Camper, how long is too long? 31 vs 35 ft

[Captain Obvious]

Considering how long some people tow, this may seem like a silly question, but for those of you with large campers, how much is too much?

We are debating bunk houses and keep coming back to the ones that are 31 ft hitch to bumper vs the BH with slide outs that are 35 ft total. The wifey keeps saying, "Its seems so large" (yeah yeah, joke away, I certainly have).

We are talking TT, not 5er. And most are in the 7k+ lbs range. So I have plenty of truck. My position is that its only 4 ft extra, for pretty much the same money, so why not just get the extra footprint? I am hoping we begin more boon docking camping and spend minimal time at the RV parks. Either way, both lengths will mean we miss out on some campgrounds, and 35 over 31 means a couple campgrounds we will not be able to go to, but how much of a big deal is it really?

Part of the needing extra space is we have 2 little ones and 2 dogs. We left the popup so we would't be on top of each other and I want to make sure what ever we buy isn't a similar issue.

Thoughts, opinions, perspectives, etc?

[Nolan]

We are looking at toy haulers and actually looking for the smallest footprint.
When turning into a gas station/grocery store/whatever you have to account for your turn in front and then the ass end having xx amount of tail swing.
It's an overpriced well built tent. If I wanted to hang out inside I might as well stayed home.
How far back in the north forty do I want to go? A longer trailer could potentially limit me even further.

Just things we are considering. The bigger trailers get nicer but all things considered we want one bed for us, a shitter, shower, and place to haul the stuff we are bringing. 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs.
RV show at the National Western next weekend.....

[#1Townie]

honestly places like grocery stores and that shouldn't concern you. you might have to look a little harder but remember they have semi trucks with 53' trailers in and out of there everyday.

i would more concern yourself with height. are you trying to use this camper for random camping or track days? gas stations shouldn't be much of a concern. again they receive all their fuel via semi. some places will be tigheter than others but just use your copilot to help guide you. mirrors are your best best friend.

at the end of the day most campgrounds can hold a big camper easy. its just a little common sense and the word goal.

goal= get out and look.

[asp_125]

Our Keystone fifth wheel was 35' - we definitely missed out on some smaller campgrounds, but most RV parks with a 40'-60' space would be fine. We preferred pull-thru sites, but we managed to squeeze into a few back in sites though it was a bit of work . 5th wheels are easier to back up, whereas if you're hauling a bumper pull a little more planning is required to maneuver in tight quarters. A spotter helps greatly.

Height and weight were our main concerns. At 12,000 GVWR and 13'-4", we took out our share of small overhanging branches luckily with no damage. If you're already >30ft another 5 won't make much difference. You get used to the length pretty easily; though I wanted one of those "this vehicle makes wide turns" signs you see on semis.

[Nolan]

Nobody sees or understands those signs anyway.

Personally I'd just rather have a smaller trailer. I don't need or have a desire to drag around 53' trailers on my day off. The closer the trailer tracks to the tow vehicle is much easier to deal with. The merits of one over another is personal at best. I'm assuming I won't be spending tons of time at a developed campground so being able to jackknife it into a spot in between a couple of trees would be nice especially in bfe.
Bring a chainsaw and do tree trimming for free.

[dirkterrell]

My experience is with a 38' 5er, but I wouldn't think the jump from 31' to 35' would make that much difference in terms of driving and parking. Let your wife look at both, and see if the inside upgrade makes sense to her. I'd bet that, in time, that will be a much more important consideration than towing and parking details.

[Captain Obvious]

So we finally did that Dirk. Back and forth to see. And she finally agreed the extra length was simply a function of coming from a popup to a huge camper. The change just seemed huge and the increased usable space is far greater than the extra length.

Nolan, we had the discussion about that. Lets go camping to go camping and not just be at a house. We have 2 adults, 2 little kids, 2 big dogs as well. And when we had the popup, we seemed every trip we spent at least 1 day stuck inside due to weather, and it was effing miserable! Going to try to find some locations that are not developed that we can fit in, but with little ones (both under 4) the reality is, we do spend time inside. Might as well be comfy, and you don't have to stay inside! But I completely get your perspective on it. One of my biggest concerns is developed locations we will be excluded from and if we can get access to any of the undeveloped locations. That is just going to take time, research and looking.

I have stepped up the time looking through the book "Colorado Campgrounds, the 100 best and all the rest". I like it; have had it for a couple seasons and it has a lot of good information, including some size details.

[birchyboy]

I have stepped up the time looking through the book "Colorado Campgrounds, the 100 best and all the rest". I like it; have had it for a couple seasons and it has a lot of good information, including some size details.

I'm going to have to find that book; we always get stuck going to Cherry Creek or Chatfield. I'm hoping to do more dry camping this season, so our new trailer has dual batteries and lots of water, especially for a travel trailer. 60 gallons of fresh and grey water. And the tanks are over the axles. My other camper had the fresh tank by the hitch and our tow vehicle couldn't handle the weight.

[rforsythe]

We went from a 40' 5th wheel to a 33' standard hitch, and the longer 5er was easier to maneuver in my opinion. Even with the shorter length the bumper pull hitch requires more effort particularly in the pull-through spots where I have to negotiate a curve around an obstacle. But it's a trade off, I also get use of the truck bed back. We have noticed with the 33' that we are limited in some campgrounds - some have a 30' max on the roads due to width and curve radius, which also means spaces aren't meant for rigs past 30. But by and large the 33 goes places we want to go.

Consider whether you go to the larger RV-friendly campgrounds with hookups, or if you are really into getting back in the hills away from people and camping off grid for days as those places are often more challenging to get a large trailer into. If the latter is your thing I would say less is more, especially if the 31 has the features you really want. It can help to prioritize those as well, for example we knew we wanted a walk-around front queen bed, slide in the living room, bunks for the kids, bathtub+shower, and at least halfway decent kitchen storage. I don't know if a couple feet one direction or another really matters from a living space standpoint but I found that most manufacturers could only fit certain combinations of features into a certain amount of minimum space.

Make your list and then try to find the holy grail in a floor plan you like - low cost, built well, and not any larger than necessary. Also check the various RV forums for reviews as owners will not hesitate to bitch if there are known issues with a mfr or model. To some extent you get what you pay for in that respect. Oh, I know you have the truck for it but in retrospect I would have preferred a trailer that wasn't 10k empty, and I pull with an F350. The truck handles it fine but on long trips there is a decent mileage hit, particularly on a bumper pull since it doesn't hug the bed like a 5th wheel.

[Jmetz]

I have stepped up the time looking through the book "Colorado Campgrounds, the 100 best and all the rest". I like it; have had it for a couple seasons and it has a lot of good information, including some size details.

Great book! I bought it back in 02 and it easily paid for itself with all the places that I didn't even know about and went to.
as you can see mine is well used.

[rforsythe]

Is the book still accurate Josh? I wonder since it's 16 years dated now and a lot has changed even in the last 5-8 years with fires, beetle kill, facilities improvements, etc.

[Jmetz]

I believe a lot of it likely is. There are several places from the book that I go to that haven't changed. Obviously over this amount of time some things will have been affected. However it has been revised several times with the last one being in 08 it looks like.

[Captain Obvious]

Is the book still accurate Josh? I wonder since it's 16 years dated now and a lot has changed even in the last 5-8 years with fires, beetle kill, facilities improvements, etc.

I have the 4th edition which is from 2008. Most of the contacts point you to the phones, but most of the campgrounds are actually reservable via the online apps. Which are also updated. I would say it is still accurate enough to be a resource and guide, I love ours. It isn't the only source, but it is definitely one I use all the time. Also getting another book or to this year.