5th wheel or Travel Trailer?

[GrantMan]

5th wheel toy hauler is the way to go if you are carrying a lot of gear. Between the underside cargo bays and the garage there is no need to use the bed of the truck.

I went from a travel trailer to a 5th wheel and appreciate how much better the 5th wheel tows. The weight on rear axle anchors the truck to the road.

I take the 5th wheel in some rough areas most would not think of going and the biggest item to watch out for is the bed rails hitting the underside of the trailer. If I didn't need use my truck for other purposes I would ditch the bed for a flat bed. I have a 6 way rotation husky hitch that is very adjustable and I raise it a notch when I expect to be doing a bunch of articulation which provides more clearance between the bed rails.

About the biggest con I can think of for the 5th wheel is that backing in tight places is more difficult than the bumper pull trailer.

 

[jcodyc40]

I'll throw a couple of things I've learned after owning a slide-in/bumper pull/ 5th wheel for the last 20 years.
1. The more comfortable it is the better the chances are your spouse will join you. How much room and how functional is the bathroom. I was ready to pull the trigger on a new 5th wheel until I stood in the shower and my head was in the skylight bubble, deal breaker.
2. There are no shortages of sizes and floor plans so really look at how you will use your camper 80% of the time. No matter what you will have to make some sort of compromise weather it is size, comfort, weight or price. The last thing you want to do is buy a RV that is ill suited for your intended purpose. An outdoor kitchen is real space saver and pretty convenient.
3. Make sure you have the right tow vehicle for the RV you want. Your not pulling a 15,000 lb toy hauler with a 1/2 ton gasser but you don't need a 1 ton duelly diesel to pull a 12 ft pop up either. Diesels are great but you can find a gasser for a lot less plus the fuel and maintenance cost less.
4. If I plan on pulling more then 100 miles on a regular basis then 5th wheel is the way to go for me, way easier/smoother to pull. In my state you can pull another trailer behind it if you want to take your boat/atv.

A lot of it comes down to personal experience and intended use. Take your time, do your research and don't impulse buy. Packs and tents are pretty cheap compared to trucks and RV's. Good Luck

 

[missjordan]

3 years ago our family was debating the 5th wheel vs travel trailer and we went with a travel trailer because it was a more cost effective unit and also because we wanted to keep the truck if the bed open for gear. Our travel trailer is a 32ft unit with full size bunk beds. A couple and two friends/ kids can sleep comfortably without having to pull the hideaway sofa or table bed out. We really love it and practically live in it during the summer months. When it’s cold outside, it’s like having the comforts of home.


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[bulzeye11]

we purchased our first trailer last year and ended up going with a toy hauler. no toys as of yet, but for hunting the layout is great as it gives us tons of room for storage totes that we have all of our gear in. plus 100 gallons of fresh water and 25 gallon fuel tank and "high pressure" washdown station as well as outdoor shower. There is a queen bed in front as well as two queen bed bunk beds that come down from the ceiling in the back.

 

[Gr8bawana]

For staying weeks on end a slide-in camper will become very small no matter what. Some of them are pretty big and heavy making your pick-up top heavy and not suitable for taking on rough roads.
We currently have a 25 ft travel trailer with no slide outs and even when it's just my wife and myself it seems a little tight. Our next trailer will most definitely a fifth-wheel for the extra room and comfort for traveling for months on end. Yes I will be buying a new 3/4 ton diesel to pull it with. We've looked at several at RV shows and they weigh anywhere from 10-17,000lbs for the ones we looked at.

 

[Poltax]

Due to my work, I have traveled in a 40ft Motorhome and also a 40ft Toyhauler. I have done this for over 10 years. Look at all the floor plans from all the dealers. Pick what works best for you, and the equipment, toys your going to haul around with you. Just make sure your rig comes with large holding tanks, generator, inverter, maybe even soloar panels to keep your batteries topped off. You will need to monitor your water and waste tanks. If I am traveling by myself I can go 2 weeks on 100 gallons of water. If my wife is with me, then all bets are off....lol

Make sure your match up your tow rig to your RV. Most RV and Truck sales people dont always care about the weight of the RV or the tow capacity of your truck. Make sure you have done your homework on the tow rig and RV before your buy. There are many people that tow with a 3/4 ton truck and then put on airbags to make it level if the RV is heavy, when they should be towing with a 1 ton. I see this all the time rolling up and down the road. A 3/4 ton desiel will have the power to tow the same rig that a 1 ton will. But the frame and brakes on the 3/4 do not have the ratings as a 1 ton. Might be an issue if your ever in an accident.

The biggest thing is to get the largest rig you can afford. Your space will get really small, really quick if your stuck indoors for a couple of days due to weather or what ever the situation is. Slideouts are a must if your going to be long term living. Scope out the dump stations where you will be traveling too. You will need them after a few days, unless your going to use mother nature as your rest room.

Good luck on your choice. Take your time to find the right RV. There are lots of them out there to choose from.

 

[loggerchas]

Lots of good points in here. I'll add another few observations.

We are a blue-collar family of me, wife, and one kid at home (12). We go fishing/wheeler riding 3/4 of weekends during late Spring through Summer until big game hunting seasons when I go solo a week each for deer/antelope/elk. A few Fall overnight trips for quail/coyotes/etc. According to my log we spent 82 nights in the trailer last year, 30 with family, 52 solo. (Keep a journal in the trailer to document your trips - makes it real easy to remember where to camp or where to dump in the future).

A small (14-18') travel trailer is ideal for me and my family. Is it a bit cramped when all are holed up inside during a daylong rainstorm: yes. Is making the dinette down into a bed every night a glorious PITA: yes. But, we go to the mountains to spend time outside as a family, not to sit in the trailer. During the hunts I take it on it is used strictly for sleeping and cooking. The benefit of being able to tow the trailer with a wheeler in the back of my 1/2 ton truck that is my daily driver is priceless. I have turned the trailer around with my truck on a gravel road with a widespot when an unexpected snowdrift shut down the plans for the preferred campsite. Not recommended, but I have turned the trailer around with my wheeler a time or two when not scouting the road ahead led to issues. Smaller is better for what I do. When solo I have all the space I could ever need and have processed numerous deer and elk inside the trailer.

Tent trailer was not an option for us as wife insisted that full-size toilet and shower were required if I wanted her to go with me, ever. Personally, I loved my wall tent better than the trailer but could not afford a new wall tent and a divorce also. New-to-me used standard trailer was the best choice, and the wisest choice.

This will sound stupid - but whatever you buy sit down on the toilet and close the bathroom door. Serious! In my trailer the front of the toilet is extremely close to the bathroom door and a full size person (6') cannot sit down or drop their pants with door completely shut. My fun-size wife (5'0") fits just fine.

I have the type with permanent bunk beds in the rear. Suits me fine - I use the bottom as gear storage and my daughter sleeps on the top and dead critters fit easily on the floor right inside the door. My buddy has an identical length trailer with the "couch" option and his easily feels 4x as spacious which fits him better with his giant dogs that go everywhere with his family.

Biggest trick to trailer camping is making sure the trailer is self-sufficient. By that I mean every pot/pan/spice/chair/etc. lives forever in the trailer. Dollar store and Goodwill is cheap way to equip the trailer. You want to be able to just load food and hunting/fishing gear and go. You will forget to repack the chairs you took out to go to the church BBQ, the Dutch Oven you took to the potluck will never make it back under the oven, the big fork you took back inside for Thanksgiving shall never return inside the trailer, the sleeping bag your daughter took to a sleepover months ago stays buried in her closet; the list is endless. Our rule is outside of trip-specific gear and food, nothing is removed from the trailer - ever. It takes a few emergency stops at a WalMart to make you realize just how expensive forgetting certain things really is. Camp stuff stays in the camper, ALWAYS.

Look at tire sizes. Like I said earlier, my buddy has a trailer identical in size to mine and same GVWR. Mine has skinny 14" tires, his has standard 15" tires. Both tandem axle. I shred one or two tires per year guaranteed. He has not lost a tire in 3 years. My trailer at 5,000# is max weight for the skinny 14" and with the terrain we go through on the plains and mountains they just fail.

If I was ever to do it again I would go to Bumper Pull Toy Haulers - Dune Sport and design my own. The A/C is a waste of weight and money for me. I ripped out the microwave for more storage. I would love to design my own and not be forced to pay for the gingerbread most all models are loaded with at the factory.

Plan your trips! I usually haul my camp dry when going to the western slope of CO and pay $5 to fill up at a campground along the way to my primitive campsite. I dump on my way back too. No use hauling 500# of poop and waste over the continental divide all of the time.

Another buddy has an R-Pod which is a GREAT little unit. 1/2 the weight and easily expands to solo/family camping. It also cost 5x what I paid for my used trailer.

Finally, before you buy, do a quick search of the forums for model-specific "gotcha's". Certain models and years are lemons for sure with known failures. For example, my AC/LP fridge has a known refrigerator issue where freezer works great and fridge does not cool much. a replacement $30 board from Dinosaur Electronics and 5 minutes solved the issue but it took me 2 years to research the issue.

Blessings and good luck!

 

[Billinsd]

Excellent!!! Loggerchas, you kinda sound like me, and sound like a engineer. Like an engineer with lots of common sence, which is real rare.
Bravo everyone, every post has been real helpful.