switching from tent camping to 5th wheel

[Tibbs54]

We are in the market for a small-ish 5th wheel and the truck to tow it...We are looking at the Northwood Fox Mountain 235RLS and a 2015 F350 Diesel. We have only tent camped to date - but I just turned 60 and feel it's time to go for more comfort. 🙂 Plus we will be retiring soon and want to spend a lot of time traveling and camping around the country.

My question is more of a "how does it feel" to camp in a 5th wheel. Ours would be about 28feet long. Can I plan to wake up in the morning and open the door to the smell of pine trees and fresh air or, because we aren't in a tent, will I just be looking at my neighbors 5th wheel, travel trailer or motorhome? I'm hoping a 28 foot FW won't have many restrictions and we can stay out of crowded RV parks and 'get away from it all'. We considered a truck camper for this reason, but feel we want the room for when the grandkids camp with us. Any thoughts on this? Any resources I can check? I don't want to hit the road only to find that I won't be able to get that 'in the woods' feeling when stopping for the day. Can't wait to get started --- what's it like?

[kylekai]

KSadler1 wrote:
You will definitely need a generator too.

The OP said he wanted to "wake up in the morning and open the door to the smell of pine trees and fresh air," not generator exhaust. Unless you really need that giant TV, consider solar as you really don't need a generator.

[empty_nest]

We have a 29' 5'er, we bought with retirement and snowbirding in mind. It's just the two of us and a couple pups. She is more than sufficiently sized for our needs. We love waking up in our own bed and have our own towels and clothes hanging in the closet.

A little story that happened to us on a trip to South Carolina, last year...

We checked into our reserved campsite and before we got completely set up it started raining. Actually, it was more a deluge. Can't remember the last time I saw it rain that hard. Within minutes, our site was completely surrounded by water but we were high and dry and toasty. Afterward, we took a drive around the park and witnessed tent sites completely flooded. I can't imagine what damage it did to their belongings and what a mess!

[bobx2]

RoyB wrote:
BOBX2 - It is a personal thing for us I guess... We have done both routines but just feel more in the woods when setup in our OFF-ROAD POPUP. Of course there are exeptions...

I like the way SKIPNCHER says it

Posted By: skipnchar on 08/22/09 07:45am

"HUGE difference. You can CAMP in most any kind of RV and you can RV in most any kind of camper but the difference is WHERE you are. If you're in an RV Parking lot you're likely RVing. If you're in a CAMPGROUND whether it's an official one or one you simply determine yourself in a national forest somewhere, then you're camping.

Camping is usually associated with doing things in nature which means going out doors.

RVing is usually associated with staying in your RV, most often in an RV parking lot which MAY have a swimming pool (not nature) an entertainment director (or committee) and manicured lawns.

Nothing WRONG with either one but they ARE quite different. WE do some of both depending on the nature of the occasion. "

Just my thoughts...
Roy Ken

A rather jaded way to view things. An RV lot and a campground are pretty much the same thing, one just has a few more amenities than the other. It's not about what you sleep in, but where you are sleeping. A popup in a campground is not what I consider camping. Boondocking and setting up camp, (be it a tent, 5th wheel or motorhome) where ever you can find a clearing in the woods, is what I consider camping. No fees, no neighbors, no picnic tables and fire pits, no defined pre-leveled parking spaces. It takes a little more effort to get in and then back out sometimes, but it is worth the extra work.
My opinion. Perhaps I too have a jaded view...

[MrD]

when I went from tent trailers to 5ers I went with Artic Fox/Nash and I looked at their smaller trailers, I thought the 23 foot trailer was too small, I didn't like to crawl into bed, so we purchased the 245n which was the next size up, it's a great size for a couple. we pulled it with a 2500 6.0 engine.

Mike

[RoyB]

BOBX2 - It is a personal thing for us I guess... We have done both routines but just feel more in the woods when setup in our OFF-ROAD POPUP. Of course there are exeptions...

I like the way SKIPNCHER says it

Posted By: skipnchar on 08/22/09 07:45am

"HUGE difference. You can CAMP in most any kind of RV and you can RV in most any kind of camper but the difference is WHERE you are. If you're in an RV Parking lot you're likely RVing. If you're in a CAMPGROUND whether it's an official one or one you simply determine yourself in a national forest somewhere, then you're camping.

Camping is usually associated with doing things in nature which means going out doors.

RVing is usually associated with staying in your RV, most often in an RV parking lot which MAY have a swimming pool (not nature) an entertainment director (or committee) and manicured lawns.

Nothing WRONG with either one but they ARE quite different. WE do some of both depending on the nature of the occasion. "

Just my thoughts...
Roy Ken

[laknox]

Tibbs54 wrote:
We are in the market for a small-ish 5th wheel and the truck to tow it...We are looking at the Northwood Fox Mountain 235RLS and a 2015 F350 Diesel. We have only tent camped to date - but I just turned 60 and feel it's time to go for more comfort. 🙂 Plus we will be retiring soon and want to spend a lot of time traveling and camping around the country.

My question is more of a "how does it feel" to camp in a 5th wheel. Ours would be about 28feet long. Can I plan to wake up in the morning and open the door to the smell of pine trees and fresh air or, because we aren't in a tent, will I just be looking at my neighbors 5th wheel, travel trailer or motorhome? I'm hoping a 28 foot FW won't have many restrictions and we can stay out of crowded RV parks and 'get away from it all'. We considered a truck camper for this reason, but feel we want the room for when the grandkids camp with us. Any thoughts on this? Any resources I can check? I don't want to hit the road only to find that I won't be able to get that 'in the woods' feeling when stopping for the day. Can't wait to get started --- what's it like?

Obviously, you won't be able to get into some areas where you tent camp, but, if you choose the right FW, you can still get into some very nice areas with one that's < 30'. I just got back from a long weekend boondocking with 30 other family and friends in the AZ high country, and my 29'3" rig has no problem getting in and out, provided I do =my= job right. 🙂 If you like to boondock, or otherwise be in less improved areas, one of the real issues you might face is tank capacity. Many otherwise very nice rigs have ludicrously small holding tanks, especially the black, that can limit your time away from hookups. If you like full-service campgrounds, then many of them will be cheek-to-jowl, no doubt about it. You'll pay more for ones that have larger spaces. I'm sure you're aware that older CGs may have tighter roads and access, but oftentimes the landscaping is mature enough to give decent privacy whereas newer CGs, may have much less mature vegetation, so you have less.

Lyle

[saddleup]

Good to read about all the 5'ver people that prefer the State and National parks for camping. I'm a State Park guy myself...love the large private sites as well as the electric hookups - some even have water hookups! I personally would not camp without electric service. Very nice and quiet atmosphere, and you can surely smell the pines the same as tenting, which I did in the 90's.

[bobx2]

RoyB wrote:
We were big tent campers in the 60's and 70's living in Arizona. Jeeps and trailers with tent and supplies all loaded up and then heading for the high country is what we did back then.

The POPUP is great for us, low expenses on maintenance and upkeep, no pain when towing down the road, gets excellent gas mileage on the truck pulling it with no wind resistance... All in all it is a WIN-WIN situation for us... We can still drive through a McDonalds Drive through Order Window.

There is big difference in camping and RV'ing

Roy and Carolyn

Confused. What is the difference between camping and RV'ing?

[RoyB]

We were big tent campers in the 60's and 70's living in Arizona. Jeeps and trailers with tent and supplies all loaded up and then heading for the high country is what we did back then.

This is how we all looked back in those days...

Google Image Photo

Then I went to 5th wheel in 2008 and it was not my liking at all. Too big to mess with, too much trailer for my truck, bad for the billfold, and not fun anymore fighting the big trucks on the interstate and dealing with where are we gong to park etc...

I went to my off-road 2008 POPUP camper I still pull today just after a few months with the 5th wheel. The 5th wheel sits in our CAMP BACKYARD and is a great getaway for us here at the house and the grandkids love it when spending the nights etc...

We have pulled our off-road POPUP camper all over the South and as far West as Texas and Oklahoma... We prefer camping in the Natl Forest areas...

It doesn't get much better than this for us camping off the power grid somewhere..


All setup for camping off the power grid and can sustain ourselves for a good 12-14 days by keeping our battery bank charged up each day by connecting the trailer shore power cable directly to our 2KW Honda Generator using a RV30A to 15A long DOGBONE type adapter.

Most areas we go to here on the East side of the US has generator run times restrictions in place so we camp where we can run the generator for three hours during the day to keep the batteries charged up for the next day/night run off the batteries.


The POPUP is great for us, low expenses on maintenance and upkeep, no pain when towing down the road, gets excellent gas mileage on the truck pulling it with no wind resistance... All in all it is a WIN-WIN situation for us... We can still drive through a McDonalds Drive through Order Window.

There is big difference in camping and RV'ing

Roy and Carolyn

[wuhungsix]

If I were in your shoes and had no kids to drag around. I would buy the smallest 5th wheel with a slide and stick to state and federal campgrounds if you want the most room. The commercial/private campgrouns always seem like parking lots to me and I perfer to dry camp. I actually have not tried full hook ups before. Figure I could just stay home for that.

Also pay little attention to model numbers in relation to trailer length. Most salesmans use this as the length of the trailer. You want to know ACTUAL (nose to bumper) length. IMO anything longer than 28' gets difficult to find a site if you want privacy.

Our bunkhouse (2014 Puma 259RBSS) is 30' actual length, bumper to bumper. Although we fib a little and tell the state campgrounds we are 26' so we can get under their 27' MAX trailer length. We have not had a problem yet but we did have a have to shoe horn into some spots.

[Mountain_Mama]

Only suggestion I have is to get one with at least one slide out...You will be surprised how much it increases the inside space.

[WallynDiane]

We moved from a tent to a 32' fifth wheel in 2004 and have loved it.

I used to really enjoy setting up the tent camp. Now I love the simplicity of owning a fifth wheel. Ours is permanently parked in a campground in western New York.

Research your fifth wheel options wisely. Also consider all sizes since you are nearing retirement. It is nice to have a lot of room during retirement when hopefully you will be spending more time camping.

[C_Schomer]

We had 3 - 25' 5ers and loved being able to fit in anywhere but we eventually had to get up to ~31' to have all the creature comforts we wanted... more kitchen and bedroom space, 2 recliners and a big corner shower. The free standing dinette, cold package, dual panes and huge basement were icing on the cake. This one should get us well into retirement and we can figure out if we need a washer/dryer which has never been a consideration up to this point. Craig

[bpounds]

Itching2go wrote:
First, there are times when we need to lower the nose on a site that slopes. This would raise the rear of the trailer up, making it necessary to use an extra step to get in, which can be annoying.

Second, we frequently extend the rear of the rig over the end of the pad to give us more room for the truck in front. When we did that with the rear entrance, the door entrance would no longer be off of the pad. And if the slope after the end of the pad were severe enough, we couldn't extend out at all.

...our experience...

Excellent! Never have owned a rear entry unit, and never thought of those issues. Makes perfect sense.