Question for those tha full/part time in their TH

[Dennis58]

I have been rolling around the idea of a TH and toy for some off road type fun. The TH would be something in the 20-25 ft range and the toy would be a Honda Rincon and/or KTM 350 EXC-F or both. My tow vehicle is a 2019 Silverado, Crew Cab, Duramax, Dully. My used would be 30-60 day type trips exploring the US both off road and non off road type camping locations.

Question for those that do this full or part time when you are in an RV park that doesn't cater to off road activities do you unload your toys to have use of the inside space of the TH? Seems like it might be a PIA to unload and store outside each night when not using the toys.

I ask because most TH in the 20-25 ft range have a front bath and aft bed that needs to be lowered.

Thanks
Dennis

[dedmiston]

mr_andyj wrote:
Sprain your ankle? still gotta unload those toys...

Years ago I broke my leg unloading in the dark. Someone had dug a hole and I didn't see it. I stepped into it wrong and broke my leg right above the ankle (I forget whether it was the fib or tib).

I finished unpacking the bikes on the bad leg and slept badly.

The next day I put it in a riding boot and it felt fantastic. What a relief. We rode all weekend and it felt pretty good in the boot. Sunday afternoon we packed up and drove home.

Monday, I got to work and the guy at the desk across from mine said that I didn't look like my usual self. I mentioned the leg and he asked if I'd had it x-rayed yet.

I finally threw in the towel after limping to a few meetings and drove myself to urgent care.

The doc was pretty pissed when he asked me when it happened. "Oh, Friday evening around six. I guess that makes it about 65 hours ago."

He showed me the break in the x-ray and said he couldn't believe that I had been walking around and riding dirt bikes on a broken leg.

[mr_andyj]

There is no way!!!

You absolutely need to have a working RV when the toys are loaded. Having to squeeze through tight spaces is fine, but you have to have access to the full RV (bed, bath, kitchen, seating) when loaded. For weekenders I would say this also, but they can deal with it. For full time there is no way you can unload every night. It is not about the time it takes, as this will become routine, but just the fact that you cannot always unload with reason - rain, snow, wind, cold, late arrival... Going on a day hike? gotta load toys, then unload when you get back, those toys get stolen too often to leave siting out... Sprain your ankle? still gotta unload those toys...

[msmith1_wa]

Y-Guy wrote:

msmith1.wa wrote:
You will need to check with the park you are staying at. Oregon State Parks require vehicles that are not street legal to remain loaded. I believe that Washington State Parks are the same. Private parks will depend on the specific park.

I'm going to put an * at the end of "Oregon State Parks require vehicles that are not street legal to remain loaded.*" Since at least one park, Honeyman, in Florence Oregon does allow ATV/MX/UTVs in the H-Loop during the off-season to ride out of the loop and onto the Dunes. But I do agree, and had been politely warned a few times with our previous Toy Hauler that we could not unload.

You are correct, but H loop at Honeyman is only open to ORV's October 1 to April 30. The remainder of the year ORV's are not allowed.

[Y-Guy]

msmith1.wa wrote:
You will need to check with the park you are staying at. Oregon State Parks require vehicles that are not street legal to remain loaded. I believe that Washington State Parks are the same. Private parks will depend on the specific park.

I'm going to put an * at the end of "Oregon State Parks require vehicles that are not street legal to remain loaded.*" Since at least one park, Honeyman, in Florence Oregon does allow ATV/MX/UTVs in the H-Loop during the off-season to ride out of the loop and onto the Dunes. But I do agree, and had been politely warned a few times with our previous Toy Hauler that we could not unload.

[msmith1_wa]

You will need to check with the park you are staying at. Oregon State Parks require vehicles that are not street legal to remain loaded. I believe that Washington State Parks are the same. Private parks will depend on the specific park.

[klutchdust]

2015 Work and Play 25UL. Front queen bed and bathroom accessible always, that was a "must have". Polaris Ranger in the garage, real tight but do able. Beds need to be kept folded up , I travel solo or with wife usually for fishing trips. Stove is accessible if I lean over the front of the ranger, fridge is ok as well as sink, sandwiches work.
I need to be able to pull into rest area, jump in bed for nap then get going again so the availability of a bed and bath is an absolute must.

[FireGuard]

Dennis58 wrote:
Dedmiston, yes I'm thinking the same way it's a destination trip geared around toy use or a destination trip designed for just being a lookie loo tourist.

My perfect setup would be a used 30' 5'er TH but that anamial doesn't exist. I want to keep my road mass down and also be able to use national parks.

I would perfer to not buy new or special order. It's just me for the most part and the and the wife on a couple to few trips go I do have to think about her comfort.

Or I ditch the toys and go hang out in the Class A section. Screw that plan for now anyway.

Ragen 30-05. A solid a 30’ 5th wheel TH made until around 2008.

[william_04_x]

Unloading to make your bed every stop will get old quick.

With a quad you may be able to find a TH with a rear bunk that can pull down, and hang over the machine. Then you're climbing a ladder to get up/down. That would make it more manageable.

[Dennis58]

Yes more cons than pros.

[phillyg]

Except at pull-through sites, I've noticed most toy haulers end up with their tailgate inaccessible for loading/unloading.

[arhayes]

That type TH would be fine for the weekend warrior, but I cannot imagine having to unload my motorcycle at every overnight stop just so I could sleep. If you’re considering going FT, get a full size rig where YOU are in control of when you offload your toys. YMMV!

[valhalla360]

We just bought one in that range (25ft box, 28ft overall).

Bedroom up front, then bathroom, then probably 60% of the box is garage and doubles as living space (with kitchen area).

At the moment, no toy as we picked it up while on the move (issue with old rig and found good deal).

With a toy, it would have to be unloaded at every stop unless just pulling in and crashing for the night. If the trip wasn't heavily focused on the toy, that would get old really quick.

Yes, it's not uncommon for RV parks to have rules against the use of toys in the campground, so unloading them is likely to get questions (even golf carts often require a small fee and/or proof of insurance)

[Dennis58]

Dedmiston, yes I'm thinking the same way it's a destination trip geared around toy use or a destination trip designed for just being a lookie loo tourist.

My perfect setup would be a used 30' 5'er TH but that anamial doesn't exist. I want to keep my road mass down and also be able to use national parks.

I would perfer to not buy new or special order. It's just me for the most part and the and the wife on a couple to few trips go I do have to think about her comfort.

Or I ditch the toys and go hang out in the Class A section. Screw that plan for now anyway.

[dedmiston]

Hi Dennis,

I think that's going to be an issue. You'll need to unload and secure your bike at every stop.

We bought a garage model so that we could leave our stuff in the garage when we aren't riding. Most of our trips though are either destination trips where we ride (and unload) or travel trips where we don't take any toys.

On our trip last weekend, the wind was horrible and we couldn't leave to drive home on Sunday night because it was unsafe. It felt pretty amazing to load everything into the garage in the evening and then just hitch up and split the next morning to safely drive home after the wind sat down.

I love your plan to tour and ride, but maybe a bigger hauler would be best. For just a few more feet (like a 26 footer) you could get a front sleeper. Our old FS2600 had the kitchen, bath, and sleeper in front of the toy space. It worked OK if there were just two of us. We couldn't get to our kids' beds or the dining space if we travelled that way though. We could have fit one bike sideways behind the fold-down beds if we wanted.