5th Wheel Shopping - Front Living Room/Glass Door

[caesarbernermom]

Hi All -

Hubby and I love camping in our Sandpiper Destination model. Retirement is coming up soon and we're thinking of 5th wheeling it. So we can travel around with it a little. We are currently in a wonderful riverfront campground that we will be staying in - but want to be able to travel around a bit. Hate to trade in the Destination model with the sliding door - we love the river view. We were wondering if any of the Forest River 5th wheel models have a full glass (single) door? We've seen the Light model from another distributor (Highland Ridge RV) and they offer the full glass single door. I don't want to give up the view (or the Forest River reputation) - if we can help it. Our dogs love to lay there and look out the door. Plus safety to see who you are opening the door for when we're out traveling. Ideas on models? We've had 2 Sandpipers and have been very happy with them!

We will probably be upgrading our truck too. Our Tundra crewmax is a little light for a fifth wheel. We aren't going HUGE with a new 5th wheel and hubby wants a front living room.

Suggestions on 5th wheel models that might fit the "full glass door/front living room/not huge in weight/length)?

Thanks!

Becky & Jim with the furry kids!
Ohio

[ependydad]

I don't know many non-bunkhouses, but I don't know of a whole lot of fifth wheels with sliding doors that aren't park/destination models.

The closest that I think you can get are some of the models with a crazy number of windows.

[aceinspp]

My wife and I retired several years ago and had 5ers. Now as we got older we traded to a tt as steps can now become a problem even up to the bedroom. Just something to consider. Good luck on your search. Later RJD

[Sierra360PDEK]

Our 360PDEK does not have a glass entry door but has a 6' sliding glass door on the rear with a deck. Our two dogs love to sit out on the deck and watch the world go by, I do too. Our dining room slide pulls out next to the entry door and it has a side window facing the door. Our dogs will also sit here and watch outside.

You'll need a much bigger truck. We pull ours with a GMC 3500 dually. The trailer is 42' long and weighs in close to 16000 lbs.

Good luck and enjoy your retirement

[Jim34RL]

Most 5er's do not have a full glass door and those that do; have a glass window that are usually frosted so you can not see in or out. Now the Cedar Creek's have eliminated the window all together in the door and added just a PEEP Hole to see out. The DW really likes this as it cuts down on the light entering at night and the sun heat from the sun in the summertime when the door is closed.


The Cedar Creeks also have Lexan panels that you remove on the screen door so the screen door can be opened for viewing when the main door is in the hold open position. Or the panels can be removed to allow air flow through the screen door when the temps are cool. A nice feature in my opinion.


One more thing the Front Living Room models tend to be pin heavy so they will take at least a One (1) ton truck to tow them with.

[wire1946]

heartland has a good looking 5er with a front living room and a deck off of the kitchen.40 ' or better. I think it's a big country .

[Rvdixie]

Originally Posted by caesarbernermom

Hi All -

Hubby and I love camping in our Sandpiper Destination model. Retirement is coming up soon and we're thinking of 5th wheeling it. So we can travel around with it a little. We are currently in a wonderful riverfront campground that we will be staying in - but want to be able to travel around a bit. Hate to trade in the Destination model with the sliding door - we love the river view. We were wondering if any of the Forest River 5th wheel models have a full glass (single) door? We've seen the Light model from another distributor (Highland Ridge RV) and they offer the full glass single door. I don't want to give up the view (or the Forest River reputation) - if we can help it. Our dogs love to lay there and look out the door. Plus safety to see who you are opening the door for when we're out traveling. Ideas on models? We've had 2 Sandpipers and have been very happy with them!

We will probably be upgrading our truck too. Our Tundra crewmax is a little light for a fifth wheel. We aren't going HUGE with a new 5th wheel and hubby wants a front living room.

Suggestions on 5th wheel models that might fit the "full glass door/front living room/not huge in weight/length)?

Thanks!

Becky & Jim with the furry kids!
Ohio

Having spent 40 years in the RV business I would recommend you take your time in purchasing a front living room 5th wheel. You better be sure you really want it and plan on keeping it for a long long time. These things come around every 5 years and sell like hot cakes to people who find them novel. The problem is the novelty doesn't last long and soon every dealer that has them is stuck with them and the bottom drops out of the price. Translation (you will have a devil of time getting rid of it when you decide that going up and down the stairs to the living area gets very old. With the bedroom you only go up once or twice a day but with the living room up there you are constantly going up and down. IMHO for whatever it's worth think hard about this, it could be an expensive mistake.

[j free]

I recently found a 5er toy hauler that has both rear deck with class sliding door and a side deck in the middle next to the side entry door that comes down and it has a glass slider behind it. Both decks had rails on them and was really nice set up. I don't remember what or who's 5er it was however.

[Rollingdunder1]

We like having more truck than necessary. Have a Ram 3500 dually pulling a Cedar Creek 38RD. Like knowing the the tow vehicle is capability exceeds the weight/size of trailer. Having dually has been very stable pulling. And, having exhaust brakes and other oversized systems makes descending hills and stopping more confident. Parking a little further away from the store entrance is a boost the our exercise program. A number of the manufacturers, CR included, have gotten very creative with floor plans. Have fun looking.

[wire1946]

we have a cedar creek 38 FL and like it a lot. seams to be more room in it then rear living room. If you can still walk a few steps .you will like it also. Just more room in it.

[asquared]

Any front living will be very pin heavy and they all have a very high gvwr, you will want a 350/3500 dually with a diesel engine to tow this. Most of these trailers are also close to 40' or more in length so the idea of not going to big does not fit with this floor plan. The rear entertainment floor plans can be found a little lighter and shorter but I would still recommend a a 350/3500 SRW to tow this (and if travelling all over the US, you will find you want a diesel).

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by asquared

Any front living will be very pin heavy and they all have a very high gvwr, you will want a 350/3500 dually with a diesel engine to tow this. Most of these trailers are also close to 40' or more in length so the idea of not going to big does not fit with this floor plan. The rear entertainment floor plans can be found a little lighter and shorter but I would still recommend a a 350/3500 SRW to tow this (and if travelling all over the US, you will find you want a diesel).

X'2 on this post. A rear livingroom to me is much better. As for the glass door you can always remove the screen door, and have glass put in or just use plexiglass attached over it.

[Steelframer]

I'm in no way disrespecting the power and ease of use of a gas puller some are exceptional, with that in mind if your pulling over 10,000lbs all over the country up and down hills a diesel may be the way to go. Diesels like to pull heavy loads and do it well. Just my opinion.


TT-2015 Cherokee 274dbh TV-2010 Jeep Commander Limited

[justwinginit]

We like having more truck than necessary. Have a Ram 3500 dually pulling a Cedar Creek 38RD. Like knowing the the tow vehicle is capability exceeds the weight/size of trailer. Having dually has been very stable pulling. And, having exhaust brakes and other oversized systems makes descending hills and stopping more confident. Parking a little further away from the store entrance is a boost the our exercise program. A number of the manufacturers, CR included, have gotten very creative with floor plans. Have fun looking.

We started our full timing last Friday. What we are finding with our Ram 3500 dually 8 ft bed, is parking when we go into the historic cities we can't find a place to park. What do others do? I need suggestions. We're stuck in the camper due to not being able to park anywhere once we get to our destination for sightseeing.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by justwinginit

We like having more truck than necessary. Have a Ram 3500 dually pulling a Cedar Creek 38RD. Like knowing the the tow vehicle is capability exceeds the weight/size of trailer. Having dually has been very stable pulling. And, having exhaust brakes and other oversized systems makes descending hills and stopping more confident. Parking a little further away from the store entrance is a boost the our exercise program. A number of the manufacturers, CR included, have gotten very creative with floor plans. Have fun looking.

We started our full timing last Friday. What we are finding with our Ram 3500 dually 8 ft bed, is parking when we go into the historic cities we can't find a place to park. What do others do? I need suggestions. We're stuck in the camper due to not being able to park anywhere once we get to our destination for sightseeing.

That's why I have my SRW truck. I can still park in parking garages and in city streets. Just further out we than walk to where ever we want. I have taken the Ram Mega Cab down to the center of Chicago and parked we have even part outside of Boston and road the commuter train to the downtown.

DRW trucks have there place on the farm but not in the large cities.

[MeepMeep]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

That's why I have my SRW truck. I can still park in parking garages and in city streets. Just further out we than walk to where ever we want. I have taken the Ram Mega Cab down to the center of Chicago and parked we have even part outside of Boston and road the commuter train to the downtown.

DRW trucks have there place on the farm but not in the large cities.

Been full timing for two years with a 38FL/RAM 3500 dually combo. We love the front living room setup because it gives us very distinct areas in the rig - as opposed to the "combo" areas you end up with in a lot of other set-ups, i.e. sitting in a recliner and having to look across the kitchen to watch TV.

No problems finding parking for the dually, even in "historical" cities like St. Augustine and Williamsburg. For easier ingress/egress, we do like to use "pull-thru" spots whenever we can.....the only exception we've found is that parking GARAGES tend to have more compact spots, but even then we've managed to fit the dually somewhere...

[Kenz]

Have been driving duallys for 16 years now and haven't had any issues getting around or parking. Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Niagara Falls, even cruised Duval street in Key West (not on purpose hehe). There is some drawbacks as mentioned, parking garages (most seem to be geared for cars anyway), and no more automated car washes. My last single wheel was a '97 extended cab short box. Found the extra cab length and longer box with extra wheels a non issue. Plus the extra stability and safety is nice to have.

As for a front living 5'er, I've seen a few different brands and they are nice. I just find the kitchens usually cramped and the tables small. Plus you will need a good size truck as the ones I've seen are 36' or larger in the 12k to 14k range with hitch weights around 2500lbs. Load it up and it gets a little heavy for a 3/4 ton in my opinion.

[Ksilvi]

Originally Posted by caesarbernermom

Hi All -

Hubby and I love camping in our Sandpiper Destination model. Retirement is coming up soon and we're thinking of 5th wheeling it. So we can travel around with it a little. We are currently in a wonderful riverfront campground that we will be staying in - but want to be able to travel around a bit. Hate to trade in the Destination model with the sliding door - we love the river view. We were wondering if any of the Forest River 5th wheel models have a full glass (single) door? We've seen the Light model from another distributor (Highland Ridge RV) and they offer the full glass single door. I don't want to give up the view (or the Forest River reputation) - if we can help it. Our dogs love to lay there and look out the door. Plus safety to see who you are opening the door for when we're out traveling. Ideas on models? We've had 2 Sandpipers and have been very happy with them!

We will probably be upgrading our truck too. Our Tundra crewmax is a little light for a fifth wheel. We aren't going HUGE with a new 5th wheel and hubby wants a front living room.

Suggestions on 5th wheel models that might fit the "full glass door/front living room/not huge in weight/length)?

Thanks!

Becky & Jim with the furry kids!
Ohio

Heartland Big Country 3900FLP


2014 Crusader 295rst
2014 F150 Fx4

[Ksilvi]

If you're willing to consider the "reverse" front living floorplans, there are sliding glass doors in the following 5ths:

375re Evergreen Bay Hill
375re Grand Design Solitude
389rd Forest River Sierra/Sandpiper



2014 Crusader 295rst
2014 F150 Fx4

[Ksilvi]

2014 Crusader 295rst
2014 F150 Fx4