Best choice for long road trips
We are looking for advice on choosing between a 5th wheel and a Travel Trailer. We are keeping the length less then 31 Ft. We would like to know which of the two styles is best suited for long dist...
Forum Discussion
Setup / Tear down time is the key factor in road trips.
A 5er without leveling jacks vs a TT with leveling jacks is going to be less convenient.
Every slide-out you have is going to require more work on the inside before your are ready to fold up the chinese puzzle box.
Can you get to the bathroom easily with the slides in? You will definitely need to do that.
Can you get the fridge open, use the stove with the slides in? Being able to fix a quick lunch at a rest area or fuel stop parking lot will save a lot of money.
Among people who TRAVEL vs people who go to a destination to stay a while - Class A, Class C and Class B rigs are most popular. Because they are easier to setup/ tear down.
We are full-timers, we travel and do the teardown/ setup thing often. (and have probably one of the worst rig layout/ equipment combos for doing that.)
# of travel days per year
2014 - 44
2015 - 33
2016 - 63
2017 - 35 so far
The best thing to make your setup/ tear down easier is automatic leveler jacks. And more 5ers than TT have those.
The next best thing is fewer slide-outs, and smaller slide-outs. But that limits the 'liveability' of the rig.
When you look at the rigs with opposing slideouts - they really open up the space. We have those. But that also means more work to get ready to travel.
Do the recliners at the back of the rig have to be turned sideways to pull in the slides? Are you going to be able to store stuff and not have to move it around? How much 'tie down' work is required? If you forget something - how easy is it going to be to get to the location to retrieve / check?
(Be aware that the snap type latches on overhead cabinets will almost certainly not be strong enough to keep everything inside/ closed. You will need supplemental items like bungee cords.)
Make sure you see the rig with the slides out, and with the slides in before making a final purchase decision.
A 5er without leveling jacks vs a TT with leveling jacks is going to be less convenient.
Every slide-out you have is going to require more work on the inside before your are ready to fold up the chinese puzzle box.
Can you get to the bathroom easily with the slides in? You will definitely need to do that.
Can you get the fridge open, use the stove with the slides in? Being able to fix a quick lunch at a rest area or fuel stop parking lot will save a lot of money.
Among people who TRAVEL vs people who go to a destination to stay a while - Class A, Class C and Class B rigs are most popular. Because they are easier to setup/ tear down.
We are full-timers, we travel and do the teardown/ setup thing often. (and have probably one of the worst rig layout/ equipment combos for doing that.)
# of travel days per year
2014 - 44
2015 - 33
2016 - 63
2017 - 35 so far
The best thing to make your setup/ tear down easier is automatic leveler jacks. And more 5ers than TT have those.
The next best thing is fewer slide-outs, and smaller slide-outs. But that limits the 'liveability' of the rig.
When you look at the rigs with opposing slideouts - they really open up the space. We have those. But that also means more work to get ready to travel.
Do the recliners at the back of the rig have to be turned sideways to pull in the slides? Are you going to be able to store stuff and not have to move it around? How much 'tie down' work is required? If you forget something - how easy is it going to be to get to the location to retrieve / check?
(Be aware that the snap type latches on overhead cabinets will almost certainly not be strong enough to keep everything inside/ closed. You will need supplemental items like bungee cords.)
Make sure you see the rig with the slides out, and with the slides in before making a final purchase decision.
