# Trailer Length And Camp Sites



## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

I wanted to start another thread so that we can see what Nathan and I are talking about and to discuss what size trailers fit in these places we go camping. Again, we typically go camping in State Parks. To borrow MSWalt's phrase, we do not go "resorting" unless we are going to a Rally. When we are camping, no place we go has full hookups - water and electric only. We could probably consider doing some dry camping with a genny on hand but with a 6yr old, and 18mo. old and Momma in her 3rd trimester with my Son - a/c and "facilities" are not an option









This weekend we were at Copper Breaks State Park. It is in a remote area in between Quanah, TX (named for Quanah Parker) and Crowell, TX. Had a great time. Here are a few pics of the RV sites that they have. I hope that these illustrate why we want to see mfg's come out with 5'ers that "pack more in less". I'd really like to see a 31'-32' (or less) front bunk, rear "master" bedroom" 5'er that has a ward slide in the nose, slide in the middle and a bed slide in back. Challenging...but possible I think. We don't go camping to spend time in the camper. We spend most of our time and eat 95% our meals outside. We did not eat inside once over this labor day weekend trip.

As you look at these pics, keep in mind that our Outback is on the small side of the lineup. Our 23RS is 24' 11". Our truck is an '08 Ford CC SB.

This is a typical sized site at the State Parks we normally visit. Some are a bit smaller - some a bit larger. *If* the park has 50amp sites (this one does not), they tend to be on the "bit larger" size but are normally few in number and in an area of the campground that we would prefer not to be.










Another view of the site.










Here is our setup - note that the Outback's rear tires are backed up against the concrete parking barrier. My truck is parked a bit to one side to give me more room to pull forward. I do this because with the tailgate down getting stuff out or putting stuff in the bed - I was standing in the road a bit. Note the 5'er behind my truck. It was an older Mobile Scout that was probably 33'. Note that they could not park their truck in the site as there was no room. They had to park it lengthwise - the passenger tires are actually on the road - not the site. Some other folks down the road from us were on their first trip in a HR Endeavor bus. It took up the entire site. Some people with them parked alongside the road next to the bus. The rangers came along later that day and made them move their vehicle somewhere else because it was on the grass. That happened again as other visitors to that bus had no place to park either.










Another view of our site later in the weekend - note that I had pulled my truck a bit further forward so there was more room between the bed and the road. I was unloading firewood every so often that evening for hotdogs and s'mores


















These folks had no problem fitting in their site







DD #1 got all excited..."Daddy...that trailer has WINGS!!!". You can see the rear of my truck on the left hand side of the picture. Even angling the truck into the site to where the nose of the truck was pretty close to the box of the trailer, you can see how there isn't much room left to the road. FYI - my truck is a crew cab shortbed.










So you can see why DW and I want a 5'er that is in the 31-32' (or less) range that has a bunkroom that can fit 3-4 kiddos! I am rooting for the mfg's to pack similar functionality, floorplan wise, into a shorter, lighter package. If can be done, I believe that American ingenuity will make it happen!

Do the sites that you typically visit also lend themselves to smaller campers? Do you face a similar situation when you head out to the camps and parks that are your favorites?

-CC


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## tyandow (Aug 18, 2008)

While these sites look a little short, you are lucky in that all VT State Parks do not have electric or water.


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## vtxbud (Apr 4, 2009)

That was one of the sacrifices I had to decide on. #1-- our provincial parks, for the most part have not kept up on the increasing size of RV's. So I have to pass up on some I used to go to when I had the 24 ft.
#2 I quad a lot. So I have to double tow. For example Wa, Or, do not allow doubles. Where did I go this year ?? Yep, Wa and Or. The quad stayed home this trip.

Having said that, I love the extra room I now have in the 35' 5er.

Just have to plan and organize to suit the wants and needs. I find it much easier to travel in the U.S. There seems to be more parks that are large/long RV friendly. I feel it is just a case of deciding what you need, then plan and search out the parks that will meet those demands, make reservations and go. I have found RVParkreview.com to be very handy.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

collinsfam_tx said:


> I'd really like to see a 31'-32' (or less) front bunk, rear "master" bedroom" 5'er that has a ward slide in the nose, slide in the middle and a bed slide in back. Challenging...but possible I think.
> So you can see why DW and I want a 5'er that is in the 31-32' (or less) range that has a bunkroom that can fit 3-4 kiddos! I am rooting for the mfg's to pack similar functionality, floorplan wise, into a shorter, lighter package. If can be done, I believe that American ingenuity will make it happen!
> 
> -CC


Doesnt the Outback 329FBH get you pretty close to this request? that is one we are looking in to.


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## 5th Time Around (Jul 8, 2008)

Sayonara said:


> I'd really like to see a 31'-32' (or less) front bunk, rear "master" bedroom" 5'er that has a ward slide in the nose, slide in the middle and a bed slide in back. Challenging...but possible I think.
> So you can see why DW and I want a 5'er that is in the 31-32' (or less) range that has a bunkroom that can fit 3-4 kiddos! I am rooting for the mfg's to pack similar functionality, floorplan wise, into a shorter, lighter package. If can be done, I believe that American ingenuity will make it happen!
> 
> -CC


Doesnt the Outback 329FBH get you pretty close to this request? that is one we are looking in to.
[/quote]

I believe if you look at the dimensions of that model, it is really 35' long. For some reason with the fifth wheel the numbers do not corressponde to the length. I have a 31'KFW = 35' trailer nose to bumper.

For Florida State Parks, we have such a large volume of rvers that even the older parks are all getting upgraded to 50 amp and longer sites. Several parks just reopened. We have a few favorite places where there are only a few spots for us.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Sayonara said:


> I'd really like to see a 31'-32' (or less) front bunk, rear "master" bedroom" 5'er that has a ward slide in the nose, slide in the middle and a bed slide in back. Challenging...but possible I think.
> So you can see why DW and I want a 5'er that is in the 31-32' (or less) range that has a bunkroom that can fit 3-4 kiddos! I am rooting for the mfg's to pack similar functionality, floorplan wise, into a shorter, lighter package. If can be done, I believe that American ingenuity will make it happen!
> 
> -CC


Doesnt the Outback 329FBH get you pretty close to this request? that is one we are looking in to.
[/quote]
36' 2"


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

That's just what we see. Here's an example of 1 park:
Rocky Mountain NP campground max trailer length:
Aspenglen: 30' maximum
Glacier Basin: limited number of RV/trailer sites up to 35'
Moraine Park: limited number of RV/trailer sites up to 40'
Timber Creek: 30' maximum

Here's Yellowstone's partial list (They don't specifically name them in the reservation areas, but trust me they aren't generous either and I don't want to have to have reservations everwhere I go)
Indian Creek 30'
Lewis Lake 25'
Norris 2 @ 50' (signed); 5 @ 30'
Slough Creek 14 @ 30', walk through first to assess sites beyond #16
Tower Fall all @ 30' or less; has hairpin curve

Now as for length, there's also the manuverability issue. I've been in campgrounds where, like Yellowstone's Tower Fall, they clearly state that you can't go beyone site #xx because of a bend with a tree or a big rock, etc. Based on this, I'm really thinking sub 30' from now on, but that's just me.


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## Lmbevard (Mar 18, 2006)

I have the 30' 5er OB and have had many issues with not only finding camp sites big enough for the camper but also issues with getting the camper into the sites. Most of the campgrounds in this area are older with narrow and shallow sites. One campground has several drive through sites but there are mature trees at the entrance of the sites and where the slide out comes out. Other sites are wide open, nice and deep but there are drop offs on both sides of the road making it impossible to get backed into. I saw a report on TV once talking about this very thing with campers and campground owners. One of the changes that the owners have seen is not only is the campers getting bigger but fanciers with more bump outs. Also, the campers are demanding more of everything, more power, water, sewer, pools, etc.

As far as what I wanted in a camper, my needs changed as I grew older and my kids grew up. When they were little and I was younger we went camping to enjoy getting away from TV, radio, tape players, etc. and start enjoying finding things fun to do together. Now I'm looking at ease of setup and comfort. With the small pop-up, I could put the camper any place I wanted, it was light enough that the DW and I could literal pick up the front of the camper and push it anywhere we wanted. I could either hook up with electric or run off of battery because all I had was lights. Now I made a choice to get a big rig and so I have to find campgrounds that I can get my camper into. One of the county parks that we use to camp at all the time has no spots that my 5er will fit in. At a couple of other campgrounds around the area, there are only a very few spots that I can get into. At others, I have to park the truck away from the campsite, across the front of the sites sideways or lower the tailgate and pull under the front of the camper like I was going to hook up and leave again. But it was my choice. I can feel for those people that require 50 amp services, no campgrounds close to me has 50 amp services.

One of my DW and my favorite things to do in a new area is to visit campgrounds to check them out. We have found several neat places that we really liked. We always choose several spots that looks like they would work and right down the numbers on the map that most SP has or on the road atlas. that way when we want to go to the area we know what will work. Also most of the sites to reserve campsites anymore has pictures and descriptions of the campsites. We have gotten fairly good at spotting sites that would work best for us. As we get bigger and bigger RV and TV, we all have to look at what we want to do with them and where we can park it.


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## bradnjess (Mar 25, 2007)

Nathan said:


> Now as for length, there's also the manuverability issue. I've been in campgrounds where, like Yellowstone's Tower Fall, they clearly state that you can't go beyone site #xx because of a bend with a tree or a big rock, etc. Based on this, I'm really thinking sub 30' from now on, but that's just me.


We've gotten burned out on the big $50-$100/night parks lately so next year we're planning to do some primitive camping and take in some state and nat. parks (just got two new 6v Trojans







). Alot of them like you said are 30' and under. My OB measures 29'7", sounds like we're good until we pull out the rear slide. My problem is figuring out just why the sites have been limited to 30', is it a maneuverability thing or a tree that sits 29'8" from the entrance to the site. Thats a big issue if we're traveling several hours to such a park. To add to it most of these nat. parks are self pay meaning there is a host or two and a ranger that drives through a couple of times a day, no one to really answer the phone or these questions. This won't stop us but it would cut out some of the stress of the unknown before we get there.

Brad


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Sayonara said:


> I'd really like to see a 31'-32' (or less) front bunk, rear "master" bedroom" 5'er that has a ward slide in the nose, slide in the middle and a bed slide in back. Challenging...but possible I think.
> So you can see why DW and I want a 5'er that is in the 31-32' (or less) range that has a bunkroom that can fit 3-4 kiddos! I am rooting for the mfg's to pack similar functionality, floorplan wise, into a shorter, lighter package. If can be done, I believe that American ingenuity will make it happen!
> 
> -CC


Doesnt the Outback 329FBH get you pretty close to this request? that is one we are looking in to.
[/quote]

I wish...if only we could get that camper shrunk from 36' down to 30-31'.

-CC


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## ember (Jan 17, 2008)

tyandow said:


> While these sites look a little short, you are lucky in that all VT State Parks do not have electric or water.


My first thought exactly!!


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Most of the campgrounds we visit offer a variety of sites, tent, back-in small, medium, and large as well as Medium and Large pull throughs.

Almost all ask the length of our trailer and I tell them 35' which is the measurement from the hitch to bumper.

State parks, which we have only been to a few of are usually first come first served and have less of an option of course.

Additionally due to location (especially near areas that have large draws) the closer to the attraction the tighter the site side to side and front to back. Most of that is common knowledge in our area for the more frequent fliers.

Hopefully that helps some. It should if there is someone knowledgable on the other end of the phone booking reservations anyway. I have been burned as well by a "less experienced receptionist"

BTW I agree with the suggestion of the 329FBH. it sounds like it would get you in the ball park.

Eric


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

ember said:


> While these sites look a little short, you are lucky in that all VT State Parks do not have electric or water.


My first thought exactly!!
[/quote]

We are very fortunate to live and camp in Texas - no doubt about it







Come on down and we will show you some of our favorite spots sometime







We get a seasonal State Park pass for $60 that pays for our entry fees including our TV/TT into any State Park all year long. It pays for itself in about 3 trips.

We sure like the 329FBH's floorplan but not its' length.

-CC


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## JerseyGirl86 (Mar 30, 2009)

When we went camping last, we got there early so when the others started rolling in I noticed what a difficult time some of the bigger ones had getting in....especially if they were in the middle of rows.

I personally tried to back the Outback in the driveway and didn't do so well. I'll leave that to the professionals!


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## 5th Time Around (Jul 8, 2008)

collinsfam_tx said:


> While these sites look a little short, you are lucky in that all VT State Parks do not have electric or water.


My first thought exactly!!
[/quote]

We are very fortunate to live and camp in Texas - no doubt about it







Come on down and we will show you some of our favorite spots sometime







We get a seasonal State Park pass for $60 that pays for our entry fees including our TV/TT into any State Park all year long. It pays for itself in about 3 trips.

We sure like the 329FBH's floorplan but not its' length.

-CC
[/quote]

This may sound stupid but: Do you also have to pay for campground fees in those state parks???? In our state parks, the camping fee covers the TT/TV but is a nightly rate. There are yearly passes but it doesn't help with camping fees.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

When I had the rear slide, I used to tell them the overall length with no explanation why. Reason is, if they figure a 28 will fit and there is a tree at the back, it won t fit with the slide open because you are now 35 feet


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

5th Time Around said:


> While these sites look a little short, you are lucky in that all VT State Parks do not have electric or water.


My first thought exactly!!
[/quote]

We are very fortunate to live and camp in Texas - no doubt about it







Come on down and we will show you some of our favorite spots sometime







We get a seasonal State Park pass for $60 that pays for our entry fees including our TV/TT into any State Park all year long. It pays for itself in about 3 trips.

We sure like the 329FBH's floorplan but not its' length.

-CC
[/quote]

This may sound stupid but: Do you also have to pay for campground fees in those state parks???? In our state parks, the camping fee covers the TT/TV but is a nightly rate. There are yearly passes but it doesn't help with camping fees.
[/quote]

Yes - since the parks are also "day use", many visitors are not camping at all. So there is an entrance fee - I think about $4 per person and vehicle fee of $7 or something like that. I don't recall exactly. If you are camping there over several days or whatever, you only pay that the first time you enter. That (entrance fee) is what the park pass covers. Not sure how it all works out (DW is the family accountant) but after our 3rd trip, our pass is paid for and you pay no entrance fees the rest of the year to any State Park. This might be 2 trips once DS gets here!







The camping fee (where we camp) is $15-$20 per night...or thereabouts.

-CC


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> Yes - since the parks are also "day use", many visitors are not camping at all. So there is an entrance fee - I think about $4 per person and vehicle fee of $7 or something like that. I don't recall exactly. If you are camping there over several days or whatever, you only pay that the first time you enter. That (entrance fee) is what the park pass covers. Not sure how it all works out (DW is the family accountant) but after our 3rd trip, our pass is paid for and you pay no entrance fees the rest of the year to any State Park. This might be 2 trips once DS gets here! The camping fee (where we camp) is $15-$20 per night...or thereabouts.


Just to clarify, you still pay for camping (daily campsite fee) but the park's pass entitles you to not pay any entry fee to any state park in Texas--its included in the annual park pass fee. The park pass covers anyone riding in your vehicle so your whole crew gets in for free.

I don't remember any "vehicle" fee, by the way, but I haven't camped in a state park for a couple years now so that may have changed. As Curtis mentioned earlier, I like to "resort" not "camp".

Mark


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Mark is most likely right - DW takes care of the financials around our casa - I should have just asked her to respond to the post







. Thank you for clarifying the waters I made muddy, Mark!

-CC


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