We purchased our 5th wheel in 2005. I had never towed before so I looked at all makes and models. The 5th wheel, to me, just seemed a lot easier to hook up, as opposed to a pull trailer, as well as being safer to tow. (That's just my opinion) I never thought I was trying to be better than anyone. For some reason lately there have been several posts on this forum from folks considering "moving up" from a pull trailer to a 5th wheel. I have seen some absolutely beautiful pull trailers that I would have no qualms with owning. To me, it's just a matter of personal choice. Are 5th wheels really now considered to be a "move up?" Just seems an odd way to look at things.:h

Yep, you're moving on up, up more steps inside and out. That's why I went back to a TT from my 40 ft 5th w. The steps were two painful on our knees. But we are nearly 80..

I pretty much ignore the comments or idea of "upgrading" or "moving up" as I makes no sense at all. It's a matter of what works for each of us. What good would a DP be to a person who wants to drive a small vehicle and park in remote places? What good is a teardrop to a person like me who wants a lazy boy and all the comforts of home? As Sam says going to a TT is better for him. If I croak a better rig for my wife would be a class B from a FW.I guess if I went from my FW to a FW with more features I would consider that an upgrade. I wouldn't necessarily even consider it an up grade to go to a newer FW because it wouldn't necessarily fit my use. I would cringe at seeing another rock ding in it or having to drill another hole in it or dragging a tree branch down the side.

All of us pull-a-longs are equally way down on the echelon ladder. Ever heard of a RV resort that only accepts 5th wheels or trailers? :B

No insecurities about the RV choice I've made.Also don't feel "inferior" when I tent camp which will certainly continue when the TT arrives:).

The most "up" is the overhead. Would no longer hit my head on cabinets and the tops of the slide outs. It would also mean parking the 5er would take longer because I have not yet been able to get the DW to look up for trees and other obstructions. Last week she almost ran the TT into a picnic table overhang. "Well I was looking to make sure you didn't hit the table. I thought the trailer would fit under the cover" 7 1/2 foot high cover !!!!

"Moving Up" to a 5th wheel | Good Sam Community

14 Replies

Lantley
Nomad
Feb 09, 2017
salem wrote:
We purchased our 5th wheel in 2005. I had never towed before so I looked at all makes and models. The 5th wheel, to me, just seemed a lot easier to hook up, as opposed to a pull trailer, as well as being safer to tow. (That's just my opinion) I never thought I was trying to be better than anyone. For some reason lately there have been several posts on this forum from folks considering "moving up" from a pull trailer to a 5th wheel. I have seen some absolutely beautiful pull trailers that I would have no qualms with owning. To me, it's just a matter of personal choice. Are 5th wheels really now considered to be a "move up?" Just seems an odd way to look at things.:h

Your combining a couple of factors that are unrelated,
Since you went from no RV to a fiver you in your case there was no move at all.
However many move from smaller less equipped units to larger fiver's with more amenities. Much in the way there are starter homes and their are larger fancier homes.
My first trailer was very nice but my fiver was an upgrade, because it was larger and came with more feature.
The idea of upgrading to a 5'er is really not that complex.
One day with a little luck maybe I'll upgrade my 5'er to a 40' diesel pusher motorhome.
dieseltruckdriv
Explorer II
Feb 09, 2017
NYCgrrl wrote:
No insecurities about the RV choice I've made.
Also don't feel "inferior" when I tent camp which will certainly continue when the TT arrives:).

Same here. We spent two weekends last year in our tent, three or four in our TC, and lots more in our 5er.
They all do different things.
imgoin4it
Explorer
Feb 09, 2017
I moved up. When I was younger I camped in a pick up with a canvas thrown over the stock rack. Of course I hosed out the truck bed before I went to bed. That's moving up.
Chuck_thehammer
Explorer
Feb 08, 2017
years ago...

I had a motorcycle pop-up... no bathroom or kitchen...

but you should have seen the number of people standing around watching me set up in 30 second... it was that easy..

so moving up is a frame of mind...
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Feb 08, 2017
Probably referring to the cost of most 5th wheels versus comparable sized trailers. Most 5th wheels cost more than the trailers. Doesn't make them better per se. But you generally would refer to something that cost more as moving up in price.
downtheroad
Explorer
Feb 08, 2017
Heck...at one time we "moved up" from a tent to a pop-up. We were so excited and had many adventures and made many great memories...
MFL
Nomad II
Feb 08, 2017
DrewE wrote:
Broadly speaking, fifth wheels on average do tend to be bigger and heavier than travel trailers. There are exceptions, of course. I guess if you consider bigger and heavier as more "up" then speaking of moving up to a fifth wheel from a travel trailer makes some sense. Similarly, with that criteria, one would also generally be moving up from a class C motorhome to a class A motorhome.

It's certainly not true that larger is always more satisfactory. That depends on one's particular needs, wants, camping destinations, and so forth.

I agree with this post. Generally moving from a TT, to a FW, it will be bigger, more expensive, often more luxury inside. I would call it an upgrade, if it improves your RV lifestyle. If you normally boondock in the forest, you'd probably not consider a larger FW an upgrade.

Jerry
goducks10
Explorer
Feb 08, 2017
There's plenty of TT's that are nicer than some 5th wheels. But there's virtually no TT's that are 38-42' long, have 3000-4000lb CCC, full body paint and a higher end interior finish, etc. By saying you're moving up to a 5er only relates when you go from an lesser appointed TT to a more heavily appointed 5er.
Ironically My 5th wheel is actually a step down from many TT's . :)
DrewE
Explorer II
Feb 08, 2017
Broadly speaking, fifth wheels on average do tend to be bigger and heavier than travel trailers. There are exceptions, of course. I guess if you consider bigger and heavier as more "up" then speaking of moving up to a fifth wheel from a travel trailer makes some sense. Similarly, with that criteria, one would also generally be moving up from a class C motorhome to a class A motorhome.

It's certainly not true that larger is always more satisfactory. That depends on one's particular needs, wants, camping destinations, and so forth.
PawPaw_n_Gram
Explorer
Feb 08, 2017
The most "up" is the overhead. Would no longer hit my head on cabinets and the tops of the slide outs.

It would also mean parking the 5er would take longer because I have not yet been able to get the DW to look up for trees and other obstructions. Last week she almost ran the TT into a picnic table overhang. "Well I was looking to make sure you didn't hit the table. I thought the trailer would fit under the cover" 7 1/2 foot high cover !!!!