.

I strongly urge whatever you do, get the slideout. It is a dramatic difference in floorspace and open feel.

The mini-dinette in the 14 and 16 slideouts is like sitting at Taco Bell. It's couples-only, no guests. Also, when converted to a bed, it is for the under-10 crowd. So, really, a 14 or 16 is for a couple with no kids. Which is perfect for us.

The difference between the 14 and the 16's is that there is a 16TBS. So if you have any disagreements about who gets stuck inboard or outboard, the twins resolve that. That's what you get for the extra 10". That floorplan wasn't available when we bought. It was between the 14DBS and 16DBS, which didn't change the bed or the size of the slideout, so we went with the 14DBS. Today, 16TBS, no doubt. But the dinette being the same...it is still just for a couple, unless the child is young, and the child will mean you outgrow the trailer.

So if you have adolescents or teens, you gotta go 21.

That said, be aware that 4' of additional length may make the difference between fitting the campsite and not, at older campgrounds. And of course towing and moving a longer and heavier trailer. But there, really, you should be comparing what its like to do that with a 21 Camplite versus other brands made of steel and wood.

[charliem]

[quote timestamp="1422632458" source="/post/6297/thread" author="@imageben"]Thanks for the info on the 21RBS. I have the feeling that we would be happy with that model. I also think that even if we start with the 16 at some point we will end up with the 21. [font color="e61959"][font size="3"]Yes, you would.[/font][/font]


I might be crazy for thinking that I wanted to start with the same model that I wanted end up  with. [font color="e61959"][font size="3"]It's good to start small if you're not sure, but that's why folks upgrade. We did.[/font][/font]

I'm thinking I a used  Mercedes GL450 for the tow vehicle. I'm a little concerned about towing anything. I've done it before so I know that I can. I wonder would 4 or 5 feet really make that much of a difference. A month or two after towing the trailer I'm sure that I will be very comfortable. [font color="e61959" size="3"]MB looks adequate with the small V8. [font color="e61959"]I [font color="e61959"]tow the 21 with a 4.0L V6, but added a supercharger because a V8 was not available in the mid sized truck. So far it's very adequate. [/font][/font] [/font][font color="e61959"]
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[jepeck]

I'm also trying to decide between the 16TBS and the 21 RBS.  I kind of liked the twin bed setup and the shorter length of the 16 but like everyone else I wondered if I would end up wishing I had the extra room at some point.  I called Camplite to discuss it and they said it wouldn't be a problem to put the twin bed/ king bed unit in the 21' trailer and that sounds like a great solution to me. You would gain extra storage; the 16TBS only has storage under one bed since the water heater is under the other but on the 21' you would have two large storage bins.  And the idea of a 7' wide bed vs a 5' wide bed sounds like a winner to me!  The big problem might be finding sheets to fit and trying to keep them on the mattress.
You would lose the two outlets from the "night stands" but they said the outlets could be move where ever you wanted them, except they can't put them on an exterior wall.

[fasteddieb]

We're quite new to this.

The advice when we started looking about a year ago was to find the size that we thought would be quite comfortable, then go with the next size up.

That put us in a 21BHS.

Remember that CampLite measures the actual length of the body, not the entire trailer. That makes a 21' CampLite roughly equivalent to a 23' or 24' other brand.

We got the BHS because Karen has hopes and dreams of camping with her two kids and their kids. Hence the desire to sleep 6.

If it had been up to me, the RBS would probably have been the choice, but the differences are kinda minor. And gotta keep the little lady happy!

[daplumbr]

Good discussion, but one-sided. When we were deciding between the 14DBS, 16TBS and 21RBS, it came down to balancing living with the trailer when camped and living with the trailer when towing. We ended up with the 16TBS, which provides enough room for the 2 of us and the dogs and a enough maneuverability for good towing. Every single time I've backed the trailer into our driveway or into a campsite, I've been very happy to have the 16TBS and not the 21RBS. And every time we think of something else to take along we've been very happy to have the 16 TBS and not the 14DBS. And, I really like the bed set up in the TBS. So, consider your primary intended use. If you plan to tow long distances with short stays in campgrounds, it may mean a different setup than if you plan to "sit-stay" with little towing.

[acm]

This has been a great discussion so far.   I think that I also would love the 16 foot trailer at the campsite, but maybe wish I had something smaller when we just wanted to take a quick getaway for a couple of days.  I'm sure that with practice and preparation I could be just as ready with one or the other.  Trying to decide between 4.5 feet??

When I finally get to try them both it may be even more clear in person.  At the factory they should have every model right?  

[jtelles3993]

If it had been solely my decision, I would have been very happy with the 16. My wife also liked the 16 but didn't want to chance any possible regrets - and considering our TV, it wasn't much of a stretch to move up to the 21. Brought it home today!