What is important to you?

[Filthy Beast]

Though our 5er is only 30 foot, we bought when contemplating the move to New Mexico. We wanted something large enough to live in in case we built a house and short enough to get into national parks like Grand Canyon. The only other camping either one of us has done was tent camping.

[SaskCampers]

Gotta have:
1: Bed must be on a slide as we like a roomy bedroom
2: Stand alone furniture and Lazy Boy recliners
3: Digital thermostat
4: walk though bathroom as they are very roomy and our has lots of storage.
5: Useable bathroom and kitchen facilities with the slides in
6: Factory installed quality surge and power protection like the Progressive Industires HW series units.
7: Seperate entrances for the main and bedroom areas.
8: Shock absorbers on the suspension

Don't wants
1: no outside or bedroom speakers (we have never used the radio nor listen to any music) and would sooner have better quality speakers in the main living area than all those extra ones.
2: No outside kitchen or useless BBQ that attaches to the side of the trailer

[BigBaron]

Bob, that is fantastic! I hope to be able to do the same when I retire. I really enjoy reading about everyone with big fivers.

[Duckogram]

Originally Posted by BigBaron

This is really interesting for a measly little pop-up owner like me! Has there ever been a thread about why you chose a big fifth-wheel trailer?

Choosing a "big fifth-wheel" is a choice based on the type lifestyle you want. There are many many individual preferences that drive that decision. There are also an equal number of variables that are factored in, especially for those making an informed decision. I don't think a thread on the subject would yield any real answers for you. You must determine your need based on your criteria. With that said, the RV community can help with pro's and con's for specific questions.



Days camped in the last year: All of em!

[BigBaron]

I'm not looking to buy one. I live in Korea. Your fivers are bigger than the semis here!
I am enjoying learning about the totally different frame-of-mind and lifestyle. Envy and homesickness are at play here.
BTW-I downloaded EVERY fiver brochure I could find last night! LOL

[Duckogram]

Originally Posted by BigBaron

I'm not looking to buy one. I live in Korea. Your fivers are bigger than the semis here!
I am enjoying learning about the totally different frame-of-mind and lifestyle. Envy and homesickness are at play here.
BTW-I downloaded EVERY fiver brochure I could find last night! LOL

There is a 5er for you...
http://www.roamingtimes.com/rvreport...fth-wheel.aspx
... I saw one in Poland (Zakopane) about 6 months ago. LOL

[Twisty]

Hate the tinted windows in the living area. They should be darker in the bedroom.
Need pull out drawers under the dinette, sofa and the bed. You have to lift the bed to get to the storage - what a joke!
The sofa will never be used as a bed by us. There should be an option to get two swivel chairs/recliners or a sofa with storage drawers underneath.

[clancythecamper]

Most important to me is quality, intelligent storage space, slide outs.

Least important to me is "fancy" stuff, electric fp and the like.

Wish I had would be the outdoor kitchen

Best advice ~ QUALITY! Whether cabinetry, flooring, roofing, quality is key. Oh and always get a decent warranty, especially if it's used. You may be inadvertently buying someone else's nightmare.

[mogman]

As a former SV291 TT family we think you should have:

Outside storage doors big enough for a folding chair
An arched roof to shed rain and snow
Outside BBQ grill on the side, we used ours every trip.
Lift up bed with the hydraulic arms so it stays up.
Sliding drawers under the bed
New style propane tank cover so you don't have to remove it to check tanks.
Awning tie downs
Shower, not a bathtub ( unless you have little kids)
Cupholders
Knife rack
Pressure indicating tire valve caps

Last year we upgraded to a Class A----still looking for space to store all the stuff from the TT!!!

[AquaMan]

We went to 5er for space! Imagine having 4 teens that WANT to spend time in the bunkhouse that is 14' across and has its own closets and entertainment center with 32" TV. The outside kitchen for us was a must! We cook almost everything outside. The stereo is going to get an upgrade, as we are huge music buffs. Doesn't have to be loud, just has to sound good!!! King master bed, is also a must, as we tend to have little ones and dogs join us in the middle of the night.

[thunderalley3]

We just went through the "what do we want" a few months ago ordering a new trailer, it was our 11th trailer, the past trailers have been pop ups, bumper pulls, fifth wheels, slides, no slides etc.

With a change in our lives we decided a bumper pull toy hauler was our most usefull, I can haul my work tools when working out of town, take the dog when we do bbq comps, and haul the motorcycles etc. for vacations. We chose a work and play 36' no slide trailer.

Important features, nice shower, great heat and air, double pane windows, insulation package, ability to pull into a rest area and have access to all features, a full queen tempurpedic bed and generator to power a/c etc while napping in rest areas. Power awning, lots of tie downs in garage area and a 10 gallon water heater. Tv's in dining and bed, all wired for antenna,cable and satellite. Vapor barrier door between cargo area and living area.

We eliminated all exterior speakers, cargo lighting, reduced graphics, no beds in cargo area, no outside shower.

I will add that with all the changes etc the trailer was built exactly as we wanted and we are "happy campers".

[OL Creeker]

In my opinion, from what I learned, a washer/dryer is a waste. The dryer is 110V, so,it'll take all day to dry your socks!
Essential to us is the electric awning, electric tongue jack and two 12VDC batteries.
Storage space is important. Using shelf savers/racks really helps in most of the storage areas.
Sufficient outlets, ESP for those wonderful crockpot meals!
Room next to the bed to get in and out as well as to make it!
LED lights to save power, reduce heat as well. I replaced my tungsten tail lights with LED's
for safety.

[Dabmeb]

Well we thought we wanted space for company, got a front bunk model with queen slide bed at back. Know better this time around I think.
Had to have a front kitchen with front window and a large bathroom. Decent kitchen and bedroom storage space but learnt we didn't need as much as the last trailer, man can two people collect a lot of junk when you have the space for it. The outside shower is not nessesity so will change it to a spray hose for rinsing and cleaning items and sewer dumps. A turd tote is important but we also got a maserator pump now to pump poop to our sanitary dump.
We got electric tonque jack and electric stabilizers. Bought better wheel blocks for between the wheels, getting rid of the rock and roll is so important . I upgraded our last stereo so a better one to start was important as well as a tv for video games, wii guitar in the rain is important. Comfortable seating is very important so the 8 inch cushions are way better than our last 4 inch cushions. A better mattress to start with then we will transfer our memory foam topper over. We still have to pull our original trailer home to move stuff to the new trailer. A lighter trailer was a nessesity as well, old trailer is 7000 dry and 11,000 gross.
New one grosses out at 6635, another biggy is the length as the new trailer is almost 4 feet shorter. I don't have an issue with the length but some campgrounds do as we were 33 feet.

[BigBaron]

Originally Posted by thunderalley3

We just went through the "what do we want" a few months ago ordering a new trailer, it was our 11th trailer, the past trailers have been pop ups, bumper pulls, fifth wheels, slides, no slides etc.

Eleven? Yikes! Why so many? Over how many years?

[thunderalley3]

It has been over 25 years,,,Wow we have done alot of camping lol. For many years our main use was housing as my job took me all over the US and fortunately my wife and daughter traveled with, my wife home schooled our daughter, to the point of planning her school to coincide with where we would be, if we were in South Dakota she learned about Mt Rushmore etc. then got a field trip. And I must say she graduated from Florida State 4 years ago with honors.

So we put alot of miles on our trailers and lots of use, this one we just picked up in Feb already has 6k mlies on it and by the end of August it will have close to 17k on it, but then it slows a bit as I will be officially retired, so it will be fun miles then.

[BigBaron]

That's wonderful.

[RVTexasYall]

What we love about our Tracer: outdoor kitchen, good storage, hydraulic lift on the full size walk around queen bed, large shower with a real door (not just a curtain), fantastic fans with vent covers, large refrigerator, quick recovery gas/electric water heater, strong AC/heat, sewer hose storage bumper, black tank flush, built in vacuum, rotating flat screen tv that faces bed or living.

What we would like to have / plan to add: battery disconnect switch, slide out storage under the dinette.

[irishrv]

2014 295rst touring. Love the bigger shower , rear theater seating, auto levellers, power awning, larger bathroom, lighter weight with higher gvwr than competition. 16 inch tires with alum rims , champagne color,50 amp w bedroom air per wired. Not bragging but still amazed at the value prime time includes. Oh bigger fridge, fireplace, easy lube axel, rubber spring equalizers BBQ with quick connect. Batt disconnect.

[prof_fate]

Must Haves depend on your use....other than a slide and the lighter the better it will depend on that.

Slides give you more space inside - something you'll appreciate no matter what. I like our floorplan but we have to open the slide to access 90% of the interior (like fridge, kitchen, bath) so we run the slide in and out a lot more often.

Lighter saves fuel.

I don't think we have a lot of exterior storage but it works for us.
Drawers inside would be nice (we have none- spaces for them, but none).
Light switches on the walls instead of on the fixtures on the ceiling (kids have to climb to reach any light, wife can't reach bathroom ceiling fan switch)

Size of bathroom - I need more 'toilet space'. Almost have to leave the room to wipe LOL.

A full hardside is quieter, warmer/cooler (as needed), more secure (for pets). And you can pack up wet and not worry about mold/mildew.

We have enough (barely) counterspace for making meals (and toaster and coffee pot) but that came at the expense of a pantry.

The sofa is a waste - the dog uses it the most and we pile stuff on it (toys, bags, dirty clothes, etc). Too short to lay down or sleep on.

Power awning is nice - wind isn't an issue, when other are folding up or tying down we do nothing.

Don't have an outside kitchen...next one may have that or at least some more 'outdoor living' options, like my FIL's pop up has a shelf and grill hangar for outside cooking.

[BarryD0706]

Originally Posted by prof_fate

Must Haves depend on your use....other than a slide and the lighter the better it will depend on that.
...
Power awning is nice - wind isn't an issue, when other are folding up or tying down we do nothing.

Not so sure about "the lighter the better". Lighter means lighter materials and lighter construction techniques. For instance, lighter means you won't get a real I-beam frame. These "lighter" methods are going to yield an RV that you won't think is made as well, and it will have a shorter life.

Power awnings are susceptible to wind damage just like any other. "Power" isn't going to save you, unless you mean that you can furl it quickly!