Help! Need advice! New to RVing

[Ags2376]

We are new into rving and have not yet made a purchase. I would like any and all suggestions anyone can offer. The 5th wheel we are looking at is a 2018 42ft Forest River Sandpiper 383. It has 2 ac units and 4 slides. What additions or packages should we consider and are there any particular questions we need to ask the dealer? Are sandpipers good quality?

[WTP-GC]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
Personal opinion. That's a huge RV and I only buy used and pay cash. If the reasons aren't obvious then I'm wasting my typing. Just think about the size is all I'm saying. We once traveled with friends. I had a 25 foot 5th wheel and his was mid 30's(about 8 ft. shorter than yours). We wanted to pull into adjoining sites in Big Bend NP but I backed right in and he couldn't and he's good at it. I would pull into Walmart gas pumps and he wouldn't think of it; not enough room. At truck stops, he had to go and wait at the pumps for semis and I went into the regular car pumps, then waited 15 minutes on him.

Why don't you enlighten us on your "obvious" reasons...

I don't agree with your description on troubles with a long trailer. Both my my 5ers have measured in the mid-30's and I've not ever had any trouble getting into the spot or gas station of my choice.

[Jayco-noslide]

Personal opinion. That's a huge RV and I only buy used and pay cash. If the reasons aren't obvious then I'm wasting my typing. Just think about the size is all I'm saying. We once traveled with friends. I had a 25 foot 5th wheel and his was mid 30's(about 8 ft. shorter than yours). We wanted to pull into adjoining sites in Big Bend NP but I backed right in and he couldn't and he's good at it. I would pull into Walmart gas pumps and he wouldn't think of it; not enough room. At truck stops, he had to go and wait at the pumps for semis and I went into the regular car pumps, then waited 15 minutes on him.

[maddog348]

Ags2376 wrote:
Just for the record folks, my husband drives dump trucks and trailers grossing 80,000 on the regular, and we have two, F-350's, both diesels, so back to the subject of what the topic was about to begin with, my husband is fluent with fifth wheels so we kinda know what we are looking for, we are just asking the finer details such as the a/c size and etc., I didn't need to know any financial advice or ridiculing, thank you!!!!

Ya could have said that to start with and been spared the lectures. BUT "...We are new to RVing...." didn't give much of a clue.

JM2¢ ~~ YMMV

[WTP-GC]

LOL. The OP did not say they had experience with towing such vehicles nor that they didn't. All the negative comments that people made that they're now having to defend is interesting because they automatically assumed that their rationale was correct and that the OP is at fault. I guess the forum rules should be amended such that new members must now fully disclose their capabilities, finances, hair color, height/weight and political affiliation in order to establish their credibility.

OP, the Sandpiper is middle-of-the-road quality, which is not a bad thing to dive into for your first unit. I've seen people by low-end for their first unit because they wanted to test the waters, only to upgrade shortly thereafter. Problem is that this method makes little financial sense. Granted, my first 2 rigs were well-used prior to my ownership, but that was more related to financial status rather than trying to test the waters.

I like that the model you referenced allows access to the bathroom without extending the slides. The fridge may be questionable, but probably accessible still with slides in. I would check to see if the slides are operated independently or by a single switch. For that many slides, I would want independent operation. I'm not a huge fan of the kitchen island because it limits the spaces and ergonomics of moving through the camper. I like the 2 bathrooms and the large grey water capacity. It would seem that the cargo capacity for that size of a camper is a little on the low side. I like the 2 AC's for sure.

And the only comment I'll make about regarding the size is that you will be likely be limited to some extent in terms of where you can camp. If your main desire is toward "resort" type CG's, then you should be fine. But if you like getting into SP's and NP's, you might run into a little more trouble finding sites that can accommodate a rig that large. Along those same lines, larger rigs require larger trucks, so just because the camper might fit into the spot doesn't mean that the "entire" rig will fit. Just a thought...

[troubledwaters]

OP - The best thing about this forum is that within a few minutes it is very easy to figure out who's posts are not worth reading. Then you can use the "Block this Member" feature. I find that feature to be very useful. Much Better than wading though useless information to separate the wheat from the chaff. Some people remind me of robots, have the same response time after time, for years on end, ad nauseam.

[Shal36]

Check out the Forest River owners group for help from people who own that particular trailer.

Forestriverfrog.con

As a general rule, when you ask a question here, you’ll either get ten responses that say the same thing or you’ll get all sorts of “insights” that don’t answer your question.

[ACZL]

OP,

Your original post said nothing about you or hubby's driving experience which lead everyone to believe that you all of a sudden wanted to try RVing in a big way. You asked about a coach and like others said, you got some awesome replies and advice. No one ridiculed you, just concerned that you may be getting in over your head if you never towed/RV'd before.

As long as your comfy towing, have the truck to tow, like the floorplan, go for it. Sandpiper is a decent coach. We almost bought one ourselves few years back. Their sister line is Sierra.

[Mountain_Mama]

I haven’t looked at your particular floor plan but can you get to the fridge and toilet with the slides closed? Important to us when stopping to eat lunch on the road or need a bathroom break in the middle of no where!

Video the prepurchase walk through because you won’t remember every thing they tell you about how things work. Also if you find a problem(s) that need fixing get it done before you sign final paperwork. Online there are predelivery check lists to make sure you don’t forget to check something. Tell them you want some water in fresh water tank, propane, power hooked up so you can check all appliances (cooktop, furnace, a/c, toilet, faucets, water pump ,everything ) before signing off on it. Also do research on "China Bomb" tires. Either plan on paying for an upgrade on good tires or plan on replacing them yourself ASAP.

Get them to show you how to manually retract your slides in case you need to at so,e point.

[jtaylor1920]

Go here and navigate to the literature section. You can download a brochure.

http://www.forestriverinc.com/fifth-wheels/sandpiper?Tab=1.

[pryoclastic]

Ags2376 wrote:
I didn't need to know any financial advice or ridiculing, thank you!!!!

Perhaps you read the replies on a phone or small screen tablet and skimmed most of it. I read every single post and found nothing but helpful experienced "double-checking-are-you-sure" advice.

But if you are sure your sure then go for it!

😄

[Campteacher]

Ags2376 wrote:
We are new into rving and have not yet made a purchase. I would like any and all suggestions anyone can offer. The 5th wheel we are looking at is a 2018 42ft Forest River Sandpiper 383. It has 2 ac units and 4 slides. What additions or packages should we consider and are there any particular questions we need to ask the dealer? Are sandpipers good quality?

Hi,

I'm by no means an RV or trailer expert, but I did just get a new Jayco, so I have a couple of ideas. Again, my advice is worth what you've paid for it!

1) Ask about the slides. How do you maintain them? Where, if needed, are any grease/oil points? Ask about the rubber seals.

2) I had a Forest River cargo trailer for about three years. No problems with it whatsoever (apples and oranges, I know).

3) Look at the fifth wheel hitch they install, and see that the trailer is pretty much level. When my Jayco was at the dealer, they installed a shank that made it ride nose-high. I caught that and had them change it.

4) Have them show you all the features and functions of the trailer before you drive away after purchase. I discovered my thermostat wasn't wired up, so again, I had a tech change it before driving away.

5) After you get it, camp near the dealer for a few days. That way, you're nice and close if you find something amiss. I did that, and didn't find anything amiss.

6) After you get it, sit in it, take some time and breathe it all in! It's a very exciting thing that you can now call your own, so enjoy it! I full-time in mine for the summer, (I'm a teacher up north) and it goes into storage. I'm sitting on my couch right now talking to you, and it's bliss!

I hope this helps, again, my advice is worth what you've paid me for it!

thanks!

Kevin

[ScottG]

You got some excellent advice but you sound like your going to ignore it. Just remember, the good folks here tried.

[Lwiddis]

“so back to the subject of what the topic was about to begin with,”

No one was off topic with the information you first gave. Driving dumps and 18s won’t get you in to Olympic NP and many others at 42 feet. If you already know, why ask?

[Ags2376]

Just for the record folks, my husband drives dump trucks and trailers grossing 80,000 on the regular, and we have two, F-350's, both diesels, so back to the subject of what the topic was about to begin with, my husband is fluent with fifth wheels so we kinda know what we are looking for, we are just asking the finer details such as the a/c size and etc., I didn't need to know any financial advice or ridiculing, thank you!!!!