Allowable trailer length in campsite

95tigeralum · 08-12-2016, 04:20 PM

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!

donniedu · 08-12-2016, 04:28 PM

We have always looked at whether we can get the RV and tow vehicle both in the site. Consider that you need to always fit both in your site and NOT off pavement.

spock123 · 08-12-2016, 04:30 PM

It depends on where you want to camp at. Most places ask how long you are. You should not have a problem, some National Park campgrounds but a 33ft camper should be no problem. My camper is 35ft.

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Charles Firth · 08-12-2016, 04:37 PM

All of the campgrounds that I stay at all want to know what you are camping in (TT, class A etc ) the length of the unit and how many slides and if you want full hookup and 30 or 50 amp. They do the rest. So far their picks have worked out. I believe they usually want to put you in a good place. ( because they was a favorable review along with your return visit). In Virginia a lot of the park service campgrounds are unable to handle larger units, just no room for the trees and such. Go ahead and purchase the trailer and enjoy. Leave the headaches to the campground. DISCLAIMER;; every now and then some campgrounds will try to fit you in a place that you can't fit in especially during holidays. During those time make you reservations well in advance.

**Bama Rambler** · 08-12-2016, 08:51 PM

I always go by the total length of the RV including the tongue. That way I'm always sure it'll fit.

RitaB · 08-13-2016, 12:25 PM

I've been camping with my TT for 10 years, I always figure the trailer length to be with the hitch. I have never had a site that was so short that my TV stuck out in the road when I backed in. There were always plenty of room in front.

CampingGator · 08-13-2016, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

I always go by the total length of the RV including the tongue. That way I'm always sure it'll fit.

We do too. We have Hemisphere. The box is 26 fort, but we go with the 30 ft. Sites. We have not had a problem fitting on the sites.

Broadway Joe · 08-13-2016, 12:48 PM

I have the same trailer only a wildwood, have never had a problem. most campsites want to know whether your an A-liner to large Ceder Creek so they can manage their sites

radman · 08-13-2016, 01:01 PM

I have found that most State and National Parks have lots of spaces for 30' or less, you can usually find spots if you are 35' or less

Scheinin · 08-13-2016, 09:57 PM

I have a 40' 5th wheel (actually 39.7) pulled by a 21' TV (actually 21.3). This year I have traveled from Maryland to Florida Keys and back, and from Maryland to Michigan, now circling Lake Michigan. I have not had any trouble finding suitable sites. Usually the campground host will send someone to the campsite with me to insure I can maneuver into the site. As stated above, buy what YOU want, the campsites will cater to you.

dmdomokos · 08-15-2016, 02:23 PM

We have a 2702WS Rockwood. The "box" is 27' but the trailer is 33' end to end. We try to get 35' spots, but you're right, there are a lot more 30' spots. We usually book the 30' spot because there is always some over hang on the back. Truck has to usually get parked in a separate parking spot when we do that, but we have always been able to fit the trailer.

buffalohunter · 08-16-2016, 07:33 PM

I have to say that I have found that you can't trust what you may read or hear. One of my favorite locations is right on a lake. There are 5 sites and they are all said to be for up to 16'. Well I have a 34' 5" travel trailer that I can put into anyone of those sites along with my tow vehicle.

Needless to say I don't trust what web sites say or people tell me. I will always drive through in advance and check for my self and I suggest others do the same when ever possible.

dmdomokos · 08-17-2016, 12:15 AM

Sometime we will use Campsitephotos.com to see pictures of the sites before we book.

dahagen · 08-18-2016, 11:49 AM

I have a 32-foot long motorhome (by actual measurement) and I don't have a problem in any commercial campground. When it comes to FS, BoR, BLM. CoE or NP I usually do not have a problem either but many sites are tight.

Dukie74 · 08-18-2016, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 95tigeralum

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!

Good day...

We're relatively new to the RV world. As of June 2014, we've owned a Surveyor SP295. We love it!! It's obviously longer than 29.5' because of the rear bike rack and also the tongue and such. Even though I've only owned for 2 years, I've camped for over 25 years all over, from FL to ON. I've also towed many trailers for work. Hopefully, this sets some confidence for what I'm about to say. The trailer you're looking at won't be too large whatsoever. There are soooo many sites that will easily accommodate that size. Whether it be Provincial, State, privately owned parks or resorts, etc. The trick is...learning to properly navigate your trailer behind your towing vehicle. Both are crucial to understanding the parameters of towing, backing up, precisely weaving through trees on trails, etc. Many times, newer trailer towing owners will be overwhelmed by it all, but it is much easier than believed. Time and experience will enhance your skills and bring more confidence. I would be more than happy to go with that size if I were you. Part of the fun is learning how to wisely and accurately navigate with your family camper!!
Good luck friend...
Luke

Av-ater · 08-18-2016, 12:08 PM

I have a 43'r... Never had an issue at RV parks.

Tdbrn · 08-18-2016, 12:09 PM

Our 2015 Wildcat Maxx 28RKX is another of those box is 27 feet long but the trailer length is 33 feet. On our trip last month we had to move from the sites assigned at three different parks because the RV parks tried to put us into too narrow or too short spots.
The KOA at Great Falls, Montana, while really nice wasn't built for and isn't able to work with long trailers from our experience. The narrow sites there? Just trim some the the shrubs would have helped that but we had to be led out of the camping area through a second exit because the turns were all too tight for our 33 foot trailer to bend and make.
At the other two places, Cody, Wyoming, and Lander, Wyoming, the sites were generally long enough, except at Lander which would have had our truck out in the drive path, but I also couldn't make the turns necessary to get into the first assigned sites. Length as well as width with the slideouts were the questions almost always asked when making reservations but they still didn't take those features into account when putting us in a spot.
At the Lander park when we went in and said we didn't fit because I couldn't make the turn to park correctly into the site and the site was too short, they just moved us to the length we should have set in, in the first place, since the people they moved that hadn't arrived yet and were in a "30 ft motorhome"
My wife always wants to try and get pull throughs, and it seems many people do also.

elind · 08-18-2016, 12:18 PM

We have a 38' 5th wheel and most of the time we find a spot at a campground with a few hours notice. The times we don't get in with the long RV is when the whole CG is filled and/or weekends.
My problem is that I'm lazy and love a pull through.

JPSPete20 · 08-18-2016, 12:31 PM

We bought a 27RKSS sight unseen and special ordered it based on the internet provided floorplan in 2011. Our dealer had never heard of the model. We love the floorplan. Plenty of space for two people with a large kitchen and bathroom. The 14 foot slide really opens things up. We have towed ours for more than 40,000 miles, including Alaska and back. We tow with a 2011 F250 with an eight foot bed. That means that our total length is 56 feet end to end. We have never had a problem at an RV park, but kind of hang over the ends in Cracker Barrel 40 foot parking spaces. On our last trip, we had friends with a 40 foot 5th wheel. We were out for two months and stopped at eight national parks and several state parks. Getting the 5th wheel in out of Glacier National Park and in and out of some of the RV parks was a chore. In several cases, we traded slots due to ease of access, or fear of tree branches for the much taller 5th wheel. We hope you enjoy the 27RKSS. Just be careful with how much you load it down. With full water and propane tanks, your cargo weight is roughly the hitch weight placed on the tow vehicle. We carry extra and heavy things in the truck to keep the trailer weight down.

Missdenise · 08-18-2016, 01:01 PM

We have been camping for many years and for a large number of those years at locally private owned campground. What I have found to also be an issue is not only are units getting longer, they are wider. When these campgrounds were first designed there were no slideouts. Now every camper has one or more and sometimes on both sides of the camper.

You cannot park as close to that tree/electric hookup pole since now there is a 3 ft side out. Just something else to keep in mind when picking out that perfect site.

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