5th wheel basement capacity

[flipper2]

Good idea to research. There are 2 other things that I think people forget to look at while looking at the binge of a new rig. This includes my husband and myself. It is so important as we age, being able to get to the restroom without putting the slide out and being able to get to the bed without the slide. We got lucky. Just a friendly reminder to add to your list.

[lesptr]

Originally Posted by flipper2

Good idea to research. There are 2 other things that I think people forget to look at while looking at the binge of a new rig. This includes my husband and myself. It is so important as we age, being able to get to the restroom without putting the slide out and being able to get to the bed without the slide. We got lucky. Just a friendly reminder to add to your list.

Bathroom, bed and refrigerator without moving a slide, and looking straight at tv when seated.
That’s our requirements.

[PRay]

https://palominorv.com/fifth-wheels/river-ranch#home


I am intrigued by this new take on a fifth wheel, no steps, full under storage (similar to class A). I'm not ready to pull the trigger but it's a step in the right direction IMHO.


PS I'm looking for one that's more in the 30 - 35 foot range.

[cruisintx]

Originally Posted by lesptr

Bathroom, bed and refrigerator without moving a slide, and looking straight at tv when seated.
That’s our requirements.

Originally Posted by flipper2

Good idea to research. There are 2 other things that I think people forget to look at while looking at the binge of a new rig. This includes my husband and myself. It is so important as we age, being able to get to the restroom without putting the slide out and being able to get to the bed without the slide. We got lucky. Just a friendly reminder to add to your list.

I totally agree on both counts -- I guess that would actually be four counts; restroom, bed fridge and TV,

Those have been in our list of requirements since the research first began in September of 2019.

Thanks for the input!

[Red Roadrunner]

Originally Posted by cruisintx

True statements, buuuuut, some engineer drew each and every one of those floor plans so they already have that information (volume). Why don't they make it available?

The thing that brought this to my attention was trying to determine if I will have more storage space with a 5th wheel and partial bed space in a truck or practically no basement in a TT and 100% of the bed space with a topper. Based on measurements already found on the inter-weeb, I have determined the largest truck bed currently available only has 77cu.ft. Double that with a topper and you have 154 cu.ft. So, the problem is to compare the storage capacity of towing a 5th vs. TT with a long bed truck.

There are many other factors in my decision making process, but each part needs to be looked at.

I will add additional complex for you. Consider exchanging the fifth wheel hitch for a goose box and a turnover ball in bed of truck. This will give you more room in the bed of the truck for storage while hooked up. There is no heavy hitch to remove from rails in the bed of your truck or a need to try and find a place to store it when not in use. Also there is no rail left in the bed of your truck when not hooked up, just flip the ball or remove it and your bed is back to full use capacity. This system may also eliminate the need for a slider type hitch due to shorter bed. The cost of replacing the hitch on the fifth wheel to a goose box is about the same as the price for the hitch you will need for a FW in your truck bed. Additionally, we have had both TT and FW. Basement storage areas vary a lot depending on layout and length of each. Same for interior storage. I think rear kitchen type in FW seem to have more countertop and cabinet storage, Front kitchen in a TT has the most . Rear bedroom with head of bed located on back wall in a TT usually have great basement storage under bed area, and access to the area by raising the beds platform. Slide outs seem to reduce your basement storage, while adding to roominess of interior.

[Red Roadrunner]

Originally Posted by lesptr

Bathroom, bed and refrigerator without moving a slide, and looking straight at tv when seated.
That’s our requirements.

Agree! We are making a list of requirements prior to looking for a replacement of our 30' FW with 3 slides. We require a table and chairs opposed to a booth. We were able to remove our table and turn it where the longer top opposed the slides so that we could get to the other areas of FW while slide is in. Couldn't do that with a booth, also can use chairs in different area of the FW say if quest arrive and we want to all sit in living area or out side. A rear kitchen layout is also one of our request, hopefully the fridge not being in a slide. Room between side of bed and wall or wardrobe is a factor in many. plenty on one side and barely enough on other.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by PRay

https://palominorv.com/fifth-wheels/river-ranch#home


I am intrigued by this new take on a fifth wheel, no steps, full under storage (similar to class A). I'm not ready to pull the trigger but it's a step in the right direction IMHO.


PS I'm looking for one that's more in the 30 - 35 foot range.

Interesting concept.

It would never work for us since we have a large deck in front of our fiver that would render all those storage compartments on the front nearly useless.

But interesting nonetheless.

Honestly, having an "upstairs" can be useful in cooler weather as all the heat ends up there. Other people are running heaters and we are up there running a fan.

[ependydad]

I agree and disagree with some of the above. I definitely want to be able to get to my bathroom with the slide closed.

But, bed- I really couldn't care less about. If I overnight in a parking lot, it's going to be somewhere that I'm able to put my slides out. I don't do rest areas nor truck stops for a whole slew of reasons. Retail stores or RV parks for me.

The fridge- I'm 50/50 on, it's definitely convenient. So far I've had little kids who can squeeze to it but they won't be around forever. Heck, daughter is shipping off to college soon and her travel days with us are about over. Still have 9 more years with my son playing the gopher role.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I agree and disagree with some of the above. I definitely want to be able to get to my bathroom with the slide closed.

But, bed- I really couldn't care less about. If I overnight in a parking lot, it's going to be somewhere that I'm able to put my slides out. I don't do rest areas nor truck stops for a whole slew of reasons. Retail stores or RV parks for me.

The fridge- I'm 50/50 on, it's definitely convenient. So far I've had little kids who can squeeze to it but they won't be around forever. Heck, daughter is shipping off to college soon and her travel days with us are about over. Still have 9 more years with my son playing the gopher role.

These were the "must haves" when we were researching for our 5'er. Be able to get to the fridge on those travel days to make a sandwich & get a cold drink and access to the bathroom to make......well, you get the picture!

[Freebird2020]

Yes, I did the same pro and con on the TT VS 5th wheel 5 years ago. After owning a TT then getting a 5th wheel, the TT was good for camping. The 5th wheel is good for living comfortably. And camping!

If you go by cubic ft of storage of a good 5th wheel vs the truck bed with topper the truck may have a little more.

However, what a pain to get to the items near the cab!

Also a lot of features may not be available in a TT. A few below.

3000 Lbs and more carrying capacity. Hydraulic leveling. No weight distribution hitch needed (oh yeah!). Hated that bone breaker.

Much better ride. 3 air conditioners. On-board generator. Washer/dryer. Residential refrigerator. Integrated powered AC cable. Dual sinks. King Bed. Dishwasher. True Gel coat or Full Body paint. Huge closet space. 60 inch TV.

Once you decide on a 5th wheel then consider the things others mentioned. Access to fridge, bathroom, and bed with slides in. Look at each floor plan carefully.

In my opinion a 5th wheel hitch is more stable than a gooseneck. Opinion! My hitch is a puck system that removes easily. Also is in 2 pieces so I can remove it by myself but I am only 63.

There are some decent deals out there right now on units that are 4 or 5 years old if you look hard enough. You might have to travel to get them. New, not so much.

Good luck!

[NJBreeze]

It is pretty easy to get an idea of a basement storage for a 5'er but note the premium 5'ers use a Z-Frame so they always have a much bigger compartment. They are all 8' long as they are 96" wide probably minus 4 inches for the walls. Then at least for the premium 5'ers they are usually 3 ft wide by probably 24" tall. Quick math says that is 48 cubic ft of storage. Then you can play with numbers to get an idea of the smaller 5'ers. If you just said 30% less then that is like 34 cubic ft.

Go to a RV dealer and measure a premium 5th wheel and then a lower priced 5th wheel.

Be aware of one thing for sure. If your going to lug that much equipment whether it is via a 5'er or a loaded Truck with camper then your into a 3/4 ton at least.

We all have different needs and wants but preparing for a cross country trip I pulled tons of stuff out of my 5'er and didn't miss it. Now getting into my 60's less is more!!!!