Looking to get into fifth wheel camping
My family and I are looking to purchase a fifth wheel. We are looking at campers between 2013 and new. We have a budget of around $45k. I was wondering what brands to look at for a quality built unit ...
Forum Discussion
I love our Montana High Country. It is designed really, really well! My husband does great carpentry work, so we've always done lots of modifications on our trailers, but this one has needed very little.
I would stay away from Forest River Products. Our Cardinal had a lot of problems and our Wildcat was so-so.
How old are your children? We had a Wildcat with a bunkhouse when our two boys were young. I'd never do it again! The pro is that if you are traveling a lot, you don't have to make up the beds every night. However, by the time the boys were ages 10-12, they didn't want to sleep in the trailer. Instead, they wanted their own digs in a tent pitched close by. Hot air rises, so the top bunk gets really hot. My boys would fight about who did NOT have to sleep on top! After a while, they just started sleeping on the living room floor and the bunkhouse only served as a space for their stuff. And then there were weight limits on the top bunk. It didn't take very long for growing boys to outgrow the limit! (Even though they were NOT overweight!) If your children are over 10, I would totally skip the bunkhouse idea.
You also need to factor in how long you intend to keep your fiver before trading up. We went from tent to travel trailer, to first fifth wheel to second fifth wheel to third fifth wheel before finding the one we love! Part of that is due to the fact that they are designed so much better now! Make sure you think about the type of camping you want to do before deciding on your trailer. We like to go to state parks (no electricity) AND we like to travel (national parks, campgrounds with power, etc.), AND we live in ours for three months as snowbirds. We LOVE our LED lights in this trailer. We also LOVE large tanks (fresh, grey, black). I really like the electric awning, but I've read of other people who don't. We have the extra large fridge because we're snowbirds, and I would absolutely stick with it in a new unit.
Length also makes a difference. If you get too long a unit, you won't be able to stay in National Parks, state parks, etc. Many of those spaces were designed before units got longer!
If traveling, make sure you can get to your refrigerator with the slides in. We like to have lunch in the trailer (it saves money) and believe it or not, some units aren't designed that way. Same with the bathroom.
Finding the unit you love and works for you is the most important thing!
The other major factor is the dealer. You want to make sure your dealer is reliable and does good service work. My son works for a dealer who is super super picky. New trailers are not accepted with any type of damage, everything is inspected before customers are allowed to even look inside them, and then they are extremely particular in making sure the customer is happy. They take customer service VERY seriously!
Joyce
I would stay away from Forest River Products. Our Cardinal had a lot of problems and our Wildcat was so-so.
How old are your children? We had a Wildcat with a bunkhouse when our two boys were young. I'd never do it again! The pro is that if you are traveling a lot, you don't have to make up the beds every night. However, by the time the boys were ages 10-12, they didn't want to sleep in the trailer. Instead, they wanted their own digs in a tent pitched close by. Hot air rises, so the top bunk gets really hot. My boys would fight about who did NOT have to sleep on top! After a while, they just started sleeping on the living room floor and the bunkhouse only served as a space for their stuff. And then there were weight limits on the top bunk. It didn't take very long for growing boys to outgrow the limit! (Even though they were NOT overweight!) If your children are over 10, I would totally skip the bunkhouse idea.
You also need to factor in how long you intend to keep your fiver before trading up. We went from tent to travel trailer, to first fifth wheel to second fifth wheel to third fifth wheel before finding the one we love! Part of that is due to the fact that they are designed so much better now! Make sure you think about the type of camping you want to do before deciding on your trailer. We like to go to state parks (no electricity) AND we like to travel (national parks, campgrounds with power, etc.), AND we live in ours for three months as snowbirds. We LOVE our LED lights in this trailer. We also LOVE large tanks (fresh, grey, black). I really like the electric awning, but I've read of other people who don't. We have the extra large fridge because we're snowbirds, and I would absolutely stick with it in a new unit.
Length also makes a difference. If you get too long a unit, you won't be able to stay in National Parks, state parks, etc. Many of those spaces were designed before units got longer!
If traveling, make sure you can get to your refrigerator with the slides in. We like to have lunch in the trailer (it saves money) and believe it or not, some units aren't designed that way. Same with the bathroom.
Finding the unit you love and works for you is the most important thing!
The other major factor is the dealer. You want to make sure your dealer is reliable and does good service work. My son works for a dealer who is super super picky. New trailers are not accepted with any type of damage, everything is inspected before customers are allowed to even look inside them, and then they are extremely particular in making sure the customer is happy. They take customer service VERY seriously!
Joyce
