Going from 26' to 33' total length

[ddrueckh]

I am considering upgrading from our 2000 Jayco 24' bunk house (26' total length) to a 2014 Jayco 29' rear living with slides (33' total length). I am a little worried about getting the 29' trailer through campsites and into sites. I have never had a problem with the current 24' BH. How big of a difference is it? Is it something I should be concerend about? Many of my friends who also own trailers say they wouldn't go that big because we will have issues getting in and out of campgrounds/sites. We camp in many of the National Parks out West (Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, Great Basin, Yellowstone, Glacier, Crater Lake and many more to come). We have a 3/4 ton Silverado Diesel so the TV is not an issue. Thanks.

Dave

[69_Avion]

The real issue is what the OP wants to do with it. I have a 34' Avion that rarely gets used anymore. I can put it anywhere anyone can back a trailer of it's size. The reason it doesn't get used is not because we don't like it but it is too big to get way back where we like to go. It is too low to the ground with too long of an overhang. There are trailers that have more ground clearance but most of them would be too tall to clear the low trees. The larger the trailer, the more stuff you will bring. This is the voice of over 35 years of RV experience. I have learned to keep things simple and easy. If a person "needs" the space, by all means buy a large RV. Thinking g that the large RV is the utopia if you like getting back into remote areas then you may be disappointed.

[pbohart]

pbohart wrote:
You wont have any problems at National Park Campgrounds. Just got back from Yellowstone and although we stayed in Gardiner at an RV park, I drove through every campground there and I could have found spots in any of them.

Backing up is easier.

Towing is not an issue...although - you will need to train yourself to swing wide.

I did check out a couple of Forrest Service campgrounds. A couple times the road curved through boulders that I would not have been able to get through...but...wouldnt have been able to get through with my 29 footer either.

I went from a 29 to a 35 footer.

[mosseater]

There are ways to tactfully beg forgiveness rather than ask permission. I'm not advocating becoming a pain in the neck everywhere you go, but the truth as far as I can tell is, many sites in parks are de-rated for effect. IOW, your (my) 34' rig will fit in many spaces ostensibly for smaller trailers, just a question of you showing up and putting it there. There may be National Parks where they come out with tape measures and send you on your way, but I haven't seen one yet. Granted, I don't have the miles some of these folks do, but from our trip out west, there was no place where our trailer even raised an eyebrow. If the limit says 30', it's likely they meant the box, not overall length (wink, wink). What's a few feet amongst friends?

Seriously, a lot of it depends on you and your tact and skill. I don't see an issue. I'm sure others would disagree, but if it fits...it fits. Obviously then, it becomes important to know for certain when it won't. Life is short, enjoy it often.

[pbohart]

You wont have any problems at National Park Campgrounds. Just got back from yellowstone and although we stayed in Gardiner at an RV park, I drove through every campground there and I could have found spots in any of them.

Backing up is easier.

Towing is not an issue...although - you will need to train yourself to swing wide.

I did check out a couple of Forrest Service campgrounds. A couple times the road curved through boulders that I would not have been able to get through...but...wouldnt have been able to get through with my 29 footer either.

I went from a 29 to a 35 footer.

[wmoses]

ddrueckh wrote:
Thank you for all of the replies. I think we will just go for it. We always make reservations ahead of our trips, so I think that there shouldn't be any issues.

There you go! You have to love the floorplan and simply have to stay at places that will fit the RV.

When you think of it, given the fact that we are dragging our house around, we have to sooner or later relinquish (at least to some extent) the fact that we are no longer "camping" in the proper sense of the word. Use a tent and you can camp anywhere - surely none of us want to revert to that.

[Doug33]

I recently went from 24' to 28' (32' overall) and noticed a little bit of difference, especially swinging a little wider. The biggest issue I had was in a private CG that had really short site. While I was eventually able to get the TT into the site, I had to disconnect while the TV was still in the road, blocking some traffic. So I look to CGs with bigger sites. Our NJ state parks are not usually an issue since their sites are oversized. I have never been to a NP so I can't comment on that.

[ddrueckh]

Thank you for all of the replies. I think we will just go for it. We always make reservations ahead of our trips, so I think that there shouldn't be any issues.

[I_am_still_wayn]

ddrueckh wrote:
I am considering upgrading from our 2000 Jayco 24' bunk house (26' total length) to a 2014 Jayco 29' rear living with slides (33' total length). I am a little worried about getting the 29' trailer through campsites and into sites. I have never had a problem with the current 24' BH. How big of a difference is it?7 feet Is it something I should be concerend about? Only if the difference intimidates you. Tail swing could be a concern. The mechanics of backing will be the same and that will be very little different. Many of my friends who also own trailers say they wouldn't go that big because we will have issues getting in and out of campgrounds/sites. We camp in many of the National Parks out West (Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, Great Basin, Yellowstone, Glacier, Crater Lake and many more to come). Many sites, especially in State and National Parks, are too small for that bigger trailer. We have a 3/4 ton Silverado Diesel so the TV is not an issue. Thanks.

Dave

[Opie431]

Friends went from 24 to 35. Loved it, it was heaven on earth. We poor deprived people stayed with our 26. A year later they changed to something shorter. They could not get into any of the campgrounds they liked. Their parents like RV parks and are now the happy owners of their treasure.
Where do you like to camp and what kind of camping do you like?

[fla-gypsy]

Obviously there will be sites it no longer fits and narrow roads and obstacles will make it more challenging but once you are set up you will love the extra space and the new floorplan.

[rfryer]

I think it’s a given that the bigger you are the less places you can fit. How much difference it makes is the million dollar question. A poster once looked at over 200 campgrounds near Yosemite and quantified the size RV’s that could get into them. At 25’ 71% would fit, at 30’ 65%, and at 35’ 42%. One certainly can’t take that as applicable everywhere, but it would seem to give at least an indication of the relationship of size to access. The poster was “wintersun” and you could do a search and read the post yourself.

I’m sure you’ll find sites in the parks that you can fit if they’re not already taken by a smaller RV. I think your biggest problem would be national forest campgrounds, at least the ones that aren’t well developed for bigger rigs. Probably more often than not, it’s not that there isn’t a big enough site; it’s the narrow, heavily treed road in that you can’t maneuver. Quite a few years ago I ran across a fellow with a roughly 30’ TT that was blocking a road into the campground. He didn’t scout it out first and just drove down a dirt road to the cg. Then he found he couldn’t make the turn into the cg. He couldn’t go forward because the road rapidly worsened and his rig was too sluggish to maneuver back through the trees to turn around. So he wound up having to back up all the way out to the highway again.

So whether you should be concerned is dependent on how much tolerance you have for increased difficulty finding sites and how much you want to get into national forest cg’s. At that length you can get into many state parks and many you won’t. Commercial cg’s will be no problem at all.

[Vvvv1010]

My honest opinion...I think you will be in pretty good shape going with the extra length at your favorite parks. Keep in mind with extra length you also gain some height.

I am extra careful when taking left turns because your passenger rear swings out with the extra length. Again, with the height I watch for trees at state parks.

[mooky_stinks]

We went from a 26ft. to a 31ft. (35' overall). It did limit a few sites that we can get on but to us it was worth it because we love the floorplan. The biggest thing is not really the sites that we're limited to, but the fact that we have to park the TV next to, instead of in front, of the TT. Also hooking and unhooking sometimes has to be done with the TV in the road, but that is something we plan for and work around.

[qmrichardson]

you won't have any trouble at all. It'll look intimidating at first, but when you actually tow it, you'll see it's no problem. I just went up to 35 feet overall when counting the tongue and bumper, and got around much easier than I thought I would in the beginning.