best choice for seniors

[hopefulrver]

  both me and my wife are in our 60's. this will be our 1st rv. so, for all the elders out there, which is a better choice? A midsize trailer or a 5th wheel?

 

[markbarendt]

Have you considered a motor home?

Trailers of any type take more work and are much less handy, IMO.

 

[eliallen]

Have you considered a motor home?

Trailers of any type take more work and are much less handy, IMO.

Ditto.

 

[Bill N]

Ditto.

Double ditto.

 

[AStravelers]

  both me and my wife are in our 60's. this will be our 1st rv. so, for all the elders out there, which is a better choice? A midsize trailer or a 5th wheel?

If you have a vehicle which will tow a 26' travel trailer, rent one for at least 3-4 nights.  Then rent a 24' to 26' motorhome for the same length of time. 

Yes it will cost you a fair amount to rent the two rigs, but it will save you money in the long run.

In a MH, when you stop for lunch or bathroom break you don't need to get out and go back to the trailer.  Same with stopping for the night, the ease of set up is generally better in the MH. 

But the difference between the travel trailer and the 5th wheel is the ease of towing for the 5th wheel.  Much more stable on the highway. 

Also if you plan on spending a few months or more each year in the rig the 5th wheel is usually roomier and has more storage. 

 

[Great Horned Owl]

The 5th wheel is a lot easier to hitch than is a TT. It is also easier to tow and will have a lot more storage space. I'm 75, and have not the slightest problem with mine.

In the past, I've had both a class B and a class C. I prefer the 5th wheel to either of them.

Joel

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If you plan to travel a lot and stop for a night or two in each place, you will probably appreciate the convenience of a motorhome. The longer you stay in one place, the less that convenience matters, and a trailer comes into its own.  The 5W tows better and hitch/unhitch a bit more easily, so its a good choice IF you are willing to drive the truck needed to handle it. Not just any pick-up, a 5W needs a hefty truck to carry the large hitch (pin) weight. Think in terms of a 3/4 ton minimum.

Many, many people RV on weekends and get along fine with a modest travel trailer with a half ton pick-up or large SUV/van for a tow vehicle. It's a relatively inexpensive way to get started in RVing.

 

[Riverc]

If you plan to move frequently then you may want to consider a motorhome,If you plan to stay put in one place longer  then look at trailers.5th wheels have more storage and tow better,but you lose the bed of your truck.Trailer Trailers have less storage but with a truck bed topper that can be used for some storage.Do your research and go with what will work best for you.

 

[jks]

Be mindful of stairs in your choice if you have issues with hips or knees or have older large dogs.

 

[OutdoorFT]

Type of RVing will definitely be a deciding factor. If I was not 26, Id probably go with a motorhome over dealing with the trailer inconveniences.

 

[BruceinFL]

Seniors? Elders? Heck you're only in your 60s. You're still kids. 

 

[Derby6]

Are you experienced with towing or diving large vehicles or trucks?  If not, this could be off to a bad start.
To answer you question travel trailer or fifth wheel?  Either or.  Which ever can you find at the right price and floor plan you like.
Exceptions to that rule is do you need the bed space and can your truck hold the pin weight.

I also disagree with all the get a motorhome advice.  There are Pro's and Con's to all types.  I'm guessing in your 60's you are retired or close to it.  The extra time and work are part of the fun.  You are not in a big hurry! 8)

 

[RedandSilver]

Trailer or Fifth wheel?

Do you already have a truck - big enough to tow either one?

One advantage to a Motorhome is if you have a car now, you might be able to tow it behind a motorhome
and use it to go site seeing while at a campground.

Like others have said it depends on how you see yourselves RV'ing in the future.
Being your first RV do you have any camping experiences or will this be the first ones?

Is your goal to go someplace warm for the winter and stay in one place OR to travel the country and see this great Nation?
That can make a difference on what advice we give you.

  both me and my wife are in our 60's. this will be our 1st rv. so, for all the elders out there, which is a better choice? A midsize trailer or a 5th wheel?

 

A couple of sentences really doesn't give us much to go on as to your plans for the future, and how you plan to use a RV.

Please tell us more about your plans or ideas and you will get more accurate advice. 
Also tell us if a Motorhome is out of the question or a possibility.

 

[tvman44]

My preference is a small 5th wheel.  I have a 32' which was more than enough for DW & I.  Now that shed has passed away I have not used it yet alone but know it is more than I need, but it is paid for.  I would think a 26' 5th wheel with a slide out would be plenty enough for 2 people.

 

[Patnsuzanne]

My In-laws had a 30' 5w they pulled with an F350. Then they traded  the trailer and upgraded to a new Mobile Suites 5w that cost a huge amount of money.  Unfortunately, they were only able to use it a couple of years before their health declined to the point where the combination of big truck and huge trailer just got to be too much for them to handle. If they had sold the original truck/trailer rig and gone with a nice class c or smaller class a when they upgraded to the Mobile Suites, they would have been able to spend a lot more time out camping. As it is, that big truck and trailer have been sitting in the side yard and haven't gone anywhere for 5 years now.

 

[bailer6334]

Additional things to consider is cost of the RV between all of the various types (Class A, C, TT and 5er), cost of insurance, if motorhome maintenance and cost to set up tow vehicle - "IF" it can be towed, and how comfortable you are driving the various types.

Us seniors have all types of RV's. Whatever works best for your situation is the type you should get.

 

[hopefulrver]

  My wife is not in favor for a motor home. I have a 2012 SD250. I do home improvement projects and cut firewood for our wood burner. Also do most of my own maintenance on house and vehicles. really not planning on full time . Would like a couple of weeks at the beach and maybe a month down south during the winter.

 

[UTTransplant]

A 250 will tow a big, comfortable travel trailer. It is too small for the big 5W but would work for a smaller one. It sounds like you are healthy and active, so I would recommend the trailer to get something g big enough for a month. A nice 28-30' would work for you and have a lot of livability. We handle 5-6 week trips in a 24', but we have done this a long time and know we don't mind tight quarters. Besides, any type of RV gives you a boundless supply of modification projects! I swear my husband just takes trips to find something else to mod on ours. And of course, each mod needs some kind of new tool ?

 

[John From Detroit]

When it comes to tow vehicles for a trailer.. Bigger is better,,, I'd rather the two vehicle be bigger than needed than do a Benny Hill sketch.

But you might wish to point this out to your wife.. Three advantages to a class a. one I hope you never need.

1: A towed car gets great gas millage when you run from the campground to the store, church, local area attractions, and leave the class A behind.
1b: A Big pickup will get about the same MPG towing as the class A does, but not nearly as good as that car when you run to the above.

2: As I travel on I feel, I must sit on the fixture, attached to plumbing,, But it's raining out and there's no rest area for hext 30 miles and I do not think I can hold out.

in a Class A you find a wide spot on the shoulder, hit the 4-ways and the aforementioned plumbing fixture is INDOORS so you don't even get wet.. I do not recommend even the co-pilot move about when in motion but Well, there is always shoulder within the next mile.

Pulling a trailer.l You gonna get wet at the minimum.

And finally..  The one I hope you never need to consider.

Now this happened two different ways to me.
Some years ago my car (towed) died, so for a period we lived with the Class A as our "Grocery Getter".. In truth this has advantages because we timed everythign to minimize driving.. So on Wed, we would head to the stores, buy groceries, bring 'em out and put 'em away still in the store parking lot,, Ice cream did NOT melt on the way "home".. Milk keeps better if swiftly put away..  And shopping Aldi's wife did nto have to bag, Just push the cart to the door, I handed the stuff up and she put it away, I returned the cart and got her quarter back.

But,, Well, I do like having a car  Having that "Spare Vehicle" though,  was vital.

Then more recently the Class A blew an engine, soon (I hope) to be fixed (Wanted to do it today) now I got lucky, Good cell service when it went BOOM.. but what if I'd been in the middle of "no signal city"....  Well, having that spare vehicle (The towed car in this case) would have made it possible to run and get HELP.

Finally... backing into a back in site..... I recall one day a 5th wheel owner (new) beside me was talking to her hubby by phone as I backed into my site.. Now I will tell you that this was the easiest site to back into in the entire RV park,, but hey.. Some days you just get lucky.

She's saying "You should have seen this guy beside us back in. WOW is he good.

(I had pulled onto a paved wash directly across from the site and backed straight in, Easier than the only thing easier would have been pull through)

But I've gotten many a laugh watching folks back trailers.. Something I happen to have done many many many times before I got my class A.. Often very amusing.

 

[Tom Hoffman]

I am 71 and my wife is 62,  we bought a used TT in 2012 to go full time  for her job as a travel nurse.  We bought a cheap older 32' trailer for $3200 to see if we could stand each other in those confined conditions.  It did not have slides so it was small, even though stretched out.  We made the first 2 assignments  28 weeks we made it and loved it.  We sold the TT for a few $100s more than we paid for it and bought what we have now.  (see list below).  It is bigger and has two slides.  After pulling it long distance many times 1800+ miles per trip,  I learned really quickly I don't like pulling a 34' trailer.  If I were to shop for my perfect trailer now.  It would be 26' or less with slides and a large bathroom area.  No tub,  only corner shower, angled toilet and corner vanity. Those would be mandatory. 

If you have the bucks by all means look at a MH, we didn't and have never regretted going with a TT.