Trailer Length, How concerned should I be?

Rugged Lilac

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I am looking at a GD 297RSTS. The overall length is 34 feet. My current TT is 26ft overall. I have read that over 30ft that reservations are more challenging (Less Slots) and is much more of a pain to back into a slots when a drive through is not available. I drive a 2021 Ram 2500 and I am very good at backing. Just looking for real world opinions. My next long trip is Mid November so I have time to keep shopping. Any insight is appreciated.
 
We have the Reflection 303 which is 33 feet. We don't have any trouble. There are some national forest campgrounds that might be challenging. Some of those campgrounds are 100 years old. There were no big campers back then. We haven't been to a park yet that we couldn't get into.
 
It may depend on where you want to camp. Here in New England, there are a lot of older state parks where you will have a limited selection of campsites. I don't think backing-in will be as big a potential issue as the number of sites available.
 
At 35’, we’ve never not been able to get into a site we wanted. Although there are some instances where we need to park the truck somewhat wonky or at an over flow lot.
 
We tow a 36’ TT and virtually never run into problems, however we seldom use state parks unless we’ve first done a drive thru or someone we know recommended it. Be sure to ask the campground about accessibility. Also, a back up camera helps avoid problems.
 
WE use mostly State parks or COE campgrounds. We fit in all of them at slightly over 36' (36'2"). As stated above, the parking of the truck is a little screwy, but it gets done...
 
We pull a 38’ tt. As others have said, some parks just don’t have the space. We try to stick to nicer parks and drive through spots. If I have to back in, I do more research to ensure I can get everything lined up ok. Google Earth is helpful sometimes, and I also call ahead to discuss before booking.

I pay attention to other potential bottlenecks like fuel stops, access roads, etc … again plan ahead.

We have gotten in to a few tight situations, but it usually only happens if I deviate from the plan.
 
We’ve had a 33’, 37’, and now a 35’. Been able to all the same state parks in Texas, AR, CO, WY, SD, and OK except one in Texas that has a 35’ limit. Trees are too low anyway so I won’t go still.

Another factor is electrical. There’s one Texas state park we like that won’t let you have a 30amp spot if you’ve got a 50amp RV. I don’t get that. They say even with an adapter. Don’t know if any others around country do that.
 
Thanks everybody. I did not get a good feeling from the dealership. Felt like I was being jerked around. I could see where those tactics work on somebody new but I research everything to death before I go shopping and it's not my first travel trailer. So rather than take the risk I backed away from that particular deal. But now I think I found another grand design at another dealer that I like much better.
 
I am looking at a GD 297RSTS. The overall length is 34 feet. My current TT is 26ft overall. I have read that over 30ft that reservations are more challenging (Less Slots) and is much more of a pain to back into a slots when a drive through is not available. I drive a 2021 Ram 2500 and I am very good at backing. Just looking for real world opinions. My next long trip is Mid November so I have time to keep shopping. Any insight is appreciated.
The answer to this question is highly dependent on what type of camping you do. We recently downgraded from a 40' fifth wheel to our current 303RLS dropping nearly 8' of length. This is significantly helpful for us as we only boondock and often find ourselves navigating through the woods, unpaved forest roads, and other less than ideal conditions to get to some of the sweetest off-grid locations in CO. If you only go park-to park and stay on the pavement...I've seen lots of very large campers on the roads and highways in our state and the surrounding states. If you plan to frequent state parks and other off grid type spots...shorter is better than longer---at least that's what we've found in 30+ years of camping. We are quite happy with our 32.9' 303RLS and would recommend this length if the floor plan suits.
 

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