Fifth Wheel to TT?

[VegasNitro]

Long time lurker, first time poster!

I was wondering if anyone here went from a 5th wheel to a travel trailer? I am currently looking to do just that, and was wondering if anyone had any insight, did you regret it? Wish you did it sooner?

My thought is this, my 5er is basically permanently parked in a nice campground and I never really take it anywhere any more. The fifth wheel is so danged heavy I just leave it in my truck bed all the time, and it would be nice to recover my truck bed. I am looking to get back to travelling and feel that I would be more likely to do so with a smaller rig. I am looking to start boondocking, thoughts on 5er vs. TT for boondocking?

Will just be me and my small dog.

I am specifically looking at the Forest River Heritage Glen 22RBHL.

Thanks!

[CJM1973]

A Hensley Arrow or Propride 3P will solve all sway issues any pull behind trailer may have. Generally speaking, there is a significant cost savings in buying a travel trailer over a similar-floorplan 5ver. These savings can more than pay for one of these premium hitches.

The lower profile TT is also at much less risk of a roof strike in low tree-canopy subdivisions. This is my reality.

[OleManOleCan]

There are some really great things about a 5r, but we went the other route for our last 3 trailers. Travel Trailers.

MY Cons against a 5r:
We prefer trailers all on one level
I have two bad knees and a bad back. Need Low steps...
My wife has bad knees.
When we camp it's just the 2 of us.
I actually use the bed of my truck, so a 5th wheel is in the way.


We don't have to carry everything we own when we go camping.
My current camper is 20'. It fits in every camp ground.
We have spent years simplifying our camping, so we don't generally carry things we don't need.
AND... Being retired we prefer to camp during the middle of the week.
When I show up on Mondays the campgrounds have lots of empty spaces.
Camp grounds like to see people leave on Fridays so they can fill up on weekends.

Lastly towing a 20' is a breeze.

[Blazing_Zippers]

Having owned 2 fifth wheels and 2 travel trailers, we now own a travel trailer again. Yeah, more money then brains-but we do like the travel trailer a bunch. Both rigs have their points as written before in this column.
What we noticed right away after getting our new trailer is that we really miss being able to walk between the truck and trailer. Sounds stupid, but old legs just don't lift high enough to climb over the hitch.
Having a truck bed and shell to carry our "stuff" in made the decision easy for us.

[Reader1]

We have had a smaller 5th wheel for over 10 years. We decided to downsize to a small TT. We loved our 5th wheel and have taken it all over the country but we are downsizing to less weight and smaller. We plan extended trip west, maybe to Alaska and into the Canadian Rockies. Fully loaded we are dropping over 3 thousand pounds. We pick it up on the 9th so we will see how it goes.

[VegasNitro]

Thanks for the replies! I should clarify, I am definitely keeping my truck (F250), I also like having a 3/4 ton truck for towing and I love the diesel engine.

Washing/waxing a TT versus my 5er is a big bonus I hadn't initially considered.

I am definitely looking to get into smaller sites and going off grid altogether for some boondocking, seems like the TT is going to be the way to go. Or maybe I just have the itch for a new RV LOL.

[FrankoToo]

I actually never owned a TT until now, only FWs. Just sold our third to downsize to the TT in my sig. Main reasons, kids out of the house and we don't do the type of desert camping we used to anymore. Relocating to another state probably didn't help either. We enjoy the TT and don't regret our decision at all. We stuck with a TH so that we can still take the toys out if we want to and as others have mentioned, it's nice having the bed of the truck back.

[goducks10]

I went from 2 TT's to a 5er and back to a TT.

Biggest pros and cons.

Pros for the TT
One floor level
Lower ceilings
Usually less expensive

Cons for a TT
Dealing with a WDH
Not being able to walk between the truck and trailer when hitched.
Prone to sway

I never worried about the 5th hitch as it stayed in the truck the whole season except for needing the bed maybe 1-2 times. I have a 5'x10' utility trailer to haul things if needed.

I like having 2 curb side doors as well. Lower overall height makes cleaning and waxing easier and not having to worry about low fuel station roofs.
Hitching the 5er is IMO way easier. Also no dealing with spring bars and a heavy WDH every trip.

[Hannibal]

We went from our third 5th wheel back to a travel trailer in our quest to downsize. I much prefer backing a TT. In our experience, a TT rides better on the interstate aside from the occasional sway from passing trucks in a crosswind. I have no sway control on our hitch. When I use the Equalizer 4 point, no sway even with passing trucks. Along with not having to install a 5th wheel hitch in my next truck, I have my truck bed back. I’ll simply buy a truck with tow package and integrated brake controller and I’m ready to go. For me, a TT doesn’t mean a lighter tow vehicle. I’ll still want at least a 3/4 ton for a travel trailer. With the newer HD pickups, I might forego the WD hitch altogether. I like simple ball mounts while others like massive contraptions for hitches. I have no regrets going back to a travel trailer.

[kellem]

The wife and I travel quite a bit and decided to downsize on our latest trailer and couldn't be happier.....25ft box with 2 slides.
This allows us to visit some of the more rural state parks that we prefer.

I carry a small Bass boat everywhere we go so need truck bed.

5er's can be quite elegant but to much for us and too high for shed.

[colliehauler]

Well I currently own both. I take the TT more then the 5er for the very reason you decribed. I still use my 1 ton for a tow vehicle with a topper on the back. I just have access to so many more places then with the large 5er. For me it works fine others might not be able to give up the additional space of a large 5er.

[Second_Chance]

One of the moderators on one of the Grand Design forums lost his fifth wheel to a truck fire while on the road (the fire spread from the truck so quickly there was no way to get the fifth wheel unhitched). They used the fiver to travel all over the country for extended periods of time. A number of us were surprised when he replaced the fifth wheel with a travel trailer with a similar floor plan. His goals were: 1) keep the living area on one level as they get older, 2) put a shell on the truck for storage space in the back, and 3) have room for a small boat on a rack on top of the truck. As an engineer, he implemented all of these goals rather elegantly. They still make trips all over the west (they live in Arizona) and pull up to rallies in Indiana. They don't stay gone quite as long as they used to (a month or six weeks compared to the three months at a time with the fifth wheel). They seem very happy with the whole setup.

Rob

[Guy_Roan]

I have never had a fifth wheel, but in thirty years of rv'ing a ;pop up, a 19 footer, a 25 footer, and now a 40 foot -all trailers, and mainly because of all the gear I can fit in and on the pickup truck with a cap on it. I carry two kayaks and a canoe on the cap roof, and two mountain bikes in the bed along with all our luggage and back packing equipment.
To me it is a no brainer !

Guy