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Thread: RV Length

  1. #1
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    RV Length

    Good evening to all!

    We are still in the process of working towards buying our RV and as we do, we are always looking at different models and lengths. We are pretty much totally sold on the GD 380 FL - hard to beat the quality and floor plan, especially with the front living area, room for friends and the grand kids. Our question at this point is: has anyone regretted buying the longer fifth wheels? Searching the forum here and other sites, we have read there are many national and state parks that are limited in pads for anything at 42'. Has anyone regretted the length in general - turning, parking, backing, towing? We are brand new to the RV world, so I imagine it is preference, of course.

    As recommended by a number of folks, we're going to make a long list of where we want to go and just call the parks.

    Many thanks!

  2. #2
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    I think it really depends on your style of camping and where you want to go. There are a few dry camping locations that we would have liked to try, but it didnt seem like a good idea with the size of our RV. We've stayed at plenty of state parks in SC, some were a very tight fit, but we managed to get in there. National parks might not work out, we are too long for any of the in park campgrounds at Yellowstone, but there are a few right at the entrance. We had an RV park tell us because we have 3 axles that their park is too tight to make the turns but they happily gave us a recommendation down the road of a place where we could fit. We've also stayed at Fort Wilderness multiple times and the loops there are very tight, but I was able to get into the sites without issue.

    As long as you let the park know your actual length when you make reservations it is usually fine, a lot of places have spots for big rigs. Your driving and parking skill do play a big part of it, but that comes with experience and you will get accustomed to the size fairly quickly.

    Overall, I dont regret the size of our RV and find it easy to tow and park. Our RV is 43'+ and our TV is 21'.

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    I have a Momentum 394M and the overall length is almost 44', along with an 8' bed CrewCab Dually. When you get into the bigger trailers, especially the triple axles like mine, I think you just have to have the frame of mind and realization that there are simply some places that you aren't going to fit into. And as stated above, a lot of your decision on the size of the camper should be based on your camping needs and wants....where you like to camp. I went from a 34 1/2' tow behind to the Momentum 5ver and actually lost about a 1 1/2' of total length on the truck/trailer combination because of it being 5th Wheel vs. tow behind. It's still a lot of trailer behind the truck, and with a 5ver that length, you have to be more aware of "tail swing" than you do on a tow behind. The 5ver also tracks "inside" a bit more than a tow behind, but it's all doable with some patience and practice.
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    Seasoned Camper SteveTN's Avatar
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    Our 337 is about 35 1/2 feet. We have not had any troubles although we have encountered a few tight spots, mostly in state park campgrounds. Don't know what part of the country you're in but we've stayed in state parks in TN, SC, NC, MS, AL and GA. When making reservations at the campgrounds they usually say how long the site is or you can just call them.
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    Big Traveler CWSWine's Avatar
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    When we had a 5er the length of the RV wasn't a concern to us but the 380 loaded ready to camp was way over the payload capacity of single rear wheel truck. We didn't want the dual rear wheel truck that won't fit in our garage nor we didn't want one as our daily driver at home or on vacation.
    Last edited by CWSWine; 08-03-2020 at 10:14 AM.
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    One more satisfied owner of one of the longer fifth wheels. I have a 379, which is a similar floorpan; I really like the changes made to the 380 you are considering.

    There is no question, this will limit access to some campgrounds. It's a matter of personal preference; I am happy to trade off access for the space. That said, I make it a point to call and have a discussion about space requirements when ever I am going to a campground for the first time. All in all, I have had pretty good experiences in being able to go to the destinations of interest. More and more campgrounds are accommodating the larger rigs.

    Drive-ability is no issue with the right tow vehicle; which is a dually. Ride is better than when I was pulling a 24 foot TT with and F150. Super stable and steep grades are very manageable. As a matter of fact, with the diesel and the engine brake, coming down is NOT a white knuckle experience.

    As mentioned above, if you don't want a dually, for what ever reason, then go smaller.
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    Rolling Along backtrack2015's Avatar
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    It's just a personal decision and I think you're taking the right approach in thinking about where you want to go before you purchase. I had a 2018 Reflection 28BH (33'10") previously and was thrilled with how it towed down the highway, how nice it was, and how well it fit the family once we arrived. I just didn't like the fact that I felt like I needed to plan all the movements. I felt compelled to map out each movement with routes (watch clearances), gas station alternatives (room to maneuver), and meal alternatives along the way (easy parking). I would use satellite imagery to try to confirm which camping spots in campgrounds would work for us (both for fitment and for backing) and I avoided campgrounds where I thought it might be too tight. All this planning was mostly because it just plain "felt huge" to me (most of my experience previously was with travel trailers in the low 20ft range). I have a couple of neighbors with the same or bigger 5ers that don't plan a thing and have a great time.
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    Quote Originally Posted by TexSol20 View Post
    We are still in the process of working towards buying our RV and as we do, we are always looking at different models and lengths. We are pretty much totally sold on the GD 380 FL - hard to beat the quality and floor plan, especially with the front living area, room for friends and the grand kids. Our question at this point is: has anyone regretted buying the longer fifth wheels? Searching the forum here and other sites, we have read there are many national and state parks that are limited in pads for anything at 42'. Has anyone regretted the length in general - turning, parking, backing, towing? We are brand new to the RV world, so I imagine it is preference, of course. As recommended by a number of folks, we're going to make a long list of where we want to go and just call the parks.Many thanks!
    We've found lots of places that could not easily accommodate our ~35' 310GK trailer, including many of the provincial (state) parks in Ontario. However there are lots of places - especially in the U.S. - that can easily accommodate trailers as large or larger than ours.

    You're wise to consider the length and to check ahead when you're traveling, but don't let it dictate your purchase plans unless you have specific long-term sites in mind that simply can't accommodate it.
    Mark - 2018 Solitude 310GK - 2017 F-350 diesel SRW short box - Pullrite Superglide hitch

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    Site Sponsor Jerryr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TexSol20 View Post
    Good evening to all!

    We are still in the process of working towards buying our RV and as we do, we are always looking at different models and lengths. We are pretty much totally sold on the GD 380 FL - hard to beat the quality and floor plan, especially with the front living area, room for friends and the grand kids. Our question at this point is: has anyone regretted buying the longer fifth wheels? Searching the forum here and other sites, we have read there are many national and state parks that are limited in pads for anything at 42'. Has anyone regretted the length in general - turning, parking, backing, towing? We are brand new to the RV world, so I imagine it is preference, of course.

    As recommended by a number of folks, we're going to make a long list of where we want to go and just call the parks.

    Many thanks!
    What truck are you going to use to pull the trailer? Newbie Mistake is not having enough truck.
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by TexSol20 View Post
    Good evening to all!

    We are still in the process of working towards buying our RV and as we do, we are always looking at different models and lengths. We are pretty much totally sold on the GD 380 FL - hard to beat the quality and floor plan, especially with the front living area, room for friends and the grand kids. Our question at this point is: has anyone regretted buying the longer fifth wheels? Searching the forum here and other sites, we have read there are many national and state parks that are limited in pads for anything at 42'. Has anyone regretted the length in general - turning, parking, backing, towing? We are brand new to the RV world, so I imagine it is preference, of course.

    As recommended by a number of folks, we're going to make a long list of where we want to go and just call the parks.

    Many thanks!
    351M here, about 40ft overall. I've had 0 problems in campgrounds (mostly KOA and private) either finding a spot or getting into it. Just make sure you let them know you're length when you make the reservation, they don't want "too big" in there anymore than you want to try to fit in something that's too small.

    State campgrounds, at least the ones I've looked at, are in a whole different class. A lot of them seem to limit out at 30, that's pretty small! So if you want to get into them, you're going to make a significant compromise going to get something a lot smaller.

    In fact, if anything, doing it over, I probably would have gone bigger. I have a really big dual axle trailer, I'd actually prefer a triple axle, but, when I was buying, I was trying to size for my 250. I was over anyway and wound up with a 450, so, now, if anything, I'd go bigger if I had to do it over again with this truck. It's not that much more expensive to go bigger when you do it from the start. And I'd like 3 lightly loaded axles vs 2 axles at near capacity.

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