I have a question for all of you campers out there. The boss and I are getting ready to buy a 5th wheel here in the next couple months. I have a 24 ft tag along now and it just doesnt have the room we need. How long of a fiver would you recommend? It is just the wife and I and two dogs with a guest or two occasionally. At least one kid is in the future plans. I have been looking at 30 footers but am wondering if maybe a 27 might be enough? Im not concerned about the total length of the truck and trailer together. I have plenty of experience driving a tractor trailer so that wont be an issue. My main concern is getting one that is affordable but big enough for us to keep for many years to come.<br>Any input from you experienced campers out there with a fiver would be very much appreciated.<br> <br>Thanks<br>Keith

 

Kieth,<br> See my sig for our 5er. We found that the 27' with the living area slideout has enough room for 4 people comfortably. It is a nice size as far as being able to get into the RV parks and other places (any longer would be too difficult to get into my deer camp), and has plenty of room. The wifey and I are looking at a few other brands for our next trade, and the Rockwood and the Arctic Fox in 25 - 28' with slide-out seem to have all the room we need plus some. The only reason for us to trade at this point is to get some of the newer features. We like our 5er, but want to get some of the newer stuff available out there. We go to the RV shows at least once a year, and it is a good place to compare floor plans and features before buying - you might try that. HTH. Good luck in your search.

 

Wheels,
The wife and myself have a 32' triple slide 5er unit which has more than enough room for us. We also have a big dog who is always with us. A 27' may be big enough for you two if it has slide-outs. They (slide-outs) add a lot more room to move around in. Hope this helps...
Big dawg

 

Hey Keith,<br> As Big Dawg stated, the slide-outs make a big difference. We have a 30' with double slides and it has plenty of room for the wife and I, plus we have had our grandaughter and her mother go with us a few times. (3 adults, 1 toddler and three small dogs survived two weeks without a problem.) ;D The 30'er seems easy enough to get in and out of most places, so I'll probably stay with this size. ;D<br> CLICK HERE for our Cougar floor plan.

 

I think it depends greatly on the floorplan and the type of space you need. Some people need sleeping space, some need storage space, and some need open space for moving around - this can be particularly important with pets. You have to know which is important and then shop for it.<br><br>We have a 25' TT for my wife, 2 kids, myself, and occasional guests. We find that we have adequate room most of the time. For us, sleeping and storage space is important. We have bunks for the kids and lots of storage. A slideout would be great and would make a huge difference in the open space of the trailer.<br><br>For open space, a slideout will give you more space than an extra 3' of trailer length. But if it's sleeping and storage space you need, you will have to find a floorplan that offers more.

 

we have a 30' that seems to work well. We camp a lot with the nieces and nephews so a bunk house (with an actual door) was a must. It cuts down a bit on the living space but we really only go in at night anyway. We have 3 bunks, lab has clamied the bottom as hers. Works well for us. We are able to get into 95% of the campgrounds that we go to. In 8 or 10 years when the kids are grown we will probably move up to around 36 feet. That seems to be an ideal length (to us) for the extended travel we hope to do. We try to hit a major show each year to see the new stuff and we keep a running list of things we would like in our new trailer. We put a limit on 20 things so if something goes on, something comes off. Keeps for a tidy list with the important stuff on it.

 

Our 29' single slide 5er more than meets our requirements. We have owned it for three years and have spent over a year sleeping in it in various places.<br><br>It is at the maximum weigh for our truck, any heavier and the truck would be overloaded.

 

We have a 31' 5er w/ two slides. I think it's a perfect size and suitable for the two of us and the cat. However, ask the fiance and you'll get a different opinion. She keeps looking in the 34 - 37' range and is really liking the quad slides... <br><br><br>Tony

 

Oh Oh, Tony! Your fiance sounds like my wife. We are also looking at the 34-37 foot fivers, but that is for our retirement rig. Right now I've got two kids in college and my wife just lost her job. :'( No new toys this year!<br><br>DeWain

 

I have always found with any trailer tag or 5er to buy the largest one you can afford......seems like every time I buy one it dont take long that I wish I had bought the bigger one

 

I am real happy with our 26' single slide. Wife, two kids (10yr old son and 14 yr old daughter) dog and I all fit quite nicely. It is a nice size to get into most campgrounds too.<br>Tom

 

Keith,<br>A couple additional observations. <br><br>Where do you normally spend your camping time? If you spend a lot of time in National Forests or State Parks, they are notorious for low limbs, sharp corners and hard to get in spaces. Our 36'er becomes a challenge at times in the Parks. Most national parks are OK if they can handle it at all. Many parks limit the length to 30 or 32'. I have had to switch sites many times in spite of having a reservation that said it would handle the size (and I handle the backing situation quite well, thank you). I just pulled mine out of a state park yesterday with about $250 worth of damage to the &quot;stuff&quot; on the roof due to a vine that was hanging in a low tree limb. Stripped the gears on my satellite, pulled my potty fan loose, broke off one vent cap and &quot;removed&quot; a section of my rail. Not fun.<br><br>Layout - - as stated, get slides - - the more the merrier. And, no matter how &quot;neat&quot; it may look with the slides out, put all slides in and use the coach. Can you still fix supper? Can you sleep? Can you get to the wardrobe? Can you sit in the recliner and watch TV? If you can't, don't buy it. While on the road, many nights can be spent in a rest stop or Wally World - - you don't want slides out when you do that. <br><br>We spend a lot of our time in TT, NACO and RPI parks which are normally good for larger units. We love the layout and size of our unit, but when I head for the state parks I always wish for a low 30'er.<br><br>JustMyThreeCentsWorthBob

 

Keith,
Our 30 foot Kountry Star with a single slide is nice with plenty of room. We just came back from 3 weeks. If we were looking at longer term, I think I would look at the same length but 2 slides for more bedroom storage space. We had a 28 footer before with a single slide but it was short on storage space.
We travel with some friends and found that the one State park here we like has limited spots for anything 30 foot or over. Out of 70 sites, I can only get into about a dozen of them. However, traveling south in the fall or winter, the 30 gives us plenty of space as long as the wife doesn't try to take everything inthe world with her.

Bill