Hello all I am new and do not own anything...yet. My Dad and I are looking for a fifth wheel or other towable type. Owners give the best reviews. Any and all comments , advise or bs are all welcome. And you never know I may run into you at the park next year. Texas Hold Em may pay my park rent...ha.
There was a similar topic on this a while ago that you might find helpful....check out the post called "Tt Vs 5th Wheel" from Dec 2/10. We have had both a tt and a 5th wheel.....we'll never go back to a tt. The storage in the 5th wheel is great and, according to my husband (since I don't drive with the tow behind) it is much more stable. It really depends on what you're looking for - there are so many options! Have fun looking!
We just upgraded to a 5th wheel from a TT and it has a LOT more living space. It is basically 4 feet longer than our TT (including hitch) but so much more living space. It is fabulous! We have a bunkhouse in our 5th wheel because we have a little girl and this was a MUST for me. There a lot more options now in 5th wheels for bunkhouses and that was the only reason why it swayed me to a 5th wheel. It is much nicer appointed than a TT and my husband says it tows nicer than a TT.
Okay, as soon as I post this someone will shake their head and disagree. In the RV community there are those that think motor-homes are the only way to go, ones that say 5th wheel is number one, and those that swear by travel trailers. After trying them all and looking at the pros and cons I decided a travel trailer would be best for my use. That was several years ago, and I feel it was a wise decision. I tow a trailer behind a covered pickup truck, and couldn't stand giving up all the storage room in my pickup truck. When traveling I can throw anything from tables to sat. tv dishes in the pickup without tying up space in the trailer. When camping we can run into town and have plenty of room in the truck for spreading out the laundry from the laundromat, bags of groceries from the market etc., all secure and out of the weather. I'm always locking fishing poles, lawn chairs etc. in the back of the truck for day excursions. 5th wheel however has the advantage of the overhead bed, and may be a little easier to maneuver. When you buy your RV make a thorough comparison of all capacities, from furnace btu to water storage tank size etc. and make sure they are adequate for your use. We do a fair share of boondocking, so these things were especially important in making a decision. Enjoy!
QUOTE(jim crowl @ Aug 15 2011, 12:55 AM) [snapback]27192[/snapback] In the RV community there are those that think motor-homes are the only way to go, ones that say 5th wheel is number one, and those that swear by travel trailers. After trying them all and looking at the pros and cons I decided a travel trailer would be best for my use. When you buy your RV make a thorough comparison of all capacities, from furnace btu to water storage tank size etc. and make sure they are adequate for your use. Jim crowl makes the most important point: look at the options and then make an informed decision based on what is right for you. There are definitely people who prefer one kind of an RV over another. When it comes to towables, I think you will hear most people say they like 5th wheels better. However, Jim has given some very good reasons why a travel trailer is right for him. We have our reasons for preferring a motorhome. None of us is wrong. We just chose the RV that best suits our needs and travel style. You are doing the right thing by asking for advice, but in the long run you need to choose what suits you best.
QUOTE(jim crowl @ Aug 15 2011, 12:55 AM) [snapback]27192[/snapback] Okay, as soon as I post this someone will shake their head and disagree. In the RV community there are those that think motor-homes are the only way to go, ones that say 5th wheel is number one, and those that swear by travel trailers. After trying them all and looking at the pros and cons I decided a travel trailer would be best for my use. That was several years ago, and I feel it was a wise decision. Very true. My husband and I prefer bus conversions and would rather have one of those than any type of RV we have ever seen. What is right for me is definitely not right for everyone. Look at lots of RV's and picture yourself in them, pulling them before you make any purchase. If you are like most people no matter which way you go you will wonder if the grass is greener in another kind. After all, you are human and humans are never satisfied completely.
We have a 29 foot travel trailer. No slides We bought it used about 8 years ago. It has served us well but I would love a 5th wheel. I have always liked them but we live in a very suburban area and a 5th wheel would be much more conspicuous stored in our backyard. As it is we had issues with the town last year about our RV. Also, my husband manuevers the trailer with the lawnmower and says he couldn't do that with a 5th wheel. It is a tight fit to store the thing for us. Jim's point makes me feel a little less envious of the 5th wheels because we do throw a lot of stuff in the back of the pickup If storage of the RV were not an issue, I think we would upgrade to a 5th wheel. We may do it in a couple of years as our girls get bigger and we start traveling further. At that point we would have to pay to store it somewhere.
We have had 3 fifth wheel trailers. We went from a pop up to 5 vers. I drove tractor trailers for a living and it just seemed reasonable. We didn't keep the first one long, it had no slides. Trying to get out the door with someone sleep in the living room just didn't work. We came real close a year or so ago to getting a class A motorhome. The economy kinda made our mind up for us and we kept the 5 ver. It was payed for. Most of the time, were we camp, is either on or near water. I like having a boat and fishing. The motorhome would have let us tow the boat, instead of my wife following with the car and boat. It also would have given us storage we would have needed. The bottom line is, take your time, do your homework, check out the shows and dealers and come up with what would work best for you. Storage, interior room, what you would feel comfortable towing or driving, are all some questions you must ask yourself. Good luck.
All have given good advice. My only addition is that before you shop online or at one or two dealers, I would go to an RV show in your area usually held in winter or early spring in major metro areas. this would allow you to see many different brands, models and styles, and talk to alot of RVer's (not so much the salespeople) and gather more opinions as you have here. I wish you the best of luck in your ultimate choice. Choose wisely my friend.
We just changed from a TT to a 5th wheel. Lots of room and tows nice. We were told several times to to shop by just the floor plan. We wanted a rear kitchen because they seem to have more counter space for cooking(my wife loves to cook). There did not seem to be all that many choices of companies with this set up. We ended up with a Forest River Flagstaff and I feel it right for us. Good luck and enjoy the hunt!!
We bought our first TT last winter and are loving it. We also looked at 5th wheels and will probably go that direction when/if we ever go full time. The people who note the additional living space & storage are right on the money. We chose a TT for now because we tow the lightweight 27' Keystone Passport we selected with our V8 Expedition. We would have had to upgrade our tow vehicle if we moved up to a 5th wheel now. When we were looking, the capabilities & limitations of our TV was a huge factor. We live in Denver and will be towing in the mountains quite a bit. For us, that meant cutting the listed capabilities of our TV by about 20% due to the the thinner atmosphere. Lots to think about! Enjoy the search....we did....and we found a TT that works great for us and our two Dachshunds.
I, too, have thought about tt and 5th wheelers. Haven't decided to jump, yet, but am leaning toward 5th wheeler. Travel trailers seem to be more difficult to tow and that worries me a little.
We bought a 35' TT (jayco Eagle, with 2 slides and a bunkhouse) three years ago. I agree so much with what others have said, so can only add this: although it was our first RV, we bought the one we thought we would enjoy most and grow into, and that has proved a good decision for us. The salesman was actually trying to sell us a used and smaller TT believe it or not, but we didn't think we would be comfortable or enjoy feeling cramped. This has proven to be spot on, especially on rainy days trapped inside with giggling girls. If we could have afforded a diesel truck and a hefty fiver, we would have, but that wasn't in the budget, so I'm working it into the retirement plan instead! I say buy the best and biggest that you can afford. We love ours and use it all summer long. Oh, and we have sturdy sway bars that improve the towing safety, although still not as smooth as a fiver, I'm told. Happy shopping!
We purchased a new JayFeather 25LGT travel trailer three years ago and tow it using a Ford Expedition Max (EL). This is more than adequate for the two of us, although we have had my 70 yr old mum and her 73 yr old sister with us on a couple of trips this summer. In hindsight (a perfect science) I now wish I'd gone for a slightly longer light weight trailer (and if I'm really honest, I wish I'd have bought a 45' class A) but we were new to the camping thing in North America. While I agree that 5th wheels can hold more stuff I have found the Jay Feather we have capable of storing enough gear for us to take away for a couple of weeks. Also, more stuff equals more weight which equals more gas used and in these times of high prices i try and reduce anything we don't need. The only downside of this breed of trailer appears to be the lack of options I have to mount cycle carriers so I now store them inside while traveling. Our dealer either sold us or gave us the tow hitch and anti sway bars so up to now we haven't had any issues while towing. Generally I keep it to no more than about 100kph (60mph or therabouts). I also drain all of the water before towing it anywhere in order to reduce the weight and most of the time we're heading of to a site with hook ups anyway. Going for a 5th wheel would also mean I'd have to purchase a pick up truck and then not have the use of the cargo area for the season unless I removed the hitch mechanism. Another thing I also like about travel trailers is the option, like mine, to have two outside doors. I have yet to see that with a 5th wheel but perhaps I'm looking with the blinkers on? If I am, I'm sure someone will let me know. Ultimately, we got what we could comfortably afford and tow that matched our needs for predominantly two people.
I have only owned pop ups and TTs, but I have buddy that has a 5th wheel. There are pros and cons to each. The TT works best for us as I enjoy the room in the back of my Silverado to haul firewood, grill, bikes, and our cornhole boards. With a 5th wheel I would greatly miss this room. Also with a 5th wheel you have to have a truck capable of towing it. Unless it is a smaller 5th wheel you would need atleast a 2500/250. As far as room goes, the trailer industry has come a long ways and most campers have tons of stowage anymore. Although a 5th wheel does have huge storage under the beds, TTs have mostly gone with pass through storage here as well. Door ways just arent as big. There are tons of possibilities with any camper. Outside kitchens, huge slides, etc. etc. etc. 5th wheels tend to be heavier, which will kill your gas mileage. Most companies have now started their lightweight lines that are as big as the standard campers, but weigh considerably less. We just purchased a 2011 Jayco Jayswift 264BH. It is a 29' with bunks in the back, queen in the front and no slides. (didnt want slides). It only weighs 4550 unloaded and my 2500HD tows it easily. The Jayco jayflight 26BH is the same camper, only it is not the light series and it weighs in at 4725. Not much heavier, only close to 200lbs. You will just have to look at what size of camper you really need, can you afford the camper, can you afford the tow vehicle, and most importantly, can you afford the gas with the larger campers! Insurance is relatively decent, I only pay around $180 a year, and the difference between my '07 and the '11 was $1!! As far as all of the add ons you can get just look at them from a neutral stand point. Such as the exterior kitchen. Would you use it enough to justify the added cost? How many people go camping with you and will be staying in the camper? Do you need slides? Do you need bunks? Do you need the upgrade frig and oven?? All the extra items you stick on the camper jack the price up considerably!! Before you know it, you will have a camper with a sticker price of well into the $25-30K range! The best thing to do is wait until the 2012 models come out and take a look at the leftover 2011's. The warranty is the still the same, as long as it is a new model. And this is why I went with the Jayco, they have a 2 year bumper to bumper warranty, where the other manufacturers only carry a 1 year! Sometimes that extra year is worth it, and they are very comparative to any other manufacturers prices!! QUOTE(Travel RVing @ Aug 25 2011, 03:33 PM) [snapback]27294[/snapback] I, too, have thought about tt and 5th wheelers. Haven't decided to jump, yet, but am leaning toward 5th wheeler. Travel trailers seem to be more difficult to tow and that worries me a little. I have the standard load dist hitch and an anti-sway control on my truck, and my 29' jayco tows great! Backing a 5th wheel is probably easier, as you have more turn radius with it vs. a TT. But I havent found any campground where I cannot get into. Even with my non-direction giving wife!!! LOL (Ok ladies, flame on!!)
When my wife and I purchased our 31ft class A, our line of thinking was go "as big as we can afford at this time". Camping and being in the outdoors provokes great thoughts of sunrise, bacon cooking on an outdoor grill/stove, campfires and peaceful relaxation. However, we were mindful that Mother Nature does not always cooperate. This directed our attention to inside space for dining, relaxing, conversation with friends and sad to say, TV watching. Pay attention to dinette space, sofa and or sofa/chair positioning, kitchen counter top space (amazing how many fairly large RV's have little or no counter space to prepare food). Also, toilet facilities separate from shower with perhaps a separate sink area too. Look for the amount of roof vents and fans. One heater or two (my Allegro has two and a Heat Pump AC unit, love it!) and are they ducted, along with AC unit(s). We chose a class A because of the spacious feeling you get from the cockpit area adding to living space with the "picture window" effect from the large windshield to let in light. We tow on a dolly my wife's car. We both agree that 5th wheels have an incredible amount of interior space with some awesome floor plans. But, we do not own a truck to pull one and when not RV'ing we are not truck type people. Trailers offer an economy to RV lifestyle and at a spring of this year RV show there were a couple with floor plans that made me consider (though briefly) that we really like the layout more than class A's. What ever you chose, take your time, talk to as many owners of different types of rigs as you can and you won't go wrong. Fill us in and keep us posted on your adventures! When time permits, travel the two lane to take in the breath and beauty of this great land of ours!
Vincee I couldnt agree with you more on the counter space issue. Our 2007 gulfstream was nice, but the counter space was severely limited. To the point that we really had no place to put the coffee maker!!! (we ended up putting it on the stove)!! So when we bought our Jayco, that was one thing we made a point to me mindful of, and one other thing. It may seem little, but look at your sink space. Our gulfstream had a single sink, and when it was time to do the dishes, kind of a pain! So that was another thing we put on our list of had to haves, a double sink!
That just depends on what you like.We have a 30 foot that we can store everything from a 6 foot letter to a large satellite dish like home dish net in from out side.Walk in shower and a lot of comforts of home all from factory.I pull with a E 350 so a lot of storage that you can lock there.The down side is not very kid friendly but for two it is great.
