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Old 08-18-2016, 01:44 PM   #21
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How long is too long

We had a 28' foot (31') then a 34'(36') and then back to a 28' (30') and I would say 30' overall length is the maximum if you want to go to state and provincial parks because the roads can be narrow and overgrown and tough to park and navigate. It's even worse for. 5th wheels due to overhanging branches etc. Put the kids in a tent and go small if you want to visit the more interesting campgrounds. These can be some of the nicest parks to visit. If you want open campgrounds with no trees or character, go bigger. We have had two years cross country travel in our Flagstaff 28 FKWS and even had a few tight situations.

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Originally Posted by 95tigeralum View Post
Got another newbie question for you guys. We are considering buying a Salem 27RKSS. The salesman, and we know they are always 100% honest 😉, says I should look for a 30' spot site since this is classified as a 27' trailer. However, the total length is 33' from nose to tail.

So when checking campsites, I see a lot more 30' spots than I do 40'. Now we are concerned that we would be too limited on where we can go.

All advice will be appreciated on this. Every time we come close to pulling the trigger to buy this thing we seem to hit another snag.

Thanks in advance!
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Old 08-18-2016, 02:50 PM   #22
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My wife and are shopping fifth wheels for cross country travel. I want a fifth wheel for its ease of towing and my wife likes the layouts in fifthwheels. My concern also is length and access in national parks. I was shooting for a over all length of no more then 30ft but we have found one that we really like that is overal length of 32ft9inchs. I know between 4to6ft is in the bed of the truck. Tv is f250 crew cab short box. Is this combination still going to be to large for national parks like yellow stone and glacier?
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Old 08-18-2016, 02:58 PM   #23
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I cannot worry about CG parking our 5ers length which is 38 feet plus 20 feet of TV beyond the hitch (TV is 24' alone). I'm basing this on the many toy haulers and motor homes that are well over 40 feet plus a tow vehicle or a toad/tow'd which will put them at 55--60 feet. I do my homework then make my reservations accordingly. Only once have we, in over 40 years of towing small to pretty big towed RVs had a length to site problem - last fall near Santa Fe, NM - and that was only due to the lack of road width to back in to the site and some @#$% CG owner trees planted right where I needed to turn. $500 worth of ding damage to my truck and a short rubber roof tear. We went elsewhere with a full refund.
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Old 08-18-2016, 03:11 PM   #24
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My wife and are shopping fifth wheels for cross country travel. I want a fifth wheel for its ease of towing and my wife likes the layouts in fifthwheels. My concern also is length and access in national parks. I was shooting for a over all length of no more then 30ft but we have found one that we really like that is overal length of 32ft9inchs. I know between 4to6ft is in the bed of the truck. Tv is f250 crew cab short box. Is this combination still going to be to large for national parks like yellow stone and glacier?

At Yellowstone the campsites at Fishing Bridge you can reserve 40ft spots. At Madison and Canyon it's supposed to be no longer than 50ft hooked up, I heard somewhere that's it's 52ft but the Rangers told me it was 50ft. My camper is 35ft 8in and with a long bed pickup I'm a little long. It's the turns in the campground that's the problem. Next year I plan to spend a few nights in the Teton National Park and I can camp in Colter Bay dry camping with not a problem


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Old 08-18-2016, 03:28 PM   #25
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Have you been to glacier with this set up?
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Old 08-18-2016, 03:37 PM   #26
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Have you been to glacier with this set up?

I have been to Glacier but parked in a private campground in West Columbia MT


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Old 08-18-2016, 08:22 PM   #27
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At Yellowstone the campsites at Fishing Bridge you can reserve 40ft spots. At Madison and Canyon it's supposed to be no longer than 50ft hooked up, I heard somewhere that's it's 52ft but the Rangers told me it was 50ft. My camper is 35ft 8in and with a long bed pickup I'm a little long. It's the turns in the campground that's the problem. Next year I plan to spend a few nights in the Teton National Park and I can camp in Colter Bay dry camping with not a problem


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I would recommend finding a sight in west yellowstone. There are lots of rv parks just outside the Park. We will be staying at Yellowstone Holiday Rv campground in 2 weeks
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Old 08-19-2016, 12:14 AM   #28
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We towed a 33' TT (total length ) for almost two decades (traded to a 32' Shockwave 5th wheel this year), and learned that we could fit into many (even most) sites that were listed at 30' and less, sometimes much less . Our preferred campgrounds are National forest, state forest, county and national parks - very seldom do we stay in a commercial RV park. And we have camped back and forth across the US multiple times. Over the years, I have become very good at backing into tight spaces and judging what I can and can't navigate around (currently having a new learning curve with the 13' 4" tall 5th wheel - have to look "up" more than I'm used to. Took the TV antenna off at a CA State Park recently due to low-tree branch!).

The key (as others have already noted) to fitting into a site labeled for a rig smaller than yours, is the relative potential to "overhang" rear of trailer past the "end" of the site, which usually can be done. For campgrounds we return to often, we have marked down site #'s in a journal and have even taken walking tours through the campground and marked up the campground map (and saved for later) to designate sites that I could tell from a look (sometimes pacing it out if unoccupied) would fit us, regardless of what they say. Multiple times I've been told "well - if you can make it fit, you are ok" and actually have never, even once, had to turn away due to length of our trailer. Yosemite is one good example - we have stayed there several times in sites marked for 27', with no problem. We have also seen sites marked for 27' that had a tree or some other obstacle that limit or totally prohibit "overhang", and those would not work.

Keep the "rear overhang" option in mind as you look at a site, and you will likely fit into many more sites that will fit your rig, more than you'd think based on what they say.

Jim
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Old 08-19-2016, 04:39 AM   #29
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To entice my DH into FTing after retiring, I knew we would need a garage to accommodate his tools and motorcycle which translated to large. (We had never owned an RV.) We never considered that size might create parking issues. We are over 65' between 5th and 1T dually. Forums and phone calls have always provided us with enough help determining where to stay and never had a problem. There was a time where we had to remove our side-mounted ladder to back all the way in, but we were staying long enough to make the extra effort worthwhile. Like others have said, get what suits you. You'll be happier, no matter where you park.
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Old 08-19-2016, 07:35 AM   #30
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I would recommend finding a sight in west yellowstone. There are lots of rv parks just outside the Park. We will be staying at Yellowstone Holiday Rv campground in 2 weeks

In West Yellowstone check out Grizzly RV park, it's a great park


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Old 08-19-2016, 10:10 AM   #31
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I would recommend finding a sight in west yellowstone. There are lots of rv parks just outside the Park. We will be staying at Yellowstone Holiday Rv campground in 2 weeks

Try Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone. We were just there. Ask for a spot in the back along the fence. They are the nicest.
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