Does 2 feet really make a difference

HI Bee, no, that is 34 with the tongue included.
the camper is 30 ft and about 4 for that tongue....hubby had the tape measure to it for total length.

it was never about the length while towing in movement, it was about those small state park sites that are in my location area basically. plus our 40ft is only a 2 axle, 'light' type and it goes thru tires lately we noticed. alot of weight on those 2 axles so we decided we are going backward.

thing with going 'too long' also is the state parks have those narrow tiny tight roads with trees anchored in the worse spots on tight turns. so the total 34 is going to be so much easier on us....thing is it is smaller :)

The height is the only thing I really worry about when we camp. Well I don't worry about it then because I always forget about it. Been lucky so far that I haven't hit anything up there. It's tall though. I need to be more aware.

FunnyCamper wrote:
...we have a 40 ft 5thwheel toyhauler and are currently looking to downsize to a 34 ft toyhauler tag-along....

Won't the overall rig still be close to the same total length?

Agree with others in that a couple of feet would probably not be a big issue; however, in your post you indicated a narrow range of camping options. Check with those places to confirm if they have any length restrictions or guidelines.

I don't know if 5W"s get taller as they get longer but my observations of watching them come into campgrounds is that overhanging branches seem to be the big killer. Commercial campgrounds seem to do a better job of tree trimming than state or forest service campgrounds.

old guy wrote:
here at the oregon state parks it would be. I now have a 35' but even when I had a 25' I had troubles backing into on spot. I took out a few bushes and broke my bug shield. the ranger told me I just made his life a little easier, he was planning on taking out the bushes any way.

Funny....I keep an extensive data base of all the camp spots we stayed over our 16 years of full-timing. I just checked the Oregon coast parks and here's where we stayed with our 40' motorhome over the years, some more than once and some without reservations. So...had no trouble finding a spot in Oregon State Parks and these are only the coastal parks. We've stayed all over Oregon at their state parks and national forest campgrounds. No, we wouldn't fit in all of them but there are plenty in which we would.

To make a blanket statement that folks looking at big rigs will have a hard time finding a place to stay isn't correct.

Beverly Beach
Bullards Beach
Cape Blanco
Washburne
Fort Stevens
Harris Beach

here at the oregon state parks it would be. I now have a 35' but even when I had a 25' I had troubles backing into on spot. I took out a few bushes and broke my bug shield. the ranger told me I just made his life a little easier, he was planning on taking out the bushes any way.

onthefarm wrote:
Hello all, long time lurker, first post. Spent many many months now looking and touring fifth wheel plans with the intent of nothing larger than 35'. Most of our planned camping will be boondocking, state/national parks and the like. We've finally narrowed it down to two units one being 36', missed our mark by a foot, and another at 38'. My gut tells me if I can stuff a 36' unit on a spot 2' longer won't make a difference. Am I pushing the boundaries to far here for the type of camping we hope to enjoy?

From your state. It is possible you may want to camp the Blue Ridge Parkway. With a 35' of longer camper, You will be severely limited as to where you can get into. Our TT is only 30', and there are only a few sites in the BRP campgrounds we can get into, and none of them are as nice as the sites we use when we only had a pup.

Here in FL we've noticed the state park sites listed on reserveamerica.com seem smaller than they actually are. With the just traded 38 footer, I always fudged (lied) and said I was 36' long. Only had one occasion where I had difficulty and that was because of one darned tree. I was able to fit by going the wrong way down the access road and backing in from the opposite side, with the camp host's assistance. Most state parks we've stayed in outside of FL east of the Mississippi are a bit on the small side, so yes, a couple of feet could make a difference.

we do state parks, the bit smaller you are the better usually. state parks sure are not increasing their site sizes :)

we have a 40 ft 5thwheel toyhauler and are currently looking to downsize to a 34 ft toyhauler tag-along. with 5ths alot of trees are a pain in the sites also...state parks won't barely cut a stupid brance that juts out into the site either and many times we come SO close to losing our AC or roof damage.

we are losing about 6 ft and we can't wait til we get shorter and save height size also along with the stupid gross weight being cut down by like 3000 lbs.

we went 'bigger and bigger' til that day hit that we had enough with the monsters, backwards we go with a smile on our face doing so!!