MAX Coach length allowed in MOST sites

[pameridan04]

Hi Guys:

I was talking to the DW and my friend and traveling companion who also has a DP and we were talking max lenght of coaches allowed in camp sites.

My current rig is an Itasca Meridan 36G and has no problems even in state parks when we go camping. But we are looking at either a 40 or 42 footer in the future.

The debate is 40 ft. vs 42 ft. My opinion is that any campsite that would take a 40 footer would take a 42 footer? Is this the case or do you feel that a 40 ft. is max for most campsites? I hear that some State and National Parks may be a problem over 40 feet.

We are still DP camping new b's....

Jim P.

[mikron]

I have a 35' class A with 3 slides and have had no turn aways. Have seen on the net and at CGs 40' max. Iam sure there must be high end resorts that let the biger rigs in. Th slides have caused CGs to ask so you get a wide site for slides on both sides of the coach. Disney's Fort Wilderness has premium sites for 3 and 4 slide coaches at extra cost. saw RV show on HGTV and there was a class A that had a telescoping slide that extended 18" more then the 30" slide.

[RickO]

My guess is that 90% of the time, if they can take a 40 they can take a 42. But I do think the 42 will, every now and then, run into CGs they won't fit in. More often than not it would probably cut into the space you have to park your toad but something which could usually be worked around.

Rick

[Parkerrs]

I have a 40 footer. I've had absolutely no problem at commercial campgrounds. Now state parks and some federal areas are a different story. Many of these limit you to about 36 ft., Yellowstone park comes to mind as the mot recent I was at. I wound up staying in West Yellowstone due to the length limits at campgrounds in the park. It really causes me no problem as most of the park areas have commercial facilities very near by, the commercial campgrounds also provide full hook-ups and if you want cable TV and/or wifi. Most of the public facilities use a dump station and have no high tech ammenities (TV and internet).

You can park a 42 most anywhere my 40 will fit. As stated you may have to get creative with your toad parking but it usually will fit crosswise on the same space. Most commercial campgrounds here on the east coast can handle up to a 45 footer.

[Traps90]

For us we want to stay with the 40' cause of the reasons listed, we have run into a few places where they would not allow over 40'.

Yes you can usually work around it and the decision for us comes down to we want tha extra flexibillity of where we can stay.

With that said you may never have an issue with a 42' coach.

Trap

[Wayne M]

Consider where you have stayed in the past. If it is somewhere you would like to go back to, did they have the space of either of the longer lengths. I don't typically just stop at a CG, but call ahead to make sure they have space. I always tell them what I need. In the last two years I have only had two CG tell me they could not accommodate my 40 footer. Yes, there is a difference between a 40 and 42 footer. It is 2 feet, and sometimes you will stick out in the roadway and the CG will not allow that. Call ahead.

[f14av8r]

I think this is pretty simple. If you want to spend time at National and State Parks, particularly in the west, you need to say 35' or less. If you could care less about that and are willing to accept commercial (private) parks you need not worry about length.

[DBOL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by f14av8r I think this is pretty simple. If you want to spend time at National and State Parks, particularly in the west, you need to say 35' or less. If you could care less about that and are willing to accept commercial (private) parks you need not worry about length.

WalMart will take 45 ft! I love Wal Mart!

43 years of marriage my wife has spent $400,000 for Resting Time on trips! LOL!

[WheelingIt]

We also have 40' and have found we just fit in alot of the public campgrounds (with more where we won't fit out West). At public campgrounds you're better off smaller and you will find extra feet (even a couple) limiting esp. In the West or in older campgrounds in the East.

If you stay mostly at private campgrounds however I don't see any limits at all.

[pameridan04]

Hi Guys & Gals:

Thanks for the input. Wayne brings up a good point about the places we staid last year, and yes a 42 footer would of been hard pressed in most of them. But they were just one time stops.

And yes, we are planning a couple of weeks vacation out west, but that will be this year in our 36 ft Meridian.

My ultimate goal is to retire, and go South or West for at least two or three of the winter months a year. Actually to become snow birds and visit where ever the warm sunshine is. It may be Florida one year and New Mexico the next.

Still unsure how to go. It just may depend on what coach is available at the time of purchase.

Thanks for all the input so far.

Regards... Jim P.

[emiddleb]

When length restrictions are discussed what I usually read are concerns over the sites.

What I've seen more often in state parks are not issues with the sites, it's the road clearances. Get a batch of trees on both sides near the road, add in a fairly tight turn especially at the end of a loop, and a long Class A can need a bit of body work.

If they have a length restriction, it may be more than just concerns about fitting you in to a site.

Don't ask how I know...

[Janjanjan]

We do our snowbirding in Florida, mostly at state parks. We really enjoy their parks. Many of the newer parks can easily accommodate the largest rigs, but a couple that we really enjoy, Anastasia and Oscar Sherer, for example, barely hold our 39' Adventurer. Oscar Sherer, for example has no sites which claim to fit a 40' rig. Real world, there are several sites which would work just fine. To give you an idea, we have to remove the bikes from our rig before parking in our preferred sites there.