TriumphGuy
Simpsonville, SC, USA
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Joined: 11/02/2004
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We just went from a 30' to a 35' and the only thing I miss about the old one is that it was a bit easier to get around. The distance from pin to axles is longer and that is something I'm having to get used to - every turn has to be swung even wider, and I get that much closer to running over stuff with the inside wheels here and there.
I also have started using my slider for the first time b/c there just isn't room for some tight turns.
If you can find a great floorplan in the 30' range I would go with that. But having said that, we really really enjoy ours. Exactly what we wanted. I'm going to have to accept that there are some places that I can't go, or if I want to, I risk some really aggravating experiences.
If you go big you may find yourself saying "I remember when we could get into that campground." But you may also say "I remember when we were stepping all over ourselves." Have to decide which is more important.
2008 Crossroads Cruiser 32BL (Mack); 2000 Ford F250 Lariat 7.3 (Doreen); 2000 A4 Audi 1.8T Quattro (Lightning); 2006 Subaru Outback 2.5XT (Sally); Last but not least - one great wife and two beautiful kids.
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agesilaus
North Florida
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Joined: 05/06/2008
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I've been paying attention to this and looked at a lot of western NP CG and they seem to have a fairly uniform max of 35 foot length. And there are limited spaces available for that size in most CG. We had been looking at 36-37 footer FW but decided we don't want to give National parks so we have dropped our sights to 34 max.
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TOOBOLD
CALI
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Joined: 07/08/2004
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We live in California and have a 34' 5ver. There are some state campgrounds we cannot get into due to our length. Some stop at 30 to 31'. We haven't made reservations to see if we can squeeze in as we respect their length restrictions.
Where do you mainly camp and check their length restrictions or how many campsites do they have at that length?
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ependydad
Columbia, MD
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Joined: 10/17/2011
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Good question there- I did check the maximum length at the parks we stayed at over the summer. One had a maximum of 40' and the others said 45' on the site. My favorite state park claims 55', but I can't envision a single site that would work. Or even making the trip around the loop with 60' of vehicle+RV.
The fellow with the one RV in his sig- its been the cheer leading of owners of this camper that make me consider it after initially dismissing it for its length. We really like the space inside.
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nina_70
On wheels, USA
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Basically agree w/ the others. If you like to camp in private parks then no problem. If you prefer public campgrounds then the bigger the rig, the more limitations you'll have in where you can go.
We have a 40-foot MH and camp 95% of our time on public land (mostly state parks, BLM & National Forest), but I have to spend ALOT of time planning to make sure we can fit. It can be done, but I do wish we were 5 feet or more smaller.
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Ivylog
Blairsville, Ga. USA
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Joined: 06/30/2004
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I started with a 36' MH because of post like those above. Did not take long to figure out a bigger one would fit in most public CG. We do a lot of boondocking in our 42' MH and finding a site big enough often requires going to look first. One of my favortie USFS CGs says 30' max and that is probably true for 8 of the 9 sites, BUT one is big enough for my 62' total length. In NPs my 42' becomes a 40'  . Now if you arrive on Friday afternoon the odds of finding a big enough site goes way, way down. Agree with Old-Biscuit that height can be more of a problem than length.
I usually say more RV than you think you need, ONE TIME, but the OP's BH RV's means kids and probably most camping being on weekends/holidays where a big RV is going to be harder to find big enough sites. This plus needing something bigger than a F350 for a 40' 5er, you may want to go smaller.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
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korbe
Northern California
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Joined: 11/20/2009
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My DW and I enjoy dry camping, dispersed camping, and boondocking. The two of us together fit just fine in our 25-footer. However the 12' height does have some limitations.
How's this for generalizing: The bigger the rig, the more difficult to maneuver and fewer spaces that you'll fit into. 
2004 F250 SD PSD
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RicJones
So. Cal.
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Joined: 10/29/2007
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Campgrounds won't be your only problem, there is also getting into and out of gas stations.
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kirk37r
Millville, New Jersey
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Joined: 09/23/2007
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With the Rig in our sig which is 39 ft long we have only found 1 CG that we cannot get A site in anymore, That we could with Our TT.
That would be Elk Neck State Park in Northeast Maryland. we dont have any problem fing CGs to use. Even the State Park here in NJ that we use A lot. Shoot you could put 3 of our Rigs in A site at that park. But that being said if you are A member of TT then you will find there is room for that size unit, We belong to TT and the only park we have used that we wont any more because of site size is Lake and Shore here in NJ. That being said yes CGs have sites but sometimes it takes some attention to move around in the park to get to your site, but you will get used to that. we just finished A 1800 mile trip down south NC and Tenn and had no problems with getting sites.
Just dont make the big mistake of getting A smaller unit and after you get stuck inside it on a couple bad weekends you realize that you wish you had bought the 1 with more room.. Too many people do that then they are upside down in A unit they dont like, whe they try to move to what they really wanted in the first place.
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ol Bombero-JC
USA
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Joined: 06/24/2004
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There are State Campgrounds that will only accommodate tents.
Others can/will handle a 40' trailer just fine.
A lot depends on what *you* want to do and where.
Suggest you research various forums with full-timer sections (there's one here).
*Usually* full timers have longer RVs, both trailers and MHs.
Many have covered a lot of "territory".
However, It helps if you can find forums specifically dedicated to towing long and/or heavy trailers. (*not* full timers in MHs).
Sent you a PM that should help with that.
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