Travel Trailer or Fifth Wheel?

JTIII wrote:
I'm looking to make my first purchase and going all-in as a full-timer. I will be solo and I have limited experience towing anything...as in NO experience ;). I've gotten contrasting opinions from dealership salesmen between the logistics of towing a TT or 5er. I will be purchasing a new tow vehicle to handle whatever trailer I decide upon. I figured there are probably some full-timers on here that have experience with both and didn't just read about it in the dealership brochure!

IMHO, in nut shell with out all the detailed explanations, Buy a 5th. wheel! 5th wheels are more stable when driving down the road are minimally affected by high winds and semi trucks passing you, easy to hook up. Buy a high quality 5th wheel hitch, don't try to skimp and save a dollar. If you buy new, negotiate with dealer to replace the original tires with good 10 ply, "G" rated tires. I like Good Year tires.

We got our first fifth wheel a couple of years ago. We have a half towable one Durango 1500.
Our 3 previous one were travel trailers
The fifth wheel is best my reasons are
Better pulling on windy days
Better gas milage because the unit is more stabile
More storage.
I am running a gooseneck hitch with a reese goosebox.

From the question(s) you posted, you need to do a lot of reading and learning. May I suggest a couple of very good resources aimed at educating future full-timers? Head over to the Escapees RV Club...

Forums: Escapees Forums

Web site: Escapees web site

The cost of membership to join Escapees and gain access to all of their educational material is more than worth it. They also offer "Boot Camp" a couple of times a year with a week of seminars and hands-on training in a rally setting.

Also, RV-Dreams.com...

Forums: RV-Dreams forums

Web site: RV-Dreams.com

Howard and Linda at RV-Dreams also have tons of educational material and offer one-week educational rallies twice a year. We attended one of their educational rallies prior to going full-time and it was invaluable. The rallies are also a lot of fun!

There a so many things to think about in terms of full-timing other than just what RV to do it it. Both of these organizations do a good job of helping you step through the process and get prepared before you jump off the cliff.

Rob

We bought a 5th wheel because I could walk from one end to other end WITHOUT bumping my head or having to stoop

We bought a 5th wheel for the extra storage space.

We bought a 5th wheel because same length TT would have added a lot more to overall combo length (34' TT plus tongue vs 34' FW with 3' over truck bed)

We bought a 5th wheel because they are easier/more comfortable to tow and less hassle hitching (I can hitch up FW w/o having to get in/out of truck to check alignment even off level//jacked )

We bought a 5th wheel because I wanted one...and she liked the floorplan

I had a 38 foot Open Range 5th wheel and I traded it for a Work and Play 30 foot Toy Hauler Trailer. Main thing is, I like having the truck bed to carry things like my gas BBQ grill, and my generator, extra gas / diesel, bicycles, the dogs in. I don't like having the hitch always bolted in the bed of the truck. It's not any harder or doesn't take more than five minutes to hitch up the trailer. My truck has a camera in the tailgate. Both the 5th wheel and the trailer have jacks that need to be raised etc. No difference their. I have to manually hook up the two weight distribution bars, takes about a minute each one. With the trailer, and the right hitch setup properly, and driving safely I have not had any swaying issues with the trailer. I also like that their are no bedroom steps to always be going up and down. The overall height of the trailer is about 2 feet lower, no low bridge, branches, or roof issues to have to watch out for.

IMO a 5'ver is a better choice, BUT a TT becomes the choice of a lot of RV'ers because of the lack of steps. Latter in life many simply can not handle steps and seek a more one level living.

If you can handle steps, do a 5'ver.

JTIII wrote:
I'm looking to make my first purchase and going all-in as a full-timer. I will be solo and I have limited experience towing anything...as in NO experience ;). I've gotten contrasting opinions from dealership salesmen between the logistics of towing a TT or 5er. I will be purchasing a new tow vehicle to handle whatever trailer I decide upon. I figured there are probably some full-timers on here that have experience with both and didn't just read about it in the dealership brochure!

Do you have any experience camping? You are sure you want to fulltime? You might want to consider short trips at first, to see how you like it.

It seems like money is okay? You are looking at a new tow vehicle - easily over $50,000, probably more like $70,000 or more. Especially with a big 5th wheel camper, you want a large capable truck. New camper? sky is the limit price wise - but oddly, may well be less than the tow vehicle! lol

Are you planning on traveling a lot, or mostly being at one or two campgrounds? If you aren't going to be moving much (or at all), I would think the largest camper you can get would be best for comfort.

If you are going to be exploring, maybe look at a not quite as big for ease of towing and getting around.

Hard to give you feedback with so little info.
- Full Time
- Single

Give us more to work with:
- How often and how many miles will you travel? (twice a year from Montana to Phoenix is different than moving 50-100miles a couple times a week year round)
- How big do you want it? (As a single, a 20' may be adequate or you may want a 40' toy hauler)
- Are you tall? (5th wheel have a much more open feel but its generally not a functional issue with a TT)
- What is your budget?
- Where will you camp (newer private camps, boondocking off rough roads, etc...)
- Will you have visitors?

If I was single, I would lean towards a 25-30' 5th wheel. They pull nice, easy for a single to hook up as you can watch the hitch in the rear view mirror. Big enough to be comfortable and you don't need to move up to a 1 ton truck (3/4 would be prefered).

I appreciate all the responses and input! I didn't want to burden you all with details, but I guess I should elaborate:

I will be basing the RV on my close friends' growing homestead where I assist them whenever possible. Until I figure out a more mobile career option, I still have a "regular" job to manage. I am in New England and there are some local camp grounds I can travel to regularly but will only be able to take (4) week-long trips per year. Therefore, minimal travel compared to most full-timers, I assume. My long-term goal is to purchase 20+ acres and build. This will require me to live off-grid in the RV for a time, so I expect to have some boondocking experience by then. Of course, if I enjoy traveling full-time and have an income source that allows me to do so, my plans may change. I figure, since I'm still young, single and without children, now is probably a good time to try this out. I won't be buying anything new. I have a 2013 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited 10th Anniversary Edition which I will trade and clear $15k easily. I would like to use that to buy a used diesel tow vehicle, MAYBE going to $20-25k. I am looking to cap the used RV at $25k (easy for TTs, not 5ers), but most importantly would like to keep both capped at a max of $50k. I think that covers most of the details!

IMO, finding a used diesel in good shape will cost more $ than 25K. I would not want to winter in an RV in the NE. Your energy costs will be high... In your price range, and as a single, I would keep things simple. I would opt for a 4 season TT already equipped with a generator. My pick would be a used Arctic Fox TT. You could use a gasser with it if you stayed with a shorter unit. If your budget was different, I would go diesel & fiver.