What made you choose the type, brand, make, model, style/floor plan of RV?

[MacDR]

Originally Posted by Mtnman64

Like every American man,.......my wife told me which one.

X2 and it had t have a rear kitchen...

[mtnlvr]

Originally Posted by Mtnman64

Like every American man,.......my wife told me which one.

HaHa!
I picked out my Solera after it was on my bucket list for about 30 years. I bought it after I divorced my husband. I never could talk him into a RV during our marriage.
I chose the Solera/Forester over other class C's because I thought the interior storage was better designed than it's competitors; more kitchen counter space, nice panty & wardrobe closet and better bathroom vanity/ storage. I don't care for the plastic looking european style cabinets of other class C's. The price was better too!

[Springerdad]

#1. HAD to have a king bed. I'm tall and hated the queen in our last one.

#2. Residential size kitchen and bath sinks.

#3. Large shower so wifey was comfotable in there.

#4. Twin opposing slides in living room. Ours has twin residential recliners.

#5, Table and chairs in dining area, not a booth with wobbly table.

Found what we wanted in a Dutchman Denali 287RE

[hbillsmith]

The fifth wheel we ended up with in our signature is the one that had everyone of these.

1. Pin weight had to be in range for our 3/4 truck payload
2. Under 11,000# GVW and length 32ft or less
3. 4 Step entry steps (2015 and newer trucks are so high off the ground)
4. Recliners must face the TV (no neck at an angle viewing)
5. Bathroom door opens into front bedroom (2nd*hall door for guests)
6. Radius door shower (just*thought they were cool)
7. Maxxis tires on 16" wheels as a standard or option
8. 2 A/C Units
9. Access to refrigerator with slides in (for Walmart stops)
10. Rear View (we usually back in to the lake or river site)
11. Triple slide with opposing slides in living area
12. Factory auto level option available
13. Factory slide covers as an option or standard
14. Large Glass Door pantry
15. Huge front storage bin
16. Rear bicycle rack and ladder standard
17. Solar ready (turned out to not be a big deal)
18. Rear camera for monitoring*while*going down the road

[drelec]

1. Built 32x40 barn with 12 foot overhead door.
2. Bought F150 with max tow and max payload.
3. Fifth wheel had to fit in barn and towed by F150.
4. Wanted bath with vanity and toilet together not in bedroom.
5. Wanted access to refrigerator and toilet while on the road without opening slides.
6. Liked dual slide in living area and two access doors to bath.

Bought the Prime Time Crusader 270RET the last year they made it 2012. Industry wants to keep making fifth wheels larger now so it would be hard to replace the one we have.

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by drelec

1. Built 32x40 barn with 12 foot overhead door.
2. Bought F150 with max tow and max payload.
3. Fifth wheel had to fit in barn and towed by F150.
4. Wanted bath with vanity and toilet together not in bedroom.
5. Wanted access to refrigerator and toilet while on the road without opening slides.
6. Liked dual slide in living area and two access doors to bath.

Bought the Prime Time Crusader 270RET the last year they made it 2012. Industry wants to keep making fifth wheels larger now so it would be hard to replace the one we have.

Weight police will pounce in 5....4.....3.....2.....

[herbike]

Originally Posted by drelec

1. Built 32x40 barn with 12 foot overhead door.
2. Bought F150 with max tow and max payload.
3. Fifth wheel had to fit in barn and towed by F150.
4. Wanted bath with vanity and toilet together not in bedroom.
5. Wanted access to refrigerator and toilet while on the road without opening slides.
6. Liked dual slide in living area and two access doors to bath.

Bought the Prime Time Crusader 270RET the last year they made it 2012. Industry wants to keep making fifth wheels larger now so it would be hard to replace the one we have.

We have that problem with the bumper pull toy hauler we bought, can't get it in with a twelve foot door. The old Patio Hauler is under twelve foot so it went in, now we are trying to figure out how we can raise door opening with out breaking the bank.

[RStormC]

Storage space for clothing and cooking gear. Happy wife = Happy Life.

[rlsmith]

Large family, our needs were bunk house, large dinner table, separate master bedroom, large holding tanks, pantry, large shower, outside kitchen, aluminum frame, 5th wheel that 3/4 ton diesel could handle, access to restroom while on the road, day and night shades, close to a standard kitchen sink, ....wife wanted 36 tbok but she has settled for our now 3yr old 34tbok.

[cwmoser]

I too am a potential first time Travel Trailer purchaser.
I need an SUV-towable trailer.
Seriously considering the Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS,
along with the Winnebago Minnie, and R-Pod 180.

Just me and the misses, like the idea of a couch rather than a dinette table,
and want to tow with my SUV (2002 Lexus LX470 aka Toyota Land Cruiser
which has a max tow rating of 6,500 lbs)

I don't want to purchase a Trailer and find out that my SUV is difficult
to tow with.

[Jay2504]

Wanted:
1. Single axle, no slide
2. Side a/c and 8' wide to fit in carport where the boat was.
3.Stick and Tin construction
4. Straight view of wall mounted tv.
What we got: 2504s. I have "picked" many other big purchases in the past, went with what she wanted this time.
The result: Glad I listened to her. We were/are newbies. All the things I didn't thought that I needed turns out to be pretty nice to have, like gas/electric water heater, slide, extra storage, rear ladder,outside shower, and especially the Murphy bed.
I did get #4 though.
Jay

[DrLewie]

Our first decision was between a 5er and a MH. We knew we would need to buy a new TV if we went with the 5er, and we also knew that if we bought a MH we would need to tow a car because we are sightseer/campers and planned to use the campground as a base of operations for a week or two and didn't want the hassle of dragging our "home" wherever we went. Our car wasn't suitable for towing, so we went with the 5er and a new truck. We made sure we selected a trailer that would be compatible, weight-wise, with whatever truck we selected. We researched, studied, read, went to the RV shows and visited every RV dealer within 90 miles of home. Still no decision. Then we received a flyer from a dealer re: end of model year clearance which featured a 32 ft. Cardinal with the exact floor plan we (meaning my wife) wanted. Very good price, very nice trailer, so we pulled the trigger then went truck shopping.

Are we satisfied? Sort of. Lots more repairs than I would have expected, which means much more expense. But 8 years later, when we look around at the new rigs at the shows, we haven't seen anything with a floor plan we like better than what we've got.

And more important that any of that, we're having a blast!

[jkoenig24]

In 2010, I started with a 17', Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer (an EXCELLENT way to get started RVing) and eventually wanted more. Over three+ years, I narrowed the field down to three choices. A Class-A diesel pusher (specifically the Winnebago Tour or its' sister Itasca Ellipse); a HDT pulling a fifth wheel trailer or, a Class 7 HDT based Super-C diesel puller. The Ellipse had blatant quality control issues and eliminated itself. The HDT+5er would be a project that I didn't want to wait for. That narrowed it down to the HDT Super-C. I had seen the Dynamax, HDT based, Super-C DX3 models at Motor Home Specialists in TX and, was impressed by the HDT Freightliner base. In April of 2014, I saw the DX3-37RB floor plan and loved it. Each of the two slideouts had only a 12VDC wire for lights and a 110VAC wire for a convenience outlet (plus the furniture). NO water, sewer, propane lines or major appliances in either slideout. ALL the important stuff "stayed put" (newer models may have changed this). I could get up from the driver's seat and, walk back having FULL access to the sink, stove, residential fridge and midship toilet. I could roll into bed easily with the slides closed. If I wanted to shower, I just had to roll out of bed on the far side. The DX3-37RB was 98% useable with the slides in and, lots of space with the slides extended. Very few RVs offer that much usefulness with the slides retracted. The fact that it IS a Super-C means that the safety margins are very generous and, it has a TRUE tow capacity of 20,000 pounds (the newer models may have less)! The 350HP Cummins diesel is up front. That provides a HUGE safety cushion in the event of a crash and, makes service a breeze (and far less expensive because of the easy engine access). NO RV is "perfect" but, I've had to accept fewer compromises than I would with most other RVs.

[Cowracer]

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

The fifth wheel we ended up with in our signature is the one that had everyone of these.

1. Pin weight had to be in range for our 3/4 truck payload
2. Under 11,000# GVW and length 32ft or less
3. 4 Step entry steps (2015 and newer trucks are so high off the ground)
4. Recliners must face the TV (no neck at an angle viewing)
5. Bathroom door opens into front bedroom (2nd*hall door for guests)
6. Radius door shower (just*thought they were cool)
7. Maxxis tires on 16" wheels as a standard or option
8. 2 A/C Units
9. Access to refrigerator with slides in (for Walmart stops)
10. Rear View (we usually back in to the lake or river site)
11. Triple slide with opposing slides in living area
12. Factory auto level option available
13. Factory slide covers as an option or standard
14. Large Glass Door pantry
15. Huge front storage bin
16. Rear bicycle rack and ladder standard
17. Solar ready (turned out to not be a big deal)
18. Rear camera for monitoring*while*going down the road

That was also a (minor) consideration. It amazes me about the number of campers that set the T.V. at a 90 to the seats. I know, space dictates layout, and most people never actually watch very much T.V. but its still something that gripes me.

Tim

[drelec]

Originally Posted by timfromma

Weight police will pounce in 5....4.....3.....2.....

SuperCab 145 inch WB 163 inch WB 4x2 4x4 4x2 4x4 Base curb weight 4.6L 2V 5,048 5,365 -- -- 4.6L 3V 5,068 5,395 -- -- 5.4L 5,191 5,474 -- -- 5.4L HD pkg -- -- 5,485 1 5,789 1 Payload capacity 4.6L 2V 1,600 1,480 -- -- 4.6L 3V 1,680 1,550 -- -- 5.4L 1,800 1,670 -- -- 5.4L HD pkg -- -- 2,660 2,350

We have 163" wheel base F150 5.4L HD pkg - payload 2,350, fifth wheel tongue weight 1300 leaves over 1000 pounds for us. So no need for weight police.

[Jakieboy]

Like many of you, my wife and I have been camping, tenting, pop-upping, TTing for nearly 45 years. For the past 6-8 years my wife has been lobbying for a fifth wheel that offered a king size bed big enough for us and three dogs! It was a tough decision for me to forego the use of our pickup bed with camper shell that offered so much secure storage/cargo capacity. After visiting RV shows for years we reached the following conclusions:
1. Inspect the outside of any RV you are considering. If it doesn't have a professional, smooth, glossy gel coat finish, don't bother to go inside. The interior build quality will n not be worth a look.
2. Check all reference material you can obtain, with articles from publications like Trailer Life magazine.
3. Once inside a prospective RV, look into all nooks and crannies to discover examples of poor construction quality. It's amazing what some of the manufacturers try to get away with in terms of poor assembly and low-quality hardware.
4. Make sure there is more inside storage capacity than you think you will ever need.
5. Look for features such as: fully insulated underbelly with heated tanks; adequate tank capacities to allow about a week's worth of dry camping.
6. Settle on the kind of floor plan you want before you spend hours looking at candidates that have nothing in common with your decision.

We eventually settled on a Cardinal 3250 Fifth Wheel. One of the biggest selling points was the fact that the kitchen slide, containing the fridge and oven/range, when fully extended settles flush with the rest of the kitchen floor. Most other 5ers leave a 2-inch "toe buster" a few inches ahead of the appliances where my size 13 feet would crunch painfully every morning when stumbling to find the coffee pot!

Finally, if you camp with lots of friends, find a rig that has lots of extra living room space where you can gather in stormy weather. We have had 18 people sitting down to dinner in our rig during a monsoon storm, with elbow room for all!!

[herewego]

Captnjon




My 6.0 04 F-350 45k miles pulls my 34' fiver 12000 lbs straight as an arrow even beside an 18 wheeler at 65mph, no push or pull like my TT used to. The F-350 has had issues with turbo and turbo hose on the road. I'm considering a newer F-250 or duramax 2500HD. In your experience, will an F-250 track as well as my 350 dually? BTW, we chose our fiver for the same reasons you did.

[Mdaniels4]

My wife and enjoyed tent camping with our usually 2 dogs. Had three for awhile and now down to one. Then we rented a pop up and liked that so we're looking at getting one. Then a friend of hers father had passed in 2005 and he had a 1992 29 foot hitchhiker that had only been used 5 times as his mother had ms and couldn't get into it. We bought that little gem for a very good price and put it on a seasonal. 3 years later we found a consignment 5r, coachmen somerset, 38 foot. That was a great camper. 4 years later we got a trade offer on a new 2011 grand junction and they gave us what we paid for the coachmen. Good deal. But I never liked that trailer. Bath too small, niggling problems like TV hook up not working, gfi would go out when you washed it etc. Outside speakers were horrid, awning motor disintegrated in a storm one night as my wife was rolling it in. It was like waiting for the next shoe to drop, all the while making you fit the camper, not the other way around.

Then we kept going back to a 2012 cedar creek cottage wed seen and I regretted buying the grand junction from the moment I saw the cottage. We'd always had fifth wheels but never pulled them, and realized we had really overpaid for the structural differences when we weren't pulling it anyway. Continuing to buy 5rs didn't make any sense, except for the undercarriage storage. Gonna miss that I can tell. But maybe it will simplify my life a bit.

So this October I put it out there to a few dealers and one got back right away, made a very fair offer on the GJ and a fair price on the 40CRS, and the deal was done.

Since we've always upgraded trailers, as it would be hard to go back, the cottage fit nicely in that plan. Bigger bath and shower, full refrig, day night roller shades, duo pane windows and although we've limited ourselves to a rear living because of a screen house I built, that hasn't bothered us that much. Would have been nice to get the cottage 40FE2 this time but oh well. We made a good trade overall I think for how we want to use it. Nicely appointed, much bigger bath is what we really wanted.

[Dorrie]

Ok my turn. First let me say we started with tent then moved up slowly. You can most of us did this. Now we have a Montana High Country (yes I am a SOB). Why this: We will be full timers in near future and I felt a 5th wheel came closes to the feel of a home. The floor plan to this 2016 was what I was looking for, kitchen in back, fireplace not blocked by kitchen set and no island. Bonus had a desk, enough to do monthly paperwork. Only thing I can say I am not loving the color scheme. But I can change out the curtains in the future. You can say we jumped on it because DH saw the 2017 with an island. Unfortunately have not camped yet because soon as we brought it home DH had to go out to Sea.

[Dorrie]

[QUOTE=Dorrie;1382609]Ok my turn. First let me say we started with tent then moved up slowly. You can most of us did this. Now we have a Montana High Country (yes I am a SOB). Why this: We will be full timers in near future and I felt a 5th wheel came closes to the feel of a home. The floor plan to this 2016 was what I was looking for, kitchen in back, fireplace not blocked by kitchen set and no island. Bonus had a desk, enough to do monthly paperwork. Only thing I can say I am not loving the color scheme. But I can change out the curtains in the future. You can say we jumped on it because DH saw the 2017 with an island. Unfortunately have not camped yet because soon as we brought it home DH had to go out to Sea.