We're still in planning stages and looking for opinions on 5er size and limitations. Wife has hers picked out and it's 38ft. Will this limit us in most workamping situations? Thanks for any comments!

We have a 40' TH and all the places that have called/emailed us said it is no problem-even a lot of state parks and COE's.I put the size in the first line of our applications.

The size of an RV has something to do with how happy some people are, but it is up to the people living in it, not just how big or small the rig is. We know people who full time in 20 foot or smaller TT's and are very happy, and others that constantly want a bigger RV because they are in need of more room, or think they are.

We have volunteered where the maximum size allowed in the park/campground (for campers) was 28 feet in length, but the volunteer full hookup sites accommodated any size RV made. Most places allow for longer RV's for their workers.

If you and your spouse/partner are happy with what you choose, you have exactly the right sized RV.

Happy RVing.

We have a 38 foot Cardinal and find the height can be a larger frustration than length. In a work camping situation we have never had an issue as our employeers do not care if we have to trim off a small limb or two.

It is very individual. We have a 33' 5th wheel. Personally, I'd prefer something shorter. I think there is more flexibility, especially if you want to camp in national forests and parks. These parks may have a site or two that accommodate longer rigs but they may not be available. It is easier to boondock in forests or deserts with a smaller rig; you might bottom out on some roads with a longer RV. However, whether or not that is important depends on your style of travel. Some people have no desire to boondock!

The floor plan is important. Some smaller RVs feel very open, longer rigs may not feel as spacious. When first hitting the road, one criteria we had is that there be a separate dining area and a separate bedroom. If you get too small, you can find you are missing one.

Each RV has some pluses and minuses. Pick the one that feels right for you, then make it work.

CJ

IMHO,,, No, bigger is not better !

Jainie gave you some very important info to think about!

We were just at a National Park with a max of 30 feet. If you had a trailer rv you must park the puller at least 50 yards away! Of course we saw a couple rv's that were over 30 but they were very tight ! Most ove the road rv parks do have longer site these days !

IMHO you may always want a larger rig,,, even if you have a 45 foot rig ! Untill you drive or pull it down the road !

Happy Trails !

A different point of view. I've been on the road since 95 and usually drive between 10-35K miles per year, coast to coast. I've had a 40' + motorhome during this time and have never had to give up on a place I wanted to be, ever! Between private and public campgrounds, COE, state or federal, there have always been spaces for my coach. Dry camping in remote areas has not been an issue either.
Could I find a place I couldn't get into, probably, but it hasn't happened yet. Go for the size your happy with and the rest will work out.

When we did our research prior to purchasing our RV, we took note of the length limits at some of the places we wanted to work. Although some places will allow a longer rig for workampers, don't count on this when making your decision.

Real-Life Example: [A] State Park, near Daytona Beach, FL. Due to campground length limits, we couldn't put our 35' MH in the campground. Luckily, they really wanted us as workampers, and so were able to accommodate us at a site a mile or so away from the campground (and provided us with an ATV to get to/from the campground to work). But we had to leave after December, because that "special" site was already promised to a workamper from the previous year. They really wished we could have stayed (us too!), but the campground length rule was strictly enforced, so we had to go.

We have a 35' mh and we are both comfortable in it. The past 3 days our dil and 2 grandsons have been with us and I don't think 50' would be big enough. The boys are 3 and 6. I love seeing them but not in such tight quarters.

Kathy

some gas stations are hard to get into,seems like they are leaning mostly to smaller cars nowadays, we have a 35' 5th wheel, but also carry an extra 100 gal tank in the box. happy workampin

Yes, some gas stations are difficult to get into - especially if you are needing gasoline instead of diesel. (I absolutely love the RV lanes at most Flying J's)
We found several "truck stops" in Wisconsin with concrete barriers blocking off the gasoline pumps from the rest of the Parking lot. Actually had to unhook the towcar and back the MH away from one of those so called "truck stop" gasoline pumps.
Several of the Older Truck Stops of America in Texas are totally unaccessible for a large RV. (Really a Volkswagen Beetle would be a better fit)
But also some destinations can be rather difficult for larger RV's. The drive along the Columbia River Gorge (along I-84) is Awesome, however, the road is rather "tight" and "narrow" close to Portland, OR.
The parking available for RV's at the North Rim Visitor Center is actually parallel parking along the "exit" lane. Circling the "main parking lot" could be a challenge for a large RV because the curve alongside the Handicap Parking is no wider than a single lane (with tourists wandering everywhere).
Sometimes, you will have advanced knowledge of difficult areas but other times you will find some unpleasant surprises.
Best Wishes !

The main things we look at are livability while set up and how usable is the rig when you are on the road, can you use the bathroom, bedroom and kitchen without pulling out slides are our biggest concerns. We started RVing in 1978 and we still made a very expensive mistake in 02 with our 1st HH Priemer 5ver because of livability and I mean very expensive (we traded it in the same year). If you find a rig you like tell the salesperson to take a long break and just stay in it for a few hours and then pull in the slides and check it out again. Most of the time when we are traveling from one destination to another we just pull out the BR slide but sometimes we don't even do that it just depends on where we park for the night. Sometimes it's hard to look past all the smoke and mirrors when looking at rigs but if you want to be happy with it you have to look deeper. Pay special attention to the frame, suspension, brakes and most important the tires and make sure they will handle the load. If you find a floor plan you like but it doesn't have all the options you want don't be afraid to order one the way you want it. Dealers sometimes order in units with all the flash but leave off the expensive options that don't show like upgraded axles, brakes, suspension and heat pumps because they don't help the looks. If you are just starting out and don't have a truck to pull your rig I would find the trailer you want and then find the truck to pull it or buy a truck big enough to pull the biggest trailer you have looked at or ever plan on buying.

Denny

RVPULLER,
Whats the total Max weight that your tow vehicle and trailer (2000 F350 SC DRW V10 4.30 Gears) and Your Gross Weight

We gross between 23.5K to 24K with 3300 on the pin it depends on how much water we have on board (100 gal tank) and if the 50 gal aux fuel tank is full. The truck will gross with the trailer on the pin around 11K when full of fuel us and the 2 dogs. The truck has air bags to level it out and a Brakesmart controller to stop the combination, we also ordered the trailer with Dexter HD brakes (12 1/4 X 3 3/8 shoes). We bought the truck new in 2000 and it's been the best truck we have had to date for pulling or hauling an RV, beside normal service we have not had any problems with the truck over the last 93K miles with 3/4 of the miles towing. One thing I would suggest to anyone that is considering a heavy 2 axle trailer is order it with 17.5 load range H tires, after 2 sets of Goodyear 614 G tires we made the switch after our last set starting failing after 2 1/2 years.

Denny