tmphoto
Nashville, TN
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I checked on most of the sites we stayed in last year and all but one very small state park could accommodate a larger 5th wheel. I owned a 34' 5th wheel years ago and I still remember the trip I took in Maine to visit a famous lighthouse only to discover that there was no turnaround at the end of a .5 mile drive and having to back the trailer the entre way back out. I am sure there would be some tough spots. I know of one twisty road in AZ from Flagstaff to Sedona that has turns too sharp for anything longer than 24'. Would love to hear some more real world stories of success or failure involving finding adequate camp sites for 40' plus TH's
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2BLAZERS
KEIZER, OREGON
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Are you selling your AF camper after only a year?
Around Oregon where we usually camp a large 33' or greater Toy Hauler would not allow us to use half the camp grounds we go to. Plus of those that are left most of the sites would be off limits.
Monster Toy haulers are great for sand camping or open desert camping. Neither of which I do much of. Thus I have a Truck camper and trailer for the toys.
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2BLAZERS
KEIZER, OREGON
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P.S. if I could I would have BOTH my truck camper AND a 43' toy hauler....
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tmphoto
Nashville, TN
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2BLAZERS wrote:Are you selling your AF camper after only a year?.
Well, not sure. We really love the AF when it is just me and my wife but our daughter is out of school for the summer and she likes to have a friend or 2 come along. It get's really bad when we are towing the boat as we do not have the garage space afforded by the enclosed trailer we haul the toys in and we are tripping over folding chairs, EZ up Tents etc. But that situation would not even be possible with the 5th wheel. You may be right, the ticket would be to have both. Kind of hard to justify the expense but something to think about. The other side of the coin is that even a 14' garage is not that great, I would prefer a 20' to 24' enclosed trailer that could haul 2 RZRs if needed or a RZR and a waverunner. Sounds find of crazy but I have even thought about a TT Toy Hauler to pull behind the Truck Camper and have the extra living space and bath for our daughter and haul the toys. Maybe I need to just quit worrying about the perfect rig and enjoy what I have :-)
On the other hand, when you tour one of those 43' monsters, you feel like you have hit the big time!
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steiny93
Fargo,ND,USA
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tmphoto wrote:I know of one twisty road in AZ from Flagstaff to Sedona that has turns too sharp for anything longer than 24'
we just bought a hdt conversion and drove it back to ND from AZ; we ended up on that road "alt 89" is its name i believe
the hdt is 28 feet long; amazing scenary but definately a tight road
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Y-Guy
Tri-Cities, WA
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What about finding something a bit smaller rather then 43' rig.
I think considering an enclosed trailer might make more sense. I've seen a couple with folding bunks up front, LP heater, 12v lights, etc. One guy installed those freezer flaps to keep the rooms separate, was a big unit but nothing to be ashamed of to sleep in either. Would give the kids their space too.
I'm sure you can factor your weights to see if you can stay within specs or not.
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nayther
Burbank, CA
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steiny93 wrote:tmphoto wrote:I know of one twisty road in AZ from Flagstaff to Sedona that has turns too sharp for anything longer than 24'
we just bought a hdt conversion and drove it back to ND from AZ; we ended up on that road "alt 89" is its name i believe
the hdt is 28 feet long; amazing scenary but definately a tight road
I towed my 30' fifth wheel down that road, wasn't an issue at all.
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tmphoto
Nashville, TN
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Well it looks like the 3914 Jayco Seismic is only 39' long! This may be just the break I was looking for Not sure if this is accurate but it is the spec one dealer posted. Like I mentioned before, I did not have many issues with a 34' 5th wheel. 5 more feet should might not be that bad. I do know that you can do some amazing things with a 5th wheel on a long bed truck in terms of maneuvering.
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BobWanderer
Perris,Calif,USA
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I do know that in Kalif there are many State Parks that you won't "Fit". Some of the parks have been rebuilt and can accept larger rigs. We stayed at one in Nor Cal and had problems finding a site for Our 24' TH and LBCC truck !! In some cases you may need to park the truck elsewhere to keep it off of the access roads.
I know Your a long ways away from Kali and it might not matter, just FYI.
Were looking for a 5er around 30', NOT that I would mind something a little larger, just don't want any hassles when camping.
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tmphoto
Nashville, TN
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Thanks Bob. Actually we do make it to the west coast a few trips per year. That is good news that many parks are upgrading to larger sites. My guess is that this will be the trend in the future but take a while to become wide spread.
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