In researching smaller rv's the TC's TT's and short 5th wheels seem to have some advantages over larger RV's. Having never owned any of these, what I have surmised from this forum is if you want a TC with some storage and FW capacity a larger TC with a slide or two is required which would require a DRW truck. In looking at short 5th wheels say 24 ft I see more storage and more FW that can be towed with a SRW truck. In addition I see more storage in the bed of the truck for FW and other stuff. Some have said the CG was much higher in a TC making it top heavy around corners. You have to exit the truck to access the the camper section in both of these. Is a small 5th wheel or TT much more difficult to back into a site and level? Have any of you owed both a short 5th wheel and a TC that can comment on any advantages or disadvantages of each setup? I dry camp 95% of the time so water capacity is important I have 60 gals now which last me 7 days.

We have a 38 foot 5th wheel and a TC. We use the TC for most trips and leave the 5th wheel at campgrounds as a seasonal home base, either here in VT or in FL, where it is now located.Backing up with a trailer just takes practice and patience. No big deal. And as far as space and cost per square foot there is no comparison. The 5th wheel wins hands down.The TC works for us (no slides, Northtstar Igloo 9.5) and I personally don't want slides and the associated inconvenience of weight and loss of heat in winter. If you can't fit into a TC without slides you really need to consider a DRW truck. We are able to make it work with a SRW and have over 30,000 miles with lots of smiles and no issues.So you are really asking to compare apples and oranges. Each mode has advantages and disadvantages. You need to decide what is most critical for you and then you can make a decision on trucks and brands of campers.Not much help I'm afraid but since we have both I can speak from experience.

Pretty much apples and oranges except for both are RVs. You nailed the big differences on the head.Backing up? It's a trailer. Either you can back one up or you cant or you have to learn how to. Requires some spacial awareness and grasp of the turn the steering wheel the opposite direction you want the trailer to go concept.

Having different RV over the years, beside number of family number changes, generally trailers are very good RV for people who don't drive far and stay for long. Cheap, lot of storage, don't require heavy TV and such. But when you drive a lot, trailers make very lousy accommodation for lunch stop, when you are in hot climates. Even at the end of day- you should start AC 2 hr before your destination, or you will have to wait before it become usable. That is where motorhomes for bigger family, or TC for smaller shine. When motorhome offer lot of luxury, they are costly RV due to maintenance, insurance and registration cost. TC offers less comfort, but is the cheapest and easiest to drive/park. We own 12' single slide camper and are comfortable spending couple of months in it.I like to shower every day, so have to fill water every 3 days, but that never was an issue.

We like a TC for the ability to get off the beaten path. Many of the places we have been I wouldn't try and get a trailer into. Usually for reasons of high ground clearance. Our TC has large tank capacities 65/51/32 which allows for over a week of dry camping, large shower, queen bed, comfortable seating and lots of storage (for a TC). It does require a big truck though. Large multi slide campers start to blur the lines a little between super short 5th wheels and TC's.If we were going std campground type camping or desert BLM fire roads only we would go with a 5th wheel, and maybe will one day. I have researched short 5th wheels and find very little under 30' that is premium quality. In 24 to 28 foot range you usually find their ultra light economy "1/2 ton" campers.

Every type of RV has it's pluses and minuses. That's why you see them all. After 40 years, we've settled on a medium size Class C(30 ft) motor home with 2 slides towing a Ford Focus. As far as backing, cost, storage, tank capacity, etc. it's as good as it gets. We paid $23000 used so don't let the high cost of motor homes scare you. However, at our age, sometimes we would like a much smaller MH and towing nothing.

TC vs Small 5th wheel | Good Sam Community

jaycocreek
Explorer II
Sep 09, 2019
work2much wrote:
It was more your misuse of homophones that made my head hurt.

Ahhh..Grammar police ehh..

Well, having been out of high school for 54 years and spending most of my life in the mountains of Idaho with a chainsaw in hand,I haven't kept up on grammar I guess..So you will have to bare/bair/bear with me while I jog my memory of my ancient high school days and English class..

Heck,I had to look up homophones to see what I was doing wrong..Laffin
work2much
Explorer
Sep 09, 2019
jaycocreek wrote:
work2much wrote:
jaycocreek wrote:

I have priced there products and there very very expensive...

You're making my head hurt.

It was more your misuse of homophones that made my head hurt.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Sep 09, 2019
jaycocreek wrote:

No one reported rigs over 13’, but we know you’re out there.

.

'
I bought my basement TC originally with SRW flatbed.
Next step was buying dually with Utility Bed on it.
To fit TC on UB, I had to put 4x4s under camper floor to clear side boxes.
Adding the 4x4 to box who was already seating on 6 or 8" floor put me at 13-6" height.
I broke most of overhead branches on my small street at the time.
Next step was getting rid of UB and putting regural bed on the truck.
Gjac
Explorer III
Sep 09, 2019
jaycocreek wrote:
TTs and fifth wheels rock a lot more.

Not sure how stiff your spring are but I had a 35ft Jayco front living room that had no stabilizer jacks in the rear..The most stable RV I have ever had, especially in the wind,setup..Can't imagine a TC 13-14 ft high being more stable and I have a DRW with a baby TC on it..

We all want to say our currant RV/TC is the best and there is not any way to compare unless you own or have owned all that you are comparing..Watching the neighbor setup, not knowing his level of experience isn't a comparison.

The op asked about small Fifth wheels/Travel Trailers versus a Truck camper...

"Is a small 5th wheel or TT much more difficult to back into a site and level? Have any of you owed both a short 5th wheel and a TC that can comment on any advantages or disadvantages of each setup? I dry camp 95% of the time so water capacity is important I have 60 gals now which last me 7 days.'

1-It depends on the site but on average not im my opinion.

2-It depends on short..My FW measured 35 ft stem to sturn,some label that length as a 30ft or smaller..I had a 26ft labeled TT that measured 30 ft front to rear and a pickup can measure 22-23 feet bumper to bumper..Like a 26.5' Jayco RLDS is going to measure 26.5 bumper to tongue..Not likely.

3-I also dry camp 99.5% of the time and in my opinion the Outdoors RV "Mountain Series" is the best boondocker made..Very large water tanks/Built in gen set/ready for 4-6-volt batteries/solar and a suspension made for off road....They have my attention for the next RV..

Don't get me wrong..I love my TC but it has it's faults as every RV has..Water capacity is one as well as room..If it wasn't for traveling the backcountry of Idaho needing the ability to turn around anywhere,I would have a small TT or FW..

Seems I am always going down a dead end road.(laffin).
I just looked at the Outdoor RV Mountain series RKS. 80 gals of FW, 16in GC 80 gals Grey 40 black and it looks like it is well insulated. I can't tell if it is 30 ft or 27 ft but looks like a nice rig to boondock in. Not many Class A's have that much FW.
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Sep 08, 2019
I hadn't seen that TC magazine did a survey on TC height from the average Joe...

Hard sides are a very different animal for overall rig height. Most of the hard side rig heights in our survey came in between 11’5? and 12’5?. For a hard side rig to be much below 11’5?, the camper is almost always a non-basement model. We have seen hard side rigs under 11’0?, but they are rare.

No one reported rigs over 13’, but we know you’re out there. The truck campers built with floors above the rails generally push 13’ in our experience. Those campers include the Chalet DS116 double-slide, Chalet TS116 triple-slide, Eagle Cap 1160 double-slide, and the Eagle Cap 1165 triple-slide.

And the two pop ups were 9.0 and 9'4".
jimh406
Explorer III
Sep 08, 2019
jaycocreek wrote:
How tall is your TC..

That depends on how you measure it and how much air the airbags have in them. Too tall for the Portland airport other than the oversize path that the buses use. It would have been nice for them to mention the height before I started toward the arrivals road.

But, I use 13 as the measure even though I’m a few inches less. I could easily be taller with a different non low profile AC, taller vent covers, or fixed TV antenna.
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Sep 08, 2019
As usual, some post incorrect data as facts. Go figure

Who posted there comments as facts?

In general because all the RV's differ slightly in height etc..A quick look at my favorites brought this..

Lance 850..8'6" off the truck then like on mine,ad 33" for 11'3" high W/AC..

Outdoors mountain series TT..Shortest one (21RD) is 10'8" high W/AC "all others are 11'3" on up..

My favorite Jayco HTX/26RLX FW is 12'1" no clue if that is with AC..

So they are all pretty close(within 9") on paper and why I went with my setup at 10 foot even to the top of the ladder rack.

jimh425..How tall is your TC..
jimh406
Explorer III
Sep 08, 2019
As usual, some post incorrect data as facts. Go figure. :)

Any way, it doesn’t matter which are normally shorter or more narrow. It matters which models you are comparing. That being said, generalizing, TTs are shorter in height than fifth wheels and hardside TCs.

Each type varies a lot. Most specs are easily found online.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Sep 08, 2019
My basement model on RWD Ford goes 12-6" high at AC.
Non-basement model was only 12'
Add 3" for 4WD truck.
TC are usually narrower than 8', what makes it slightly easier going into woods than wider RVs
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Sep 08, 2019
Wouldn't the height of a TC create more of an issue on forest roads than lower profile units? I prefer these sites but have several roof tears and two cracks A/C covers on my Class A that is 11 ft 6 ins tall backing into these sites.

Yes and no..Most TC's with a basement run 12 ft+ depending on the truck bed height with 13 more the norm..I sold my small Class C(13 ft) for that very reason,to tall for the branches in the places I go to...My wife was always out there with a rake or shovel holding up branches.

On my TC now,I am 10ft to the top of the ladder rack,no AC..I use a window unit.

A pop up negates all that but there not my cup of tea.

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