Are fivers roomier than a motorhome

Yes, the top of the line trailers in 5ers are roomier IMHO.

As much of an amazing thing as slides were when they were introduced a couple decades ago, opposing slides are an equally large "game changer". You can always measure out sq ft and say one DP or 5th is bigger than the other but to me the opposing slides is what really makes the difference.

You can have a 100' X 8' rectangle but you're only able to be in one part at a time. A space that's more square will always feel roomier even if it's actually less total space. The bottom line to me is to get as many opposing slides as possible which can be accomplished with a DP or 5th. Of course, there are countless other pros/cons between the two as well.

We went from a 5th Wheel to a MH, and don't regret it. Although you have a vehicle (tow truck) to use when your at a location. You could if need be tow a toad or tow dolly with a vehicle.
With the 5th Wheel the problems we encountered was when the slides are in you can't use the bathroom or Bedroom. And you can't always put the slides out, as in the case of a Florida rest stop with lots of trucks.. While with a MH you have thru access to the whole MH. Secondly, With a 5 you have to get out to enter the trailer a MH you don't. There is also the question of what tow vehicle do you plan to use? In my opinion anything less the a 1 ton dually is unsafe. And Diesel verses gas is always a debate with no real answer other than the opinion of the person and their equipment. I used a GMC with a 454 and averaged 10 to 12 mpg, using 87 octane at 3.40 per gal verse Diesel at $4.05. Gas is more economical and parts are much cheaper. Having said that my MH is a DP and I average 11 MPG so I'm happy with that..
There is also the fact that depending on the MH, you will have a generator where as most 5ers don't. I guess your own research will provide you the answers you seek, and once you have then re evaluate before your purchase.. Also think used !!!

A real benefit of a Class A or C is the ability to get behind the wheel and go if there is a bad element outside of your RV. Also, setup is faster and easier with a Class A or C. Comments some say is a 5er seems more homier.

Had 2 fives and 2 dps the one dp we have now has 4 slides. The last 5 we had was a 36ft Mont. Hands down the 5 had the most room. The best thing about the big 5s is ceiling height although you can't use it the openness is hard to beat. Add a big slide on both sides with the high roof and you have a room most would consider a nice size studio appt.

We are in a dp now because of the cars we like to drive and the******we haul.
We are full time no house.
Jw

Busskipper wrote:

et2 wrote:
I've seen a few comments recently from members saying that they went back to a fiver because it has more room. I don't understand as we've owned 4. Based our last two at 40' and our now new MH at almost 42' - our motorhome is much more roomier than the fivers. Mainly because of the two opposing slides. Storage in the MH is tons more.

That's part of the reason we bought our MH is it's roomier. The last two fivers had 4 slides and 3 slides. The MH has 3. Am I missing something?

Is the question about what weighs more, the pound of feathers or a pound of lead?

Duh ....they both weight the same!

Same with the 400 sq ft motor home Vs the 400 sq ft five'er ---- they are the same.

So I guess the point I'm attempting to make is that when they have the same sq footage they are equal but if one is Larger --- it's larger.

Did I answer the question?

LOL,

Yes, which has been my point. People claim they made the switch to a fiver "because they're roomier". Size for size they're aren't or your analogy will suffice. So what we aren't hearing is they traded a smaller MH to a larger fiver. There is nothing magical about the switch. It's just simple math that can't be denied.

Now some might claim the frontal area in a MH is the downfall. Many times there are cabinets above the driver which are very usable. Some even have bunks there, TV's, etc. There is about 3 feet in front of the steering wheel on our dash that is the only questionable wasted space. The rest of the dash can be used to put lamps, books, magazines, printers etc. So it's not wasted space as some think. We use that space all the time.

I don't want to discuss about the fiver height, but that is totally space that isn't used. Looks more roomy because of the height but it serves no usable spacial advantage. Just more air to heat or cool.

not sure of this discussion.
For the most part, (exceptions being toy haulers and a couple front living room setups) all fivers have the same layout... Big main room with kitchen, 4 steps up to the bathroom, small low headroom bedroom, low weird shaped closet up front...
really big storage area under the bathroom, but no genny and no battery to speak of.

Course this is the class A forum, I can be biased right?

If you want bigger, a S&B's might be more fitting?
I like the fast easy setup.
I like the view of the road through that 9 foot wide four foot tall windshield.
I like that I don't have to stop when the wife or kids needs to P.
I like that the DW can get me drinks, chips, even sandwiches, at 70 mph...

Our 4 slide 40" is plenty big, with way more storage space and CCC than I've figured out how to fill.
Not to mention hundreds of amp hrs of battery, thousands of watts of inverter, and enough generator to light a small town (quietly)

BurbMan wrote:
There is no rear main seal on a 5er....

Yeah, but there is on your pickup. Not sure where you want to go with this? :R

There is no rear main seal on a 5er....

Fifth wheels feel larger because of the higher ceilings. In many Class A's the front driver area is wasted and even if you use the seats you still have a couple of feet that is not used which could be a large closet or something else. In addition, with higher ceilings the slide outs are also taller really opening up the interior. The height differences can really make a big difference. When your slide out height is taller than most Class A's ceilings it really opens up the room a lot.

So on average fifth wheels have more diverse floor plans, feel larger and apples to apples tend to be a bit larger on the inside than a MH.

MH's have other advantages. To each his own.