Convincing my wife length matters

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2PawsRiver

2PawsRiver

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I am hopefully in my last year of work and my wife and I are planning on full timing sometime in 2018.....many discussions and much research and we are starting our search for our fifth wheel......we have agreed or compromised on pretty much everything, except length.  She says 40 plus feet, while I say 36, 38 max.

My reasoning is, for the first year or so we will travel, then we plan on relocating seasonally....while we both have a retirement income, my goal is to workcamp, or do some part time stuff, cutting bait on a charter boat, helping with back packing trips in Wyoming....spending a summer in Colorado,
winter in southern Arizona, summer in Idaho, etc.

I do most of the research and from what I have read, while 40 plus foot spots have increased there are still a lot of places that limit length to 36ish feet.......would just like to hear your experiences when it come to length.....and am I right:)
 
What exactly is she hoping to have with a few more feet?  More storage?  Breathing room?  Will slide outs give her a sense of more space?
 
No you are wrong and the wife is correct. You will spend 95% of your time living in the RV and 5% of the time driving it. I feel you should maximize it for living not driving or parking. There are zillions of campgrounds and RV parks in the United States and finding one you can fit into is not hard at all. SWMBO is the one to listen to. ;D
 
Pugapooh said:
What exactly is she hoping to have with a few more feet?  More storage?  Breathing room?  Will slide outs give her a sense of more space?
Click to expand...

Nothing specific.......it's really just that the floor plan she likes so far comes in a 42 footer, but it also as a 14 foot garage and all we really need is 10 feet.  I don't have a problem with the longer choice, other then, as I said, based on what I have read many places have a length limit.  YellowStone for example is 36 feet, and many places have a 40 foot max.....outside of length restrictions 42 feet is fine.


Edit: Quote fixed    -scottydl
 
The most important factor is layout that makes it livable for you both.  But let me give you an example of a two-foot difference.  We were considering two of what were basically the same model.  Layouts were identical except one was 38 feet and one was 40 feet.  The bathroom in the shorter one had a smaller sink vanity area and less elbow room - literally and figuratively.  I had recently suffered a broken elbow and with the shorter version I knew I would have been hitting that elbow on the shower wall every time I brushed my hair.  The bathroom storage areas also were smaller as was the shower and the knee space in the toilet room.  The kitchen also was a bit shorter with less width in storage.  That's where the longer model gained two feet of space.  We ended up with the 40 footer because the bathroom and kitchen had just enough more space to make livability better.  So find the floorplan you like and then look at how well you will fit into it.  For example, if you have pets make sure they have tail wagging and sprawling space.  For that matter, make sure you humans have sprawling space too because you'll need it when you get into bad weather and are inside for a couple of days straight!  The shopping part can be confusing but it will all come together and you'll both know it when you find "the" RV you want.

ArdraF
 
SeilerBird said:
No you are wrong and the wife is correct. You will spend 95% of your time living in the RV and 5% of the time driving it. I feel you should maximize it for living not driving or parking. There are zillions of campgrounds and RV parks in the United States and finding one you can fit into is not hard at all. SWMBO is the one to listen to. ;D
Click to expand...
:))

The Floorplan is the key.
 
I'll agree that sufficient livable space trumps most all other concerns, but neither of you should focus on overall length up front. Look at various lengths and layouts (floor plans) until you develop a feel for what your space needs are, then shop for that size and layout.  However, I don't think you & she are going to find many 40+ foot 5W's, at least not interior space. A 38-39 foot usable length will be about 42 ft overall (bumper to hitch pin), or maybe a bit more.

Of course the longer & heavier models will need a more substantial tow vehicle, plus they will limit your choice of campsites somewhat more, but you are already getting limited when you reach 36+ ft. Once you reach "big rig" status, a few more feet probably makes little difference.
 
Wen I saw your post title, I was going to make a comment, but figured  it wouldn't get posted !

Jack L
 
when we started looking at fifth wheels I hoped we could find one around 38'. my DW wanted a king bed, stack washer and dryer and the residential fridge.
we are full timers and those items were important to her. we spent about 6 months looking and finally found the one that hit all her requirements.
we ended up with a 41' camper.  we spend a fair amount of time in the camper and really enjoy all the extra room. we still set up our outdoor kitchen, spend as much time outside as we can and hike a lot- but it is nice to have the room when the weather is bad and at night.
decide what you want and shop floor plans-
 
I do appreciate the input, are you experiencing any issues with limitations on length.....Good Sam has a few with limits, many with a 40 foot limit.....also saw where 40 foot rigs are charged extra.  Looking at National Parks many are limited in the 30s and less.  Are they listed, just not adhered to??
 
There are many campgrounds that you won't get into, or will be seriously limited, with a longer camper.  That's just the way it is. At some of my favorite places, 32 feet is a tight fit. That's with a motorhome, without the added length of the truck which will also need to maneuver.

Obviously, people have figured out how to make it work. Just don't pretend that it won't be an issue.
 
Just to add a little flair to this post, when I first read the title, I said to myself, no way am I getting into the middle if this one. Bad me!!!  :eek: ::) :'( ;)
 
Size does matter when it comes to RV length. We used to camp in several campgrounds in the Cleveland Natl. Forrest, in our 32 foot Class A. Now we can't fit into a single one of those campgrounds with our 43 footer. Most of the sites are too short, and would be difficult to try and maneuver into, but the roads leading into the campgrounds themselves are just too narrow and twisty. State budget cuts have led to poor maintenance and deteriorated conditions, so they're not very desirable anyway.

Forum members in other parts of the country have said that they don't have as much of a problem with big rig camping in their neck of the woods, but it's definitely an issue with Natl. Parks near San Diego. FWIW

Kev
 
Length matters for floor space, but our research determined that the floor space provided by a couple of slid-outs (even just one) can make a bigger difference than length. You don't need the extra Floorspace when you are running down the highway. Only when you are sitting at the campground.
We started out looking for a 40 footer, and decided on a 32 footer with a super slide.
Same floor space when we need it.
 
so far I have not had any trouble with my length (that was for you Rene!) have booked several more trips and all were good, the only problem I did find was we are headed to Southern California and the older state parks on the ocean have limitations, further inland no issues.
the MH we had was 38 foot and we never had any problems getting a site with it- you may want to go to some campground websites and see what they offer as far as sites.
 
Older parks in particular tend to have smaller sites and often have an obstacle course on the way to the sites so when they have 20- or 30-foot limitations there's usually a good reason.  As someone else mentioned, the road into the site may have trees close to the road and they also may have overhanging branches.  Once at the site some have a tree or very large rock right at the back of the site so those limit who can park in the site.  There's one very nice RV resort in southern California that has cyclone fencing around each site.  Our rig is 40 feet in the specs but it really is 41 feet 6 inches so we do not fit into this resort's 40-foot site without sticking out in the road.  Also in some campgrounds you park tail-to-tail so you can't back up too much or you'll hit the RV behind you.  So, yes, as you increase the length and/or height of an RV you will reduce the number of places you can maneuver into but that's just a fact of life and we get used to it.

ArdraF
 
1.  FLOOR PLAN  FLOOR PLAN

Also worth considering is the tow vehicle.  Forget all about a ? ton.  A 1 ton SRW will carry about 15,000# GVWR of FW.  A 1 ton DRW (dually) will carry up to about 20,000# GVWR of FW.  Most 40 ft FW will be over 15,000 #.  Some will be over 20,000#.  Over 20,000#, you are in MDT (Medium Duty Truck) territory.
 
LarsMac said:
Length matters for floor space, but our research determined that the floor space provided by a couple of slid-outs (even just one) can make a bigger difference than length. You don't need the extra Floorspace when you are running down the highway. Only when you are sitting at the campground.
We started out looking for a 40 footer, and decided on a 32 footer with a super slide.
Same floor space when we need it.
Click to expand...
9

Going to expand our search......shave a few feet, add a couple slides ?
 
http://www.camperreport.com/best-rv-length-for-national-parks/

I have a few ol' military buddies that come out to Colorado from TX every year. We try and accommodate their rather large 5vrs (37-40'). We have had a few issues at different campgrounds that said they can fit a large RV, and it wasn't the case. The site was big enough, but the trees were not trimmed back or other issues. The first year we tried this one of them got in later and drove in. The tree branches caused some significant damage to his roof and AC units.

We now walk in every RV (as we should have anyway) to help with unnecessary damage.

There is a YouTube channel I subscribe to called Road Warriors. They are new at full time RV'n, but they pull a 40' Toyhauler all over the East coast so far. Entertaining to say the least.
 
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