B190 questions

B190fan · Post by **B190fan** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 12:47 pm

Hello all,

I've been doing a LOT of reading about the Airstream 190's and have a few basic questions about them.

Let me back up first though for a little background. I don't own an RV let alone a 190. My goal is to do one or two cross country trips as well as some regional trips. Light use but when I'm travelling I need to have ammenities. Over the past couple of years I've been investigating every angle I can of both motorhomes and travel trailers while figuring out my own needs and requirements. I've come to the conclusion that what I'm looking for is a short Class C or an Airstream 190 but I've kept my mind open. Trailers are out for me as I don't have a tow vehicle. My budget eliminates new or even late model used motorhomes. At this point I'm examining the B190's.

So, my questions are about the 190. Having been in a few Class B's I was less than impressed with them as they seemed little more than fancy conversion vans. But the Airstream 190 is different because of the full length roof addition as well as the build quality. I think it was on this forum that I read about the interior heights from front to back and that was very helpful.

1) I can't find a photo of the upper half of the shower area, only photos looking down. What is the height of the shower? The spec sheets say "sit down shower". What should I expect of the shower in a 190?

2) I understand that the size of the water tanks in an RV is a highly debated subject since everyone has their own needs or demands. How often would the fresh, grey, and black water tanks last before dump/fill if the daily use was 1 shower each for 2 adults plus some very basic kitchen work?

I'll start with this for now. I appreciate any and all responses and look forward to hearing your experiences.

Thank You!

rubyslippers6232 · Post by **rubyslippers6232** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:01 pm

My husband and I just bought our B190 in May, and as of this past weekend, we've utilized every feature, including the shower. I am 5'2", and he is 5'9". At first I tried to shower standing up, but there is a shelf at about shoulder level that made moving around difficult. But sitting and showering worked well for each of us. I'm not sure about the holding tank, as we each only showered once, turning the water on and off as needed. We were hooked up to the water supply, but didn't want to run out of hot water. We dumped our tanks at the end of the weekend, but I don't think we were even at half a tank by the end of the weekend. We will definitely be using the shower on our trips in the future. Hope this helps!

Eagle · Post by **Eagle** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 2:21 pm

I use my shower for storage. The hose is long enough that I can stand outside with the back doors open and shower. I do keep my clothes on, swimming trucks, while performing that duty

I use paper plates instead of real dishes and all I have to wash are the knifes and forks and some pans. I can go a week without dumping the tanks, but that should not present a problem for you or others as there are dump stations throughout the U.S.

Hope that helps.

Post by **skater** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 3:24 pm

I'm 6' and can use the shower sitting down. While standing, at about armpit-height is a shelf that seriously impedes standing and showering - at least in the older versions. (At some point they switched to a new bathroom that has more room for showering.)

Here is my water usage information:
1. It's just me and my cat.
2. With the fresh water tank, I can last 3-4 days without showers (I usually use campground showers). With showering, probably 2-3 days, though I've never tried it. The cat generally avoids showering.

3. The black water tank will last a week, no problem.
4. The gray water tank fills up far too quickly for me - I can fill it in 2 days or so. It's pretty annoying.
5. I use bottled water for drinking, so my water usage is cleaning hands, brushing teeth, cleaning dishes, flushing, etc.

However I should mention that every time I feed the cat I'll take a spoon and rinse it off - then I have to clean it. That's probably a good portion of my water usage right there.

I'll try to get a pic of the rest of the shower.

B190fan · Post by **B190fan** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 5:15 pm

Excellent! Thank you everyone for the help. The 190 is looking like a nice setup. As mentioned I'd probably be doing most of the overnights at a campground so with the hookups the tank sizes aren't much of an issue anyway. But its good to hear that they are large enough to go for a couple days if need be.

From what I've been able to gather the bathroom changed in the 1997 model. The toilet moved into the showerpan and the shower enclosure came farther over towards the centerline of the vehicle. I did find a photo of this later style of 190 that shows a row of cabinets around the upper portion of the bath area.

Post by **Alaskan** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:07 pm

Stay Tuned there B190fan and we'll put in some pictures for you of both shower configurations, per 97 & 97-2000

The shower stall in the pre-1997 works just fine for me btw, as I have both, I actually think there is a bit more room to shower in that pre-1997 as when you pull the curtain around ya in the later model its a pretty tight area...5'-7" & 165 lbs

Well....its certainly fall in Alaska folks so its time to button things down and head south for the winter...

B190fan · Post by **B190fan** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:21 pm

Alaskan wrote:Stay Tuned there B190fan and we'll put in some pictures for you of both shower configurations, per 97 & 97-2000

The shower stall in the pre-1997 works just fine for me btw, as I have both, I actually think there is a bit more room to shower in that pre-1997 as when you pull the curtain around ya in the later model its a pretty tight area...5'-7" & 165 lbs

Well....its certainly fall in Alaska folks so its time to button things down and head south for the winter...

Good data, Alaskan. I envy your livery of 190's! Photos are definately a plus!!

It's fall here in New Hampshire as well. Colors have changed in the past week or so and there are a lot of leaves on the ground.

Post by **skater** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:16 pm

I've added some pictures of the pre-'97 shower to the gallery here. These pictures probably won't be photo of the month any time soon.

It's hard to take pictures there because of the angle - that's why you usually only see the bottom part of the shower!

Post by **Alaskan** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:58 pm

Thanks RJ..... when I get down there I'll take some pictures with the wide angle for him also...

B190fan · Post by **B190fan** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:26 am

Skater - thank you for the shower photos. That definately helps! How is the ventilation in the 190 in general? I noticed that show vent looks about 6" diameter?

Alaskan - Hmmm.....tight for a 5'7" person, eh? I'm 6'4" so I guess I'll be sitting down. Life is full of compromises.

Post by **skater** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:57 am

B190fan wrote:Skater - thank you for the shower photos. That definately helps! How is the ventilation in the 190 in general? I noticed that show vent looks about 6" diameter?

Pretty good, actually. That fan can REALLY move some air, plus there is a window right behind the shower you can open for ventilation if needed.

In the front of the camper, there is a Fantastic Fan - those things are amazing in just how much air they pull through the camper. Just open a window somewhere, open the fan, and turn it on... if it's cooler outside than inside, you'll know it pretty quickly... and I only ever use mine on the lowest setting!

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