Planning to reenter the RV scene now that we're approaching my retirement. We currently have a decent 32' Cardinal travel trailer but haven't used it much in the last four years. I am thinking of selling it off to get a few bucks toward a new or newer fiver but I have a few questions.We're looking for a trailer that'll be good for short to long trips so something in the lower mid length/weight. For now just long weekend trips but in a couple of years we'll want to be out maybe two months at a time for cross country trips. I think a 28' to 30' fiver would do us comfortably if our truck (below) could handle it.We currently have a 2005 Chevrolet 2500HD with the 6.6L Duramax diesel. It's humming along faultlessly at 250K on the odometer. It also has a shorter (6.5' I believe) bed. Do I need to look into either newer or bigger truck to meet our expectations?

A 28 to 30 foot fiver with two slides should come in around 12,000 pounds gross (loaded). Plenty of room for two people and a dog and the truck will be fine for another 200K.Enjoy!

How did you know we had a dog?Thanks for the response.

We recently purchased a Grand Design Solitude 320X, we tow it with our 2006 Dodge 2500 with the Cummins engine with no problems. I am sure your 2005 Chevy could handle it well. If you have a Grand Design dealer close to you check it out, I think you will not be disapointed, good luck!

YEP.......12,000# gross in the floorplan wife likes will be just fine.

We have a 27' fiver single slide. We have gone on extended trips over the years, 6 to 8 weeks, but if we had to plan on longer stays, we would opt for a 30 or 32 foot unit, two or three slides. The 27 footer gets pretty small after 2 or 3 weeks on the road, but that smaller size trailer allows us to get into camp grounds that are older, and less crowded. Most people who have chevy trucks, also have dogs. A little known fact.

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19 Replies

Jim_Sharon
Explorer
Nov 14, 2014
newsomer, I say go for it.
If you think your truck and trailer are up to it, do it. You will be glad you did.

I did something similar, but I was lucky enough to do it with an almost new 2500 d/a truck, and fith wheel (30 ft actual length).

Now, three trips coast to coast later, I believe it is the perfect combination for traveling.
A 30-60 gal. aux fuel tank takes a lot of worry out long trips also.
newsomer
Explorer
Nov 13, 2014
OK, I'll close this out with one last posting. Ever since colliehauler asked why we would like to get rid of the Cardinal it's been on my mind. So the other day we decided to take a day trip to an RV sales lot to see what we would be getting. We really liked the Jayco Eagle 28.5RLTS floorplan and it wouldn't be a problem for our current tow vehicle but I don't think it realistically offers that much more "comfort" than our Cardinal. Surprisingly my companion agrees.

Even though I am looking at replacing the water heater, bathroom fan, mounting new tires, and rapairing the 12 volt system the Cardinal repairs would impact our finances a very small fraction of the cost of a new fiver.

Thanks all for the time and inputs.
arnko37
Explorer
Nov 04, 2014
We have a 30ft one slide fifth wheel and for me that is the perfect size. If you are going to stay in one spot for a long time then bigger is better. To be moving around a lot big is more of a hassle. Two slides usually mean one is in the bedroom which gives the front of the trailer a taller profile which means it catches the wind more thus giving fewer mpg. Anyway, that's my theory.
newsomer
Explorer
Nov 04, 2014
I fully understand what all of you are saying about being limited to a couch and dinette. Our travel trailer currently has an overstuffed recliner but the couch is like concrete. I lived in this trailer for five months when I first started working my current job and I was very thankful for the recliner.

An example of the units that have caught my eye is [HERE]
DannyA
Explorer
Nov 04, 2014
As mountainsam said:"For long trips avoid a unit with only a couch and dinette to sit on. They both get pretty uncomfortable on rain days. We are in the process of finding a couple nice recliners or swivel chairs to replace the couch."
I agree with that very much in the TT we had before we didn't have chairs and its not comfortable sitting but now with the 5th wheel the chairs are great.
I personally never cared for a trailer to long, we have 32' and that works nice for us. Just makes it easier to get around with that size 5th wheel.
Itching2go
Explorer II
Nov 04, 2014
2hams wrote:
We had a 29' fiver that got really small after about 3 weeks on the road. For us, the Reflection 303 is the perfect combination of smaller size, lots of room, and under 12K.

2x on the size comment. Our previous five was 30', and while it was fine for trips less than a week or two, it did get a bit close on rain days. I'll be retiring in the spring and anticipate being on the road for months at a time. As a result, late last year we traded up to the 38' rig in my sig. While we knew we'd enjoy the extra space, both of us were surprised at just how much difference that additional 8' made.
2hams
Explorer
Nov 04, 2014
We had a 29' fiver that got really small after about 3 weeks on the road. For us, the Reflection 303 is the perfect combination of smaller size, lots of room, and under 12K.
newsomer
Explorer
Nov 04, 2014
colliehauler wrote:
You have a nice Cardinal why do you want to get rid of it?
A good question and I guess I don't have a great answer other than that I think I think the fifth wheel trailer would be better to haul on the long time/distance trips and with approaching age I'd like to have a younger trailer that has less tendency to provide a challenge.
Crazy_Ray
Explorer
Nov 04, 2014
Is his name Blackjack?
colliehauler
Explorer III
Nov 03, 2014
You have a nice Cardinal why do you want to get rid of it?