We have a 30 ft RV. We've been able to find space most times but would have more choice if we were 27 ft. I really like the floor plans with the dedicated bedroom (walk around bed), kitchen and dinette. No sofa. To me it is a good trade off for size vs. usable amenities. Have you test driven As and Cs yet? The view when driving an A can be quite enchanting.
I concurr with the first reply to you. Most of my travels have been in a 37 foot Holiday Rambler and I find it ample for one or two and no luxury for 4. Hope that is useful to you. Happy travels.
We have a 33' Country Coach with 2 slides, and we full time in it. We can easily fit in most campgrounds. The only thing we have a problem with is low hanging trees or sharp turns on narrow roads within certain parks.
Lonny & Diane
2004 Country Coach Allure 33' "Big Blue"
Towing 2008 Chev Colorado 4x4
Semper Fi
We have never had a problem with size in any CGs and have been doing this since 1969. One time in Algonmquin Park in Ontario we did turn down a spot because I didn't think I wanted to back up that steep a hill and unhtch. It was more of a tent site but that was in 1969. It seems the CGs in California have a lot more limits than here in the Midwest.
2003 Newmar Mountain Aire, Workhorse W22, 2008 Saturn Vue, Falcon 5250, & US Gear Unified Tow Brake
We decided to go with a 32'-33' length for our class A. This length allows us to use many state and national forest campgrounds that have shorter/smaller sites. This has worked well for us over the years.
SRT
2000 32' HR Vacationer with Banks
1998 Subaru Outback Ltd. 5 spd
Brake Buddy & Blue Ox Aventa II tow bar
FMCA #266040 HRRVC #84109
As said, I think you would be pretty safe with a 34-36 footer, unless you go to CA, they generally seem to have more, shorter sites than the east or midwest.
2007 Forester 2941DS
2005 KIA Spectra
Zamboni, Long Haired Mini Dachshund
You can have my RV, when you pry my cold dead fingers from the Steering Wheel
It is purely personal preference, often based on where and when you camp.
For me, Ideal would be a DP, somewhere between 28 and 36 feet, with one slide-out.
Most (but not all) of the USFS campgrounds where I go would handle that size without a problem. Some of them would even handle a 40 or 45 footer, but I have NO NEED for something THAT big!
Besides, some of those roads leave a lot to be desired, and shorter is definitely better, IMO.
Of course, if you are going to spend all your time running around the country on freeways, then bigger may be better!
It is YOUR choice. Choose wisely, based on YOUR needs!
Good luck.
CM1, USN (RET)
2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32V, Ford V10
Toad: 2006 Jeep Rubicon LJ
Other toad: '06 PT Cruiser, Kar Kaddy dolly
Toy: 1977 Dodge W100 CC SWB, 3/4 ton axles & springs
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away!"
Obviously, there are different sizes for all different people and ways of travel. If I were you, I'd rent at least once to get a better sense of your preferences, and do lots of reading here and click on people's profiles to see if they include info about their RV if you identify with their travel style. As for me and my husband (and our two large dogs)....
For us, smaller is better. We're tall, so van-small was too small (want to be able to stand up) and we don't really care about an entertainment center, so we prefer a Class C with overhead bunk over a Class B which typically has the TV up there. We wanted a dedicated bed (and despite our height, we really like the rear corner bed) as we weren't interested in making up a bed and prefer using the overhead bunk for storage (and potential guests) rather than sleeping. Our rear corner bed does have a curtain. We've never used it as we've never had guests, but it's there if we want/need it.
Our first RV experience (rental) was the standard 24-foot rear corner bed Class C and it was a great size for traveling around CA and OR. I remember being on the cusp of being too long for certain roads in SP/NP areas in California. That further reinforced our preference for small. We came across a unique floor plan (rear corner bed, dinette AND couch) in a 25'9" coach and have never looked back. We still go to RV shows for fun, but since seeing this floor plan (first found the model in 2006) nothing compares. We eventually bought one in 2010.
We tend to tour rather than camp. We stay at campgrounds (prefer state and national parks), but our trips tend to be giant loops where we are on the move and rarely in one place for more than two nights. The short size makes it easy to do this and just take the RV where ever we want to go. But, we still have seatbelts for nine (ha! that would be a REALLY full house and likely overloaded) and room to sleep 6-8 depending on size/closeness, etc. Not saying we want to stuff our RV full, but in a pinch we have flexibility.
Reading this thread I'm reminded of the story of the Mother who took her sons to the Baseball Game on "Free Jersey" Day.. She ask what sizes they had, and the man passing out the free Jerseys to the kids said "Mam, they come in just two sizes, Too big and Too small".
RV's are like that.
Personally if you ask what I"d recommend, 35 feet. That seems to be the point at which you can get refused cause "Rig too big for park" comes into play.
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
Love our new Thor ACE 29.1. It has a drop-down bed over the cab for extra sleeping space, but a dedicated bed in back with a real door closing off the space. It is officially 29'7". We like the ability to fit in most places with that short length, but love the upgrade of a dedicated bed. (Reason for moving from a 24 foot class C)
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