Looking for small FWs <= 25/26 ft for fulltiming

You may regret buying a unit too small.

We recently went from a small TT to a 28 ft. 5ver. The reason we originally bought a small TT was that we thought it would be so much easier to get around in and save on gas

Well, the gas mileage we got was only 12-13 mpg. And at night and rainy days, we felt cramped.

So, after buying a diesel, we traded in the TT for the 5ver we have now. IMO, you will not find much difference towing a 28-30 compared to 25 ft.

And IMO, the smaller units are fine for weekend and week long vacations, but not for extended stays or full-timing. Think about the storage space you'll need and just space to move around a little. It is nice to have a separate bedroom apart from a main living area with a double slide-out.

You'll get used of towing a larger unit by practicing in parking lots or where there isn't much traffic.

As far as moving up to a larger unit eventually....every time you trade or sell, you lose money.....and I can certainly attest to that.

Slownsy wrote:
Have a look at Titanium 25-31' 25' to pin but 31' living and 1 slide, great layout.
Frank.

An excellent unit, built by the same Canadian company that built the Golden Falcon.

We just traded in a Crossroads Cruiser 25RS and it's in excellent condition. Don't know about full time, as we did stay in it up to a couple of months at a time. Will say that it has nearly as much storage as a unit 4-5 feet longer, but less living space. We found this out when we transferred our stuff to our new unit. The Cruiser was 10 years old and always kept inside when not used and built before Thor took over the company. Our new unit is a Grand Design Reflection and we are looking forward to it. Good Luck in your search. By the way, the Cruiser is in Missouri if you are close.

Have a look at Titanium 25-31' 25' to pin but 31' living and 1 slide, great layout.
Frank.

What do you plan to do in the woods? I would rather haul stuff for enjoyment in the pickup than take up the bed space with a small 5er.

Of the brands mentioned, I would look at Arctic Fox and Nash.

Originally we were looking for a TT to replace our 16 year old 24ft TT. As soon as my DW saw the 38ft 5th wheel she fell in love. For over a year, no matter what else we looked at she kept going back to it. I kept thinking it's a building... I will be towing a building down the road. 7.5 feet wide and 39 feet long plus a 21 foot dually crewcab truck, that's a lot of real estate moving down the highway.

After the first several trips and a 7000 mile round trip to middle America and back, I'm glad we went big.

It only took a few trips towing the beast before it no longer felt like a house was following us. I really don't see much difference in towing the 38ft 5th wheel vs. our old 24ft TT. You get comfortable with the size.

I was glad we had 38ft to separate in when stuck inside during bad weather for 3 days. She could watch what she wanted in the living area and I could watch what I wanted in the bedroom area once the cabin fever started kicking in and we got on each other's nerves.

Go big or stay home...that's my motto now. Our next 5th wheel will be a 42 to 45 footer.

hkury00 wrote:
After buying the truck (2009 F350, 4x4, V10, 4.10, long bed) we are now looking to buy a small Fifth Wheel (25/26 ft, queen bed, 1 slide, dinette, sofa or chairs, storage space). We want to buy used and spend up to about 15k. Below is our current search list. We appreciate any comments on the brands and additions to the list. We are looking for something robust so we can take it to the kind of places in the wood we like. Thank you so much!

- Nash, Fox Mountain, Arctic Fox
- Heartland 245 RL
- Keystone Cougar
- Crossroad Cruiser 25 RE
- Jayco

With a single slide you will find limited storage space. We have a 32' double slide unit, the bedroom slide (bed on slide), will give you an 8' closet in the front of the fiver. Look for units with a large dresser at the base of the bed. We are not full timers yet, but did spend 5 weeks hosting this August and did great with us and two beagles.

Our 25' Cruiser Gets us into many remote areas. The height (12.5') is often most limiting to where we can go. We feel it is well built and it is my belief that no RV is built for full timing unless it is taken care of. We have no plans of getting rid of our unit, but we don't full time either.

BTW, I get a kick out of the advice to go big.

hkury00 wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
First on your list is all you need to look at. I do have to ask the obvious, why so small? As a full timer you will find small units restricting in bad weather.

Thanks. What seems small to you currently seems large to us. We have been camping with an Aliner A-Frame for 9 years. I am aware that MAYBE we will evolve into bigger like many fulltimers do but I am not sure we acuallz will. If we do we can upgrade in 2 years or so. I want to avoid buying too large and then feel OMG what have we done. Either way it will be a process.

As a full timer you will have a lot of problems in a FW that small. A new camping trips during the season in something small is one thing, living in it 365 days a year is another.

Unless you are going to stay in one spot and never travel you will not have nearly enough storage for two people. I don't run to the RV dealer every time I need my bearings greased or a light changed, so I do have to carry some tools and limited supplies, you will not have room. You will have a 8cf fridge or possibly smaller, so you will be making frequent trips to stores. You will be making tons of trips to laundry mat facilities because there will not be room for your own washer/dryer plus you won't have room to haul very many changes of clothing in the first place.

The last thing that comes to mind with trying to full time in a small short FW, it will probably take you longer to get the hang of backing it into tight CG sites. I know it sounds crazy, but it is easier for most people to back in a 40' FW rather than one that is 26' long.

About the only advantage I can imagine to full timing in a FW that small would be savings in fuel pulling it.

Northwood builds some of the finest RV's in the marketplace within their price point. But dont be fooled, they are very heavy. Stronger frames, better quality materials lead to the weight. The only real downside IMHO is they use nevercold, er Norcold refers.