Fifth Wheel Trailer Or ????

John,

Having owned 3 campers now, I would sure look twice before buying a 6' camper.

Our 8' is very cramped IMHO. If I were able to buy new, I would have bought the 811 or 860 Artic Fox with a slide out (I have a longbed 93 F250 ExtraCab). Easily twice as much room as my current '80's era 8'. But since my camper was Under $1200, I felt/feel I got a good deal. It is probably a good thing my wife hasn't ever seen the inside of the Artic Fox 811!

I also like the Lance models. Sixpac has always made good campers. But they were always on the spendy side. It looks like Alpenlite is no longer being made, so if you see one on the lot be careful of warranty issues.

Before buying new, I would really look at a used camper. Just like with trailers and rvs the campers are going to be available for very reasonable prices IMHO. Either way, have fun when you get it!
 
well, pulled the trigger, 2008 damon daybreak 3270. done. leaving tomorrow for dale hollow lake. be back tuesday. v-10 engine, 360 something hp, 450 ford chasse, 5500 watt gen. hope this keeps the little woman happy. gas will be what it is. looking for balance in life, boating and traveling looks good to us.
have a terrific fourth!
pat
 
Ah, the elusive “Perfect Weapons.” Compromise seems to be the answer, both with boats and R.V.s. Everybody’s got their own thing, but for us it boils down to 2 main interests, 4-wheeling and boating. So we are always towing one or the other. The operative word is OR, all we have to do is figure out which!

Although I have a Class A license, I wouldn’t even consider towing doubles for fun. Maybe a motorcycle trailer, but not a 22 and tow-car. The combination length limit here in California and in many other states is 65 ft. Our 32 ft. motorhome and 22 already measure 61 ft. In addition, the motorhome’s rated towing weight is 5,000 # and the 22 and trailer come in at 4,200 #.

We are retired and travel over half the year, prefer remote, secluded campsites and avoid crowded, expensive hookup campgrounds like the plague. Our current (compromise) tow rig is a 32 ft. Southwind Class A with single slide. I loved the old 76 Vogue 24 ft. Class C…owned it for 17 years….but we moved up to gain a larger living area and separate bedroom, much more comfortable for extended trips. (Spoiled BRATS!) As with the old Vogue, I rigged it for “boondocking”, solar panels, satellite TV, ham radio, Internet, etc.

The Southwind is on the Ford chassis with the 6.8 l V-10 and gets 7.5 mpg towing the boat or one of the Jeeps. Sure, I’d prefer the 22 mpg that a Mercedes diesel Class B with a roll-up dingy gets during the time my credit card is in the gas pump! I do have the option of towing the 22 with the 91 Cherokee and getting 14 mpg. Or, going back to a MacGregor 26. But, the rest of the time we are as close as we can get to our “Perfect Weapons”.

Have fun!

Roy
 
Fun Patrol":e37c2c79 said:
We are retired and travel over half the year, prefer remote, secluded campsites and avoid crowded, expensive hookup campgrounds like the plague.
Roy
Click to expand...

We discovered Feemont Peak State Park about an hour ago. 10 miles up a mighty curved rd., only 17 campsites, we're in space 5. National Access (Verizon) a tad weak but works. Just the road up here would be a challenge for anybody in anything longer than 25 ft.

Wow

Don
 
no buyers remorse here. had a terrific weekend at dale hollow lake, located at the southern end of kentucky and the northern part of tennessee. camp site was perfect. motorhome worked flawless, except for the windshield wipers that stopped working 15 minutes into our trip.
gas consumption was at 7.5 mi per gallon, however when compared to our carver yacht (since sold) at 1.9 gallons per mile, the 7.5 works well. i think this deviation from boating will actually enhance our boating experience.
well, a big thank you, is extended for the help and advice received, regarding this purchase. we intend to make the most of this.
some habits hard to break, kept referring to the store as the ships store, the motorhome as the houseboat, and our camp site as our slip. as we looked around at the other campers we just assumed they were boaters as well, not the case!
best regards to all.
have a great day.
pat
 
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