Dutch Star (3 ft) Decision

[ChassisGuy]

40 footer has a 100 gallon fuel tank

[twogypsies]

If you would purchase based on the fuel tank that's crazy. We full-timed, traveled constantly, including the summer in Alaska and never had an issue with getting fuel or going long distances.

[Campin Cajun]

I won't compare the features of either. I will just say don't settle for something you do not like. If you do this will not be your last coach purchase. Ask me how I know this.

[jimbo2013]

learn how to utilize space and pack right.

40 is plenty.

100 gal is enough

[Benicia Tom]

Originally Posted by pshoe

We went through the same process and ended up choosing the 4369. Some pros you don't mention include:

Larger rectangular shower
Pantry is about 6 inches wider
Half bath is a bit larger
Significantly more basement storage

Truthfully, I can only think of one site where three feet would have made the go/no go difference. It is true that the longer wheel base can make it a bit more difficult to negotiate some of the curvy roads in older parks. Many state parks will work for us but in national parks it can be difficult to get the right site.

The good news is I think you'll love either coach! We love ours.

X2 plus moving the washer/dry to the area by the bed really opens up the bathroom.

[MikeGriffin]

We looked at it like this:

1. 99% of places that'll fit a 40-footer will fit one three feet longer. We sat in a 4369 for three hours at a show just to listen to what people said when they walked through it. And we asked a lot of questions about its size. Overwhelmingly, by a very wide margin, experienced RVers told us not to worry. If you can't get into a national park, you park in a nice campground just outside its gates.

2. The 4369 costs more, but offers quite a few useful features:
- An unbelievable bathroom! Double sinks, a mirror that isn't split for medicine cabinets (where you're looking at yourself in a split mirror), a larger shower, and a lot more room in the back to hang clothes and store things. We hear more compliments on the bathroom than anything else.
- A 150-gallon fuel tank: 50% more than a 4018; that's almost another 350 miles of range that may one day be useful.
- Three A/C units. Nice to have an extra one for just an additional three feet.
- A pantry that is twice as wide as the one in the 40-footers
- More space in the basement

3. For full-time living (or just using it a lot), more space is really, really nice. And although it's only three feet longer, it feels like a lot more.

[Scottybdivin]

To me there's no decision. A lot of positives and only one negative. The 4369 is my favorite floor plan of any I have seen among all makes. It would definitely be my choice if I ever traded.

[8TiresRollin]

Hey C Oatley there are 40ft tag Dutch Stars 2016 and newer which might be the best for both worlds. Nice floor plan but we did not want to spend that much so went for the 43 ft one we have.

[SMertens]

Maybe you can actually get into spots in public parks, but as soon as we told them we had a 44 footer when making the reservation, a few (not all) would tell us they could not accommodate our length. You have to remember many of these parks were set up many years ago for smaller rigs. They are not very quick to update either, thats why many that have electric don't have 50amp service. You may have 3 AC's on the roof. but you can't run them all anyway on 30amp service.

We have been full timing in our 4018 for over a year since we traded our TH on it. The three feet make no difference, and 50 gallons make no difference. Nobody wants to drive over 1,000 miles without stopping anyway. 50 gallons of fuel weigh in at more than 350 lbs you are carrying around. As far as boondocking goes, if you are going to be running your generator for weeks at a time, you simply fill up prior to pulling into camp. If you plan on boondocking a lot, you should probably look at solar anyway, not rely on generator, and when boondocking we only run our generator a few hours a day to top up the batteries. You can run for 6 weeks like that or more.

We would have liked the 43 footer, but it was because of the number of times some parks would not allow us to make a reservation due to our size that we got the 40 footer.

Bottom line is there is not one size fits all. The 43 is not better than the 40, it's just longer. It has some advantages, but it also has some disadvantages. It really all depends on how you intend to use it.

[twojayhawks]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

If you would purchase based on the fuel tank that's crazy. We full-timed, traveled constantly, including the summer in Alaska and never had an issue with getting fuel or going long distances.

Then call me crazy as the larger fuel tank was a selling point for me. But I can see if you are full timing you are never in a hurry- heck stop for fuel every day. We only vacation with ours taking two (2 week) trips a year and assorted long weekends. Last two trips were about 3000 miles each round trip and I was glad to be filling up as little as I have to. Different strokes.

[RMD3819]

We went through the same thing with these floorpans except it was with a Ventana. We were going full-time after selling our house.

I have a thread here asking much the same especially about state and national park access. The fine folks here convinced me to choose what we would be most comfortable in overall and not worry about park access.

We did a sort of side by side at the dealer. Wife wanted the 40 and as much as I wanted to save a few bucks I pushed for the 43. We bought the 4369. Later, in a small victory in my life, my wife told me I was right.

We do have restrictions where we can park but you just work around it.

As an FYI the Ventana has a 100 gallon fuel tank. Have not had any issues.

[BBelanger]

I have a 100 gallon tank. The bells and whistles (very annoying) go off when I'm down to 30 gallons left. So realistically I need to fuel at half tank which is 300 miles. 300 miles is a pretty easy day for me, so I need to fuel every day. Being able to go an extra 300 miles can make a huge difference. Sometime I can see a 50 cent per gallon savings if I could just make it to the next state. I have over 10,000 miles in 6 months. If I sat still longer it might not be as big an issue, but I love driving. Maybe it will wear off as I get older.

[fixit1957]

We will be full timing and ran this length issue back and forth for 2 years. Every time we would go look at a 4018 the lack of full wall closet space was never going to work for is. We signed up for RPI. I called 10 rv parks we wanted to stay in. They listed max length as 40`. All but 1 said no worries we can handle you. Several said they have been trying to get RPI to change the length in the book.

This reminds me of a discussion I had with a Dutch star owner on 2 couches vs recliners. They bought 2 couches so that there kids, grand kids and friends could come and stay in the coach. He said it never happens. Everybody just get a hotel close by so they can have there own space.

[SMertens]

Originally Posted by BBelanger

I have a 100 gallon tank. The bells and whistles (very annoying) go off when I'm down to 30 gallons left. So realistically I need to fuel at half tank which is 300 miles. 300 miles is a pretty easy day for me, so I need to fuel every day. Being able to go an extra 300 miles can make a huge difference. Sometime I can see a 50 cent per gallon savings if I could just make it to the next state. I have over 10,000 miles in 6 months. If I sat still longer it might not be as big an issue, but I love driving. Maybe it will wear off as I get older.

I've had mine down to 1/8 and no bells or whistles go off. Just barely getting to a low fuel light. But lets say at 25 gallons or 1/4 tank this happens. At 8MPG where I average thats 600 miles before fueling. Who would want to go further without taking a 30 minute break. The extra 50 gallons make no difference at all. If your towing you really should stop and check your toad every few hundred miles or so anyway. It's easy to create a scenario where this might be an issue, but I have over 3 Million miles of driving my RV, and mostly my truck. I don't mind driving, heck I can say I've done it for so long, I even like driving. Never have I wanted to stay stuck in the seat until I ran out of fuel. Most of us just need a break now and then. It's not healthy to stay glued to a seat that long. Ever heard of DVT?

There are so many apps now that will tell you where the best price on fuel is anyway. It's so easy to plan your fuel stops to get the best price. Use My Pilot, or Gas Buddy. You can look up prices across the country with these apps.

A larger capacity tank is not a reason to buy the 43. Assuming this is the only reason you want it.