5thwheel vs class A or class C, what did you choose and why?

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, TXiceman said:

It is a personal choice of which devil you care to dance with. 

How very true! I suspect there is at least some luck involved as well. When I look back over the many years that we have owned & traveled with various RVs, we really have been fortunate for whatever reason. In our fulltime years we only 1 disabling breakdown. In the years doing vacations and weekends we had only 1 disabling breakdown and I was able to fix that one with a little help from the RV park owner. Sometimes I think that we have lead a charmed life.

Aren't slides reaching a point in development where they are pretty much problem free? Since we don't have one in our little travel trailer I have not kept up like I once did. 

[GlennWest]

I do all repairs on mime. never been in a shop with either of ours

[GR "Scott" Cundiff]

We've been fulltime since 2013.  Only had to vacate once - that was with the 5th wheel getting slide repair at the factory.  

We have also slept in the 5th wheel while in a service bay, just leaving during the day.

In the motorhome we have twice spent the night in a shop's parking lot.

In both the 5ver and MH we just chalked it up to the life of fulltiming.

[RV_]

Scott we had about the same. I'd forgotten we had our slide out once too and had to motel it because the HitchHiker factory did not allow us to stay in their building. But while there waiting for our appointment and for a week after we had free parking in Chanute on some great paved sites with W/E and a nice dump station. So that was a wash price wise.

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by RV_

[etcetera]

Interesting discussion. Lots of viable viewpoints. Just to interject a few, IMO a Fifth has the huge advantage that you can swap the TV (i.e. the truck) anytime you want. You are not married to it.  You can also park the Fifth and now you have a heavy duty vehicle you can drive around.   So if you suddenly want to upgrade just the truck (i.e. TV) you can.  With MH, it's that much more difficult, you are married to the engine/drivetrain. And have to upgrade the entire RV.

It's true that a toad will get much much better gas mileage but you would have to drive a lot to make it worthwhile.  If it's just 8 miles to work or whatever destination, the higher MPG toad will never make up for the cost of a separately purchased vehicle, insurance, etc. I already did the math.

The other factor, for DIY people, F350 and such are easier to fix than motor homes.

Spark plugs, belts, water pumps..   Some of these motorhomes issues are just not DIY type. You have to remove panels, etc.  If you are not a DYI shade tree mechanic, this section might be completely not relevant. On top of that they are diesel. I understand gas, and don't get diesel. I can do anything on the old Ford 460 7.5L or the newer V10, of the GM equivalent.

OTOH, the advantage of a MH is that it's more compact, you don't have to mess with connecting it, leveling it, etc.  There are fewer steps involved.  It's kind of more convenient. You get it and learn to deal wtih the downside and maximize the positives in it.  I think I would prefer a Fifth but by a small margin.

It's hard to say what's better. I think I would prefer either one  over a TT (Travel Trailer). Either one is a lot more suitable for full-timing.

 

[Barbaraok]

More and more people have hybrids for toads, at 50+ mpg,  our toad makes a great vehicle for sight-seeing, shopping, going to concerts, museums, etc.

[Jinx & Wayne]

It is funny that this thread sprang to life today.  Jinx and I are talking about extending our time on the road by several years and are thinking about a Class A.  Although we love the 5er she is less in love with driving the dually confined areas such as in towns.  We will have to re-read this thread.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, etcetera said:

It's hard to say what's better.

 

1 hour ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

We will have to re-read this thread.

This is a debate that really has no answer because each person's experience is different and the same is true for what factors are most important for each. Rather than offering an opinion, I'll share some facts from our experience.

In May of 1998 we took delivery of a 36' class A, on an F53 chassis that was an early release 1999 Ford. In June of 2012 we sold that motorhome. In early 2000 the class A became our only home and it remained that until October of 2011. We started fulltime towing a 1996 Ford Ranger which was traded in April 2001 for a Honda CR-v which we towed until that was traded in May 2009 for another CR-v which we towed until acquiring a home-base again in 2011. 

In those years we put a total of 81k miles on the class A, and combining the mileages of all 3 towed vehicles, we drove them a total of 247k miles and they were towed approximately 75k in total. (I estimate the towing miles as we didn't keep a record.) I don't have mpg records for the Ranger but the CR-v's were 26.3 averaged and the motorhome was 7.8 mpg averaged. In those years the motorhome was in the shop overnight only 3 times and we were out of it 2 of them, both planned such that we stayed with relatives. If we had it to do over we would do very little differently. The choices we made served us very well and fit our financial situation & priorities.

[TXiceman]

We have had travel trailers, class A's, class C's and 5th wheels.  At the time we had the different RV types, each fitted our needs.  As your lifestyle and needs change, another type RV will work best for you.  Currently we are full time (8 yeas) and for the way we travel, the 5th wheel fits us much better.  In the future, we plan to come off the road from full time and will most likely go back to a class C or possibly a small class A.

All people can do is listen to everyone's  suggestions, visit dealerships and see what they feel will serve them better.  There is no right solution of the perfect RV to fit everyone's needs.

Ken

[Jul]

Hi all! We chose a used class C. A Winnebago View. We are so new to this and wanted to travel to see family over the United States. We also wanted to bring our Ralphie, our golden doodle boy!  We can tow my Prius but that will come later when we want to sightsee!! Blessings to everyone 🙏💜🤗🇺🇸

[sandsys]

41 minutes ago, Jul said:

Hi all! We chose a used class C. A Winnebago View. We are so new to this and wanted to travel to see family over the United States. We also wanted to bring our Ralphie, our golden doodle boy!  We can tow my Prius but that will come later when we want to sightsee!! Blessings to everyone 🙏💜🤗🇺🇸

We traveled for about a year and a half in a Winnebago View without towing a car. It was a good way to see the country. Especially if you want to follow scenic roads like the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Natchez Trace, the Great River Road, Historic Route 66, and US Highway 101.

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

10 hours ago, Jul said:

Blessings to everyone

Welcome to the Escapee Forums! Happy to have you here,

[Barbaraok]

On 6/14/2021 at 5:33 PM, etcetera said:

t's true that a toad will get much much better gas mileage but you would have to drive a lot to make it worthwhile.  If it's just 8 miles to work or whatever destination, the higher MPG toad will never make up for the cost of a separately purchased vehicle, insurance, etc. I already did the math.

BUT, most people who are full timing are not working.  We set up for one or two weeks and then spend the time exploring a 75-100 mile radius before we move again.   Driving 20 miles for breakfast, sure thing.   30 miles to visit relative no problem to do it daily for a few days.   Set up in one central place and visit 3 different national parks - sure thing.   We put LOTS of miles on the toad exploring the areas we are in.  

[durangodon]

2 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

BUT, most people who are full timing are not working.

I'm not sure that's accurate.  I don't guess there's any way to know for sure.

Of the dozens of RV parks I've stayed in, the majority of them had a large population of full timers who went to work every day.  Lot's of folks living in 38' to 40' fifth wheels nowadays instead of in a sticks and bricks. 

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

BUT, most people who are full timing are not working.

Escapees started with construction workers and we met a lot of them while full timing. You don't find them in the high end parks nor visiting the tourist sites but there are lots of them out there including some on here who do solar installs or repair RVs or do travel nursing.The Xscapers was designed specifically to get more working RVers back into the club. Apparently, they think there are lots of working full timers out there.

Linda

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, durangodon said:

I'm not sure that's accurate.  I don't guess there's any way to know for sure.

While BarbOK is correct about these forums  and Linda is right about the historic side of things, the truth today is far more difficult to pin down, but it is true that today the most rapidly growing part of the Escapees RV Club is the Xscapers. In my mind that is a good thing as younger members are what will keep the club strong and healthy. As a part of Escapade staff for several years now I also have observed the number of school age children in attendance is growing again to a point that there is now a Kidscapade for them, which allows parents time to do the adult thing while their children are kept safe and happy doing the kid's things. 

[steiny93]

Wife and I have been fortunate to camp in and own a pile of different types (tent, enclosed trailer, class A, class C, diesel pusher, trailer trailer, 5th wheel and HDT).  We have also owned multiple types at the same time and used them during overlapping timeframes. 

Effectively, we have tailored the rig for what we were wanting todo on the trip.

In my opinion, the 'what's better' choice is totally dependent upon the following

- style of camping

- persons camping

- duration of stay

- what the trip will entail (stay at park or be out sightseeing)

- other stuff needing to be brought with (atvs / jeep / car / etc)

- budget

 

Examples:

- Two people, weekend trips to mountain bike the trails, a camper van is sweet.

- Family of 4, hitting the trails with four atvs for a month at a time, big 5th wheel and an HDT and a huge deck works great.

 

Land what your looking todo with the rv then zero in on your preferences from that.  Our lives has us trending smaller then larger, just took a trip out of a 22ft travel trailer behind a 1/2 ton, it was incredibly easy and simple.

[Kirk W]

On 6/14/2021 at 7:33 PM, etcetera said:

It's true that a toad will get much much better gas mileage but you would have to drive a lot to make it worthwhile. 

 Since we put more than 250k miles on the tow cars and 80k+ on the motorhome, that would mean about 330k miles on the truck towing a fifth wheel in a little less than 12 years. Would that qualify as a lot? 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Kirk W

[Steven@146]

I seldom post but lurk a lot, but for this topic I'll add my .02. Glad you got the RV that fits you best. All good points of view from everyone. For other newbies reading this thread and contemplating their choice, another factor maybe who is going to drive/tow the RV? 

My wife is very comfortable driving our 1 ton towing our 5er giving me a break. She sat in the drivers seat of a Class A at an RV show and immediately said no way Jose. She said way too much windshield and I can not stand setting on the front bumper driving. She probably could if she put her mind to it, its just training, experience and practice.  If only one driver, mute point.

Also, just so you have been told at least once, you may need a specific state drivers license for the combined weight of the rig. 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Steven@146

[Kirk W]

27 minutes ago, Steven@146 said:

I seldom post but lurk a lot,

Jump in more often! More participants makes for a better forum. ☺️

[Steven@146]

On 6/29/2021 at 5:06 PM, Kirk W said:

Jump in more often! More participants makes for a better forum. ☺️

Ok Kirk. I don't think the view points mentioned here are meant to sway anybody one way or the other, but it provides perspective buyers things to think about before purchase. It took us over a year to go fulltime and about that same amount of time to pick the RV that fit us best. I consider us experienced RVers, going way back many years, from small Montgomery Wards tent campers, to Skamper, Apache hard sided fold up, pickup slide ins, TTs of many kinds and now our 5th wheel. Even drove my parents old Barth MH a few times.

We have all seen newbies that just jumped right in, knee jerk purchases and make the mistakes we have all made at one time or another. Like the couple we saw the other day, never had an RV in their life much less a big 1 ton truck, now a 40+ foot 5er an F450. They looked like pigs on roller skates figuring out how to back and park the big monster and then get it set up. Reminded me of the times we used to set at the boat ramp after recovering ours and watched others, I'm sure many divorces started at the boat ramp, we thought it was good entertainment! 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Steven@146

[Kirk W]

4 minutes ago, Steven@146 said:

I'm sure many divorces started at the boat ramp, we thought it was good entertainment! 

We traveled a similar route to what you did working through a small tent to a big tent, small and big popup, and even one majore trip with tents on horseback. And while we too have seen the RV disasters along the way, we also have known at least 2 couples who never owned an RV of any kind until buying a fulltime RV, but by spending a lot of effort on research made very sound choices. It will be interesting to see how things shake out with the huge numbers of people who bought RVs just because of the covid restrictions. 

I suspect that parking the RV has caused a few divorces too!  

[Steven@146]

33 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

We traveled a similar route to what you did working through a small tent to a big tent, small and big popup, and even one majore trip with tents on horseback. And while we too have seen the RV disasters along the way, we also have known at least 2 couples who never owned an RV of any kind until buying a fulltime RV, but by spending a lot of effort on research made very sound choices. It will be interesting to see how things shake out with the huge numbers of people who bought RVs just because of the covid restrictions. 

I suspect that parking the RV has caused a few divorces too!  

That's really the key to a pleasant experience, isn't it Kirk, research and planning. The future will be interesting indeed. RV manufacturers can not keep up with demand, even truck manufacturers having a hard time. Right now we are in Richmond Indiana and took a day trip to Shipshewana. Its been years since we visited up there. Transporters parking lot with a lot of units waiting for delivery with a big sign out front, Delivery Trucks Wanted. Some think a lot of used RVs will come on the market in a couple years. Maybe new owners realizing RVing isn't the piece of cake they thought it was and probably a lot of other reasons. Like others have said in some places around the country, very few new RV parks are being built but when we were down in our old domicile of the Austin Texas area, they were building new and expanding RV parks at a record pace. Even tiny home parks. Of course property and real-estate in Texas is going crazy right now!

You know you really want to help when you see RVers having problems, but sometimes you get the vibe that your willingness to help would not be welcome. Help when you can and when its welcome, otherwise leave them alone.

[fpmtngal]

4 hours ago, Steven@146 said:

You know you really want to help when you see RVers having problems, but sometimes you get the vibe that your willingness to help would not be welcome. Help when you can and when its welcome, otherwise leave them alone.

Very wise words.  A friend of mine watched someone with a new trailer struggling to get it parked and level in a big parking lot.  They considered offering to help but decided against it because of the driver’s general demeanor.  On the other hand, even after 5 years, I am lousy at backing up and am always willing to accept assistance.  I’m just one of those people that can’t figure the angles.

The majority of the people I’ve met or seen recently are those who know what they are doing.  I’ve only met one newbie and she seemed to be very competent - I only knew she was new to RVing because she had a neat rig and a dog so we got to talking.

[Nwcid]

On 6/14/2021 at 5:33 PM, etcetera said:

Interesting discussion. Lots of viable viewpoints. Just to interject a few,

OTOH, the advantage of a MH is that it's more compact, you don't have to mess with connecting it, leveling it, etc.  There are fewer steps involved.  It's kind of more convenient. You get it and learn to deal wtih the downside and maximize the positives in it. 

 

There are the same number of steps between both options.  You reference a toad so you would still have to "mess with connecting it".  As to leveling I do the same thing as a MH and hit auto level (I know some do not come with this but most that would compare with a MH do).  If you are hooking you still need P/W/S and both attach the same way.