Why do people have such large trailers?

[Lance72]

the simple answer is BECAUSE THEY CAN or WANT. I have a small 19' trailer that will sleep 5. You certainly aren't going to dance in there. My house is way more comfortable than my trailer so when i take it out i don't want to sit in the trailer. I see these monsters on the road 35-40' with sometimes with 2 people but never more 5. In fact I spent a week on the rd recently and didn't see more than 4 people per trailer. This post isn't directed at people who live on the road with their trailer.

[Searching_Ut]

You get and use what fits your needs at the time. In my life I've spent least 6 months in a bivouac bag or less backpacking in wilderness areas, or bicycle packing through Europe. That's what I call camping. I've spent another year plus in larger tents over the years in campgrounds from coast to coast and again in various parts of Europe. Some of this in quite remote "camping" spots, some in holiday camps that were not what you would really call camping. I've owned a pop up, small class A, and a couple bumper pulls, 1 an 18 foot box 1 a 24 foot box. Those were used from things like camping to base camps in populated areas to explore cities and the like.

Now I'm typing from in front of the electric fire, big screen tv playing the news, massage and heat going on the recliner as I listen to the rain fall outside. I just purchased this large rig to do my retirement travel in. Could we get by with smaller? Absolutely. Do we need something this big no... That said, we got it for the simple fact it fits what we want it for at this point in our lives.

[DwnSth]

We loved our small 24ft aerolite. However, with 2 100+ lb. dogs, and the fact that one or both of us end up working (we both have separate businesses, so vacation for us sometimes is simply a change of place). Not to mention the occasional grown kid or grandchild. The small camper just got too small on some trips. The new 31 ft. has made a huge difference. So far I have been able to fit in all our favorite sites. We just returned from Elkmont and were on a site that was listed as 27 ft. trailer max. (Camper and truck all on pad, just needed to overhang a bit and angle truck for parking). More so than fitting in some spots, we are considering bringing our tent gear on a few choice trips to get to places no campers are allowed. We've even considered one of the small quicksilver pop-ups or other very small/light camper to tow behind our wrangler. I guess I'm in both camps but doubt I would give up the larger camper. I may however have a 2nd smaller pop-up or trailer tent at some point. We do see a class A down the road so who knows what size we'll end up. All about comfort and type of camping (or RV'ing as some say) that you do.

[wrvond]

Because a T@b would look silly behind my big ol' four door 3/4 ton truck.

[shinglers3]

As others have said ...to each their own. It is a matter of WANT, we as humans NEED very little to survive. We cut our stick house size in half, so in a few years our home with wheels is paid off by the utility savings of our house. Our house meets our needs and allows us more time on the road where we want to be. Why do people have such large houses?

We started with a tent, upgraded to a pop up to get off the ground, then to a 23' TT with rear queen slide so it was easier to go camping in the rain and cold. We spent 3 weeks on the road in the TT in the south east this summer (100* days), spent a good bit of time inside and decided we WANT a side slide. It was too cramped with 4 people inside. However, aside from our summer trips, most of our camping is in the woods so we really aren't in the camper. Our goal is to get everything we want in the smallest footprint possible. We just purchased a used 30' fifth wheel with side slide. It will only be slightly longer from front bumper of truck to rear bumper of trailer than my current setup but the interior space of the camper will easily double in size.

Five years ago we never ever would have thought we would have a camper this big, but what we do with our camper has changed and we love life on the road. WE are aware, there are plenty of people who will walk by and think the same thoughts as the question asked in the post, but this is what we feel we WANT to fulfill our camping trips throughout the year.

Happy Camping!

[TorivioTribe]

Seems that we have a "small" TT for our needs according to some here. We have 8 children so 10 of us in a 30ft (box) Jayco. I can't keep them inside for any period of time. But when we do, it doesn't seem any different than when we live at home. We are a really close family. Home is a 3 bedroom house where all the girls sleep in one room, the boys in the other. Brought them up "old school". There is no "my space" only "our space" and they agree. Never heard any complaints of not having room. This closeness is what also makes for pleasant long drives across country. They entertain themselves without the need for electronics (except for the Kindles when they want to read).

We do enjoy seeing all the other models out there and would probably upgrade to a larger, but we like no payments since we own everything. Now, where to camp next....

[Doug33]

We are very active and love being outside and having campfires. Yet there are times we like to be able to be inside (crappy weather, bugs, obnoxious neighbors, etc). So our 28' TT is perfect for allowing us to do both, and enjoy our trips in many different ways. It also allows us to have enough room to move around inside when all four of us are on the trip together. When it's just me and DW, you can almost hear an echo in the TT. LOL

[gmw_photos]

vesh1717 wrote:

mowin wrote:
Why do people have such small trailers?

Cause we're poor compared to people with big trailers. Lol

I was "camped" in Colorado earlier in the month for two weeks. Next to me was a $1.8 million motorhome. Nice folks. There I was in my sub $15K, 19 foot travel trailer. We sat outside and saw the same great view of the mountains every day. I had a great time. I think they did too.

[vesh1717]

mowin wrote:
Why do people have such small trailers?

Cause we're poor compared to people with big trailers. Lol

[tnrv_er]

To each their own. Our 17' KZ w/ a slide fits our needs.

[Chuck_thehammer]

old, tall, heavy... had a 21 footer.... I was all black and blue...
10 things my head would bang into. plus knees, shins.

and wife had no room to move around or cook.

30 footer... with a slide, 7 foot celling... ducted heat and AC.
Front Kitchen, with 4 feet of counter space, so wife is happy.
and a real queen bed.

[Wishin]

When we looked at the inside of trailers, we wanted a 33-35 ft bunkhouse, we wanted our own bedroom, the kids could have their own bedroom, etc. When we thought about the places we'd been with our 26' trailer and how we would fit a bigger one the places we like to go, we decided 29' was about our limit. We finally settled on the one we have because it has triple bunks, so nobody shares a bed and the dinette and couch are always available. We like the super slide because there is a ton of open area for moving around. Works great. Sometimes we still wish for the extra room and storage and privacy a longer trailer with a quad bunk room would offer, but the trade-offs were not worth it. We may go smaller once the kids move out, but that is a long way of as the youngest is 7.

[B-n-B]

Our last four campers were truck campers which we thoroughly enjoyed. But stubborn joints made climbing in and out of bed a real chore. Each of them was equipped with all the amenities as well. Now with the rig in our signature, we really feel like we're in a mansion! But in the end all we really do is sleep and shower in it, then it's out and about the rest of the day.

[profdant139]

A while back someone posted, "There was a Fun Finder TT in our CG for about two weeks. It couldn't have been more than about 15 feet long. Yet it had a sewer hose coming out of it. Maybe that was for just a sink. There didn't seem to be any way there was room for a bathroom or shower. I assume the dinette folds down for the bed. It must have worked for them and their needs."

Our FF is a little less than 12 feet long. The sewer hose is for our full bathroom, with shower (no tub). The dining room table, which is 5 feet long and two and a half feet wide, makes into a queen bed with a memory foam mattress. Fridge, freezer, stove, microwave, big water/black/gray tanks, blah blah blah. It's all there, with enough storage for plenty of clothing and food.

No, it is NOT roomy! And yet, after a month of camping, and a week back in our stick house, we are ready to hit the road again, asap.

But the bottom line is that people can do what they want, big or small, and thank goodness for that!

[Halmfamily]

facory wrote:
We find that people with large 5ers and MH's tend to stay inside when "camping". They are more comfortable inside their plush surroundings than outside with nature, people and a cozy campfire. That, to me, is not camping. It is a home that you stay in during your stay in a campground. This is very true when they stay in a RV Resort. Inside you have climate control, comfortable couch, dinette, TV/cable, etc. Why do they want to stay inside? Obvious. We, however, have a 20' trailer and love being outside, especially an evening campfire with a brandy rocks and good conversation. Now that's camping!!

I disagree. We have a 42' fifth wheel and spend most of our time hiking, swimming, exploring and making campfires. We love the outdoors and purchased our particular unit for the back deck. If we want to stay indoors we'll go on cruises.