Considering an upgrade to a bigger rig

avvidclif1 wrote:


As for the 30 vs 50A. No big deal. The only time I need 50A is if I'm going to need 2 or 3 A/C's(summer in Tx). Otherwise the 30A does it all, 1 AC, WH, Microwave, etc. If only 30 is available and I need 2 AC's, fire off the genny..... Or stay outside and have fun and come bedtime turn on the BR AC and close the door, hang meat time, 15k in a BR does wonders.

Difference in price, gasp!!! But worth it to us.

I won't dispute what your saying. Texas is hotter than MD.
From June through August I need 2 A/C's which means 50 amps.
Yes I can survive with 30 amp. But I'm not really looking to compromise. If it's hot out 1 A/C cannot keep up and the sweating begins!...LOL. If it's cold I'm heating with electric as well.
Running my rig on 30 amps is certainly doable but it requires more energy management techniques than I'm willing to use.
Turn this on, turn that off, don't use this at the same time...
Why bother. Plug into 50 amps and use it all.
In the end its really not that big of an issue because I have no problem finding 50 amp sites. I only bring it up because chasing 50 amps has altered my site choices more than searching for larger sites

One year ago we went from a 33' 3 slide to a 38' toy hauler w/2 slides(kitchen & BR). Did it limit our camping places, not that we noticed. The 33 had opposing slides which made for a large living area but the TH has 18' of open space 8' wide. Even Trade. We set up the living area the way we want, 2 Euro recliners and a desk and chair or drop down couches (2), dining table. Or 4 queen sized beds plus the queen size in the BR. Many options. Now fully self contained, 110gal water, 5500w genny, 30 gal gas, Lippert 6 point auto level, rear 8'x8' patio, 12' fridge (4 dr) from 8'(major difference), etc, etc. I can take the Mtc or dune buggy with me or nothing. Great for flea marketing, lots of space to haul stuff.

As for the 30 vs 50A. No big deal. The only time I need 50A is if I'm going to need 2 or 3 A/C's(summer in Tx). Otherwise the 30A does it all, 1 AC, WH, Microwave, etc. If only 30 is available and I need 2 AC's, fire off the genny..... Or stay outside and have fun and come bedtime turn on the BR AC and close the door, hang meat time, 15k in a BR does wonders.

Difference in price, gasp!!! But worth it to us.

please just realize that when you bought your rig that the RV industry and dealership industry was very VERY different. What you paid for then and what you get for your money now does not compare. If I could go back to my first RV bought used and skip my NEW RV from CW I would do so in a heart beat. If what you have made you and makes you happy, don't risk big bucks on something new that is from an industry that says "just ship it" and a nationwide dealer network that has no lemon laws nor magnuson moss warranty laws to contend with. just sayn.

32 is a nice size. Goes just about everywhere in SPs, NPs & FS lands. Scratch that itch & go over 35-36' & all of a sudden you are not getting into as many of those places you enjoyed so much with the 32'er.

Yes, size matters.

There are pretty serious compromises that have to be made when choosing your rv, unless of course you can afford multiple rigs. We just "Upgraded?" to our current unit which is a little over 36 foot long. As a result, a couple hundred campgrounds in Utah alone are now places we can't go. On the other hand, as we're about to retire we are looking more to basecamp in different areas for much longer periods of time, and we'll be spending a lot more time in city and rv type resorts than before. I debated keeping the TT we had but then decided it was more medium sized and still to big for many areas so now we're debating buying a smaller TT or truck camper for when we want to hit the remote forest service sites.

Bah! you need to look at what you want! there are pro's and con's on everything! we went from 36 ft to 40 ft pro's love the hydraulic leveling! more homey feel and corian wood richer tones in fabrics residential fridge (4 golf car batts and inverter) king bed fireplace etc etc etc cons cant drive through most neighborhoods and a good amount of gas stations need 50 amp plug in and longer bigger site to park need a larger truck period cause the wife will see the huge compartments and fill them up!

Recliners don't get too lonely? That's a good one! LOVE IT!!!!

Guess it all depends on what you want,,,We had an HR 37' (39' 9" real length), that we had for 9 years ..LOVED IT, but went to a TH for the added space and length..and I have the truck to pull it with :). Everyone has their own reasons for purchasing certain RV's...I have my own property that I will spend 8-9 months a yr. on, then go south. This rig is 44' long and it has a perfect floor plan for the wife and I and our two boxers.....and room for storage...

I agree, if you go bigger, make sure you have the truck for the job, or forget going longer/heavier...We've never regretted going to longer 5er's as we progressed through our "camping life".

Most KNOW their want's, their needs and their budget...maybe even where they'll spend most of their time camping...Go for it if you can..Enjoy while you can:)

I have a 39;' fiver I upgraded from a 36' TT. What has changed my camping destinations the most is not size but going from 30 amp to 50 amp.
I know there are adapters etc. but my rig does not do well on 30 amps.
I need 50 amps to enjoy the RV to the fullest.
Because of my desire to always have 50 amps many of my destinations have changed. I go to fewer state parks and more resorts type places. I don't need full hooks but I do need 50 amps.
I could still go to the same places in terms of size but many state parks are only 30 amps. Call me spoiled 30 amps is a deal breaker.
I have no regrets and have no problem finding places to go.
50 amps has had a bigger effect on my camping destinations than size.

When we added 2 kids to our camping mix we went from a 33(ish) for 5er to a 42(ish) foot 5er. We did it to gain some amenities more than anything, but we are happy we made the switch. It fits our style of camping well and have not wanted to go anywhere that we have sized ourselves out of. With that said, there are spots that we just wont fit in but those are few and far between.