Fifth wheel length

My first 5th wheel was about 31'. My present 5th wheel is 34'. I was more comfortable backing the 31 fter. I didn't think 3' would make a difference, but it did. I really would hate to go any bigger than 34'.

As Searching_Ut mentioned, it's not always the length...I've had issues with opening my opposing slides in some of the older parks. My fifth wheel is 32 feet front to back but only 26 feet "on the ground".

When we began our search for a new fifth wheel, we kept our shopping to lengths of 35' or under for the very reasons you list. We have stayed in state parks, national forest campgrounds and COE(Corps of Engineer) campgrounds in 25 states in our 35' rig and have only ran into problems finding a site large enough a couple of times. Usually it's not the site length or width that's a problem, even the oldest campgrounds will usually have at least one you can fit in (if you reserve it early enough) the problem is being able to get into those sites! Many campgrounds have very narrow roads with sharp turns or trees so close to the sides of the road that it becomes a challenge to navigate a longer rig through those campgrounds. There have been many times that if we'd been a foot or two longer, we would have never been able back into sites that were plenty long enough. So, you not only need a long enough site but you definitely need enough room to maneuver into those sites!

It really varies based on where you intend to travel. My current 5th wheel is listed at slightly over 35 measures a little over 38 end to end and in Utah and a lot of the areas I roam in Idaho and Wyoming there are probably 70 plus percent of the forest service campground I can't get into. Many of those are small half dozen or so sites, maybe an outhouse, fair bit of dirt road to get to. I should be able to fit into almost all the state parks from what I remember the sizes as being. (Always used smaller TT's or motorhome prior to this rig). The national parks in this area are pretty limited in spot availability. Commercial parks no issues for the most part, but surprisingly while the length is no problem I've already run into slight problems in opening the slides all the way up on both sides. A lot depends on whether or not there is someplace other than the camp spot to park the tow vehicle.

35'is a good limit to set for yourself. We did the research & glad we set it at 35. Options quickly decrease the longer you go past 32. Sure some states are better than others but you don't buy for only use in one state.

One thing I do is to use Google Maps or Google Earth to look up the campground, if you can get a clear view of the site, use the measurement gauge at the bottom of the screen to measure the site.

I don't know that there is a definitive answer. Now we have a 30 ft. Class C MH and did have a 26 ft. 5th wheel. I would prefer to stay around 27-29 ft. It's not that you can't get into any state and national park sites as it varies a lot. In many of those campgrounds there will be some long sites and some not so there might be 6 sites left and none suitable for over 25 ft. but many longer ones already filled. Shorter is better in many situations such as gas stations, parking lots, etc. Traveling with a friend with a 35 footer firmed up my opinion when I compared where he could go and where we could with our 26 footer.But many will swear that there is no problem at all with any length.

I, like so many others, have had the same experience. Not knowing if we fit in the spaces assigned. In some parks, it is even more frustrating when the site is not specifically reserved. So, in other words, a person with a small rig has a large space, and a person with a larger one- well it is tough luck.

The measurements of the sites leaves one wondering also. For example, there is a federal site we go to. It got to the point where we took a measuring tape and specifically measured each site. It became necessary because sites were listed as being 30 feet long, when they were 40 foot or longer.

So what is the solution? Don't have one except going there first or asking people what the place is like.

Rangerman40 - good question. We've had 4 TT's and now this FW. The prior TT before our FW was 32' and our FW is 35' 5" to be exact. We boondock and camp in FS and National Parks, but have to pick the sites carefully. We camp mainly in the west and haven't had problems missing out on nice areas due to our length. We shopped for a shorter length in order to keep our options open, but as you are reading from other responses, it's doable.

Lantley wrote:
I think it really depends on what state you are referring to. In my area I generally can get a site however there maybe only a few sites large enough.
A larger rig will certainly limit your options at some point.
There will always be more sites available for smaller RV's

Well, we live in Ohio but typically camp everywhere East of the Mississippi. I have a real affinity for Florida State Parks and typically hit up two or three of those a year.