Size of the 400

McMullap

Hello everyone. I’ve posted a few times about my situation. We’re a family of four, including 2 toddlers. My wife refuses to consider the 320 due to size. She’ll consider the 400 IF it could fit our family. We’ve discussed a side tent or “add a room” but it doesn’t check the safety box. Has anyone slept 4 people in a 400? I’ve also considered putting a kid on the floor with a memory foam mattress in the kitchen/bathroom area. Would a kid fit there? I’ve seen the 400 in person but I hadn’t thought of a kid on the floor at the time. My wife wants a big trailer with plenty of room and I’m leaning towards a Tab.  She’ll agree to the 400 if we can sleep 4 for a number of years to come. Thoughts?  Thank you!

dragonsdofly

@McMullap, too bad your wife won't consider a 320. Until last fall, we were a family of 4. We got the t@b 320 when our boys(great nephews) were 9 & 10. We all slept on the bed and shared the space. We had no side tent or free standing tent/shelter. 4 of us in the t@b. All together we traveled about 30,000 miles through 35 states during 4 summers. We had great adventures and saw magnificent sights. And now that the boys have been transitioned back to their biological parents, both my husband and me mourn the loss of our "family". We still have our t@b, we miss the boys and our travels. The small space gave us more time together, made us more tolerant and really developed our sense of sharing the place, the moment and each other. We experienced things and locales a larger trailer would have prevented, such as staying at several native American tribal homelands and on the Outer Banks at the very last minute in the height of the summer. "That's your trailer? Well, yes, we CAN fit that in!" I'd dive headlong into all of that again if given another chance. We only had the boys for just over 12 years, and their departure came as a shock to our systems. Sometimes life throws you curveballs. That's the shape of a t@b, curvy and cute, kinda prepares you for adventures, change and the direction less taken. Yes a family of 4 in a t@b 320. Wonderful, witty, challenging and especially cozy, and we'd have it no other way. Just go for it!

Btw, through every mile and each adventure our t@b performed flawlessly. Best thing, besides the boys, we've ever done!

Denny16

You could sleep two toddlers on the front dinette, heads at opposite ends, until they get to 3-feet tall, then their feet will start to overlap.  

Isle a bad idea, no way to access the toilet, and could be a safety issue if you had a night emergency.
cheers

Verna

My two Great Nephews, ages of 9 and 11, have both slept together on the front dinette of my 400 two years in a row for 3 or 4 nights each fall. This year they will sleep in a tent outside because the youngest wants to be where his older brother sleeps.....ahhhhh, Aunt Verna gets to sleep in!

dragonsdofly

Now, I'm showing off a bit:

Sedona, Arizona

North Platte, Nebraska 

Tucson, Arizona

Monterey Bay Aquarium, California

Bayliss

@McMullap, I own a 320 S, but am very familiar with the 400.  As @Denny16 points out, "toddlers" may be comfortable sleeping in the front dinette for a few years, but my personal view is that you would not enjoy the situation down the road (and likely not even with toddlers.)  Also, anyone sleeping on the floor, or worse yet in a small bathroom, is not my idea of a vacation (and I second the "safety" concern.)  Save your marriage.  Get something that sleeps 4 comfortably and has sufficient sleeping, eating and moving around space, plus enough storage space for a family of four.  A 15' travel trailer or pop-up, to start with, is probably more what you need.  Just be sure that you have a properly sized tow vehicle for whatever you get.

VictoriaP

Having had 4 RVs during two different marriages, all I can say is you need to both be in agreement on a trailer, or the rig will be a huge waste of money because it will never get used. Been there, done that! I know dragonsdofly had an amazing experience with 4 in the smaller 320, and I’m in awe of that. I also know that situation would be an absolute nightmare for someone like me who needs a bit more space and privacy to stay sane. Everyone is different in this regard.

Small trailers aren’t for everyone, and that’s OK. Your wife sounds like she’s looking for something with a bit more room than a teardrop offers.You both need to be happy and excited and confident about this purchase, so likewise, buying a too-big trailer that you hate towing doesn’t work either. I’d be looking for a good compromise RV, one that doesn’t risk everyone’s safety (and a good night’s sleep for all) by making someone sleep on the floor. There are plenty of floorplans out there that are better designed for families without getting too much bigger or heavier than a 400.

FYI: Also from an emergency perspective, make it clear that whatever you buy, you both need to be able to tow. Nothing like being in an unexpected situation where the main driver suddenly can’t drive, and the spouse can’t handle the rig. Been there, done that too...and it’s a reasonable argument for compromising on a somewhat smaller trailer.

Good luck!

Denny16

I know this is a Tab forum, but ifbI was in your situation, have a look at a Winnebago micro minnie 1700bh, which has bunk beds, toilet  and shower, galley/dinette, and Queen bed, all in a 18-foot cabin on a 20-foot trailer.
cheers

xdr

We looked at the Intec Sol Horizon camper before getting the Tab 400. Actually my husband took us to a dealership and I was a bit behind him. Didn’t realize it but he went left to look at the Intec and our grandson and I turned right and ended up in the Tab. One look and I was sold. But we really liked the small Intec Sol Horizon. It seems like a very nice small trailer fit for 4. 

I love dragonsdofly’s story. What a blessing to have that time with the boys. But VictoriaP is right- you need high agreement on a camper that fits your needs. 

The years will fly by and one day you’ll be ready for your cutie teardrop. 

🏕Life is a journey- not a destination. Enjoy!

Mer

McMullap

Thank you all for your comments. I’ve tried to “fit” my family into a Tab for quite some time. I’ve realized that a Tab is just not right for my family. I’ve started looked at Airstream trailers, specifically the 16RB which is comparable to the Tab in size but offers more room for children in the dinette area. I wanted to buy something that would last for years. The Airstream offers high quality and great service. If anyone has experience with small Airstreams, feel free to comment. Including any comparisons between quality between the two. I know this is a Tab thread but I’d like any input on trade offs between the two. Thank you everyone. 

Denny16

The Airstream is right up their quality wise with the TaB, and has similar units.  Airstream would be my choice over the Winne, if the TaB didn’t work for use.  We considered the BaseCamp, but went with the TaB instead, but their are only two of us...  We also considered the Taxa Cricket, another quality camper, with pipe bunks for kids.  Kind of like living in a Space station, very cool rig.  Good luck with your search.
cheers

cyclebloke

I’ve owned four Airstreams, so I’ll give you my perspective.   One had no issues, two were problem children and one was somewhere in between.  All but one were fixed by the time the warranty expired. BTW, Airstream increased their warranty to three years because they were having so many quality issues.  The Basecamp had A LOT of engineering issues, the Nest was a dud and is now discontinued, and the Aldi system, which is only used on the Classics, had all kinds of issues resulting in a number of buy backs.  My Basecamp was the coolest looking trailer I have owned and also the worst ownership experience of just about anything I’ve ever owned.

I personally perfer my Tab 400 over the 16 and Basecamp, because of the storage, large counter space, better bathroom, two six volt batteries, Aldi and the fact I don’t need to get on my knees and pull out Sterilite containers used for storage, an Airstream exclusive on all models up to the 150K classic🙄.  The 16 Airstream dinette is a bit bigger which might be better for the kids, but it comes at the expense of other things.

The 16 Airstream is one of their longer running models, uses industry standard components and I consider it to be pretty solid with good resale(my buddy just bought a 19 Caravel last week and immediately had black tank leak...in my driveway).  It comes down wether it does what you want better. For me the Tab works better.   Airstreams are iconic with the aluminum body and colorful interiors.  They sell a lot of them for that reason, but my ownership experience hasn’t shown them to be particularly better for quality or comfort.  The body, if taken care, will last forever which is why I might buy a used one and redo it but thats a fairly limited market.

Denny16

Good points, thanks for the info on the BaseCamp, etc.  I do not think Airstream is better than nuCamp, just a different approach, both are equal in quality, with thenTaB having a better quality track record from what I have read.  That is why we ended up with the 400.

I was thinking of the options for the OP’s situation with a family of four.  His only viable nuCamp choice is the Avia, which will handle the kids in the dinette area just fine, but it is a 21-foot trailer on a 28-foot frame, with its 7+/- foot front cargo area, which houses the propane tanks and spare, etc.  However, it is a nice rig.
l looked at one here at our local dealer.  It pushes the interior quality look one step higher than Airstream.
cheers