Choosing a 5th wheel RV size

[NanaGee63]

My husband and I are nearing retirement and are planning to purchase a 5th wheel to begin the full-time RV life. We are debating on the length trying to figure out ultimate comfort, but also with ease of choosing smaller campgrounds such as state and national parks. Any advice is welcome!

[Old-Biscuit]

We looked at 25'....figured too small especially on a windy/stormy day
Settled on a 34' with 3 slides.
Worked out to be perfect size for us...

We traveled FT for 7yrs.....and used a LOT of different CGs
State/National/COE were some of the best
Public CGs...some sites were small but we fit
Boondocking/Fairgrounds....wide open

[Nwcid]

That is a highly personal idea.

In most cases under 40' will get you into the majority of campgrounds.

I my area if you can not fit your 40' unit, you are unlikely to fit anything larger than roughly 25'. I know this varies all over. I do not now as much as others since we rarely stay in campgrounds.

I know of lots of people that full time in very small units however I personally would not want to do it in anything less then about 36'. It all depends on how you want to live and what you want to bring with you.

[cfowler55]

I think we could live fairly comfortable in our 35 footer. It’s a really good floor plan for couples. At first it was pretty much a GD plan but several others now make a very similar one. Montana has one almost identical , with I believe more cargo capacity. A little over 3 weeks is the longest we’ve been out in it , but ended up using less than half what we took. I realize full time is a different animal than 3-4 weeks , but I feel like it would work for us.
Good luck , Charlie

[MSHappyCampers]

We pulled a 36' 5th wheel for 10 years before getting the MH, and we loved it! In fact, we waited 6 months to sell it after buying the MH because we wanted to be sure we had made the right choice!

[John.W]

My wife and I are retired and frequently take 2-3 month trips in our 33' 5th wheel. I think if we were considering full time living I would get one large enough to have a washer/dryer combination. We have friends who have a 35' 5th wheel that have a washer/dryer combo who do OK with that length.

[Cumminsfan]

If I were to go FT I'd opt for a motorhome and a small toad. As much as I don't mind driving my 3500 SRW as a 2nd vehicle and just a weekend warrior type. I wouldn't want to have to drive a 3500/350 LB everywhere everyday. Going to work everyday isn't the same as pulling into a packed tight spaced tourist parking lot.
If you go too big on the 5er you'll need a DRW.
Driving a LB SRW around crowded NP's and other busy CG's is a task in it's own.
Having a MH as a base and a small vehicle to site see would be the best of both worlds.

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

If I were to go FT I'd opt for a motorhome and a small toad. As much as I don't mind driving my 3500 SRW as a 2nd vehicle and just a weekend warrior type. I wouldn't want to have to drive a 3500/350 LB everywhere everyday. Going to work everyday isn't the same as pulling into a packed tight spaced tourist parking lot.
If you go too big on the 5er you'll need a DRW.
Driving a LB SRW around crowded NP's and other busy CG's is a task in it's own.
Having a MH as a base and a small vehicle to site see would be the best of both worlds.

We (her or me) do not find it a chore or issue at all
3500 SRW Quad Cab Longbed
Yes it is 20.6' long bumper to bumper
Yes it has a 160.5" wheel base

And we drive it everywhere w/o issue

We don't fold up/be comfortable in a 'small car' not do we like MHs

Choices........ain't life grand

[tuffr2]

I would want a 5th wheel with at least 3 slides with opposing slides in the living area. I have seen 34' 5th wheels that I think are in the sweet spot.

[RAMer-Jammer]

My wife and I just went through this same exercise over the past eight months. We started out thinking a Class C motorhome would be our solution, but after looking at and driving some, we decided that a 5th wheel was a better fit for us, for the better "driving cabin" experience of a truck vs. the creaking and rattling of a motorhome.

Then we worked our way through the 5th wheel sizes from 25' through 38', and found our "happy place" to be at about 34', where a SRW truck is plenty adequate and floorpans fit our needs well. As we go bigger, we would need a DRW truck, which we can't fit in our garage, and smaller just sacrifices comforts and features we wanted to have. At 34', I think we are better suited to fit into a lot of campgrounds that larger units couldn't stay in as well.

[JDT]

We wanted to stay under 38 feet as one of our go to campgrounds in Colorado has a 38 foot length limit. It seems longer is better in the rv world but we found a number of choices. At 36' 6" overall length our Pinnacle is spacious enough to keep the claustrophobia at bay and has enough storage for our sometimes month long trips. It is also a good match for our single rear wheel truck. There were others in that length range we liked but found the Pinnacle to be the best match for us. So, you have plenty of options as most manufacturers have offerings in a length range that will probably work for you.

[bddadles]

We have been FT for 11 years in our 35' FW. We have not felt cramped and have been quite comfortable. The washer runs most days since we have 3 small dogs.

[kdauto]

Good luck in your quest. I hope that you at least have a moderate amount of camping/RV experience?

You will need to determine what style camping and traveling you intend. If you like off-grid as we do, and want to get deep into trails, unmarked roads and such you may as well scratch off anything 36' and over and 15 000lbs and over. If you prefer trailer parks with full hookups pretty much anything goes.

Longest stretch we've done so far is 6 weeks straight as we're both still working. You can determine what'll work or not in that time period. Ours is listed as a 29' but is 32' overall end to end. With 3 decent slides, a split water closet/shower area and tons of storage we could probably full-time in it. I'd say an extra 2 feet would be better. It allows us to do almost anything, offroad, woods (within reason), mountains. I don't think we could do what WE like with much more than 34' overall. It's all a preference thing.

I'd like to say that besides the length issue, you'll need to evaluate a LOT of other more important stuff. For full-timing, I'd recommend you stay away from anything bearing the "lite" or "ultralite" in the name or description. A sturdy and durable rig will be heavy and it will cost much more. I'd recommend a few things like lots of water capacity, extra load tires for the weight it is, extra battery storage and a fridge that matches your camping needs.

[Rhagfo]

We full time in a 32’ 5th wheel, about as small as I would want, we have looked and seems 34’ to 36’ for us would be perfect.