We used to have a 24' FW and Ford extended cab SB and never had problems putting it in any campsite we came across. We're planning to get back into camping in retirement and travel the great US of A, However, spending that much time in a 24' doesn't seem like the way to go but we did enjoy the smaller county parks we previously stayed and would like to have that option available. Keeping in mind we also plan to spend a lot of time in large parks as well, we think 30'-34' class trailers are a good fit for us. Specifically, we like the Grand Design 303 which is about 32'. (At least, that is the one we like this week.)I'd like to tap into the collective knowledge base here and ask at what point does a FW become too large to access smaller CGs? It seems most of the 26' - 30' class trailers are 30' plus. At that point, does it even matter between 30' and 34'? How much difference does the truck length make? I'm thinking extended cab, long bed at this point.Thanks for your input.

Everybody is going to tell you something different due to their level of comfort. Going to full service private parks and length is fine. Going to NF or older state parks, smaller is better. We have a 35 foot fiver and after tearing the roof off our fiver several years ago we decided we can no longer fit into our favorite camp grounds. Would I buy this size again? I really dont know. Living full time in it last year while looking for a house I would say ues. Missing out on our, or at least my favorite camp grounds I would say no, never again. You have to make up your minds about where you want to park, and how much comfort you want. And make your decision based on the best comprimise your happy with.

When it comes to SP camping, I have found height, to be a bigger problem than length. They don't like to do much trimming, and at only 12' 4"s, I often have to pass on the better sites, due to road or site clearance.As far as the truck length, a shorter wheel base is easier to maneuver, a longer WB may tow a little better. I have an extended cab, standard bed, that works great for me. Jerry

It depends on where you like to go. We go to state parks in Ohio a lot. They are great campgrounds, but they are old and not layer out for today's larger RVs. I also run into height issues more than length, but most of the time it's slide and awning clearance that causes me to pass on a site. Ours is 35'7, and unless I was going to spend months in it, I wouldn't want any bigger. As it is now, I am very cautious making reservations or going to a campground I haven't been to, because I don't want to end up with a site I can't use. I find Google map satellite images very helpful when looking at a campground. That, and calling and talking to someone, and have them assure me I will fit, and slides will clear.Mark

We vote for the smaller size trailers. Our over all OFF-ROAD POPUP Trailer length is around 20-feet. A 24-footer would be the max to suit us for our style of RV CAMPING.Now if I was a RV TRAVELER then the bigger the better most likely... I can't even imagine the costs and fees involved running one of those 40-foot plus things...

Did your older 24' have a slide out? Makes a big difference.At 26' we are still squeezing in at times. 34' would take some additional planning.

At What Point Does Size Matter? | Good Sam Community

28 Replies

FlatBroke
Explorer II
May 20, 2015
Went from a 34 to 40 to our now 31. It's a whole look less stressful for ME with or current 31. It has three slides the living room/kitchen on the left and the entertainment center/dinning table on the right, and of course the bedroom slide. Wall to wall is 13 feet in the living room. Seems way more roomy than the prior 40 footer. Friends even comment how much room it has. Floor plan has just as much to do with it as length.
crcr
Explorer
May 20, 2015
We'll be buying a 31-33' fifth wheel soon, and because we camp almost exclusively in forest service and state Park campgrounds, we have decided to purchase an
RV with 2 slides, a large main slide and a bedroom slide, both on the left side. We don't want opposing slides as sometimes we would have width issues where we camp.
N8GS
Explorer
May 20, 2015
I have a Grand Design, Reflection 337RLS. This FW overall length is 36'1". Here in MI the State Parks have done a good job of providing some sites for rigs up to 40'. A few can even handle 45' units. So far I haven't had any problems finding places to camp. As someone said the bigger issue at many CG's is the site width. With the slides out my FW is 14 feet wide.
BTW I did the Grand Design factory tour and crawled, over, under and through several units in various stages of construction. I really like how they do things.
McIntraveler
Explorer
May 20, 2015
smkettner wrote:
Did your older 24' have a slide out? Makes a big difference.
At 26' we are still squeezing in at times. 34' would take some additional planning.

Yes, it had one slide on the left side but it didn't go out all that far and was never a problem for us.
McIntraveler
Explorer
May 20, 2015
Thanks for all the input, I find it quite helpful. I really had not considered height before as the previous FW wasn't tall, we had to stoop over in the bedroom. That was a particularly bit of useful information.
Veebyes
Explorer II
May 18, 2015
C Schomer wrote:
Actually, I've had more problems with the reservation system than the length of the 5er. I always make reservations and when we get to the CG I find we get stuck with a really short site and I drive around and see tiny RVs in the longest spots. Craig

Watch out! The flamers are going to come after you telling you to get a smaller rig or telling you that they paid the same for a site so they are entitled to any site they choose, even if it is way bigger than they need.

I share your opinion. As a long trip roamer, I have no clue of which sites are what in CGs unlike the weekend warrior who uses the same few CGs weekend after weekend, summer after summer.

It is in the interest of the CG office people to allocate sites to appropriate sized vehicles. Empty sites because large rigs have been turned away because the large sites have been given to popups, class Bs & Cs, is lost revenue to CG owner or state taxpayer.
C_Schomer
Explorer
May 18, 2015
Actually, I've had more problems with the reservation system than the length of the 5er. I always make reservations and when we get to the CG I find we get stuck with a really short site and I drive around and see tiny RVs in the longest spots. Craig
C-Bears
Explorer
May 18, 2015
We are in a 39' FW with slides on both sides, SB CC truck. We have only done a few state facilities. There have been a few older private CG's over the years that were really hard to get into.

For us though the trade off on size was worth not being able to fit into every single facility out there. One of the major benefits for us of buying a FW instead of a Class A was square feet living area.
stickdog
Explorer
May 17, 2015
We fulltime in a 35 foot fiver never had a problem finding a site but we do most of our traveling during the off season and stay put volunteering both north/summer and south/winter so our sites then are no problem. With all that we don't always have the choice sites in state parks due to length.
C_Schomer
Explorer
May 17, 2015
We had 3 - 25' 5ers in a row and they were great. Then a 31 and now a 31'8" and it's much tougher. It's mostly a problem with getting there too late to get the longer spots but we've managed OK. I don't want any longer for SP and FS camping. Craig