Fifth wheel or travel trailer?
We're new to Rving. Trying to decide on what class of trailer to get. From you more experienced people: which one did you choose and why. Did you have a TT first and then move up to a 5er? If you ...
Forum Discussion
CO-traveler wrote:
I don't have an adequate TV for anything substantial. Currently a 2012 GMC Canyon 4x4 with 1080# payload capacity. It is my wife and I with a year-old baby boy. Have backpacked and tent camped (car camped) for years and the wife is wanting more creature comforts for her and the little guy. We like state parks, boondocking, national parks and BLM land. Will mostly be 3-season camping for 2-4 nights at a time.
I could maybe tow something like a Rockwood GeoPro with my current truck but otherwise I am looking to upgrade to a GM 2500 gasser.
Your truck won't handle a 5th wheel.
You will need at least a 3/4 ton for a 5th wheel. The driving force for 5th wheels is the pin weight. Unless you get north of 12-14k lbs, you don't need a diesel (they are nice but not needed). Diesel doesn't like short runs but neither does gas. 20 mile each-way commutes should be enough to get the engine reasonably warmed up. If you had a 2 mile commute, that would be more of an issue.
5th wheels tow nicer and generally have more on board storage (mitigating the loss of truck bed space) but given your inexperience and not having a truck already, I would recommend you go with a TT. Go used to keep the cost down as there is a good chance, you will learn from the 1st unit and want something different in a few years, so no point in spending big money and taking big losses on resale.
