Park Model considerations//Heartland Resort Limited

[Roman_Duck]

Hi to all,
We're considering purchasing a park model for semi full time living.
Living in the northeast, the weather limits all year round, but fell confident for 9 to 10 months.
DW and I would like to know which Destination trailer(s) aka park models are the most popular. We're currently looking at a Heartland Resort Limited by Forest River. Model 41FBL with bunk room and front living area.
This model has 4 slides. 3 on road side and 1 on curb side. Any comments would be appreciated
Being more of a class A kinda couple, we know very little about park models in general and hope other can offer positive insights.

[Dog_Trainer]

I am seeing a lot of Cedar Creek destination trailers in the snowbird park. They are about 40' and look nice inside. I have seen about 4 versions of floor plans. I think my neighbor stated he paid high 40's for his. Others in here are sandpipers and heartland models.

[lbrjet]

A destination trailer is not a park model. A park model has a pitched shingle roof, no slides and no holding tanks. They are typically 12 feet wide.

[Mr__Camper]

Try Lil' Lodges and Cavca for floorplans. Park models are limited to 399 sq. ft. but above that you'll most likely need to stay in an RV Park/Mobile Home Community.

[the_bear_II]

The use of destination trailers is fairly new. Park models were typically used by folks who setup in a mobile home park or RV Park with permanent spots. The park models were rarely used for travel from one park to another.

Now days more and more folks are beginning to fulltime RV so the manufacturers recognized a need for a trailer that provided a more home like/apartment feel and be used to travel from spot to spot.

What I like about them is most are flat floored, unlike a 5th wheel where you have to step up (2 to 3 steps) to get into the area above the hitch.

The drawback is most of the destination models are bumper pull, heavy and long 38 to 40+ feet. That means you need a tow vehicle setup to handle the weight in order to safely pull and STOP a destination trailer.

I've been considering replacing our 5th wheel with a destination trailer because my DW has trouble with her knees and steps are getting tough for her. The flat floor is very appealing.

And one final thought- so far it seems a comparable 5th wheel (same size and amenities) to the destination trailers I've looked at will be 20 to 30 thousand less in price. The 5th wheels are still a better deal. I've never towed a heavy long bumper pull trailer but I'm guessing it will be tougher to tow and maneuver than the same size 5th wheel.

So all of this is to say you may not get much feedback on the different models. I liked the layouts of the PUMA Palomino and other Forest River destination trailers.