Community Forums

Gearjunkie · 07-11-2021, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hclarkx

X2!! We have a 30' fifth wheel and too often our length rules out destinations. With even remote nondescript campgrounds now going on the reservation system, longer sites go quickly so you have to make reservations very early (this usually means 6 months ahead) if you have a long rig.

So, it depends .... on where you will camp. RV parks ... no problem. State Parks and National Parks and similar ... the shorter the better.

We do most of our camping in similar parks.

I was considering the longer unit for off season camping when we might spend more time inside when it's cold outside.

Also we thought we might want to spend more time in the southern states during winter. So if we are living in it for a couple of months at a time, a longer unit might be more comfortable.

Bigfin · 07-11-2021, 07:11 AM

Our TT is 25’ long and we would not want a longer unit. We don’t much care for Commercial RV parks, really enjoy state and national parks l and can often find space where a longer trailer would not fit. Dry camping is freedom to us!

tpaul · 07-11-2021, 08:09 PM

With your TV I think you would be fine towing anything in that range. Have you looked at OutdoorsRV? Realize that when they give the length in ft. it is the length of the box, not from hitch to bumper. Could be a little heavy for your cargo capacity or GVWR.

https://www.outdoorsrvmfg.com/mounta...es-floorplans/

Personally having had longer trailers and a 30ft MH I like the length of our current 24 ft. trailer. Easy to tow and to maneuver even at regular gas stations that aren't set up for RVs. And we don't really live in our trailer. Eat meals and sleep. The rest of the time we are out hiking, biking or sightseeing. And as others have mentioned we don't struggle much to find places to park. So I guess it comes down to what you are going the use it for.

garywilson · 07-12-2021, 12:22 AM

I too wanted to buy our last trailer first and managed to do so (I hope). Nine years later I wouldn't trade for it.

When I retired I wanted a trailer no longer that 27' (so it would fit in most areas), entry door between the bed and kitchen (fire), and an outside kitchen.

I ended up with a Prime Time Tracer owned by Forest River that is 25' 2". They still have several that are 25-27' long although I have no clue on availability in the current RV market.

No regrets, no issues, routine maintenance/repairs.

There have been several places (parks and boondocking, remote, etc) that we could not have fit a larger trailer into. Trips are usually several short ones during the year and one that is 5-6 weeks. No problem on space for us.

Gearjunkie · 07-12-2021, 06:58 AM

Thank you all very much for you input!

At one point we were convinced the 26' would be our best choice.

There is a shortage of TT's in Canada, specifically the model we are interested in. Then we saw a 30' for almost the same price, in stock, so of course it was very appealing.
After everyone reminding me why we chose the shorter one in the first place, I think we'll stick with that model and wait for one to be in stock.

Dave Pelletier · 07-12-2021, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gearjunkie

Thank you all very much for you input!

At one point we were convinced the 26' would be our best choice.

There is a shortage of TT's in Canada, specifically the model we are interested in. Then we saw a 30' for almost the same price, in stock, so of course it was very appealing.
After everyone reminding me why we chose the shorter one in the first place, I think we'll stick with that model and wait for one to be in stock.

That's what I'd do; "best" is always subjective with RV's but I always say, go as small as the wife will allow! LOL

I think people have a tendency to go too big most of the time; sometimes less IS more.

Dave

scbwr · 07-12-2021, 02:25 PM

We had a 28' travel trailer for 10 years and didn't have a problem finding sites in a variety of different campgrounds. If I were still using a travel trailer, I wouldn't be too concerned about a 30 foot trailer, but would consider going with a fifth wheel instead to reduce the overall towing length.

Marine359 · 07-12-2021, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gearjunkie

Thank you all very much for you input!

At one point we were convinced the 26' would be our best choice.

There is a shortage of TT's in Canada, specifically the model we are interested in. Then we saw a 30' for almost the same price, in stock, so of course it was very appealing.
After everyone reminding me why we chose the shorter one in the first place, I think we'll stick with that model and wait for one to be in stock.

Gearjunkie,
Please keep in mind that the difference in tongue weight between a 26ft and 30ft trailer can be as much as 400lbs. Your tow vehicle, as most half tons, will be at or near the limit of its payload capacity even at 26ft. I would highly recommend you calculate total carry weight, including tongue weight and hitch weight to determine whether you can handle anything longer than 26ft. My guess is that you’ll exceed your trucks RAWR and maybe it’s GVWR if you go over 26ft. Don’t forget to include the weight of the people riding in the truck, and use 12-15% of trailer GVWR for tongue weight. Good luck!

Dave Pelletier · 07-12-2021, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine359

Gearjunkie,
Please keep in mind that the difference in tongue weight between a 26ft and 30ft trailer can be as much as 400lbs. Your tow vehicle, as most half tons, will be at or near the limit of its payload capacity even at 26ft. I would highly recommend you calculate total carry weight, including tongue weight and hitch weight to determine whether you can handle anything longer than 26ft. My guess is that you’ll exceed your trucks RAWR and maybe it’s GVWR if you go over 26ft. Don’t forget to include the weight of the people riding in the truck, and use 12-15% of trailer GVWR for tongue weight. Good luck!

X2

Dave

Seon · 07-12-2021, 07:50 PM

I have a 28' ball to bumper and often times wished I bought a 24'er but had to please the wife wanting the slide and island bed. It barely fits in our favorite Pinecrest, CA State campsite and difficult to make very tight turns exiting the CG when other TV are protruding into the road.

So the adage "Happy wife is a happy life" has worked for me after 56 yrs of marriage.

Nwcid · 07-12-2021, 08:01 PM

There have been a ton of good points on here.

I can only think of a couple of reasons to stay short:
The places you really want to stay will not fit a rig over XX length
Your TV can only handle XX size rig
You not comfortable pulling a rig over XX size
XX size has all of the features you want

If any of those do not fit your situation the difference between 26' and 30' is pretty minimal. I would chose whichever has a floorpan that suits you best.

I know dry camping and boondocking was talked about earlier. We are 70' long with our combo and mostly boondock.

homeagaincda · 08-06-2021, 04:09 PM

We had similar wants and chose an apex 251rbk which is 25’ box, 29’ nose to tail. The shallow slide allows access to all storage areas in the trailer when closed, which is important to us because we have to load it in the street due to short driveway. We see lots of 30’ units in regular sites in provincial parks.

Ldubs · 08-06-2021, 05:39 PM

Our TT is length overall 23' & change. Easy to tow. Easy to stow. Fits with room to spare in the side yard. Enough room for Mrs Ldubs and me. Four can sit around the dinette playing scrabble or whatever. Has a good sized shower (which doubles as the dog's bedroom). And, there is even a door to the bedroom. But, even though the dinette converts to a bed, it would be very crowded to sleep more two. And it is not exactly "roomy" for more than two to lounge around. When our grown kids join us, they prefer staying in their tent.

I think the choice is really going to depend on usage. We get out frequently enough but only for a few nights. Most of the cooking happens outside. We keep it pretty simple.

Bottom line, I would go for the 30' option if it otherwise meets your needs. It isn't so large as to pose a problem getting into state or Nat'l parks (at least the ones we go to). The extra room is a bonus, IMO. It is kind of like a boat. Who really wants a smaller boat! haha.

Gearjunkie · 08-07-2021, 06:36 AM

Thank you all for your input.

We found a deal on a one year old Grand Design Imagine XLS 22MLE that we couldn't pass up. The overall length is 26' and it fits in our side yard. We haven't had it out yet but a short trip is booked for the end of the month.
It's a big step up from our 19 year old popup. We'll see if we out grow it and wish it were longer. Our popup was still in pretty good condition considering it's age and a nice young couple will hopefully get another 5 or so years out of it.