Best 5th wheel for full time

[consolenut]

Originally Posted by Justwinginit

I have 2016 forest river cardinal. 5 slides, very tall ceilings and front living room. Pretty sure it's 43' long. I live full time in it. Been 4 yrs now. Love the lifestyle. Own lot in tampa fl and winter there. My walls are 2" thick and so are most. Very hard to heat or cool. If it's 40° out. Furnace runs all night. If it's 95° out both airs run all day on high blower and inside is 80°. Just installed 3rd air to solve that problem. DRV by mobile suites has 3 1/4" walls. Wish I'd bought that one instead of the poorly designed one I bought.

what you speak of are they many reasons i posted the brands i mentioned. they dont do what yours does. Fleetwood prowler blah. a sweatbox! didnt know anything. Stepped up to a Carriage carri lite pretty good. Newmar Kountry aire quite a bit bigger still 2 slides. Much much better. 33 up to 39. and now Teton 45' best yet ive owned. each one a suttle upgrade the summers got cooler and the winter warmer. Also expenses to heat & cool got a lot cheaper in the process. Furnaces dont run all night even in single digits. AC units shut off at 70 in the high humidity 100 degree summer swelter. It speaks for itself. Rig build definite for me over bling any day. Some may say why not new. Well im sitting inside and cool and your sitting outside because its cooler outside then IN. only my opinion.

[Hatchee]

Absolutely nothing wrong with living full time in a Montana. Wife, me and 2 dogs have spent 4 months each year for the last 3 years in a 3400RL Montana. We do spend a lot of our time outdoors and have never felt cramped.

[Chris n Erin]

Originally Posted by 1maddog

I am looking at getting a 5th wheel next year. I am looking at a Montana 3810. What do you think of it and also is there something out there that would be better for full time living?

Please help me decide

We have been full timing for a year and a half now on our 2018 Grand Design Reflection 311BHS and we love it. If you have kids, you may want to look at it. As far as the Montana’s, though are some nice rigs in my opinion. I have seen folks full timing in those and they are nice! We were looking at the Montana’s as well when we were shopping. I would suggest you steer clear from anything made by Forest River.

Happy Hunting,
Chris

[1maddog]

Originally Posted by spdracr39

You can full time in anything. You don't need a 100,000 dollar plus DRV or LUXE. Having wheels allows you to move to weather that is acceptable for whatever RV you have chosen to live in. You haven't said whether you are full timing fixed or travelling but that is key to your choice. Give a little more information on how you will be using the RV and what you like about the Montana you are considering and maybe you can get some useful responses.

Thank you. Even though we are full timing, we would not stay in 1 place long. We want to visit every state and all of Canada.

[LAKnox]

Originally Posted by 1maddog

Thank you. Even though we are full timing, we would not stay in 1 place long. We want to visit every state and all of Canada.

Since you're going to be moving a lot, then you really need to concentrate on the running gear. Might want to look around at some nice used rigs that have had a disk brake conversion and/or a MorRyde IS installed. I know some of the higher-end big FWs are now coming with a disk brake option from the factory, though.

Lyle

[Pyropete]

If you are soloing and a man it really wont make a difference. If you have a lady traveling with you I would go for ones with "winter packages" on it.

[carolanded]

Originally Posted by 1maddog

I am looking at getting a 5th wheel next year. I am looking at a Montana 3810. What do you think of it and also is there something out there that would be better for full time living?

Please help me decide

We just purchased a 2020 DRV mobile suites Houston 44. We traded in our 2015 forest river Cardinal. Got tired of the problems. We had a Carriage and a Brookstone in the past. We don’t full-time, but figured this would probably be our last RV and decided to just get what we had wanted all along. The bottom line was the 3 1/4 inch walls, the independent suspension and three axles, And three ACs.Was in Vegas last month when it hit 108 and the wallpaper in our cardinal started to bubble on the west side of the trailer where the sun was. Two ACs couldn’t keep up And we had to leave. We could full-time in the mobile suites as we wanted and if we end up having to sell it we figure it might hold it’s value more than others.

[bigdadof5]

Personally we live FT in a Jayco 36 Fbts. Do a fair amount of traveling been in some colder then we are use to weather and it has held up well so far.

Now we have not been in feet of snow or anything but being retired i can move if i don't like what i am seeing coming our way.
What ever you get go out and enjoy it. Safe travels

[Pyropete]

Originally Posted by bigdadof5

Personally we live FT in a Jayco 36 Fbts. Do a fair amount of traveling been in some colder then we are use to weather and it has held up well so far.

Now we have not been in feet of snow or anything but being retired i can move if i don't like what i am seeing coming our way.
What ever you get go out and enjoy it. Safe travels

Exactly. When I am ready to go full time on my own 5th wheel then my first caveat is going to be the floorplan. Front living space is 100% needed. Then it will be solar ready and then everything else. I was looking at moving my solar panel/batteries from my shop to the 5th wheel I was going to purchase before selling my house. Then the rest is just luxuries to me, although I would want to be electric and not propane so I guess that would be a must too.

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by 1maddog

Thank you. Even though we are full timing, we would not stay in 1 place long. We want to visit every state and all of Canada.

You haven't provided much information for people to make an educated recommendation with. Budget, Tow Vehicle capability, Are you going to move south or southwest for winter and north for summer? how long do you plan to keep this unit? Montana is fine if you're going to avoid climate extremes, some are heavy and do you have the Tow Vehicle for it? They are not the best built units on the market and popularity has nothing to do with quality in the RV industry. If you are buying new in the 38+ feet range a good full time unit will run you about $80K to $110K unless you go for a New Horizon or higher end DRV then you're well up there both in price and quality for full time living. The more information provided will yield better quality feedback.

[Supercharged]

I just bougfht a 2020 Riverstone Legacy 38RE and am in Ohio. It has been really chilly high 30's here at nights and we use the electric fireplace in the living room and bedroom and have not had to use the furnace yet and my wife is always cold and she has not been cold yet.It is a wide body and 3 1/4" walls also. It is very well insulated and is built on the same frame as a DRV but alot less money. It has solar power on the roof,lp generator in the front(For emergencies) washer & dryer in the front closet, dish washer and wine cooler in kitchen, 3 a/c units, 60" tv in living room,outside and bedroom tv also and most important it has the full body paint with 4 coates of clear (easy maintenance} and covers on all 5 slides a must have. Couches Rv Nation sells these at wholesale prices here in Ohio.Check these out for full timing. I could live full time in this one and the wife has everything she would ever need also. Alot of storage outside also.

[tuffr2]

I looked at and was impressed with the Forest River Riverstone. They can be had for 80k after discounted from MSRP. They are heavy like DRV and need a dually truck.

I think that have standard disc brakes which is a nice to have feature. Plus everything mentioned in the above post.

[freestyle_freddy]

Here's my 2 cents worth based on 10 years of fulltime travel to every state more than once & Alaska twice. We spent a full year looking at over 150 different fifth wheels before deciding. Based on our finances, we decided we would buy a high quality unit that would last us for 20 years & about 200,000 miles of actual fifth wheel miles as opposed to just sitting in 2 or 3 spots per year. Early in our search we talked to a number of fulltimers who had bought cheaper units (2 or 3 of them had bought Montanas) & most of them were looking to replace or had already replaced their original units after 3-5 years because the cheaper units were wearing out. Things like plumbing failing, drawers & cabinets warping or falling apart, fixtures failing, walls cracking, carpeting wearing out. All of these things didn't happen to each person I talked to, but each person had enough problems that they felt the need to upgrade to a new unit. As a general rule, fifth wheels over 34 ft that sell for under $100,000 aren't designed to be true four season & full time rvs. They're designed to be used a few times per year as a vacation unit. If you plan to travel a lot of miles, you will need a high quality rv designed for real full time rv travel. One of several that meet that criteria & the one we chose, is New Horizons RV in Junction City, KS. They build just for full timers & can customize your unit. They have no dealers; you buy directly from them.
We have put about 150,000 miles on our 34ft 5er & expect to get another 10 years & another 100,000 miles out of it easily. Alaska trips tend to be quite hard on rvs & ours has survived 2 trips in fine shape.
Take your time, do a lot of research, based on how you plan to use the 5er, talk to as many people as possible that own the brands you're looking at & consider the idea of spending more on a quality fulltime unit upfront, so you won't have to deal with a lot of frustration in repairs or replacement down the road. Good luck.

[Pyropete]

Originally Posted by freestyle_freddy

Here's my 2 cents worth based on 10 years of fulltime travel to every state more than once & Alaska twice. We spent a full year looking at over 150 different fifth wheels before deciding. Based on our finances, we decided we would buy a high quality unit that would last us for 20 years & about 200,000 miles of actual fifth wheel miles as opposed to just sitting in 2 or 3 spots per year. Early in our search we talked to a number of fulltimers who had bought cheaper units (2 or 3 of them had bought Montanas) & most of them were looking to replace or had already replaced their original units after 3-5 years because the cheaper units were wearing out. Things like plumbing failing, drawers & cabinets warping or falling apart, fixtures failing, walls cracking, carpeting wearing out. All of these things didn't happen to each person I talked to, but each person had enough problems that they felt the need to upgrade to a new unit. As a general rule, fifth wheels over 34 ft that sell for under $100,000 aren't designed to be true four season & full time rvs. They're designed to be used a few times per year as a vacation unit. If you plan to travel a lot of miles, you will need a high quality rv designed for real full time rv travel. One of several that meet that criteria & the one we chose, is New Horizons RV in Junction City, KS. They build just for full timers & can customize your unit. They have no dealers; you buy directly from them.
We have put about 150,000 miles on our 34ft 5er & expect to get another 10 years & another 100,000 miles out of it easily. Alaska trips tend to be quite hard on rvs & ours has survived 2 trips in fine shape.
Take your time, do a lot of research, based on how you plan to use the 5er, talk to as many people as possible that own the brands you're looking at & consider the idea of spending more on a quality fulltime unit upfront, so you won't have to deal with a lot of frustration in repairs or replacement down the road. Good luck.

Thanks or that. The longest I have been out is about 14 days in a Montana. My buddy has one and he lets me use a lot. Or we go together. Montana was perfect for me (it's a 2015 front living space). He hasn't done the same things I was going to do to mine once I buy, but I was looking at getting a cheaper one like a to make sure this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I had dreamed about this since I was 8 years old so I will probably love it and do love the short excursions I take by myself or with friend.

The first one I was looking at was a Keystone Cougar. They are cheap, and they have the floor plan I like. I can get a used one for 30k.. From there I will probably be out for a year or so and then purchase a new one of higher quality after a year. Was going to pay cash for the used one so I will have a decent downpayment on the higher quality rig after selling the cougar.