Truck and 5th wheel or conversion van and TT

We have kids 9, 6 and 4. 2 are going to be my size, 6'3"ish 200lbs plus in high school weight. All really good thoughts that we've been thinking. I really like the idea of extra room for guests. But the ability to double pull in the future might be nice too. If I did get the van, it would have the weight distributing hitch and anti sway. Thanks everyone for confirming my views.

Something else to keep in mind is if your kids ever want to bring a friend along camping. Unless you get a 4 door truck with a front bench seat, 6 in a truck will not be possible. The conversion van will offer more room for guests. Plus as the kids get older, having the extra room in the van will be useful for chauffeuring friends around. Will you need a 1 Ton truck for your family's day to day life?

You also need to take into consideration your camping plans. If you plan to camp long term, weeks or even months at a time, the Eagle will be a better choice. If you plan to do mostly weekend trips with an occasional week long trip, then the White Hawk will probably work well. The Eagle offers a little more living space, especially in the master bedroom. When camping long term with kids, that is really important. The master bedroom in the White Hawk is a little snug.

-Michael

Keep in mind that many conversion vans have little payload capacity left over for tongue weight after the upfitter adds all those luxurious goodies, extra sound proofing, carpet, captain's chairs, etc. Most come with P rated tires and cushy suspensions too.

Since my kids were born 42 years ago, I have had series of conversion vans, which were great for hauling the kids, their friends, and all there stuff all over the place - would never have anything else. Now with just the wife, the dogs, and I, we pull with a Ford/Quigley E350 4x4 diesel regular passenger van, and it is a great tow vehicle - long wheelbase, good view of the road, lots of passenger and and cargo capacity, and best of all we can stow our surf fishing rods inside without taking them apart. Just make sure you have one set up for towing. Lots of the standard conversion vans are not equipped properly - you may have to order one if you are looking new.

You'll get as many opinions on this topic as responses. Each solution has advantages and disadvantages. A van provides for roomier travel but just having the weight of a travel trailer hitch out on the end of your bumper creates some instability in high wind situations. Fifth wheels tow with more stability without a $1,000 custom tow hitch but the pickup truck has less cab room for passengers. A Class A motor home provides comfortable travelling but costs five times what a new travel trailer might cost. So there are many plusses to whatever camping option you choose and usually a few minuses. Take your time and decide what is most important to your comfort while travelling. (i.e., if your kids are 15-16 years old, they may not be travelling with you that much longer so don't commit yourself to a van which you use just for the two of you in a few years)

If you really want the FW there are "adapters" (dollys really) to allow a FW to be pulled with a VAN or SUV. I'm not sure how the double towing laws look at them.
The Automated Safety Hitch is one such device.
If you don't need a HD truck otherwise or need 4wd I'd probably go with the van. Particularly if I could find a GM van with the Duramax diesel. But, if you're only using this for the occasional towing it may not be worth the extra money.

I'm assuming you've done the payload math with the truck (and the van for that matter) and are not just relying on the published towing weight specifications. Most truck tow ratings are made with the assumption that there's next to no weight in the truck.

My personal preference would probably be the van route. Besides more interior room for people, it also gives more space for cargo stuff and usually a greater payload capacity than a similarly specced truck. I rather like the Nissan NV vans--while not conversion vans, the passenger version does have relatively nice seats and much more flexible seating arrangements than other vans.

A motorhome is rather more convenient for actual travel than any trailer; you have more ready access to the comforts of home, like the potty and the fridge.

Due to the cost of a typical conversion van I would go with a crew cab truck and 5th wheel. The kids will learn how to travel. As a kid our family of six would travel cross country in a suburban with only a front and rear bench seat. I learned to like reading books during those trips.

You're gonna get a multitude of responses saying the 5th will tow a lot better, BUT...

Match the TT to a proper tow vehicle, load the TT and TV properly, get a good WDH hitch with sway control and you will have a great tow. I would go TT with Conv Van too.

Personally having had the conversion van and now an SUV, I would take a properly equipped conv van. More room, like you said, which is more comfortable. A pick up truck with 3 kids will not make for a fun trip! Heck a 2 hour trip will be hard let alone a 2 week trip!

Another option, which is what I should've done from the beginning was to get a large class C or a class A MH! Then all you need is a towable SUV/minivan.