Travel trailer length and park access

[jaydubya1966]

Hello all,
I have been RVing all of three months and already have experienced the vicious cycle that can occur when entering this fun lifestyle. I started with a 2015 GMC Acadia and a Keystone Passport Elite 19RB. We bought the 19RB because a) we liked it, b) the Acadia could tow it (barely) and c) we liked it. Off we went and had a great introduction to the life. I was never totally comfortable towing with the Acadia and after some thought I decided to buy a better TV and hence I am now the proud owner of a 2017 GMC Sierra with nearly twice the towing capacity as the Acadia (9400lbs versus 5200). So you can possibly see where this story is going.

Recently I took a new job in Virginia and we will be relocating from Florida to VA in a few months. With needing to sell a house in location A and buy in location B owning an RV has really opened up a few options or at least gained us some flexibility if the timing isn't perfect. So my DW asks this weekend "could we go ahead a buy a bigger TT so we could be more comfortable?"

First of all my head was already calculating the TV-to-TT renewal cycle and already I am wondering how long before I end up in a 3500 and a Fifth wheel? No I cannot afford that type of cause-effect buying in my life. But I can think about a bigger TT for now and see what we can do with the dealer.

A long story to get to my question: I like to camp at state and national parks. At what point am I sizing myself out of those? I see 5ers and motor homes at the state parks so I know there are sites for them but I see fewer. If I limited myself to a 26-31 Foot rig will I still be OK for most state/natl parks? My TV can tow 9400lbs so that will limit me some and NO I am NOT buying another TV for 5 years (I promised). So any insight would be appreciated. If anyone else wants to share their tale of woe with regards to the TV-TT upgrade cycle I would appreciate knowing that I am not alone!

[sourdough]

It is a cycle. It's affected by lots of things; kids, lack of kids, money, life circumstances etc. Sounds like it's just you and the wife.

Although far more capable than the Acadia, a 1/2 ton truck will still limit you due to the payload so you need to consider that along with the towing capacity; along with GVW, GCVW, GVAR etc.

You can upsize substantially from your current rig. From personal experience with upsizing with a 1/2 ton I would suggest limiting the GVW of the TT to no more than 7500 lbs or so (trailer listed dry weight plus carrying capacity). It will make it much easier on your truck....and you. Looking at the Keystone website at the Passport Elites you could get into something that's about 34' long vs the 23 you have now. That's a lot of sidewall behind a 1/2 ton but doable.

If you go to a trailer that big upgrade the tires on your truck to LT tires, install airbags and get a high quality WDH - you will thank yourself. The unit I was looking at (on the Keystone site-29BH) had a dry hitch weight of 810 lbs. Loaded you can figure the hitch can push over a 1000 lbs. and that's when the payload starts coming into play. You probably don't want a bunkhouse but the numbers looked close.

Look at all the available trailers (there will be quite a few), crunch the numbers for the truck/trailer combo then pick something that you and DW really like. If you're going to spend a lot of time in it you will really appreciate the additional space. Good luck on the move and shopping for a new trailer.

[papi]

Let me see,
1997 Mitsubichi montero and a 12 ft pop up
1999 F150 and a 19 ft hybrid
2005 F150 and a 25 ft TT
2007 Ram 2500 diesel and a 31 ft TT
2016 Ram 3500 DRW diesel and a 38 ft FW
Nope, you are not alone.
With a 1500 I would not go any longer than 34ft and for sure stay at least 2000lb under you wight limits if not more.

[busterbrown]

Originally Posted by jaydubya1966

A long story to get to my question: I like to camp at state and national parks. At what point am I sizing myself out of those?

Last season was our first year with our 35 foot TT. We visited many Michigan state parks during the summer months with little grief. Our Bullet is an ultra light and has a lower roof line compared to the 5th wheels and larger premium trailers. This makes backing it into spots much easier. Haven't hit a branch yet (knock on wood). It seems like many of the parks have availability to about 35 feet, if you book early. Trailers over 35 feet can be much more challenging, from our experience.

[66joej]

Agree with you. We had a 35' 5th wheel and there were some campsites we couldn't get into. Now with a 24' TT no problem.

[jaydubya1966]

I appreciate all the great posts. Love this forum!

[theeyres]

If you can comfortably tow it with a 1/2 ton you can get into 99% of all state and national campgrounds. Get what you want. You will be fine.

[canesfan]

Originally Posted by theeyres

If you can comfortably tow it with a 1/2 ton you can get into 99% of all state and national campgrounds. Get what you want. You will be fine.

I tend to agree with this line of thought. But it will depend. Older parks that have not been upgraded to accommodate longer, wider RVs still exist. Virginia is one of those. Very nice parks, but they hate to cut down trees to make roads, spots, wider. There are many older VA parks I can't get into, even with my previous 33' fiver. Roads too tight, sites too tight, too small. Most here say they can accommodate up to 30', and that's probably pretty accurate. One of my favorite parks outside of Richmond I can probably get into half the spots. The old section in the front maybe a handful, the newer section in the back all of them, because it was built for larger RVs. But if you stay well within the limits of your present TV you should be good to go for the most part. Enjoy.

[JRTJH]

I've seen the same situation on many of the "unimproved" (no hookups) state forest campgrounds in Michigan. Probably 75% of the "unimproved campsites" in both the National Forest campgrounds and the State Forest campgrounds in the UP are suitable for trailers up to about 30' and the majority of those sites, even though they might "fit a larger trailer" the roads getting to the campground or within the campground have turns and corners that simply won't accommodate a large trailer. So, even if some of the sites are "long enough" there's no way to get into the site.

We had the same situation on our trip west in 2015. In Colorado and Idaho there were several "great campgrounds" that had no sites large enough to hold our 31' fifth wheel. One, Craters of the Moon National Park, has an "in park campground" listed. However, the largest sites are described as 25'. When we visited, we knew we wouldn't fit, but out of curiosity, drove through the campground, "just to see".... What we found was one lane "very tight roads" with sites ranging from 15-20 feet long, only two or three that were larger, and all with curves, angles and drainage ditches that would make it almost impossible to get even a 25' trailer into most of the sites that were long enough to accommodate the trailer.

Another consideration is site availability. Often the longer sites are viewed by campers as more desirable, so someone with a pop-up trailer that would fit on any site in the campground, if given the choice, may take the large site because the kids would then have a place to park their bikes. So, even when sites large enough for a "long trailer" are built by the park system, they are usually the "first to fill" and unless there is a reservation system, finding a site that's large enough can be a hassle, even when sites are listed in the campground guide.

[Sarvi]

I have a 29BH (33 feet long) that I've been towing with an Excursion, so I'm in the mid-50s for length. The problem I've run into is being able to park my truck on the pad along with my trailer, it's harder to find spots that fit both.

[bsmith0404]

Our 5er is 40', I've called around a bit and it seems most places that can't fit me in tell me that 35' is about their max. I'd say if you stay under 35' you'll be good to go.

[jaydubya1966]

Really appreciate the great feedback. We will look hard at 26 foot rigs but right now we are really liking the Passport Elite 31RE which is 34ft. I know I can tow it but I will be on the big side for some of these parks. Something to mull over for certain!