Campsite issues with longer 5ers?

[bluwtrman]

In the process of comparing TH options, I've been told there are lots of CGs that don't have sites large enough to park the 40+ footers. How much should I factor this into my decision process?

[JAC1982]

This reason is why we stuck to something under 40'. If you like to camp in RV parks/KOA type places you'll probably be fine, but even at 38', we're limited at public (state/county) parks. At the campground we were at this past weekend, we had the largest spot, but it wasn't the most desireable... we would not have fit into any of the waterfront spots. There was maybe only 1 other spot in the campground of 40ish spots we could have fit in. There are plenty of other campgrounds we can't use.

We also don't bring our RZR on every trip so you have to think about that too... how often are you hauling toys and need to be able to drop the back and/or at least use the rear patio.

[tinner12002]

I think for the most part a little planning and phone calls can prevent most issues.
As others have mentioned we've had to unload the bikes before we backed in and even in a couple cases the campers behind us didn't have any issues with getting somewhat into their campsite to load and unload bikes. Most of the time people want to watch as we load and unload followed by a slew of questions.

[Bedlam]

For us, it was deal breaker to get a toy hauler of 38' or longer due to the places we like to camp. When our toys outgrew our shorter toy hauler garage, we went to a truck camper with enclosed trailer. I am under 50' overall length and can fit in a 50x10 site or 25x20 double wide site. Some back in sites, I can nose in and have the ramp open to the roadway while others require unloading toys before backing in. The toys are street legal, so it does not matter if I pull into a site and block the truck into the back of it.

[2001400ex]

Most places you need to unload the toys before you back in. I always scope the site when I get there, as I prefer back ins. If there's no room behind the site, I just unload first and then when leaving, I load after I've pulled out.

As was mentioned, some parks are even tight for my 21 foot. I've had a few sites where it is so tight I don't trust the wife on trees, I have to get out a few times to check. One place in Oregon last year, I had to have a dude move his pickup in the site in front of me a few feet back so I had the room to swing the front of my pickup. Even skilled drivers have problems in a lot of parks. That's why I am struggling with the thought of getting a bigger toy hauler, mine fits almost everywhere and we really never spend time inside, don't even have a TV.

[Y-Guy]

We had a 39' Raptor. For the most part I could get in and out of most sites, but one CG I had to abandon the site and seek another, thankfully we found somebody that was leaving and snagged their site as soon as they pulled out. Another occasion I was rescued by a professional semi driver that was able to get the trailer backed in to a near impossible spot. Since we tended to camp at places we could ATV we scoped out the campgrounds and marked which sites would work and wouldn't. Before pulling into any unknown CG I stop and try to walk in. It's not just the campsites you have to watch it's the drive areas and the branches. National Forest CG are a big challenge.

Just know before you go, if you like random weekends out it can pose a challenge.

[phillyg]

At 40' we have to do careful research and maybe place a call to CGs we've never stayed in before. Sometimes it's not a site problem, rather, the access to the site has limitations.

Planning a trip to Canada this summer and we've found some north eastern CGs that might not work. In FL, the state parks list site lengths that are very conservative, but we've fit regardless, except one time when we had to go the wrong way into the space because of a big tree that wouldn't allow me turning space.

Haven't stayed recently in any national parks but we recall some tight sites on the east coast. Again, a phone call might be required.

[fj12ryder]

We've made it a practice to unload our bikes before we park in a back-in site, or a pullthrough that would make it difficult to unload. Not a big deal, of course our bikes are street legal so that may make a difference to some nit-picking managers.

[DutchmenSport]

One other thing you REALLY need to consider when selecting campsites, if you have a toy hauler: Do you have room at the camp site to open the garage door so you can get your toys out?

Indiana State Parks have campsites that are large enough to accommodate 40 footers. But I've seen many toy haulers much shorter than that, that will not accommodate opening the garage door down (ramp) because of trees at the end of the camp site, or adjoining campsites (rear to rear).

If you are considering a 40 foot Toy Hauler, you really need to think about campsites that will accommodate closer to 60 feet. By the time you open the garage (ramp), ... you STILL need room to get the toys off, probably another good 10 feet or more.

The bottom line though, it all depends upon the type of camping you want to do. Check out reserved campsites before hand to see if they really can accommodate 60 (plus) feet.

[Lwiddis]

You'll be out of luck at all but six of our California state parks.

[toedtoes]

I agree with RoyB about the difference between RV Traveling and RV Camping.

If you're just looking to stay somewhere near a town or attraction, then you will be fine with a bigger rig.

If you're looking to go camping at specific campgrounds, then you may find you can't fit OR get into the campgrounds that you prefer.

Also, if you're traveling, decide how far off the main roads you want to go. Over 40 ft, can limit you in some states - up to 40 ft, you're usually OK.

[Ltrip]

All great answers. Yes, it depends on where you want to stay, but with planning, you will find a way.
Early on with my 35" TH, I booked a FS site, unseen, that was 40" long (back in). Perfect, I thought. But I could not get in. As soon as I tried to straighten it out, and the front of the truck swung around, there was a tree in the way. I tried about a dozen different approaches.
Now I look for pull thru sites, book as far in advance as possible, and use private campgrounds.

Cheers,

[RoyB]

Not only were the SP and NP campgrounds built with small lots they were also only built for Tent Campers in mind... The Blue Ridge Parkway camping spots from Virginia to Tenn is a good example of this...

I was pulling my POPUP trailer around one of the old site roads and came to area where three or four trucks were parked on the side of the camp road just barely giving me room to maneuver around them. All those guys (Hunters with guns) were watching me as I am inching forward and backing up and trying again trying not to swap paint with them and finally got around it all. One of the dudes hollers out at me saying we was rooting for you to get around the tight spot. They certainly didn't want to come out and move their truck for me and with all the guns leaning up against the tree there I wasn't wanting to go over and ask them haha...

If we were RV TRAVELERS and running the big roads the bigger the better I guess... RV CAMPING is most definitely a different story size wise... 20-24 feet would be my maximum length... In our case we love to camp off-road all around the Virginia high country within a couple hundred miles of home base here in Northern Virginia.. We occasionally make a long trip to us down to Myrtle Beach and back up through the Smoky Mtns of NC and TN... The North high country of all of those southern states is perfect for us and our style of camping...

Sure don't ever run into very long motorhome/trailer campers in these parts...

We love waking up in the mornings to a big ole bon-fire going and fish jumping in the creek and enjoying my fresh ground and brewed coffee beans cup of coffee haha...

Roy Ken

[arhayes]

We've been full-timing in a 42' TH for 3 years and been In 42 states so far. It's true that your access with your rig to State and National Parks will be limited, as well as to older campgrounds. With that said, we have yet to miss visiting a NP or any area of the country we wanted to visit. We sometimes have to find a private campground in a nearby area, but since most of our touring is on our motorcycle, that's fine with us.

We ALWAYS have a confirmed reservation before pulling into a campground, but may have made it the day before except during peak camping holidays or around high traffic venues. When we call we always specify our length and type of rig, that we have a long bed truck, and emphasize we'll be unloading and loadin our bike. I've also often used Googe Earth to look at a park to make sure trees, turns and layout will be manageable. Not perfect but it helps.

Bottom line is there is little in these United States that you cannot do or see in a big 5ver TH. It just takes a little planning. Have fun!

[westernrvparkow]

We have found that the big toyhaulers will only work in a small fraction of the sites at our parks. Automatically, we eliminate all the back in sites from consideration. Our back in sites are some of our best sites since they often back up to natural features such as bluff overlooks, water features etc. We take those out not only because backing those big rigs is often too much of a challenge for the owners, but also because once the rig would be in the site, the hauler area cannot be accessed or used. You have to have 20 plus feet beyond the back of the rig to allow for the ramp and then space to actually remove the toys. That means sites have to be nearly 100 feet in length to accommodate the truck, the rig and the access area. Even then, the toys are going to have to drive across the site to reach the roads which is something we do not allow for obvious reasons.
Then we have to remove many of the pull thru sites since those beasts have to have a huge turning radius, both entering and exiting. We quickly got tired of the damage caused by rigs sweeping across the adjacent sites while coming or going. Even if the site is long enough, the big swings required by the triple axle haulers make those sites with tighter turns unusable.
So that leaves us with probably 15 percent or so of our sites fully accessible for toy haulers. Early reservations would be the key to getting those sites.