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Old 11-17-2016, 09:26 PM   #15
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Smaller is always better. Decide honestly where you want to go, what are required amenities then find smallest RV that provides them.
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Old 11-18-2016, 12:38 AM   #16
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Smaller is always better. Decide honestly where you want to go, what are required amenities then find smallest RV that provides them.
Meanwhile I feel just the opposite, so it all comes back to opinion again.



I would have to echo the sentiment of a previous poster who pointed out the issue with access over site length. At 38' (probably a bit longer in real length) I've never stayed in a site that couldn't accommodate my rig. I have stayed in parks where the roads in were very sketchy for a larger rig, as well as some parks where getting around in the park was quite difficult. When we went to Sequoia the road we took had a 25' limit, and for good reason. Not that it mattered to us, as we usually stay at a KOA or such near whatever park we are visiting. It is definitely the main difference for me between a small rig around 24-30' vs a large DP.
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Old 11-19-2016, 02:45 AM   #17
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Our Holiday Rambler Endeavor 43DFT measuring a hair over 44 feet. In the 2 years we've had it - we have learned that yes, we must be a little more diligent about planning for our length. When dealing with parks that weren't designed to accommodate "big rigs" - the number of sites that we can fit on are typically a fraction of the total # of sites in the pack. We have found in a few instances that a park we're trying to get into simply can't accommodate us. That said however, we've NEVER failed to find accommodations.

Driving a large(r) coach is a lot like being left handed. There are some things that can be more difficult - BUT, that you quickly learn what those things are - and quickly learn to deal with them. We've learned to explicitly mention our size whenever we talk to an RV park - and to ensue that they understand our space requirements. When we've planning something that demands we stay in a specific park ... we make sure we reserve early, to increase the likelihood of being able to find a spot that fits us.

In the end - the challenges won't stop you from doing what you want to do - and rarely will you ever find yourself saying - gee, I hate having this extra living space!!!!
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Old 11-19-2016, 02:53 PM   #18
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Our mindset was to find the smallest RV with the biggest diesel engine, for a certain price point. It didn't work. The part that didn't work, was that smaller diesel RVs are in demand, and demand a premium price. So, we started looking at 40 footers for the same price point, and wow, quite the inventory out there. Our choice, after looking at a lot, was between a 2003 Dutch Star and a 2004 Winnebago Vectra. The Winnebago won out, much better kitchen layout I was told~! However, I like it too. The Vectra has two slides for kitchen/living area versus one on the Dutch Star. Amazing amount of space is created with two. I haven't had one problem with driving nor parking the big beast. One has to be careful too with 40 footers, they are taller!
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Old 11-19-2016, 03:13 PM   #19
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The timing on this post could not have been better for us. We are just now getting ready for full timing and even though we really like our coach, it's just too small at 35' and only two slides to make it a full time home. (2006 Monaco LaPalma DP) We've been talking to as many owners of 40 to 45 foot DP's and as expected, opinions vary. Quality construction and reliability are on the top of our list. Now, here's the problem. We pull a 24' enclosed trailer that holds all of our toys and a Ford Transit Connect van. At 24' not counting about 4' tongue length, added to say, a 43' DP, we're at 67' which is really pushing the length limits any state allows for an RV/trailer combination. I have a CDL, so license class is not an issue. I've seen the 45' Prevoust with the matching 30' double stacker trailer and they have to be over 75' in length. Where on earth do they stay? We often take trips to areas that our 35' rv and trailer just get through. So, other than fitting in an RV park, how have you managed on roads certainly not built for huge RV's where that's the only roads leading to the RV place you want to stay at?
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Old 11-19-2016, 04:36 PM   #20
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The timing on this post could not have been better for us. We are just now getting ready for full timing and even though we really like our coach, it's just too small at 35' and only two slides to make it a full time home. (2006 Monaco LaPalma DP) We've been talking to as many owners of 40 to 45 foot DP's and as expected, opinions vary. Quality construction and reliability are on the top of our list. Now, here's the problem. We pull a 24' enclosed trailer that holds all of our toys and a Ford Transit Connect van. At 24' not counting about 4' tongue length, added to say, a 43' DP, we're at 67' which is really pushing the length limits any state allows for an RV/trailer combination. I have a CDL, so license class is not an issue. I've seen the 45' Prevoust with the matching 30' double stacker trailer and they have to be over 75' in length. Where on earth do they stay? We often take trips to areas that our 35' rv and trailer just get through. So, other than fitting in an RV park, how have you managed on roads certainly not built for huge RV's where that's the only roads leading to the RV place you want to stay at?

We wife and I are just completing our tenth year full time. We bought our 40', 3 slide coach at 3 years of age, moved into it a year later and are still very happy with our choice. We have been to Alaska and coveted most of the country and have never felt limited because of size.
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Old 11-19-2016, 04:41 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by rick.rutel View Post
The timing on this post could not have been better for us. We are just now getting ready for full timing and even though we really like our coach, it's just too small at 35' and only two slides to make it a full time home. (2006 Monaco LaPalma DP) We've been talking to as many owners of 40 to 45 foot DP's and as expected, opinions vary. Quality construction and reliability are on the top of our list. Now, here's the problem. We pull a 24' enclosed trailer that holds all of our toys and a Ford Transit Connect van. At 24' not counting about 4' tongue length, added to say, a 43' DP, we're at 67' which is really pushing the length limits any state allows for an RV/trailer combination. I have a CDL, so license class is not an issue. I've seen the 45' Prevoust with the matching 30' double stacker trailer and they have to be over 75' in length. Where on earth do they stay? We often take trips to areas that our 35' rv and trailer just get through. So, other than fitting in an RV park, how have you managed on roads certainly not built for huge RV's where that's the only roads leading to the RV place you want to stay at?

We wife and I are just completing our tenth year full time. We bought our 40', 3 slide coach at 3 years of age, moved into it a year later and are still very happy with our choice. We have been to Alaska and coveted most of the country and have never felt limited because of size.
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Old 11-19-2016, 04:42 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by rick.rutel View Post
The timing on this post could not have been better for us. We are just now getting ready for full timing and even though we really like our coach, it's just too small at 35' and only two slides to make it a full time home. (2006 Monaco LaPalma DP) We've been talking to as many owners of 40 to 45 foot DP's and as expected, opinions vary. Quality construction and reliability are on the top of our list. Now, here's the problem. We pull a 24' enclosed trailer that holds all of our toys and a Ford Transit Connect van. At 24' not counting about 4' tongue length, added to say, a 43' DP, we're at 67' which is really pushing the length limits any state allows for an RV/trailer combination. I have a CDL, so license class is not an issue. I've seen the 45' Prevoust with the matching 30' double stacker trailer and they have to be over 75' in length. Where on earth do they stay? We often take trips to areas that our 35' rv and trailer just get through. So, other than fitting in an RV park, how have you managed on roads certainly not built for huge RV's where that's the only roads leading to the RV place you want to stay at?

We wife and I are just completing our tenth year full time. We bought our 40', 3 slide coach at 3 years of age, moved into it a year later and are still very happy with our choice. We have been to Alaska and covered most of the country and have never felt limited because of size.
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Old 11-20-2016, 09:39 AM   #23
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We are 42 ft, and have had zero problems anywhere, even in California. Have we been in some tight sights, sure, but no way I would go back to a smaller rig.

One of the things we have learned is that our size is whatever we need it to be. For example when we staying in Grand Canyon, there was a 35ft limit, so we said we were 35ft, and we stayed for a week with zero problems. Stayed in Huntington Beach for 2 days with a super small size limit like 30ft, which I don't recall what it actually was, but we fit just fine there as well.

Buy the rig you want, don't let silly size limitations effect your choice, it will all work out in the end.

Good Luck!
That is too funny, as we change the size of our coach based limits to get into many sites. We are really good and moving our MH in and out of really tight spaces so it is never an issue for us. We always look at the sites we really like for future visits and tell them what they want to hear.

I am not saying that if the site truly on holds a 26 foot MH that I would squeeze in leaving my MH to hang out in the street. They usually place limits that would preclude us from using sites that we can clearly see our MH would fit and still leave room for our car.
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