Quality small 5th wheel for disaster assistance

Arctic Fox.

Have you considered how much space a 5th wheel hitch in the back of your truck is going to take up?

Quality small 5th wheel for disaster assistance

Hmmmm....... quality is subjective from person to person and small to some folks may mean a 18' or a 32' trailer.
http://www.allencampermfg.com/5th-Wheel-Floor-Plans.html
Check out this small rv mfg. Bought our first truck camper from them in '72.

troubledwaters wrote:
Have you considered how much space a 5th wheel hitch in the back of your truck is going to take up?

Curious what that has to do with the OP's question.

kmbelt wrote:

troubledwaters wrote:
Have you considered how much space a 5th wheel hitch in the back of your truck is going to take up?

Curious what that has to do with the OP's question.

OP stated either fifth wheel or trailer, so I can see it is a valid point.

To OP, for disaster areas, I would add a generator to your list of wants for the trailer. Then you have to decide between small unit or one big enough to power the A/C. We spend at least 3 weeks at a single job and have a 33' fifth wheel. Always have power, so don't need a gen.

OP what do you consider small? <20' <25' or <30'? There are lots of options but a little more info might help people respond.

How much food are you planning to haul and where do you plan to put it when hauling?

A couple thousand pounds of food and water could be problematic depending on where you plan to carry it.

The portable generator is a good idea as power outages in a disaster area are likely a high probability. You might also consider a fuel station in the bed of the truck.

It sounds to me like OP is looking for a portable base camp to live in while using his truck to help shuttle supplies. Without knowing budget or length I would look at a used Arctic Fox which should have large holding tanks and a generous cargo capacity to carry the OP's personal living stuff to the disaster area.

I would look more into the cargo style with living quarters as you can customize the trailer to fit your needs. I went this route with my business trailer. I could boondock for a long time in that and it had a 21k GVWR with triple 7k axles.
Plus these trailers hold their value better than an RV. I had mine two years and sold it for what I paid new.

DH and I also do disaster recovery work occasionally, but not regularly since we still have kids in school. There are several things to consider in this:

1. Is it always going to be you and your spouse or will other people be going with you (need for extra sleeping space)
2. Will you always have power, or will a generator be needed.
3. Will you always have water or will you have to fill your water tank and utilize that for several days?
4. Will you want to have AC since many disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.) occur in the south?
5. Are you willing to lose space in the back of your pickup for the hitch?
6. Will you have a place to dump black and gray water? or will you need larger tanks to hold more?
7. Will you need a storage place for your tools? food for a few weeks?

If you can answer these questions, it will make deciding on a TT/5'er easier.

To even add more questions for you, how about a toy hauler? They offer a nice sleeping space for two, a smaller kitchen/living than many other TTs or 5'ers, but you get lots of space in the back for extra sleeping, if needed. You get more storage space in the back for tools and supplies, if needed and you will still have YOUR privacy. Just a thought.

Thank you for giving to communities that need a little extra help.