5th Wheels & 3 Kids

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andreadc77

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Sep 20, 2015
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*** Main Question, What floor Plan do I need with three small kids? ***

My family is new to RV'ing and have been doing extensive research on travel trailers and fifth wheels since the spring.  We have seen everything out there and are now very confused on what exactly it is that we need.  All we have been able to narrow down is that we'd prefer a fifth wheel over a travel trailer.  We have three small kids, aged 11 months, 3 and 6.  Finding the right floor plan is proving difficult.  This is a game of give and take.  I would love to hear from anyone with kids on what it is they wish they had or regretted purchasing.  We have currently considered the following models...

Grand Design Reflection 323BHDS - 37.4 feet
Jayco Eagle HT 29.5BHDS - 33.9 feet
And a few others.

Ideally, we want a bed for each of the three kids and good room inside for a rainy day.  We prefer solid surface countertops and we'd like a decent outdoor kitchen.  Decent quality. 

I really like the 323 but I have my concerns.  Plus, it's at the top of our budget.  Do we really need all of that space and storage, or do we just want it?

Our concerns are...

- weight (Ram 3500, 6.4 litre Hemi and tow 15,000). We are new to towing so are concerned about going too heavy, even though our vehicle should be able to handle it.
- length (worried about finding sites)
 
Now you might want to look outside the box and look at a toy hauler that has beds that fold down , put when they are folded up you would have a play area. I would look at used for your first fifth wheel less investment and if you don't like it you can resale it .
 
x2...  lots of good options in the used market...and they usually have all the bugs works out so you don't have to deal with them...

...don't forget bike holder..  :)
 
I vote for the toyhauler as well.  Here's the story on my trailer evolution:

Me and Wife, no kids = 30' travel trailer that we picked up for a great price. It had bunks but no slides. Great for bringing along friends but not so good on rainy days because of the lack of room.

Me and Wife, 1 kid = 27' fifth wheel. Pulled a lot better than the bumper pull and had a big enough slide to accommodate a few guests inside. The pack and play ended up on the fold down table which meant when he went to bed we either had to stay outside or go to bed ourselves.

Me and Wife, 2 kids = 39' toyhauler. I was looking for a bunkhouse fifth wheel that had a door separating the bunks from the rest of the trailer. Everything I looked at ended up being a toyhauler. I'm very happy we bought one!  We have a 12' garage that affords us plenty of storage for bikes, Tonkas, etc. Not to mention a great playroom if the weather goes sour. We also have fold down beds back there which means they have their own room!  They can go to bed and we can stay up to watch TV, play cards, enjoy the company of our friends, etc.

Speaking of bringing friends along, we can do that too. Due to the taller profile of a fifth wheel, we have a loft above the garage which actually has a queen size bed.  No longer do we have to make another couple sleep on the couch.

A bonus of the toyhaulers is that they typically have larger holding tanks and a generator built in.  We've started exploring the world of boondocking just for those reasons.
 
I am a newbie too so take this for what it is worth (which isn't much). Have you considered something like this: http://www.riversidetrailer.com/2016_30LOFTK.html ? It may not solve all of your problems and for all I know it could create new ones, but it seems it would fit most of your needs. I saw one at the Hershey RV show, and I was impressed. However I was still under the impression that I didn't want anything that big when I looked at it (now I am wondering if I was mistaken).

I also saw it's cousin http://www.riversidetrailer.com/2016_32LOFTRB.html . This one really impressed me. I thought that the downstairs area was going to be small. In fact there were people down there when my 2 year old decided to go down and I had to follow him. To my shock it was spacious! I could see that being a great area for kids or even whole family! The problem is they don't offer an outside kitchen. Maybe they will soon. ;)

I am not sure about the siding on these trailers. Seems like they would be more prone to leaks. Maybe I am just being silly though. That is something for you to decide.
 
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