5th Wheel Full-Timing

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

white water

Active member
Joined
Jul 25, 2015
Posts
32
I am about 2 years out from my full-time dream fulfillment. I have not yet picked out what 5th wheel to get. My question is... How big is too big, taking into consideration, highway length restrictions, most campground sights, ect... Do any of you 5th wheelers regret going too big or too small?
 
Lsngth, or rather size is really only important when your towing.  And most people only tow maybe 10% of the time.  The other 90% your sitting in one place.  Unless your boon docking a LOT it will make little difference.  Except to your living comfort level.  Pick a floor plan your most comfortable with regardless of size.  At the end of the day bigger is always better.  There is no subsritute for a comfortable bed, decent sized shower, plenty of cabinet space for dishes, or clothes,  yea, the wardrobe might get paired down a lot, but you still need a decent selection of clothes to wear.  Add in a washer/dryer...  well you get the picture.    Personally I could not imagine living in less thanmwhat we have.  But I see people doing it in less.  Heck, met a couple about 5 years ago full timing in a 11 foot truck camper. 
 
We have been full time for almost 5 years in a 36 ft fifth wheel. As has been mentioned, floor plan is the big issue. We have found only one  park we  could not find a spot we would fit. That was the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Colorado. The camp sites were built in the  30's and had not been updated.
 
The floor plans of some 36 fts. could fit my needs as well. A couple years ago, we camped along the coast south of San Francisco for a few weeks and there were a lot of campgrounds w/ 25 ft. length restrictions that you could have fit 40 fts. in. Then, there were the curves on some stretches of coastal highways that got my attention.
 
Do you have a truck big enough to pull a good size trailer? 3/4 to 1 ton, you are going to need a serious truck if you want enough room to do what you are talking about.
Bill
 
Howdy white water,

white water said:
I am about 2 years out from my full-time dream fulfillment. I have not yet picked out what 5th wheel to get. My question is... How big is too big, taking into consideration, highway length restrictions, most campground sights, ect..

We're kinda in the same boat (1.5 years and counting down to our move into full-timing).

We've been told that most private campgrounds have been updated so they can take any size rigs (within reason, ie 42-44'). But public campgrounds (NSF, NPS, BLM, etc) often don't, and in those you'd be better off with a rig 30' or smaller.

AFAIK the other things you mentioned (highway length, etc) are not of much concern.

As Bill mentioned, make sure you have enough truck (don't trust any salesman on this).

Cheers,
--
  Vall.
 
I  have a Chevy 3/4 ton diesel right now pulling a 27 ft. R Vision, but dry weight is only 6100 lbs. I think I will step up to a 1 ton if I go 34 ft. or longer.
  I prefer public campgrounds due to the outdoor activities that they often give you access to, but will likely join some type of campground plan due to cost savings. Any suggestions there?
 
Membership camping clubs are nothing more than a time share. Once you buy in your locked into it.  By contract you have to pay even if you no longer use it.  There a bad idea. As a full timer you might find yourself better off becoming a work camper.  Either volunteer or paid positions generslly give you free camp sites in exchange for some labor.  We find it a great way to give back plus camp for free a month at a time.
 
white water said:
I  have a Chevy 3/4 ton diesel right now pulling a 27 ft. R Vision, but dry weight is only 6100 lbs. I think I will step up to a 1 ton if I go 34 ft. or longer.
  I prefer public campgrounds due to the outdoor activities that they often give you access to, but will likely join some type of campground plan due to cost savings. Any suggestions there?
I think one option you should look at is to by a Class A and tow a car. You will have a lot more storage space and a car that is easier and cheaper to drive when spending extended time in one location.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/diesel/diesel-motorhomes.php
I bet you can buy a nice coach for the same price as a truck and trailer.
Bill
 
Membership camping clubs are nothing more than a time share.

I would like to rephrase this statement because it might be misleading to new RVers.  There are two types of "membership camping clubs."  Ones like Good Sam and Passport America are not anything like time shares.  You buy an annual membership and can drop them at any time without a penalty.  They're more like an annual subscription but with campground discounts at cooperating campgrounds.  The second type is more similar to a time share because you buy into a campground system such as Thousand Trails.  With them you have a "home" campground with privileges at other campgrounds in the system.  You can't just drop them; you sell your membership.  I wish there were a better and clearer way of describing the two types of campground memberships.

ArdraF

ArdraF
 
Thousand trails was one that I was looking into. How hard are they to get rid of? It surely would be less expensive to buy one from someone trying to get out of theirs.
  I have weighed the pros and cons of 5th wheel vs. Class A. I felt the 5th wheel was the best option for us. I do a lot of hunting and fishing. I will certainly find myself in situations where I need 4 wheel drive, and to carry my kayaks, SUP boards and all my gear.
 
They problem in re-selling a Thousand Trails membership is the steep transfer fee involved. The buyer has to consider that part of the purchase price, so there isn't much value left for the seller. Most people end up selling for a few hundred dollars + the transfer fee.  That said, there is always a market and several broker companies deal in them on a regular basis. And many get sold via Ebay as well. The brokers get a commission from TT, so the seller typically doesn't have to pay any.
 
I think new RVers should try it for a while using the less expensive and less restrictive ways of getting campground discounts before "investing" in anything like Thousand Trails which is not for everyone.

ArdraF
 
Back
Top Bottom