Analysis Paralysis...Class A vs 5th wheel for family

[jlud]

Ok, havent been on here in a while, but we keep going back and forth, going absolutely nowhere while the kids get older..want to get something this year for sure....need to pick, and appreciate input...

Heres our situation...4 young kids, oldest being 9. Probably have time for 2 week long trips in the summer, and up to 14 days or so around Christmas, plus the holiday weekends and a few extra long weekends here or there. Our kids love being outdoors, we have never owned our own camper before, but families had growing up. Would be mostly in the midwest, but want to make sure we can get around in the mountains should we choose to. I would visualize us for our week trips splitting them into a few stops of a couple days each.

Right now, we have pretty much ruled out a travel trailer, and our looking at going with a most likely gas Class A or a new F250 diesel and fiver. Here is the breakdown as I see it...

Class A - Nice view, great for travelling with kids...wife is a clean freak, our own bathroom, avoid numerous stops, snacks as needed, pullover if needed, access to all things while moving, kids play games etc. To me, this seems like the trip would be half the fun for the kids, and they are all not sitting on top of me in a crew cab.

Also, would think easy set up at camp grounds, auto level and bobs your uncle. Cost is a consideration, but something like a brand new Georgetown 351DS entry level, or maybe even a bit more and Winnie 35B or Tiffin 35QBA, something with bunks for the kids and maybe even a bunk over the front seats. This leaves us not really having to make any beds up either. Also, generator and ability to dry camp easy.

Bad part would be cant go anywhere without a toad, or driving a separate car for local trips until we make sure we are good at packing all we need. Im not sure I see any other cons with this unit, perhaps maintenance and tires.

5th wheel - This requires me to buy a new truck (45ish) and then the unit itself. We were thinking a Toy Hauler model with the electric queens in the back, figured that way we have some options with the room, and can move beds out of way when not needed, good space if we get a toy down the road.

Pros to this would be ability to unhook and have a vehicle to drive around with. The truck would be a daily driver as well. Can get with a generator but adds a bit to cost, overall probably the same total cost or maybe a little less depending on the models.

Trailers should store better as well in the winter, but then probably wouldnt take on a winter trip. Cheaper on insurance and plates? Not really sure here..

Cons - biggest concern is having 6 people in a crew cab truck on a trip. Kids can drive me nuts at that close range with stress of trailer adding. A bit longer set up time.

So long story short, from those of you in similar situations that maybe went one way vs the other...if you could do it again what would you do? Other suggestions? Its only money, right 🙂

[jlud]

Talked to another dealer tonight with Winnie, georgetown, and few others. For a family, he strongly suggested Winnie for steel safety cage and anchored furniture. He said if I was going to sell in a year or 2, buy a like new georgetown for a great deal to lose the least. He said if keeping something over 5 years or for family use get the Winnie, but he said a new one not a good buy for short ownership which makes sense. Thought he had some good points, and he was very big on safety for young kids.

[jlud]

No truck yet....have couple weeks until house closing to decide plus cold as heck here yet. Been researching though.

[stoyles1]

Got my 2014 loaded 35QBA for 120 out the door. I think I read you have your diesel truck now though so I think you need to tow something with that! Either way you'll have fun. Thought you'd like this article... with pictures...
http://glampingmom.com/2014/02/20/class-c-vs-5th-wheel-vs-class-a/

[jlud]

Good stuff! Came to the conclusion if we go A were going to need toad if we go far. Truck for fiver would be nice, don't mind fuel costs for that too much but then crammed in truck. I'll check out the flwetwood....have looked at georgetown xl 350 ta loaded full paint and all for like 108, Winnie 35b but a bit more. Qba would be nice if could find at same price point that's for sure.

[stoyles1]

Also I took a class A from Miami to Clemson for a football game one weekend. 11 hours both ways and had 8 full grown men in the RV. This wasnt the QBA though but a dual slide bounder with bunks. Anyways, watched TV the whole way up, had an xbox madden tournament. Poker game at night, pulled over on the side of the road to sleep one night. Oven cooked a pizza on the way up (gas oven cooking is great) Boondocked across the way from U of Clemson before the game. Total comfort. Felt like it was only a few hours. Would have been misery in a vehicle. Everyone had a place to sleep and this was nothing compared to the quad slide 35qba or newer models of today. (I almost went with the 36b bounder which you can get for 100K and has a bath and a half to help with all those kids...)
However the best piece of advice I can give you is this. RENT BOTH SETUPS FIRST! I did and we got what we ALL enjoyed the most. Why spend all that money when you can rent both for a weekend and see what fits your needs. After I rented the 35QBA my wife and kids wanted no other...although the wife liked the Bounder 36h as well which was much cheaper and had bath and 1/2. After you do that your decision is easy. I currently tent camp in the Keys between class A's and TT's. Anything is better than that and we still have an absolute blast.

[stoyles1]

I just bought and have on order a new 2014 35QBA. 4 kids in a truck or anything else must be torture... I only have 2 kids... you are brave! lol Remember you can easily dinghy tow behind you a vehicle for trips. I am trading in my big ole Caddy SUV for a lil ole Fiesta to drag behind mine. It will be like its not even there. So now your long trips every now and then can come with a vehicle instead of having to drive around a monster truck all year, drinking gas for no reason. Plus half the memories will be made while driving. If you are a weekend warrior like me then spending half your weekends seting up and pulling down will be torture. If you were going to say go someplace and stay there for three months then to me a fiver makes sense, if you can't afford a Class A. lol It takes less than 5 minutes to deploy the 35QBA and do the hookups, there's a video on it... try that with a fifth wheel.
My decision is based on life is a journey not a destination... you'll have much more fun on the journey in a Class A than stuck in a vehicle. Also I personally don't want to drive around town anymore getting 12 miles to the gallon and then less when towing. Hard argument to sell when you are buying a Class A though that gets 8 mpg.
Check out glampingmom dot com. They just bought a 35QBA after upgrading from a fifth wheel. Imagine 4 kids running around while your doing all the setup for a fifth wheel... with the 35qba you press a few buttons and you are done. Also both my kids sleep in the same bunk. You can probably get all 4 in the 2 bunks without issue.
While I am not anti travel trailer or fifth wheel look at the actual costs all the way. From insurance to truck + fifth wheel, to monthly gas bill to use.
The monthly cost of my Escalade (just the lease) is more than the monthly cost of my 2014 loaded 35QBA, the insurance, the storage and a DISH TV package combined...lol And thats a nice nice truck but my kids are still stuck in a seat... they have so much more fun sat at the table going down the road playing games with Mom, watching TV, eating and relaxing. The Fiesta will be a hit to my manhood but hey... we do this for the kids...LOL 🙂

[RVER]

I was at a show last week and saw a fifthwheel that had two slide outs in the living room area that each were 3 feet wide so the when deployed, the room was more than 6 ft wide. Had full sized fridge etc and washer dryer(I have a washer dryer in my 12 yr old fiver) but there is a big problem. MANY campgrounds cannot accommodate such a wide rig when slideouts are deployed. There are Class A units that have the same problem, trying to make them bigger they widened the slide outs to a point of eliminating some rigs from some campgrounds. ALSO be careful for what you wish for, a full home fridge often does NOT work on anything but electric which means if you are traveling and want the fridge to be cooling you would have to run the generator all the trip on the road. YES some work on battery but tough on battery to run a huge fridge on it and while driving it may work but not well but once at the site if for some reason no electric or the campground loses electric you lose fridge coolness. For traveling every few days then I think a Class A is best but if you are going to plant yourself for a month or more in one place then a fifthwheel provides more room inside the rig and much more storage area outside and inside often. Just my opinion but...........

[Pinikki36]

jlud...

We are in the same decision stage as you...kinda sorta...well, not really. We are trying to decide between a 5er or Class A. However, we only have 2 kids (ages 4.5 and almost 9). We, though, plan to LIVE in it. For fun. On purpose. 🙂 We currently live in OH, but are headed down to live in FL in some type of RV. My husband is from FL, and we have lots of family there...then we will take off when we want and travel. I already homeschool the boys, and my husband has a job that he can do from anywhere (as long as he has internet and cell). I was deadset on a 5th wheel with bunkhouse with 1.5 bath, but then we went to look at Class A's today. I really didn't think I would like them! What was I thinking?! FULL size fridge, washer/dryer, DISHwasher!. BUT, I do feel like the 5th wheel with bunkhouse has more storage esp. for our boys...and I really like the 2nd toilet! Seems pretty important to me for some reason. Is the Class A really worth $130K more?!?! Decisions. Decisions.

[Lantley]

This has been a very worthwhile thread with lots of well thought out opinions.
As one who had gone from a TT/SUV combo our drive to the destination in the crew cab is cramped but doable.
To the OP consider how far you plan to travel on a regular basis.
If your trips are shorter than 3 hours 5'er /crew cab is OK. The tougher drive will be worthwhile once you arrive at your destination. The trailer will have more room than the class A
If your destinations are regularly 3 hours or longer. The easier more comfortable drive favors the class A.

[jlud]

Looked again today at more 5th wheels. Even though we have kids and 0 toys right now, like the flexibility of the toy haulers, and most come with a Cummins/Onan 5500 and lots of water capacity. The flexibility with the 2 beds in the back, which could lift out of the way to make all the room for kids is nice, and forward looking for toys.

If I go this route, I suffer the drive to the destination...hell just going to the RV store in our Yukon XL the kids were screaming and hollering enough to get my upset. F250 or F350? Looking at some of these rigs, pretty hefty weight to manuever around.

[pawatt]

If $$$ are a consideration the class A will depreciate the fastest & likely cost the most to maintain.

[dave17352]

Dont get a built in genny get a honda or yamaha IMHO, but of course that is a whole other subject!

[jlud]

Ok, hit RV show again yesterday....right now, I love the idea of the A and what if offers. We are really trying to plan how we would use it, letting that shape the decision. With that said, the fiver seems somewhat more practical to us right now, but one with a generator so we could dry camp. Not saying its a done deal, but thinking that if we tough out the crowded journey, we will have more room once we get there. Plus, I then have a new pretty diesel truck to drive back and forth to work....makes me feel better than paying for something that sits months at a time if that makes sense...

[Les_Balty]

A large class C or a gas A will get you down the road with the kiddos, no problem. We took a long trip with no toad in a 30' class C, (Holiday Rambler Atlantis) Wife, Three girls (13, 10 & 6) and two pugs for several days to Colorado. This was one of my most favorite trips. I lean to the 5'er now, but the Motorhome made most of those fond memories possible in a way that a towable would not. We have rented or borrowed cars, towed using a dolly or motorcycle trailer when it was just the wife, pugs and I. Blessings.