Community Forums

Superslif · 02-15-2013, 06:53 PM

We ( myself) always wanted a 35' / 36' 5er...We camp 50 to 60 nights a year mostly at state parks in Ohio, Northwest & Southwestern PA., VT and national park campgrounds in the Smoky's & Shenandoah.

Started with a PUP which could get into any state park site. Then moved up to a 24' tt (hybrid) Still could get into 90% of the best sites at our favorite parks. Then a year ago bought a new 25' tt (hybrid). The new one has the wheels back a little further, but still with the shorter wheelbased tow vehicle we can get the nice sites at your favorite parks.

~ Ohio State Parks) Over-all most 36' 5ers wouldn't have any problems

~ VT. State Parks) Over-all most 36' 5ers would be OK at some, but at many there is no room at the inn.

~ NW. PA. State Parks Over-all most 36' 5ers would be fine except the more remote northern smaller / less used parks.

tuffr2 · 02-15-2013, 07:51 PM

You probably need to focus on full-timing 1st. Buy a unit that you could 'live in' then just stay at places it will fit.

If you are lucky you will find you can full time in a 28 ft. unit and won't have an issue.

But if you are like most of us you will need mid 30's to live in.

Hope you can find a unit you like and that will fit in most places.

Groovy · 02-17-2013, 02:15 PM

If you are thinking you will use this rig for F/T, you will want to get a big one (34' or more).

And in that case your rural camping may morph into boondocking. That is what happened to us -- started in National Forest campgrounds and state parks and soon saw the wisdom of simply camping on our own on public land where there's no noise from other campers and no restrictions on vehicle length, and stunning views you'll never find in a campground.

However, you could get a 30' unit for now, and then upgrade to a bigger unit at a later date once you've hit the road full-time. That's what we ended up doing and it worked out really well for us.

mamestra · 02-24-2013, 08:16 PM

We just finished a trip that started in Vancouver, BC travelled and spent 3 weeks in Newfoundland, proceeded down the east coast of the US into Texas and then came back to BC away for 8 months went into all kinds of campgrounds, we did this with a 39 foot Montana 3750 FL. We travel with a 120 lb German Shepherd so we do like the extra room. Michael

pops2 · 02-25-2013, 09:48 AM

Thanx for the sage advice as we have desided to get a keystone cougar 331MKS and am on the look for a 2011/2012 GMC 3500 diesel dually. I believe that this will be the best for us and we also travel with 3 dogs a rottwieler, a shepard/akita cross and a shih tzu. thanx all again.

jamvir · 02-25-2013, 04:41 PM

What length will fit in large part depends on what part of the country you will be camping in. I've heard (haven't been there yet so not first-had) that many of the campgrounds in Eastern U.S. have somewhat small sites. Here in MN most of the State Parks and many of the National Forest Campgrounds have sites large in to handle a 36' rig.

caissiel · 02-26-2013, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pops2

Thanx for the sage advice as we have desided to get a keystone cougar 331MKS and am on the look for a 2011/2012 GMC 3500 diesel dually. I believe that this will be the best for us and we also travel with 3 dogs a rottwieler, a shepard/akita cross and a shih tzu. thanx all again.

With a duelly you will regret the cougar. The storage capacity will be limited and the truck will not be loaded and possibly pound the cougar's hitch. They are 1/2 or 3/4 ton units. Go with a unit withe adequate basement storage like the dropframe models with plenty of bedroom height and closets.

troutslayer · 02-27-2013, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caissiel

With a duelly you will regret the cougar. The storage capacity will be limited and the truck will not be loaded and possibly pound the cougar's hitch. They are 1/2 or 3/4 ton units. Go with a unit withe adequate basement storage like the dropframe models with plenty of bedroom height and closets.

I respectfully disagree with your statement about a Cougar (particularly this Cougar) being a 1/2 ton unit. You may be right about the duelly part, I don't know, but the 331MKS is a 36' unit with over 12,000# GVWR plus a hitch weight of 1700#. Definitely not safe for a 1/2 TV. IMHO

WOODWORKER59 · 02-27-2013, 09:05 PM

Full timing with my wife and 60# golden retriever in a 36' 3 slides gets cramped at times. To save some money we joined some of the camping clubs, and stay longer in one place. We don't use state parks but recommend a unit as large as you feel comfortable towing. We have been in some tight places and slow and easy works every time.

montana4two · 02-28-2013, 10:18 AM

We are full-timers and have a Montana 3400RL (overall length 37.5ft)travelling to the US next winter. A lot of the RV parks that have any "character" seem to have smaller sites for both length and to accommodate 4 slides so we will boondock instead and not worry about space. In Alberta, a lot of our provincial parks cannot take the larger units either. We chose this unit because of the space and storage it gives us. We do not have the money, nor do we wish to stay in a KOA or the like. Just because our rig is larger, does not mean we have unlimited finances. We just choose our spots carefully after much research. The desert of Arizona sounds good to us. Good luck!