Can I get 35' 5th wheel into a lot of natural spots?

We just got back from a trip in the eastern sierras of California and at most of the campgrounds a truck and 35' trailer would not fit at all and at other places there were 10-15% of the campsite where it might have been feasible. Most campsites in the west are back in type and not pull through and most are not wide enough to easily put a truck parked to one side - some yes but with many the answer is no.

This is most true for the USFS and BLM campgrounds. And if they have 30 campsites and only 5 are going to work for someone with a 35' 5th wheel what are the odds that one of these will be empty when you arrive? Even for the less than 50% where you can make a reservation you will have very little or no idea which site to reserve for your rig.

I would strongly recommend getting the shortest trailer that you can be comfortable staying in and will provide the space you really need for your gear. The newer trailers with one or two slideouts make more sense than a longer trailer to get more living space while at a campsite.

The federal campgrounds we stayed at cost $10-12 a night whereas the few private RV parks in the area charged $39-55 a night. With the federal campgrounds we were out in the forests or desert or beside a creek instead of sitting alongside the highway listening to traffic or trains.

I would also recommend giving serious thought as to whether to get a 5th wheel or a travel trailer. With a travel trailer you keep the use of the bed of the pickup and it can be used with or without a cap and with racks for kayaks and bikes, etc. for more options when traveling.

Guys,

When you specify the length of the trailers, is this the true length or is it the box length? Often, a 32ft trailer actually measures close to 34ft, so I'm curious which measurement everyone uses here.

I think I just read your re-post over in the full-timing section, but will respond here too.

Without doubt, THE MOST SCENIC CAMPING is not in campgrounds, state, federal or any other kind.

The stunning multi-million dollar views you want out your windows are in the public federal lands, and you will have no trouble getting your fifth-wheel toy hauler into those spots.

We park with acres of space around us, deer wandering past our rig, moose in the distance down in the river... it is truly awesome.

The key to this beautiful lifestyle is to go boondocking on your own.

There's lots of info about boondocking in this forum and on the web in general, including our page here which is a great starting point:

RV boondocking tips & tricks

The pic of our rig below is one of hundreds of gorgeous boondocking sites we've stayed in during our six years of full-timing/half-timing.

Best of all - it's free!

Thanks for the straight talk!

Yes, size DOES matter. There are many old parks out there which were laid out long before anything over 30' & way before slides were even thought of.

We just came from a CG in Mt Rainier NP. The sign at the entrance read "Vehicles over 32' DO NOT ENTER". We chose to not see that sign.

By model we are 34' long. By actual length we are inches short of 36'. With truck, bumper to bumper, we are 55' long.

There were 3 sites long enough for our size, letting the trailer aft of the wheels hang out past the site itself to inches from a tree behind. The trick was getting into the site & navigating a particularly nasty CG turn.

We did it only because the site opposite was empty & I get excellent direction from the DW who I have absolute in. This is not the first time we have stuffed ourselves into a place that we really did not belong.

The answer to a 36' toy hauler by model length but actually 38' in actual length is, NO, you will not be getting into many very beautiful SPs & NPs.

besides your skill, it depends on where you are. Campgrounds are more spacious in some places than in others, have larger sites on the average and more space between sites. I've been in state park campgrounds as crowded as the tightest RV parking lot, and in RV parks with sites as large as 50 x 80 foot.

Dispersed camping areas, you will find places where roads accommodate 60-80 foot logging rigs, others tight for a pickup and camper shell. You may find places where you see nobody else, others where you pull off the road, other people see you, and decide they want to be right next to you.

Whether your fiver is 24 foot, 30 foot, 35 foot won't make a whole lot of difference in this experience, not as much as your choice of where to go. Some places in this country are crowded, other places are empty.

if your planning some north of the border time, in Ontario our provincial parks, you will find some that would have you with as little as 10% of the sites that can accommodate a rig that big,and there are some that over half could accommodate it, they have listed what the site site can accommodate and some tell if there is obstructions such as trees making an entrance narrow ,
Our conservation area parks, allot of them tend to be like parking lot camping but tend to have reasonable access to sites, however still pay attention to site sizes which on some sites are listed.
private parks can vary from back woods style camping to RV resort(parking lot style) camping


we recently upgraded and I had the opportunity to go bigger than we did, but in thinking hard about it I acknowledged the fact that some of the places I like to go it would get difficult to get a site at all by limiting the amount of sites that can accommodate larger set ups, in already popular places, its not a matter of how good one can drive, its whether the dam thing will even fit on the site if be able to maneuver through some pretty tight tree spacing and narrow roadways without rubbing the skin off the unit as it is we lie and indicate that our new trailer is 3 to 4 feet shorter than it really is to keep more options open

I really want The side shifter wonder what the price tag is?



This thing probably doesn't actually exist tho...
Would be nice to have.

SettingOutSoon wrote:
Terry, I guess I have some real thinking and research to do. I need to get out there and gain a better sense of how many campgrounds I'd be ruling myself out of if I go big. I don't remember Julian Price as a cramped little place. On the one hand, this will be my *home* and my gut tells me if I make it too small I'll regret it. On the other, well... I went today to look at some of the 5th Wheels. I have to say, they look almost outrageously big to me on the outside. (I used to be one of those people that shuddered to see huge rigs pulling in.) But they were *not* so big on the inside! The 36' Voltage toy hauler would be almost ideal for me to have a home and office in. Here's the thing: when I look at the 30', it looks for all practical purposes just as big! Maybe I just can't take it with me everywhere. Your very specific info is exactly what I needed, though.

Don't misunderstand. Julian Price is in no way cramped. BUT. You cannot park the trailer, or tow vehicle OFF the pavement. The campsites are huge. But the parking areas for the campsites are not huge.

In other words. When you back in, or pull thru a campsite. Your entire rig has to fit in the campsite driveway. So. When you have a 32 foot trailer. "The driveway" has to be long enough for the trailer, AND the TV. So you are looking at 50' or more. Unless you want to park the TV out front. Also bear in mind. Most of the pull thrus have sharp rocks as curbs on both sides, They are narrow, and they are curved. The Trailer will not track thru them with out going over the sharp (cut tire risk) curb, and into the grass, which you are not allowed to put your tires on. But the campsite itself is huge. It was designed for a tent. The "driveway". Was designed for a car, or truck, With no trailer.

Terry, I guess I have some real thinking and research to do. I need to get out there and gain a better sense of how many campgrounds I'd be ruling myself out of if I go big. I don't remember Julian Price as a cramped little place. On the one hand, this will be my *home* and my gut tells me if I make it too small I'll regret it. On the other, well... I went today to look at some of the 5th Wheels. I have to say, they look almost outrageously big to me on the outside. (I used to be one of those people that shuddered to see huge rigs pulling in.) But they were *not* so big on the inside! The 36' Voltage toy hauler would be almost ideal for me to have a home and office in. Here's the thing: when I look at the 30', it looks for all practical purposes just as big! Maybe I just can't take it with me everywhere. Your very specific info is exactly what I needed, though.