Quote:
Originally Posted by wantajustrid
Nice choice.
I've been looking at several new units myself with some practical experience with 5th wheels, and lots of experience with slide in truck campers.
These were some of the choices I was considering
AirStream TT 30' Classic or Flying Cloud ($$$$$$WOW! Not a 4 season unit)
Grand Design Possible TT or 5th
New Horizon (Limited selection on used units and new ones are cost prohibited)
Excel (Long and very heavy, limited used units available)
Arctic Fox
After owning a nice AF1140 TC w/slideout for about 3 years now. I really enjoy the comfort of a 4 season camper here in the 4 corners region of the US. And so far the build quality of the Northwood line has been pretty good. I was surprised how much storage a guy could get in a truck camper. And the 1140 doesn't dissappoint in that regard. But gosh the unit is heavy when its loaded and wet. Mine is sitting on a Dodge Ram 4500 60" CA 4X4 w/Cummins TD flatbed. And again, by utilizing a flatbed I have tons of room for the bulky camping items, placed along the sides of the camper which are enclosed with custom built side covers.
I was really looking at all the pros and cons of going back to a 5th wheel, but I'm getting stuck on size/length. And then throwing the fact that I need a good 4 season unit the field of choices starts to get thin.
Pulling and finding a place for a 30' unit is so much easier than one over 35'
I'd like to hear more from you Gordon on your reasons why you made the choice for the 27-5L as opposed to the 29-5T. And why 5th over AF's travel trailers?
I personally love the kitchen configuration of the 27 over the 29, but am a bit at a loss on how to add additional comfort seating in the 27.
Enjoy the new rig. Keep us posted on how you're loving the new trailer.
Jeff
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First. The 29-5T is roughly 34 feet long. My RV pad starts ramping down to street level at 37 feet from the back of the pad. Our old 07 Holliday Rambler motor home was 40 feet and barely fit on the pad. The 27-5L is just under 30 feet. When you add from the hitch of the truck forward, it's about 16 feet, so combined it's about 46 feet in length.
The RV pad is fenced with clamshell gates at the corner. While the 29-5T would fit on the flat part of the RV pad, I had a concern about hooking/unhooking with the truck at a steeper angle - not to mention that there is little maneuvering room.
As it turns out, I will still have to move the front fence out about 3 feet, just for additional wiggle room. Not a bit issue.
Second. My wife dislikes where the commode and sink are located. No one likes to feel hemmed in when cleaning up.
Third. TV is way forward in the living area from the chairs. We learned from our first 5er that while we don't watch TV that often, when we do, we would like to be able to see the TV without having an island or sink in the way - and just as important hear it.
Fourth. When you have everything loaded in the trailer, with a 5T would be close to 13,000 lbs. At that weight, I would prefer to tow with a dually.
Fifth. I am more comfortable backing the 27-5L up the 15 foot incline to the pad, then backing a trailer up it. I would not relish disconnecting a trailer on the flat of the pad and the truck with a nose down angle.
The 27-5L is actually a good size for the two of us and our two small Japanese Chin dogs. I had no issues with truck bed clearance, as there was plenty. No dragging the back and the rear stabilizer pins cleared the ramp and pad with plenty of space.
It would have been nice to have a King size bed, but, we sometimes have to make some compromises.
Overall, we found that the 27-5L has plenty of space.
A couple of modifications I have already made. I replaced the door stops to the bedroom and bathroom with magnetic door stops. I also added a Blu-Ray player which plays on the TV at 1080p and 29" Vizio sound bar. Next will be the Furrion 381556 FOS48TAPK-BL Wireless High-Speed RV Observation System .
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