Full Timing and RV Size/National Parks

[RMD3819]

My wife and I will be full timers next year.

The dream RV we want is a 42' tag axle, however the wife has been researching and states it won't fit into many/most National or State parks and therefore we need a smaller rig.

We really want a tag axle but these do not really exist in anything smaller than a 42'.

Thoughts? I really don't want to downsize the riots but the park restrictions have me wondering.

[Gordon Dewald]

I think you will be surprised at how many you will actually be able to fit into. Many were built when units were smaller. Some only have a few larger sites and I expect they advertise so they are not turning a lot of larger units away.

As well the rules were determined prior to the new shorter turning units. The new units will have up to a 60 degree steering cut. The tag axle models will have a very close wheelbase to a single axle. Thus a 42' tag will have a similar wheelbase to a 40'. I checked the WGO units on a Freightliner Chassis. The 42 is 3" longer than the 40 with the tag dumped.

Both will be able to get into the same site if the site is long enough.

IMO the few parks you will be unable to get into should not affect your camping life to any great extent.

[Selah]

That is somewhat a dilemma for us full timers. Yes there are many national a state parks that cannot accommodate anything bigger that about 35 foot, same with national forests. However there are always RV parks nearby that can handle big rigs. We have also found that parks that advertise 40 foot max can and will take your 42 foot. We have never called one of those parks that said they could not take or 42LH.
Remember that this is going to be your home for several years. Get the size and floor plan that you can live in and not just settle for what might fit in a few parks.

[paz]

Originally Posted by Selah

That is somewhat a dilemma for us full timers. Yes there are many national a state parks that cannot accommodate anything bigger that about 35 foot, same with national forests. However there are always RV parks nearby that can handle big rigs. We have also found that parks that advertise 40 foot max can and will take your 42 foot. We have never called one of those parks that said they could not take or 42LH.
Remember that this is going to be your home for several years. Get the size and floor plan that you can live in and not just settle for what might fit in a few parks.

X2 - buy what is comfortable for everyday living. You will be able to find a camping spot that can fit your rig - if not in the national park, then somewhere nearby.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

My wife and I will be full timers next year.



The dream RV we want is a 42' tag axle, however the wife has been researching and states it won't fit into many/most National or State parks and therefore we need a smaller rig.



We really want a tag axle but these do not really exist in anything smaller than a 42'.



Thoughts? I really don't want to downsize the riots but the park restrictions have me wondering.

If you are serious about full timing, don't go too small over a fear of a limitation. There are plenty of desirable places that motorhomes of any size can't go. We are 40' with a tag axle and I'm very happy. Would not go smaller. Our coach is our home 24/7/365. We have never, in 8 years full time, been disappointed because of some place we couldn't go.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

[missourijan]

X2 on what others said. There are many, many state parks you can fit into. You won't fit into most forest service campgrounds. If you don't fit into a national park cg, just park outside, there are lots outside every one. There are many COE campgrounds you can get in. Buy what you want, you can work with everything else

[twogypsies]

I believe Newmar makes a 40' tag now.

We full-timed with our 40' for 8 years and found no issues with fitting into public parks. However, we traveled mostly west of the Mississippi although we did some in the east and you'll have to do a little more research before you go.

We honestly fit wherever we planned by doing research beforehand. A couple times we had doubts but we just parked outside the park, disconnecting the towed Jeep and took it in to scout first.

95% of our campsites were in public parks - national parks, national forests, state parks, Corp of Engineers, county and city parks. We also did a lot of boondocking along gravel roads in beautiful settings. Again, if unsure we just drove the Jeep in to check first.

We stayed in many national parks - Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon and more. We also spent a summer in Alaska either boondocking or staying in public parks, including Denali.

I will say the 42' might limit you more than a 40' but you'll always have options. Good luck choosing!

[RMD3819]

Thanks for all the advice.

I'll check out the Newmar 40' tag.

[bruceisla]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

Thanks for all the advice.

I'll check out the Newmar 40' tag.

You are going to find the actual problem in many State Parks is the access road, low hanging branches, and trees in the way of slides ...

[Barbaraok]

We purposely kept our rig shorter because we thought that we would be staying in state/national parks - wrong decision. All most all of those parks have online reservation systems and by the second week in January they are all booked up for Thurs-Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Doesn't mean that there won't be empty spaces, there will be, but they will be reserved and often the people don't show up and so you get shut out of places. We do stay in Corps of Engineers parks, they aren't as busy and we can often get a place, though weekends is always hard. What we did is go with membership parks (we use them extensively), private parks, fairgrounds, city/county parks (these are usually small & delightful), etc. Don't get a rig based upon what you think you will be doing, because that is going to change once you get out and are exploring the country. Get a rig that fits you, that you are comfortable in. And as someone mentioned, even a 36 or 38 ft. will have problems in some of them because of the trees/roads/twists & turns, etc.

Barb

[Filthy-Beast]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

Thanks for all the advice.

I'll check out the Newmar 40' tag.

All current 40ft and above models of the Ventana and Dutch Star DP have tags.

[JFNM]

Hi RMD3819,

I concur with the answers you've already gotten (though I'm only 40'). The big/long spots here in the west are usually big enough for 40' and so I suspect 42'. The frustration that I experience is not KNOWING until I get there - I don't like that. The issues that have had a couple times are clearance getting in (trees) and the width of the spots - by the time you deploy the slides, some spots become pretty narrow. However; these are rare - 99% of the time I have no issues. I do spent a good bit of time performing recon in the Jeep.

If you are anything like me (you poor soul ), the problem with this line of thinking is that I could quickly have myself living in a 4x4 pickup slide-in camper so I could get into the really awesome (IMHO) places way out in the woods! I'm different than Steve - I like the boondocking spots way out in the middle of nowhere and getting a big DP into many of these spots is just a bit too risky for me.

Barb mentioned the reservation system. If someone is going to start a "write-in to the reservation system czar", count me in!! I REALLY do not like what exists. The wasted spaces, turning away people that are standing there wanting a spot, and the one night only rule - all ridiculous. It's probably a harder "thing" to manage than I can imagine but I sure don't care for what exists.

[wolfcreek]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

Thanks for all the advice.

I'll check out the Newmar 40' tag.

checking out a 40' Newmar is about all I could afford to do...

[ekim]

Here's another thing to consider.

A 40' tag will have less storage vs 40' single rear axle. So, you get more carrying capacity, but less room for your stuff. Kind of a catch 22 situation.