I hear you loud and clear Alaska, and it's a discussion I have been having with my wife for over a year and honestly I lost. I really wanted smaller and she just wouldn't budge.....we have agreed that length will effect a lot of places where we can't park.
While we have limited experience RVing, we have spend the last 15 years traveling, the last 8 cross country on motorcycles, then added the challenge of doing it with two dogs. We are pretty versatile and I am hoping that makes up for the difficulty of going large.
I truly do apprecaiate your thoughts and we've already rounded the corner on the 3500 HD, but I do hope to count on your advice, especially with your experience as we muddle through this.
Writer......good point and our insurance is national......thankfully.