Of your travel trailer that is. I'm a new poster here and we're researching buying our first TT. Our main requirement is that we don't want to have to convert our table into a bed every night. So, fixed bed. Other than that, we think we'll be happy with small, with no slides even. We're on a limited budget. A salesman said having bunks increases the re-sale value. Maybe, but with just 2 of us, we really have no need for bunkbeds. Then a friend pointed out that even though there's only 2 of us, we have 2 dogs (medium/large) that will take up a lot of room. So she really suggested getting a bigger (longer) TT, and even one with a slide.But again, budget. And other than sleeping/eating, we intend to be outside doing stuff. So how big do we need?Have any of you bought a TT... only to later regret the size? Do you wish you had more room/space? Or (I would think this is rarer), do you think you would have been perfectly happy with a smaller TT? (smaller payments, less gas, etc.)

We are retired and have the perfect size trailer for our needs. It is a 21' Winnebago Minnie Winnie. It has a queen size bed and a full set of appliances. We pull it with a RAM V6 8 speed and it pulls great. Consider this one when you are looking.

I've noticed on the smaller lightweight trailers, that bunks use up a lot of the available weight capacity - sometimes leaving you only 400lbs for people, dogs and gear. If you don't need them, I would pass them by. I also think it's more important to get a rig that you're happy with, than worrying about re-sale value.You'll get a lot of "go bigger" on this forum. But, for me, I have preferred the simplicity of the smaller rigs. I don't want to deal with slides, I don't want to have a combined length of 30+ feet, etc. My TT was 18.5 ft and my 2 large dogs and I fit fine (without having to convert the dinette - slept of the sofabed). My class C is 20.5ft bumper to bumper and fits us, a parrot, and an occasional friend without issue. In both rigs, I routinely have 3-4 persons inside chatting, eating, etc. and the critters. It is snug, but everyone is comfortable.

Our first trailer did not have a slide, first rainy day that we had to spend inside we were kicking ourselves for not getting the extra space. If one was on the couch you could not get from the kitchen to the bathroom without them moving. Also, avoid a bed against the wall where one has to climb over the other, gets old real fast. Currently the wife and I love our 35 foot trailer with 2 slides but luckily we are outside mostly.

It's been stated the 3rd camper you buy is the one you should have started with. But for many of us, we don't know what that 3rd one is until we get there! It's a learning experience as we go along with our experiences.The "theory" held true for us. Our 3rd one turned out to be the right one for us at THIS time as our needs changed.We started with an 18 foot Dutchmen Sport, no slides. At the time we got it we felt it was perfect for us. It took time to figure out it was not. And only time and usage would draw that out. It had a corner master bed. It took time to figure out this was a real pain. It was hard to make the bed and it it meant someone always crawled over the other person to get in and out, whoever was against the wall. We felt like contortionists sometimes! I did not have an oven, which we "thought" would be OK, until we realized we really wished we had one. The front couch was a jack knife couch-bed. It was positioned along the nose-cap. Well, the wall was curved on the front, which means we could never sit up straight. Our heads were always bent forward. The television was in the wrong position, and sitting at the dinette (which turned into a bed), the television was directly above our heads. There was no bathtub, only shower, but it always spilled water over on the floor. Like I said, at first we didn't notice these obstacles, but after a couple years of use, with no slides, the trailer became very uncomfortable.We traded for a 31 foot Keystone Springdale, no slides. We had it for over 8 years. Then one day we realized we weren't camping, and we weren't spending time in the camper (driveway camp) like we use to and we honestly asked ourselves if the "love of camping" was gone. It was not. The "love of our 2nd camper was gone!" This took 8 years to figure out.Walk around bed, no problem. Television in the bed room area (I installed), good location. It had 2 bunks along the back wall. Top bunk was a full size bed, second was a narrow twin size. Great space for storage and junk. The couch in the living room was horrible. Low back, narrow seat, and windows behind your head. You could NOT relax. It did not fold into a bed, we never sat on it. It became an expensive dog bed. We never used the bunks, except for storage, which was always junked up. The bathroom was in the middle. Open the outside door, and the bathroom door was right in your face. The bathroom was small, positioned very bad, no leg room, (no knee room for the man of the family when sitting on the throne and we used it almost always with the door open. Not good when the second person is going in and out of the camper, or the outside door is open and the screen door is shut and anyone can look in. It had a shower-tub, but the tub was so small it was good only 1 time ... when our 2 year old grand daughter took a bath once! The oven was extremely hard to light, it took 2 people to light the pilot light and it responded (pilot light) very slow. It did work, it was just very hard getting that pilot light to light.We found ourselves mostly laying in bed to watch television as the television space in the living room was in a crappy location. Here again, above the dinette, facing a couch was horribly uncomfortable. All of our time was spend on the bed and it seemed we never used the rest of the camper.The third camper is 35 1/2 feet with 3 slides, only 1 bed and REAL movable furniture in the living room that can be moved around in any position. The bathroom is a nice size, no tub, just a really nice household size shower. Toilet is in a good location, lots of room for the "man" of the family to spread those knees (as we men like to do). It has a table and 4 chairs (no dinette), the television positioned along the back wall with a huge window behind, oven lights very easy and one person can do it, it's got good room, space, and very comfortable. We've had it for a year and and half now and use it every week-end, if not camping, in the drive way too.It also has an outside stove, and I installed a removable television in the bed room that can be taken outside. It has satellite prep (which is nice since we have DISH TV).I think, in all the years we've owned a camper, and all the times we went to RV shows and visited dealerships looking and browsing different models, we've found only 1 other that came close to what we have right now and what you may be looking for too. I do not remember the brand any more, it was only a fleeting moment, but I do remember it was a smaller trailer with a full walk around bed on the front, a dinette, (no couch), kitchen area in the middle, and bathroom along the back. It was open, no dividing wall, no slides, and cute as a button. The position of the television was good anywhere in the camper. But I do remember feeling a bit claustrophobic in there, as the kitchen side had no windows.OK, I know I've rambled a bit here, and thank-you for hanging in there if you've read all this. Point I'm making is, there are many unforeseen things that will unearth in any camper you purchase. But it will take time for that to happen. Be open minded about trading someday, when you make your FIRST purchase. Take good care of your first camper, because chances are in 2 - 3 years, you will be trading. Finances increase, needs change, life events happen (like babies or aging parents).... either one may end up camping with you! Good luck in your search, visit lots of RV dealerships and attend RV shows when they are close to your area! FYI, surfing the internet is great! Looking a floor plans is wonderful. But floor plans and actually standing in the camper are 2 totally different experiences! Floor plans amaze you! Standing in the camper "shocks" you (into reality!)

I was also on a budget, but wanted size as well. Ended up getting an older one so i could have both. The one in my sig pic is 2000 model that I picked up for $6500, 3 years ago. Was, and is everything I needed.

Are you happy with the size? | Good Sam Community

SoundGuy
Explorer
May 18, 2015
TacoPuller wrote:
When it comes to size, how you want to use your RV is everything.My wife and I love camping, and we don't have kids or pets. We also REALLY like the solitude of rustic camps without the noise of others; we just want to get away and relax. We just recently bought a 22', and it fits us perfectly in the spots we used to pitch a tent. In the past, we pulled a larger fifth wheel around, but found it impossible to fit in some remote campgrounds, so we went smaller this time.

Exactly why, when the opportunity arose, I really wanted to downsize from our 24' triple bunk bed Spree (26' 9" coupler to bumper) to our current 19' couple's model Freedom Express (22' 6" coupler to bumper). Although I never found it impossible to place our Spree on sites like that shown in the TacoPuller's pic it certainly is just that much easier with our FE. We do have an 80 lb dog but even with just a shallow sofa slide that extends out only 18" there's never a lack of room for the three of us. If anything, the bathroom might be considered rather small but it is fully equipped and considering the brief amount of time we actually spend in there this just hasn't proven to be an issue. JMO, but inclement weather or not I just don't see how any couple couldn't find a well designed couple's model in the 19' to 22' range fully satisfactory ... after all, this is a camper, not a house. :h

By the way, the taco pulls this rig well- between 11.7 and 15.5mpg depending on hills.

Pulling our Spree which averaged ~ 5500 lbs loaded and ready to camp I'd typically see 10.5 to low 11s towing with our Avalanche, towing our FE which averages ~ 4500 lbs ready to camp I typically see ~ 11.5 to low 12s ... 15.5 mpg I couldn't possibly imagine! :E
TacoPuller
Explorer
May 18, 2015
When it comes to size, how you want to use your RV is everything.My wife and I love camping, and we don't have kids or pets. We also REALLY like the solitude of rustic camps without the noise of others; we just want to get away and relax. We just recently bought a 22', and it fits us perfectly in the spots we used to pitch a tent. In the past, we pulled a larger fifth wheel around, but found it impossible to fit in some remote campgrounds, so we went smaller this time. This next picture sums up what we were after; it was taken last weekend, minutes apart; we were at a national forest campground, looking across the lake at an RV park where larger units could fit. We were alone in the CG. Loved it. EDIT: By the way, the taco pulls this rig well- between 11.7 and 12mpg depending on hills. (To clarify, it achieved 15.5mpg max, single data point, on flat ground in overdrive).
danimal53
Explorer
May 18, 2015
we just bought our first TT (actually we pick it up in a few days) but size was definitely a tough decision. I think the place to start (for us anyway) was our tow vehicle. Getting a new TV was not an option/consideration, so we had to get one we could pull (5000lb limit). Myself, wife, and 2 dogs (50lb huskies). We went to an RV show at a nearby convention center to get an idea, as standing and actually seeing the space makes a huge difference versus just seeing a floorplan. We decided on Coachmen Clipper 17BH. No slides, and yes its small, but we don't plan on being inside a whole lot. Dogs can sleep on the bottom bunk or on the floor, I guess we'll find out if we made the right choice!
rbpru
Explorer II
May 18, 2015
Floor plan, TV, and cost. All three have to fit your needs.

We have a 25 foot Dutchmen with a small slide out pulled by an E-boost F-150. It gets 10 mpg. at 55-60 mpg. It is also easy to pull through a town.

It is a perfect fit for two adults and a dog. Others would consider too small.
phillyg
Explorer II
May 18, 2015
Went from a 30' to 38' FW. It's still not big enough for me although my DW is perfectly happy in it.
fla-gypsy
Explorer
May 18, 2015
It's all personal preference but when the weather is awful you will be stuck inside and need some space and comfortable seating. As already mentioned the walk around bed is important and a bathroom big enough to use is crucial to comfort
oakbowery
Explorer
May 18, 2015
I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum but thought I'd give my 2 cents. We have a 37' TT with a suble single, large slide. Having used a 23' for years we decided to go big. We have two kids with another on the way so we wanted much more space. The 23' (with slide) always felt cramped to me. We've stayed at numerous parks (just pulled in from a trip a couple of hours ago) and have never had a problem with the length of our trailer in regards to camp sites. I admit it's slightly more difficult to maneuver in small spaces but personally that's a trade off I'll take. As someone mentioned earlier, get stuck inside on a rainy day and 23' or so gets cramped (even for just 2 people). I'd recommend a 25-30' camper without the bunks. I found several when we were looking with nice living areas (recliners, large viewing windows, etc.). I think that range is kinda the best of both worlds.....big enough to allow some space but not too big/heavy. Good luck on your decision.
lizzie
Explorer
May 18, 2015
In response to the OP's original question; we are very happy with the size. We started very small (VW, TC, Class B) and moved up to a 22' TT. We were very happy with that size but when we needed to buy a newer one, we found a 24' with one slide that has been perfect. We definitely did not want to risk getting too big for public campgrounds or to make it difficult to travel without reservations. For us, floorplan trumps size as we don't stay inside much. We like our rear kitchen and the separation of the living area from the bedroom. We have a comfortable sofa and a dinette. Our oven is great for extra storage and we sometimes take the pans out and cook a pizza. We are two short people with a small dog so we don't need much space. lizzie
Hannibal
Explorer
May 18, 2015
Be very careful with size. We started with a 20~ft TT. Then a perfectly sized 27ft 5th wheel. Then we got big eyes and bought a 32' 5th wheel with two slides and a recliner. Like home away from home. And just big enough that we no longer simply hitched up and headed to places like the Sunshine Skyway Bridge picnic and beach areas for the day. We started looking to go back smaller and more nimble again. I want a hotel room on wheels. She wants a house on wheels. We compromised on a 30' 5th wheel with recliners and surround sound for the big screen. Once you go big it's hard to go back to small, practical and nimble. I want a Jayco 23RB. Ain't gonna happen unless Sam Elliot swoops her away.
CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
May 18, 2015
I love my 21 foot TT with rear bath. The bed is in the front the dinette on the right side. The places I camp at you back in at a angle and with the dinette on the right I can set, have breakfast, lunch, whatever and see my campsite and the lake. It is very easy to tow and back in.

I have a big dog and there is no problem there because the dog sleeps under the dinette.

If I had the money I would get one 2 feet longer because then the bed can be put the other way and that makes it easier to get in and out of.

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