Trailer Length (generally speaking)

[wrenchnone]

We've picked out a trailer. We love the floor plan, price fair, good dealer, close to home, and within the towing limits of our truck. Getting ready to pull the pin on it. Only one thing bothering me. It is ball hitch style and 29'7" long. I'm wondering if there is a length that would limit us from lots of camping spots. Or put another way....Once you get to a certain length everything about it becomes "much" more difficult. what would that length be? Thoughts?

[krobbe]

Shorter is always better if trying to stay at many rustic campgrounds. But a little planning will get you in where you want to stay. I was able to squeeze my 34' Bullet into a site for shorter length rigs(my sig photo) with very little effort. Just figure out the limits of the rig you have and everything else is "All Good".

[mosseater]

I've put our 34'er into quite a few 30' spots with no problem. We are blessed in Pa with prodigious numbers of State Parks which cater to longer rigs. Haven't had an issue anywhere I've gone, out west or around home.

[sourdough2224]

Most campsites I've seen start being limited at around 35'. Ours is 37' OAL and I have to check ahead usually but haven't ran into an issue getting a developed campsite. If you are going to go to remote areas or small campgrounds length of the campsite might be an issue but I suspect maneuverability will be the worst thing. Our 24' trailer was MUCH easier to just pop between the trees.

[Downwindtracke1]

It's not just length, it's also how tight you can turn. We have, wife was directing, a dent in the checkerplate from my taillight. That tells you how thin the checkerplate is. On the todo list is a longer tongue.

After years with an 7'6" tent trailer and a Jeep Cherokee," That's a walk in tent site!" Our 20'TT is pretty limiting.

[rbpru]

We have a 26 ft. Bumper to ball TT and have never had a CG issue. We have been in some CGs that had a limited amount of 30 ft. Plus spots.

Before buying our TT we guessed at the size we would need, then rented a similar size model. 10 days of towing and camping showed us a lot.

[Heavy_Metal_Doc]

I saw lots of the "don't go too big / long" warnings before we bought our first TT and did think about it some during the shopping. Since we ended up with a 32' TT (actually 35" bumper to hitch) I have been constantly on the lookout for the length issue when making reservations for campsites. Now we have only had a dozen trips in a little over one year, but I have yet to find a place (even in state parks) where I could not get a site or where length was restricted enough to keep us form going there.
Yes, some SP sites are restricted (maybe even some commercial CG's), but I haven't found a park that we where interested in going to where ALL sites are restricted. Also, I have not had the issue come up where all the sites I could fit in are booked up, but I know it could happen.
For our purchase of TT, Momma had to be happy. I could live with a TT under 20' and be fine, but if she where not comfortable with the kitchen space as well as the living room for times stuck inside, then we would have just gone back to tent camping.....so I work with the long length just fine.

[wrenchnone]

Thanks so much for all the comments (what a great forum and site). Your comments have been exactly the input I was look for. Funny thing happened today. I decided to drive my toe vehicle over to the dealer. I backed up to our potential trailer to try to "size it up" and decided it was just too long. Well while trying to figure out our next plan I realized I was backed up to an identical trailer other than that it was a toy hauler and 6' longer! The one we are considering looked fine compared to that one lol

[dadmomh]

Agree, depends on how you camp and for sure is subjective. Our HTT was about 24' bumper to ball. We could fit most anywhere unless there was a tree at the rear that would interfere with the rear bunk or a steep drop off at the rear that hindered setting up - we encountered both. We have since moved to a 26'4" box, approx 30' bumper to ball. We have lost out on several of our favorite sites. Not because of the overall length necessarily, but the maneuverability with trees, ditches, etc. Many feel bigger is better and no problem. Our thought is that we bought what we felt we needed and were comfortable with, no more, no less. Even with our HTT, when the campground asked about size, rather than try to explain a HTT I just told them 30' and let it go. Usually worked out.

[Bobj616]

Are ya'll talking about box size or ball to bumper? I am looking at new trailers and it seems the ones I like are 30-32 ft. ball to bumper. I never really considered length before because my Hybrid is only a 21 ft. box unfolding to around 27-28 ft. National parks have put me in sites where I couldn't use my awning(trees were too close) but length was never a problem.

[toedtoes]

Dog Trainer wrote:
Your question is very subjective and to be answered correctly you need to look at where you want to go with it, how much experience you have driving a long rig and what your patience is. I have a TT nearly 34' long but I have a lot of experience driving and camping. We also spent the last 20 years exploring the country every chance we got. I think the 28-30 ' length is still very doable most everywhere. I also think that in that length you need to do a little planning as there may be sites and certain camps that are too tight. I am on that new adventure as to where we will go to areas and set up camp for a week or more and then use the TV to go exploring. So sit down with the family and decide what type of camping you want to do and then decide if the TT fits the need. As far as backing etc.. that becomes easier not more difficult as long as you have the clearance. I used to take my 10' motorcycle trailer and back it most anywhere with my 35' DP that is much more difficult than backing my 34' TT with my Pickup.

I agree. Figure out the type of "camping" you want to do. Are you going to stay at RV Parks all the time? In that case, the size is unlikely to be a problem.

Are you going to go to national forests, state parks, national parks, etc.? Then size could be an issue. Are you going to travel all over the country or just stay within a certain distance of your s&b? If the former, then size could be a bigger concern at these places. For example, at some national forest campgrounds in California, you wouldn't be able to maneuver your TV/TT into the campground and/or through the campground, let alone into the campsite.

Are you going to boondock? In that case, size will be limiting. The smaller the rig, the easier to find an acceptable spot.

Odds are, if you are only going to places with full hookups, you probably won't have a problem with the size.

[Terryallan]

Sadly. YES there will be sites, and CGs you will not be able to get into. And at the CGs that have long enough sites, you will be limited in your choice of good sites.
For example. At the National park we like to visit. There is only 3 sites that out 31" TT will fit into.

Another example. When you call a CG and they ask how long. You are often placed out in an open field. Fact is. The longer the TT. The less site choices you will have. It is a trade off.

[Sandia_Man]

No issues with finding a site to fit in with our 32' TT being hauled around by our crewcab Chevy HD gasser. Private parks are never an issue as they have sites to fit any size rig, and state/federal parks usually have a few sites for the big rigs. You can always reserve ahead of time to eliminate any surprises upon arrival.

[Desert_Captain]

"In most instances, larger trailers are easier to back up than smaller trailers. It is a wheel base thing that keeps the trailer from jackknifing so quickly that you can hardly react to it. I am sure somewhere on this wonderful web there is an explanation of how that works. "

Once you get to having two axels, regardless of the length, backing the trailer is much easier. Single axels are a PITA because as you noted the single axel is far more sensitive to steering input. I think they can jack knife when you are just looking at them. :B

At nearly 30' the OP will have fewer choices of sites in most CG's but not prohibitively so. It is usually the tight access roads (that can seriously inhibit your ability to get lined up for backing), that pose the biggest challenge vs the actual site size.

:C

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

My TT is 36 ft, 37'4" to the back of the bicycles on the bumper mounted rack. My pickup is 22' long. I consider my entire rig 58' long.

Trouble finding camping spots. Never in commercial parks. There are a few state, county, city or federal parks where I can't take my rig. But there are tons more parks where I can go. I've never felt length prevented me for going where I wanted to go.

However, some of the very best dry camping spots in mountain area National Parks and National Forests cannot take my rig.

Many have a 18 ft or 24 ft limit.

The only one which bothers me about not fitting is Mount Rainier NP - with a hard 27 ft limit on trailers. Been one person on this forum who was asked to leave after parking his rig correctly because the rangers measured it at almost 30 ft.

We camp hosted at Chisos Basin CG in Big Bend NP. It has a 24' limit. Frankly only about 1/3 of the spots would hold a 24' trailer. And we had a 32' class C in the campground once. We didn't walk around with a tape measure, but I did have to ask some people to reposition their trailers/ class C. As long as the road was clear - that was fine.

A bigger problem occasionally is finding a place to park the TV. I've had to put my TV in overflow parking at one TX state park because the parking spot was 39 ft long, and there was no place to put the truck.