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Best All Year Four Seasons Full Time Fifth Wheels

MeetTheMark
Explorer
Explorer
A true all year, all seasons full time fifth wheel main factor is it has to withstand temps below 0 and above 100 with no issue. Extreme inter rigid construction. Continuous full time living in extreme temps, stand alone house on wheels.
These are the very few, most expensive, heaviest, luxurious "try to play with me" monsters that no other trailer nor fifth comes near.
By actual specs: 40k+ furnaces, 30+ r values and extensive under carriage blown heating (not only just mere heating pads). The largest fifth wheels sheer size and space accommodate what is needed to hold high level specs needed. They are not trailers nor toy haulers. You get what you pay for.

You think not, challenge?
Currently, alot of makers make claims here and there but for the most part, in the end they will not stand up by itself to extensive periods of time through all extreme seasons.
Go to RV Trader, RVT, etc. and put in the highest priced fivers (non toy hauler). Download from each maker's site the pdf spec sheet. You will be shocked. Why are they so pricey, some more expensive than some homes? Construction, durable long lasting - come rain or shine. Old man Canadian winter or Arizona heatwave summer. And, oh yes, let's not play here: You will be paying for the propane to run the beast, but... no skirting needed.
The chosen few are The Stand Alones.

These are the fifth wheels -
Forest River - Cardinal, RiverStone.
Thor - Landmark. DRV - Mobile Suites, Elite Suites.
Crossroads - Redwood.

Independent lines -
Forks RV - Continental Coach (custom made).
New Horizons (custom made (post added and confirmed - you are correct Colliehauler).

Recent Past Orphaned Lines -
Evergreen - Lifestyle Luxury, Bay Hill.
Carriage - Carri Lite, Royals.
DRV - Tradition, Estates.
Newmar - Kountry Aire.
Teton - Royal, Experience.

Note: Popular notions -
Good brands like Cedar Creek, Montana lines are not true 4 seasons fivers. New recent high specs are specialized order, not standard.
Nuwa and orphaned Excel lines lack in overall extreme r values.
Carriage Cameo line falls into the upper mid fiver level, like Montana or Cedar Creek.
Always trusted and respected Arctic Fox's quality line is considered upper mid. Models listed above as best now far exceed AF's specs.



Regards,
Mark
64 REPLIES 64

RustyJC
Explorer
Explorer
For an all-year, four seasons, full-time 5th wheel, I'll stick with my Mobile Suites.

Rusty
2014.5 DRV Mobile Suites 38RSSA #6972

2016 Ram 3500 Dually Longhorn Crew Cab Long Bed, 4x4, 385/900 Cummins, Aisin AS69RC, 4.10, 39K+ GCWR, 30K+ trailer tow rating, 14K GVWR

B&W RVK3600

goducks10
Explorer
Explorer
I'm not sure anything with 2" walls will be comfortable in 0* weather. I don't care who makes it, you can only cram so much in a 2" wall,

nevadan660
Explorer
Explorer
I bought an Artic Fox Fifth Wheel Silver Edition for quality and value at a medium price. According to their customer service they recommend skirting around the base when temps drop below 0 degrees( I have not had to do that yet) I spent 6 days in -5 temps and the heater worked almost non-stop. With dual pane windows and all the extra insulation/foil protection in ceiling the mfg. claims as a plus, I noticed aluminum frame conducts COLD to the walls, overall you can survive with this type of setup but will have to pay propane and electric heater usage. I respect and learn from all the previous camper post that have actually camped in subzero temps. thank you for you input.
2005 CHEV-DURAMAX-HD2500-CREWCAB-4X4
2015 ARTIC FOX 295T FIFTH WHEEL

Hi. I appreciated your post. I an a 73 year-old eternal Girl Scout new to anything that isn't s tent or a tree house. I have a 22' Forest River Freedom pop-up camper that I love dearly but putting the thing up and down is getting harder, and I want to buy a 25' 5th wheel that will keep me warm Mid Spring through Late fall. It doesn't have to be new. On fixed income. Do you have any advice for me?

Searching_Ut
Explorer
Explorer
Bakken lady wrote:
New to forum, new to full time. Just bought 2016 Prime Time Sanibel 3901, 5 slides, 42 ft. We are parked in the Bakken, 50 miles from Canada, colder than Minot ND. We have had nothing but problems since hauling it up here. 2 slides cannot close, all 5 leak air, 2 leak water and have water in our storage compartment underneath when it rains. We can't take it anywhere as we are living up here, and Forest River is not really wanting to help us up here. I guess I will find out about the extreme thermo pkg soon as snow is expected Tuesday. It uses quite a bit propane. I don't recommend the Sanibel at this point.


That area gets exceptionally cold in the winter, and the wind makes it really tough on an RV. Helped the kid pick out a Holiday Rambler Presidential 5th wheel which he lived in up there for a little over 4 years working the oil fields. You definitely go through a lot of propane. He was using a 500 gallon tank and it wasn't enough to get through a whole winter so he would need them to come out and refil at least once every winter. Cold related issues from time to time are to be expected in that climate. We had to move him down to Wyoming on short notice in January 2016 and he couldn't find a commercial hauler willing to do it. I ended up driving 950 plus miles on a Friday in a serious snowstorm to get up there. Couldn't believe how big Watford city had become. We stayed in a newer motel by an oriental steak house in Watford city which is about 40 miles from the field lit up by gas fires/flares where he was renting a spot basically in a farmhouse driveway. Brutal cold next morning, and had to jack all 6 5er tires out of frozen ground to get it to move. Made for another long day towing to Rawlins Wyoming in a blizzard the next day.

If it's any consolation, it gets pretty cold in Wyoming too. Kid came home last Christmas and a mouse got into his furnace and jammed up the blower while he was gone. Somehow even the hot water tank ended up freezing and splitting which fortunately was the worst damage from what froze. His main tanks survived somehow and weren't leaking once things thawed out. That said, as I'm sure you see, there are a lot of folks in that area figuring out had to make it work in a wide assortment of different RVs.
2015 Ram 3500 Laramie CTD, 4X4, AISIN, B&W Companion Puck Mount
2016 Heartland Bighorn 3270RS, 1kw solar with Trimetric and dual SC2030, 600 watt and 2k inverters.

work2much
Explorer
Explorer
My head hurts
2022 Ram 3500 Laramie CTD DRW Crew 4x4 Aisin 4:10 Air ride.

2020 Grand Design Solitude 2930RL 2520 watts solar. 600ah lithium. Magnum 4000 watt inverter.

memtb
Explorer
Explorer
Teton!!! We lived in an older Teton (1990) for two Wyoming winters (while building our home). We had numerous -30 to -35 (-34 to -40 C) mornings, and never froze a water line. We sometimes do winter boondocking camping (ice fishing, or late season deer/elk hunt) and have seen a few -20's. So, I guess the Teton brand would qualify! We did have a '95 model Teton with rear kitchen, with a hinged,fold down rear bumper(for spare tire, tools storage,ect.). The kitchen sink water lines would freeze at around +5 degrees F :M It was one of those ideas that, "looked good on paper, but didn't work so well in the real world"! :h We sold it pretty quickly as that wouldn't work for us. Thankfully that option quickly disappeared!:) memtb
Todd & Marianne
Miniature Schnauzer's - Sundai, Nellie & Maggie Mae
2007 Dodge Ram 3500, 6.7 Cummins, 6 speed manual, 3.73 ratio, 4x4
2004 Teton Grand Freedom, 39'
2007 Bigfoot 30MH26Sl

Lantley
Nomad
Nomad
Pez de Diablo wrote:
I have spent the last 2 years living in my Outdoor RV Blackstone Merlot. Min temp was -37C, I had 3 consecutive weeks where the high was no warmer than -25C and low was cold as -34. This year was bad. I would use about 160# of propane every 3 weeks, the built in electric fireplace ran full time and I used a smaller electric heater during the day and when it was really cold during the night.

Problems: all the slids are cold, closets and any cupboard that are left closed is brrr cold. The bedroom slide closet has ice build up all the time, my clothes freeze to the wall. The living room slide isn't too bad, but I get ice build up around the kitchen nook. I build up on the windows and twice the water froze - have to get the interior temp up to 80F to get the water flowing - easy fix.

Can it be comfortable? Sure, but it does take work and you have to pay attention.

Super important, vent, vent and vent to keep the humidity down.

Lots of BS post in this thread, it would be great if posters could just post relevant 4 season trailer information.


I'm of the mindset when it gets that cold no RV can take it.
I not suggesting You didn't make it. But it sounds like more of a survival mission than I care to withstand.
19'Duramax w/hips, 2022 Alliance Paradigm 390MP >BD3,r,22" Blackstone
r,RV760 w/BC20,Glow Steps, Enduraplas25,Pedego
BakFlip,RVLock,Prog.50A surge ,Hughes autoformer
Porta Bote 8.0 Nissan, Sailun S637

ChuckV1
Explorer
Explorer
Kz Durango Gold Line is a rated at all seasons type of 5th wheel, price is in the mid price range, low to upper 60'es....We have a G384FLT no completes so far, is very comfortable, tons of room, warm in the low 40'es high 30'es ...

Pez_de_Diablo
Explorer
Explorer
I have spent the last 2 years living in my Outdoor RV Blackstone Merlot. Min temp was -37C, I had 3 consecutive weeks where the high was no warmer than -25C and low was cold as -34. This year was bad. I would use about 160# of propane every 3 weeks, the built in electric fireplace ran full time and I used a smaller electric heater during the day and when it was really cold during the night.

Problems: all the slids are cold, closets and any cupboard that are left closed is brrr cold. The bedroom slide closet has ice build up all the time, my clothes freeze to the wall. The living room slide isn't too bad, but I get ice build up around the kitchen nook. I build up on the windows and twice the water froze - have to get the interior temp up to 80F to get the water flowing - easy fix.

Can it be comfortable? Sure, but it does take work and you have to pay attention.

Super important, vent, vent and vent to keep the humidity down.

Lots of BS post in this thread, it would be great if posters could just post relevant 4 season trailer information.

MeetTheMark
Explorer
Explorer
Gitane59, Why yes, you have enhanced my experience here.
Landmark Savannah? Quite the rig indeed.

Canadian Glendale RV. Titanium showed a lot of promise. Industry shocker.
US Franklin/Heritage, of the longest fifth wheels ever made, were right at the turn of evolving into higher luxury and specs to probably hit the list today if had not that tornado hit in 2007 in Nappanee, IN.
So it goes.

gitane59
Explorer III
Explorer III
Meet you indeed Mark I would like to! Unique interesting character you sound like very much. Silly weed first needed to understand your lingo I do although.

Long dark cold northern winter you and I will enjoy or crazy I go spring to await. Wrong impersonation! Oops? :B

Cheers Will
2014 Landmark Savannah, Mor-Ryde IS with Dexter disc brakes, 17.5 wheels with Sumitomo skins,
2010 Ford F350 Lariat CC LB DRW 6.4L Diesel, Firestone Ride Rite Airbags

MeetTheMark
Explorer
Explorer
Agreed, if you stay in moderate areas, you have over bought from my OP. Not really needed. That is Montana's and Cedar Creek's claim to rv fame - solid fivers for overall moderate temps at a fair price point. A equipped Cougar is becoming very popular in this market tier. Most of the rv activity is in moderate, 3 seasons conditions.
But, if you travel all North American regions you just may, wait, you will be that stressed out man down by the river with a short stick and 9 inches of duct tape left.
Wilma and Joe in their Redwood on that same "down by the river" so called down and out locale will be looking at ya shaking their heads drinking lattes.

The intention of my OP was not talking survivalist outcomes in a small trailer with their Coleman equipment, woolen blankets, REI handbooks and learned, excellent, human ingenuity skills. That belongs in a different forum. The trailer did not survive them, they survived the trailer. Nor is it about validating a mid range fiver to a high end luxury all year fiver. That is apples and oranges.

The post is the Best All Year Four Seasons Full Time Fifth Wheels.
Let's not struggle, carve, wrap, stretch and ground freeze your meats in foil.
Moreover, have a cup of warm cocoa watching your 40 inch Samsung.

plumber802
Explorer
Explorer
broark01 wrote:
4 seasons capability and quality is all subjective, how cold can you stand to be for how long, how hot can you stand to be for how long, how much shaking can you stand when someone is walking through, how much wind whistling through the gaps bothers you, how many parts can you stand falling off while traveling, how much can you afford in propane, etc. Is the price between the worst and best really worth the difference? Everyone's opinion and definition are different regarding 4 seasons and quality. See latest Trailer Life mag article "Braving the Yukon" in an R-POD. Just about anything can be made 4 seasonable.


Thank you!!! This post sums it up best.
Andy and Linda, St-Albans, Vermont.
Retired Union Pipe Fitter/Plumber. Former LEO 1994-2004.