Community Forums

climbviasid · 06-25-2016, 11:37 PM

Hi. The wife, 3 year old and I are about to go full time in a 5th wheel. I use to own a small travel trailer but am new to this segment. The search has been overwhelming and I am learning a lot. I am in search of a 5th wheel with a bunkhouse set up so my daughter can have a little bit of her own space. I spend hours just clicking through tons of ads with just fold out couches etc. Any suggestions for good two bedroomish bunkhouse models or good ways to narrow my search besides clicking through hundreds of ads. I would like to be in the 25-50k range. Thanks for any guidance

Bamaman · 06-26-2016, 05:25 AM

I bought a 2015 Grand Design Reflection 323BHS bunk house fifth wheel. At 11k lbs. dry and 2K lb. kingpin weight, it's towable by a 3/4 ton truck properly equipped. The quality if really good, and the company is incredibly customer driven. And we love the outside kitchen with gas grill, fridge, sink & microwave.

Many of the bunk house models are 41' and 15k in weight. And they'll have an extra 1/2 bath. They're just a little to heavy and difficult to deal with.

I love the privacy of the bunk room, since my wife and I have completely different tastes in television and we keep different sleeping hours.

Larry Mac01 · 06-26-2016, 11:04 AM

I am on the same hunt. Perhaps I can give you some ideas? What TV do you plan to use? I will need more room than you ( so I guess not on the same hunt) As I am looking bigger than you but have seen many all shapes and sizes the past 3-4 months.

Larry Mac01 · 06-26-2016, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman

I bought a 2015 Grand Design Reflection 323BHS bunk house fifth wheel. At 11k lbs. dry and 2K lb. kingpin weight, it's towable by a 3/4 ton truck properly equipped. The quality if really good, and the company is incredibly customer driven. And we love the outside kitchen with gas grill, fridge, sink & microwave.

Many of the bunk house models are 41' and 15k in weight. And they'll have an extra 1/2 bath. They're just a little to heavy and difficult to deal with.

I love the privacy of the bunk room, since my wife and I have completely different tastes in television and we keep different sleeping hours.

Did you look at Jayco Eagle HT.
Here's one that is 35' with a max wt of 11k.
Bunkhouse plus dinette and couch that will turn into a bed. You should be able to get for
Mid 30's. ( and of course a queen bed)

climbviasid · 06-26-2016, 10:17 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I have not bought a TV yet as I was wanting to see what I need but I would like to be able to pull it with a F250 crew cab V8. I recently learned of the short bed issue etc so I am researching how best to handle that. I want the smallest truck possible for driving around yet want to comfortably tow the 5th wheel. Have my cake and eat it too I guess!

0rion · 06-26-2016, 10:26 PM

check out the KZ Durango 5ers too.....I have a kz spree 5er and we love it. See a lot of the durango's on the road too.

http://www.kz-rv.com/products/durang...s/D292BHT.html

chertz · 06-27-2016, 04:18 AM

We absolutely love our Coachman Chaparral 360IBL... check it out... was a perfect layout for us

Airmech · 06-27-2016, 06:35 AM

We have been looking at the Sandpiper/Sierra series and they have several mid bunk floorplan options. It's a larger 5ver but you would have lots of room and so would your daughter. I dont know if a 3/4 would work you might have to tow with a 1 ton srw for payload capacity.

Bamaman · 06-27-2016, 09:31 AM

Unless your F250 V8 is a diesel, you may need to reconsider such a large fiver.

I wouldn't think of towing anything over 10K with a gasser. Preferably much less weight.

Airmech · 06-27-2016, 10:04 AM

If this is for full time use I would want more interior space in case your stuck inside due to bad weather. Also more storage for everything that you have to keep with you. Thats going to make the camper heavier than just the normal weekend warrior. So you might want a 1ton for the payload capacity. It all depends on the rv you choose but do remember you will be loading on the heavy side for full time use.

Army Nurse · 07-06-2016, 08:41 PM

We went with a Montana High Country 340BH last year. It's about 13k fully loaded with gear, so I upgraded my 3/4 ton to a DRW Ran 3500 after buying our Montana. It pulls the trailer nicely.

climbviasid · 07-11-2016, 06:21 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I think we are going to go with A Crossroads Rezerve 31BH or 36DB. My big holdup is the TV issue. The 31 is only 8356 empty and gvwr of 11696 while the 36db is 10666 with a gvwr 13838. This may be the wrong forum for this but it looks like I could get away with a 3/4 for the 31 but would need to upgrade to a 1 ton for the 36??? The price difference is only 5k for the 5ers so I will spend what I need to on the TV to be safe but don't want to overbuy if I don't have to

Airmech · 07-11-2016, 06:27 PM

Also look at payload and hitch weight. You could be under the gross weight for a 3/4 ton, but end up well over payload. Not trying to be the weight police, but the less stress on the TV, the longer it will last. Proved that with my first car. Didn't over load it, just a bad driver at first.

gtsum2 · 07-11-2016, 07:06 PM

Get the floor plan you like and then get the truck. I have a 13k empty, 16500 loaded th and tow with a 2914 ram 3500 srw...I'm at max limits (gvwr, cgvwr, rear axle). Soon many 3/4 tons out there running around with air bags towing 13-16k and bigger toy haulers, but they are seriously over their rated weight limits. Your call