Community Forums

GeezerViz · 08-04-2014, 08:52 PM

In the near future, my wife and I will retire and hit the road. Our plans are to take our time and see North America for 6—8 months per year. We are not interested in simply parking in one spot for the whole time. We love the Entegra 44B but have been told that we should prepare to be very limited in the parks we can visit due to size. Have others driving big rigs been frustrated by the lack of places to park? If not, are you paying large nightly fees? Our next option would be a Tiffin 37, which is a little shorter but I am not sure if that resolves the issue.

1ciderdog · 08-04-2014, 10:27 PM

From my perspective a concern for a 40 plus RV is some states restrict motorhome above 40 feet on some roadways. I don't think you would have a problem with commercial RV parks but some state and federal parks do have lenth restrictions. As far as RV park fees I haven't noticed a difference in fees for spaces. (back when I was in a boat they would charge the higher of the boat length or the slip length. If you had a 25 foot boat in a 30 foot slip they would charge for the 30 foot and if you had a 25 foot boat ina 20 foot slip they would charge for the 25) Thank goodness RV parks has not copied that philosophy.

DieselTech39 · 08-04-2014, 10:43 PM

Glad you're aboard. Best of luck in your search and decision. Enjoy your adventures and be safe.

dons2346 · 08-04-2014, 11:09 PM

We went from a 36 to a 40 and I had planned to go to a 45. After spending 140,000 miles driving both coaches, I have decided that the 40 is probably the best length for a single axle coach. If you are going tag, then a 42 will make up for the lost storage in the basement. Cost of parking has never been an issue.

Stealth01 · 08-05-2014, 06:28 AM

We went from a 40' single axel to a 45' tag axel... Couldn't be happier! We do not attempt to get into state/national parks but rather find RV parks near them; we haven't had an issue in our first year of operation!!

smlranger · 08-05-2014, 06:39 AM

We went from a 36' to a 42' and have been traveling cross country since June. I would not want anything longer than what we have and we are enjoying the 42' coach... plenty of room and storage for us. We do not full time.

Medico · 08-05-2014, 06:44 AM

We have only gone about 8000 miles since going FT in our 45 foot coach. We have never found a significant problem finding a park. We do spend several months at our home base in Florida in the winter, but have visited many parks.

We have found that generally the older parks have more of a size problem for us. State Park campgrounds seem to have more problems than National Parks. We have not yet found a commercial park that could not accommodate us although a couple have been tight.

One resource we use is Big Rig Best Bets. The authors have visited every campground in the book. It is laid out by state and includes info on fuel stops and restaurants. The digital edition is updated regularly. We have the 2012 print edition and the 2013 digital edition.

Coma · 08-05-2014, 06:54 AM

The only thing that matters is what you want. While you will not be able to park in the smallest of campgrounds you will have a lovely stay wherever you are. Tow a vehicle to see the sights. Storage and amenities on the 45' that there is not room for on a smaller MH.

**TonyDi** · 08-05-2014, 07:05 AM

As some have pointed out you will have trouble in some of the smaller parks. However, you can always find a park near where you want to be that can get you in. I have a 43' and would have no qualms about going up to 45. If you are going to spend a lot of time on the road you will appreciate the size for storage, towing capacity, larger engine, and pure comfort.
There are several publication out there specific to "Big Rigs". These will make traveling and CG selection easier.

Best of luck with your choice and Happy Trails!!!!

hdossett · 08-05-2014, 07:11 AM

I may be wrong, I was wrong once before a long time ago, but isn't an RV limited to total number of square feet. I always thought the longer rigs had smaller slides and vice virsa to accommodate that limit! Just wondering what there is to gain with the Mega Long rigs? I had opposing slide envy once, but finally got over it! I understand floor plans, and storage access, but there has to be more than that!

I worked the campground at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in '01 and '05, don't remember seeing anything over 40' attempt to come in there!

Just curious!
H

336muffin · 08-05-2014, 07:18 AM

Lazy Days in Seffner, Fl. (Tampa) charges more if you are over 40ft! So far this is the only one I know of.

Clayobx · 08-05-2014, 07:25 AM

DW and I bought a 39' FW Excursion as our first coach. I was very nervous about driving the rig. But after several months and navigating the tiny streets of our tiny little town on the outer banks of NC. The learning curve was short. We traded to our present coach 43'6" and tag. Big difference in ease of handling and size. To answer Hodsset, our coach has three slides, one being approx. thirty feet. Lots of living space especially with our two large furry friends. We plan ahead and use big rigs publication. CG prices will vary whether overnight or resort destinations. Never an issue in the four years of travel. You'll always find a good CG close to a national or state park. If boon docking we have all the amenities! BTW WELCOME!!

Tireman1 · 08-05-2014, 07:51 PM

Big when you're driving small when you're parked. You will love a 45.

Medico · 08-06-2014, 03:52 AM

I have never heard of a maximum square footage. I do believe that 45 foot is the maximum length for a single vehicle. I believe the limit is how long the rig is and how much wall space the manufacturer believes can be cut away for slides while still maintaining the integrity of the base structure.

Bob Tiffin states he will never put a full wall slide into his coaches because it weakens the integrity of the wall. Most, if not all, 45 foot coaches have quad slides rather than 3 slides, I would suspect for this reason. Several manufacturers do put full wall slides in their 43 foot coaches, so who knows the truth.

A 45 foot coach will generally give in access of 400 sq. ft. I think however that you will find more storage space and the tag gives a much smoother ride in all the coaches I have driven when comparing 40 foot to 43 foot in the same coach.