Opinion needed if you've owned a TT and a FW

rugermark2 wrote:
Op I just traded my travel trailer in for a 5er a month ago. I really like the way the 5er handles, driving and backing. They are definitely different and if you trade in it takes a little bit to get use to. I can also hook-up a lot faster to the 5er.
As far as trade in expect to get low nada. You are probably going to take it in the shorts on your trade.
You should be able to find a good 5er that you can pull with your 3/4 ton. I currently have the ram 2500 and it handles my 5er just fine.

Thanks for the info.
Can you or anyone else explain what is different or how it is different to back it up?

Pros for me is easier to hitch up, better storage so more stuff stays in the rig and ready to get out of dodge. Higher ceilings as I'm 6'2". Easier and safer sow.

Pros for my wife, loves the higher ceilings as it feels less like a trailer.

Cons for both, more steps, 3 up to the bedroom, a couple more than a TT from the ground into it. We don't have an issue with mobility but would love to take my Dad with is but he wouldn't do so good with the steps. Still, it is a con.

I prefer TT, even though my TV is a 3/4T diesel that could easily handle a 5'er.. I am completely unwilling to give up the bed of my truck, both when on camping trips and also when running errands at home. I have owned several TT's and several tow vehicles, and have NEVER ONCE experienced ANY sway. And this with the the fact that for short trips, I don't even hook up the WDH & sway control (I always have more tow vehicle than I really need, which gives me a very very stable towing experience).

I installed a back up camera, so I can hook up almost as quickly as anyone hooking up a 5'er. And when I'm hooking up the WDH and sway bar, since I have an electric tongue jack, that goes very quickly also.

Having pulled trailers all my life, I can quickly back any trailer spot on where I want it. But I also understand experienced 5th wheel owners can do the same. Both handle differently, so it's just a matter of experience with either.

Having said all that, I have nothing against 5'ers. Buy what you like and what suits you. To each his own. But if you already have a TT setup, personally, I wouldn't spend a lot of $$ trading it for a 5'er, perhaps upgrading your TV, and buying a 5'er hitch as well, if that is what you would be facing.

Enjoy!

Op I just traded my travel trailer in for a 5er a month ago. I really like the way the 5er handles, driving and backing. They are definitely different and if you trade in it takes a little bit to get use to. I can also hook-up a lot faster to the 5er.
As far as trade in expect to get low nada. You are probably going to take it in the shorts on your trade.
You should be able to find a good 5er that you can pull with your 3/4 ton. I currently have the ram 2500 and it handles my 5er just fine.

I have owned two different TT's, several truck campers, have lived in a triple slide fifth wheel, had a 29 foot Class C, and three different Class A's.
Our current Class A is the best for us, IMO.
However, to directly answer the question, given the choice between a fiver and a TT, the fiver would win hands down.
Then I would trade it for a Class a DP!

5'er hands down, much easier to hook up, set up & tow...I still cringe when I see folks working with those manual stab jacks on each corner..

We had three TT's - started at 23' with Blazer in 1998 and got to 38' with Suburban (one of the dumbest things I ever did - over 62' long - had it a year and my neighbor loved it and GLADLY sold it to him). Got a 5er with a dooley in 2001 and downsized to 5er and SRW in 2006 (we like SRW so we can drive more places in the boonie!).

Bottom line - 5er without question. Well, until it comes to backing up. I WILL get the hang of it and not jackknife all the time! :-)

Had a 32' TT and a 40' FW. Appropriate tow vehicles for both. Really enjoyed the room and amenities of the FW (fairly high-end). After a bit, towing and backing were about equal. It was much easier to hookup to the FW.

All other things being equal, I've decided that I just have too much use for an open pickup bed and the next rig will be a TT.

Thanks for all the opinions so far. I think the best thing is to chew on this till early next year. If we decide to get a FW we will get one during the big RV show in Feb. When I researched, they had the best prices at that time of year. We are simple people, so it wouldn't be anything fancy or expensive. I just want to simply things and feel like the FW would allow us to get hooked up and unhooked faster to have more time to enjoy ourselves and maybe even allow us to go on trips alone which we could never do with this TT, it takes two without a doubt. Someone once said that camping is for lazy people. If they ever saw all the work going into packing up hooking up and setting up then doing it all again when you leave....then tell me it's for lazy people!

we owned both. 1 truck camper, 3 TT and 2 FW. (yea we change alot).
loved both.

hubby is more FW cause of towing, turning, backing etc. I don't think ever going back to TT is an option for him, in fact up to MH is next in his mind.

I miss the space in the bed of the truck for bigger things I wanted to bring.
Solution, hubby got me a toyhauler 5th wheel :) :) win/win for me.

Plus the master bed in a 5th is 'more' private most times than a TT with just a 1/2 wall separation and doors. It 'seems' more private to me in the 5th at least. something about the stair separation makes it more of my space vs. a TT setup (well, the ones we owned).