5th wheel suggestions

zonanavystar wrote:
Hello,

I am in the process of moving from a truck camper to a 5th wheel. I've had 3 truck campers over the last decade or so and the family has outgrown them. Two of the truck campers were Lance (825 and 915), and there weren't that many brands and/or options on a truck camper. 5th wheel seems to be a different story. I'm looking for some advice on directions/brands to look into. I generally look for used units in the 10 year old range. The truck is a 2016 F350 CC LB SRW diesel with 5th wheel prep package (puts max 5th wheel towing at 12,500 lbs I believe). For the trailer, we like the bedroom above the hitch with the shower/bath. We would also look for a rear bunk room option with a second bathroom potentially. I was hoping to stay under 33 ft, but it might be hard with the bunk room. I generally am fond of the looks and functionality of Montana 5th wheels, or any of the other Keystone brands, but there seem to be a lot of options. Does anyone here have suggestions, tips, advice, brands to look for, brands to look out for if they are willing to share? Thank you in advance!

First off, how are you going to be camping? Are you strictly full hook up campers or do you like to boondock? If you're boondockers, the one GLARING weakness of almost all RVs is the ludicrously small black tanks on most of them. Just how many days boondocking, do you think a 28 gal black tank will last before it's full, especially with a family, ESPECIALLY with girls! :-) I can tell you that it's about 3, max, with a 45 gal tank. (I used 28 gal, as that was the size of the #2 rig on my list when I was shopping a few years ago. It was a Jayco Eagle HT.)

Second, you'll realize that there's a very limited number of floorplans out there, across literally all brands. Yes, there are small differences, but form follows function and they all have the same function. The differences are the smaller things, not the gross overall layout. Also, build quality, which all suck at, but some are worse. Once you decide on a couple different floorplans, then SHOP, SHOP, SHOP and put eyeballs on them. NEVER shop without HER being with you, as she'll catch things that you never thought about, or didn't think were important. (BTDT!)

Third, research dealers, especially if buying new. A bad dealer can make your RVing life hell when you need service and a good dealer is literally worth their weight in gold. Even then, realize that you're likely going to have to do a lot of your own repairs, even under warranty, since you'll almost certainly not going to be near your selling dealer when something breaks.

Fourth, if you're considering used, look into hiring a professional inspector to go over any rig you're considering. While I've never used one, I did have several good conversations with a couple NRVIA inspectors when I was loooking at some used rigs several years ago. Check out nrvia.org for more info on their program and to find inspectors near where the rig is located.

Lastly, for now, I created a spreadsheet with all the data of the rigs I was shopping. Brand, specific model, length, height, weight specs, tank sizes, # of slides, etc. Allowed me to easily sort them, too. (Yeah, I'm a bit of a nerd.)

Hope these hints help.