Class A versus 5th Wheel for Boondocking

Have had a 5er toyhauler towed by a 2500 4x4 duramax and now a 40 ft diesel which tows a jeep Rubicon. Motorhome has 78 gal water, and about 40 gal black and grey each. Water rarely is the problem, black water is. We can stay out 10 days for 3 people navy showers. Usually it's about 7. Keep in mind tho we're a riding crew. (Check my profile) My 5er had a generator and 105 gal of water. You can make either work well for you. Done many dirt roads on my 40 ft.

Difference is when you drive and price. No matter how you slice it a diesel motorhome and decent towed car costs more than a decent 5er and diesel truck. The motorhome is more stable and for me more fun to drive than a 5er. You also need to decide what you want to drive when NOT moving your house. I loved that duramax truck, but it was nowhere near as convenient nor capable as my jeep.

I don't know if you are buying for use in Britain or here. Generally, the better boondock areas are accessed by smaller vehicles, tho' I've done alright. For less than $35-40k you can buy a nice used truck and 5er. You'll get good service from them and experience to tell you later what you really want and how you really use it. If bought right you won't lose much if you decide to sell and buy something else .

We have a Class A. We dry camp in forest campgrounds(which is what the OP is planning, I believe) and boondock (back in the boonies by ourselves). Yes, we do go on gravel roads but not over boulders. :) Our holding tanks are 105 gal for fresh water, 65 gal for grey water and 45 gal for black. We can last approx. 12 days without dumping our tanks and we'll still have fresh water left. We have learned to conserve very well.

Sorry, can't answer your electric concerns for a T.V. and air conditioning because we don't use either. We do use solar panels and will run the generator for short periods of time if we have cloudy, rainy days. We use a stovetop perculator coffee pot and make toast in a frying pan. We run the microwave for reheating which runs off the inverter, as does our computers. We have a propane heater (a furnace takes a lot of power).

Hope this helps somewhat. Your real concern will be conserving water and electric and your holding tanks. Hopefully, you can follow the weather and stay cool in summer then you won't have to run the air conditioner!

Hi,

I have considered a "Toyhauler" for a full time RV. While a little more difficult to hook up and move than moving a class A, it does offer a lot of space for the money, and has a lower insurance rate.

Also consider a F-350 instead of a F-450, it's insurance rate might be really high, because it is considered a commercial vehilce by most insurance companies. You can find some insurance companies that know what full timing is all about, and will offer decent rates. Yes many do install a second tank in the bed of a F-350 dually, and carry an additional 50 gallons. At 9 MPG while towing, the standard 35 gallon tank does not last a really long time.

Toyhaulers normally will come with a generator, can be set up with 2 A/C units, normally will have 60+ gallons of fresh water, sometimes have 60 gallon grey water tanks, washer / dryer hookups, and I saw one toyhauler with dual 100 gallon freshwater tanks. Still it has a 60 gallon gray tank, that is fine with me, as I would normally dry camp in a area that the plants "Need" the water, and I let the gray water out on the ground all the time. But not in National Parks, or campgrounds where the neighbors are within 75' of each other.

You can extend the time between dumping tanks while in a campground by washing dishes in a dishpan, and dispose of that the same way the tent campers do, or pour it down the toilet, or save a gallon in a old jug to use to flush the toilet.

With a class A, it is really easy to push the "Jacks up" button, and drive a mile or so to the nearby dump station. I have a 1997 Bounder Class A, that I bought new. The generator dip tube only goes into the tank 3/4 way, so it can not draw from the bottom 1/4 tank, and you shuold have enough fuel to drive and buy more before running out.

Diesel motorhomes might have a "Aqua Hot" water heating boiler, that provides non-stop hot water, as well as heating the floors, or using engine heat to do the same job. They draw a tiny amount of diesel from the tank, about 1/2 gallon per hour at 60,000 Btu's per hour. But a shower or to reheat will not take ahour, so actual use is about 1 gallon per night when it is cool out, a bit more when freezing temps.

Overall what is better? I guess you would have to try both and see. I have a class A, and try to see how nice it would be to have a larger fifth wheel. However what stops me is the convience of having a small towed car, to go sightseeing with it, and the ease to move the RV around. I can pull into a small town, seek out the local school or church (not on Saturday night, you might get stuck in traffic Sunday morning), put down the jacks, close the curtains, and go to sleep. Usually very quiet.

How can I tell you what to buy? Well lets just say a large group of ful timers that I knew and used to travel with - most had class A motorhome, or class C motorhome. Some had a travel trailer or fifth wheel, and a couple of them where in very compact class B. I think one was in a camper.

The fastest ones to get set up and ready to roll in the morning where the class A and C with jacks. Without jacks, they have to shut off the refrigerator when not level, and put away the blocks every morning. You can drive with the refrigerator not level, the ammonia mixture still returns to the boiler while moving. It is stopped and not level that can create a problem, and overheat the boiler, and cause the ammonia to plug up the orifaces.

You might also be interested in "Dingy towing". If you get a class A, consider a dingy to take along for sightseeing trips. While not required, it is handy to not put away everything each time you want to go to the supermarket, or go to a sightseeing location.

Fred.

I agree - water management is going to be the limiting factor, particularly black and grey water. Unless you have access to additional holding capacity (blue tanks, etc.), you will be limited by how much waste water you produce.

Paper plates and cups can cut down on gray water production, and military style showers help, but liquid in means liquid out!

Having solar panels, inverter and adequate battery power will allow for plenty of AC supply for nearly indefinate stays off the grid. Of course having the generator is additional support for using the air conditioning, microwave and some coffee makers.

Beyond that the water supply and tank sizes for black and grey water are important as well.

Pretty much all areas where a class A coach will usually exceed a fifth wheel.

There are no dumb questions...

We have a 5th wheel with an onboard Onan 6500 watt generator and 7.5 gallon gas tank. The fuel will last for 8 hours with the generator running at full throttle (A/C in use). We rarely boondock where A/C is needed so the 7.5 gallons will last for about 2 weeks if we are conservative in our power use or 1 week if we aren't. I carry a 10 gallon gas jug with a non-spill spout so refilling the tank is easy.

80% of the time we stay in parks with hook ups. We do this because it makes the time we spend in the RV similar to living in our home. No need to conserve water, electricity and A/C use if it's too hot.

I think this is the first time in 10 years of reading RV forums that I've ever seen anyone use the fuel capacity as a reason to choose a Class A over a 5th wheel.

Usually the deciding factor has to do with convenience, storage, and space. Class A's provide convenience when travelling because you can use the living area, kitchen and bathroom while travelling down the road. In a 5th wheel you have to stop and walk back to use the living area.

The Class A's and 5th wheels may have the same amount of storage space depending on the design, but most times the 5th wheel wins out for storage.

Space- the 5th wheel usually wins for living space when comparing equally sized units. With the Class A you lose from 3-6 feet of living space due to the driving area.

Sorry, I might have misused the reference to boon docking (being a foreigner and all!). basically I meant being able to stay in places that don't have hook ups but still are great places to stay for days at a time but without having to worry about refuelling, not having Ac, etc
Thanks

Water is actually going to be your hangup more than fuel. Generators don't use that much fuel and 5 gallons will last a long time. So if you plan on being off the grid for a long time I would look for Freshwater storage capacity followed by blackwater. Some locations prohibit the dumping of grey water and if you are in one of these locations you will want a large grey water tank.

You say boondocking, to me that is in the middle of no where and to get there is easier in a 5vr than a class A as boondocking locations are usually back on gravel roads that can be rough. As far as once you are at your site it makes little difference in Class A vs a 5vr. I went with a class A because I can flat tow my jeep and explore, something I could not do with a truck/5vr.