What’s in that 1 extra foot?

[Sheryl M]

I’m comparing a 16’ Liberty Deluxe with a 17’ Liberty Deluxe. What features are in the one extra foot of space?

[Jon in AZ]

Most of the extra space goes to the bed/dinette space. But the 16’ is an older design, and the 17’ incorporates many design improvements, including a flat entry door with screen, roof A/C, larger fridge, opening rear window, wraparound upper cabinets, flat floor, taller ceiling....

[mary and bob]

One difference is that the 17 has more tongue weight, so what you have for a tow vehicle may determine which one is best for you.

[Casita Greg]

For me, the biggest, and most important, difference is the headroom you have. The old, (no longer in production, but there's still a lot of them out there, 13 footers,) and the 16 footers only have about a 5'8" or maybe 10" height for headroom. The 17 footers have a 6'2" headroom. Being 6'2" myself, I found this to be the selling point for me anyways. Nothing I would hate more than having to walk around like Quasimodo when I'm inside. My back just can't take not being able to stand up straight. To me, that would be a deal breaker.

And, FWIW, the "numbers" as to length that they give you are measured from the trailer hitch clear to, and including, the rear bumper. It is not the length of the fiberglass trailer shell itself. As an example, my 17' SD is actually only about 13 1/2 feet long, so you can see how small they are based on that. All of them are measured from stem to stern. They count the "A" frame and rear bumper which doesn't equate to actual useable space.

[NASA42]

Sheryl.....

Allow me to endorse the others' comments and add a small but to me very important item. The fact the the newer-design 17' has it's axle further back in the body means it has much less tendency to sway when being towed. Not that the 16 is "bad", but I consider the 17 significantly better in that regard.

Hope to meet you somewhere down the road.

Frank

[Charles Ihlenfeld]

The mattress in the 16 foot is 46 inches in width. The mattress in the 17 foot is 54 inches. This is especially important if you share the bed with both your partner and your dog(s). In general, the extra length and height pay off in a real sense of more space for everyone.

[steve dunham]

The 17 ft has rooftop A/C with heat strip , 16 ft has thru the wall A/C without heat strip . We owned a 17 ft SD , there are a lot of desirable features on the 17 vs the 16 . The one ft increase in length is only one of them
We bought an Escape 21 and except for the increased space the Casita 17 ft SD was in our estimation a better built , more functional trailer

[Kai in Seattle]

Did you hear about the young soldier's mother who knitted him three socks?





He'd written her that since he joined the army, he'd grown another foot.



BEST
"K"

[mary and bob]

Another feature is that a real house type mattress is available for the SD17, by Southern Mattress in North Carolina. We have one, very comfortable. We leave the rear dining area as a bed all the time so it works great for us.

[Jon in AZ]

The OP is looking at the Liberty layout, so the mattress and bed size remarks may or may not apply, depending on how they plan to use the multi-configurable space. I’m guessing the 17’ gives more length for a taller person in the lengthwise sleeping configuration, but I can’t recall reading exactly how long.

[redbarron55]

You can stand up in the 17 foot if you are over 6 ft tall.
A big difference

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

The OP is looking at the Liberty layout, so the mattress and bed size remarks may or may not apply, depending on how they plan to use the multi-configurable space. I’m guessing the 17’ gives more length for a taller person in the lengthwise sleeping configuration, but I can’t recall reading exactly how long.

I realize that the OP is looking at the Liberty model. I just mentioned the mattress availability for the SD as a fact that he may not be aware of, and may be of some importance in his final decision. I'm not sure, but I believe the bed layout for the Liberty is different and the SD mattress will not work. But comparing sleeping on the original cushions, even with a foam topper, to sleeping on the Southern Mattress, the mattress was way better for us, especially considering we were in the camper for almost 4 months straight.

[gordon2]

" Whether you have a Liberty, Patriot, Freedom, or Spirit, let us help "

https://www.magicsleepermattress.com...ress-interior/

[mary and bob]

Good info Gordon, I was not aware of that company. I believe Southern Mattress only makes one the SD.

[Mary F]

We owned both the 16' and a 17' Liberty floor plan Casita. While I think the galley has been reconfigured since our 17' was built (it was a 1999), I believe it's still true that they are using a larger refrigerator (with a small freezer compartment) in the 17.

For what it's worth, we slept on the back bed (side to side) in our 17 - as has been pointed out, it was 54" wide and the back bed in the 16' was significantly narrower. Thus, in our 17 we could have used a custom mattress that stayed in place all the time; but we ultimately used a foam topper over the dinette cushions and rolled the topper & bedding up during the day, making a kind of "sofa" across the back of the trailer. Very versatile.

Also I may be mistaken, but it seemed there was a little more room in the bath of the 17' - maybe just because of the higher ceiling and not because of any of that extra foot in length.

And, finally, our 17 had more storage than the 16, because of upper cabinets along each side in the 17. Our 16 was a 1989, so maybe Casita has updated the design to include this?

YMMV