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  1. #21
    Big Traveler
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    I add my newbie two cents here. This is the first RV for us so even though our truck is capable of hauling most anything, I really wanted to stay on the smaller side. We had looked at the Momentum 328M and I liked it a lot. The garage would be perfect for the kids. It has room for a washer and dryer. And there's some separation between the master bedroom and the kid's garage room. The tanks on the Momentum are huge capacity with 157 gal of water and 104 gal grey. The only problem is it would have required me to get a non-commercial Class A license in our state of Calif.

    So we went with a lighter weight and slightly shorter Reflection 28bh, which has big bunks in the back for the kids. No it's not as big and spacious and the tanks are not quite as big as those of the Momentum, but it's not that far off. And I'll feel more at ease towing 33'10" than 36+ feet. I definitely wanted to stay under 36.

    We'll mainly be using it during the summer months when the kids are off from school, so I'm not worried about extreme cold weather. We did order the 2nd AC for those hot summer months.

    I've already got a bunch of mods planned to make it more "premium".
    2017 Ford F450 - our kids call her "Big Red"
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 28bh

  2. #22
    Big Traveler JCZhome's Avatar
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    Oct 2016
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    A rolling stone....we're in Tucson, Az. now.
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    Quote Originally Posted by archer75 View Post
    We are now discussing going full time and are working on narrowing down our choices. It would be my Wife and I and our two daughters. Two medium size dogs too. We do own a 27.5' Outdoors RV 23DBS that we tow now. Great for vacations but way too small for fulltiming with a family.
    Since we're going to be living in this full time we'd like to go large but are concerned that it will become a chore navigating roads and towns. Small towns with sharp corners could be a real pain. I'd hate to get stuck somewhere because I couldn't quite make the corner.
    Finding spots in campgrounds would be more challenging as the bigger you go the less sites there are to accommodate you.

    We are currently looking at the solitude 375RES which is 41'6" long or the smaller reflection 311bhs at 36'10". I'm also considering some toy haulers so the girls can have the garage area. No actual toys to load in it. I'd like to go smaller if it met our needs. We do want large tanks on it.

    We are good with dry camping. Wherever that may be. Harvest Hosts, thousand trails, rv parks sometimes, would like to visit all the national parks, state parks, pretty much everywhere. We would sign up for various camping memberships and discount programs. But we don't want to not be able to visit somewhere because of size.

    How is your experience pulling a large 5th wheel? Should I look smaller?
    That depends on how good of a driver you are with what you already have. We went from a 28' 5th wheel to our Momentum 376TH of 41'4". We went full time last Sept. 12 in San Diego and we've been all over the nation from west to east coasts and from Mexico to South Dakota so we've traveled pretty much every kind of road there is without issues. We do have the Garmin RV gps where you program in your length, width, height and weight and it takes all of that into consideration when routing you to your next destination (I added 4" extra inches into width and height.....just to be safe. You never know if they've re-asphalted a road a couple of times since the signs were put up).

    If you're staying in an RV park or public campgrounds...especially in the summer months when school is out and families and weekenders are out RVing. I've read several articles that speak to record RV sales the last four years, more and more RV parks closing down and fewer RV parks being built. There are other considerations....if you're a member of the Elks Lodge, many Lodges have RV spaces for just a donation or a few bucks a night. We arrived here at Camping World RV Park in Chattanooga, Tenn. yesterday and it's 50 amp full hook ups for $28 a night. There's also ACOE (Army Corps of Engineers) parks always near a lake. Also, state and federal parks are older so their spaces are generally much smaller. A representative came from Yellowstone to the Workampers Rendezvous and if I remember correctly she said there was only 12 spaces in the entire park that would accommodate our 41'4" and they're usually reserved a year in advance.

    Could we take this RV downtown USA? Sure, we could, but sure wouldn't want to. And we do everything we can to avoid the central part of cities the same as we avoid regular gas stations....neither are designed for a 41' trailer to be maneuvered easily. Peripheral vision helps a lot on driving the bigger trucks and pulling these bigger trailers. I have it naturally where my wife would be very challenged. It's just not something that works for her and she is aware of her limits.

    On the up side, I will say that with kids you want to look at the Momentum line vs. some other makes as the Momentum line has heated and air conditioned garage space. Not enough to keep the garage warm when it's down around freezing but you can also add a portable space heater to supplement. Interior space is going to be critical when it's raining for days or weeks at a time.

    A lot to consider. Take your time, ask lots of questions and spend a lot of time trying to sit in each model and just imagining what it would be like going through daily functions with the entire family and dogs. The most sage advice I can give you is to verify and confirm with actual owners here and other forums, anything that a salesman tells you.....verify with actual owners that do not have a dog in the fight.
    SOLD my 2017 Momentum 376TH being pulled by a 2014 Ford F-350 Lariat, FX-4, Crew Cab, Longbed, Dually. Not pulling the 5er, catch me on my 2013 CVO Harley Ultra Classic.

    Map = states that we've stayed at least one night in our RV.

    http://visitedstatesmap.com/image/AR...TNTXUTWYsm.jpg

  3. #23
    Setting Up Camp
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    Apr 2015
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    Quote Originally Posted by archer75 View Post
    We are now discussing going full time and are working on narrowing down our choices. It would be my Wife and I and our two daughters. Two medium size dogs too. We do own a 27.5' Outdoors RV 23DBS that we tow now. Great for vacations but way too small for fulltiming with a family.
    Since we're going to be living in this full time we'd like to go large but are concerned that it will become a chore navigating roads and towns. Small towns with sharp corners could be a real pain. I'd hate to get stuck somewhere because I couldn't quite make the corner.
    Finding spots in campgrounds would be more challenging as the bigger you go the less sites there are to accommodate you.

    We are currently looking at the solitude 375RES which is 41'6" long or the smaller reflection 311bhs at 36'10". I'm also considering some toy haulers so the girls can have the garage area. No actual toys to load in it. I'd like to go smaller if it met our needs. We do want large tanks on it.

    We are good with dry camping. Wherever that may be. Harvest Hosts, thousand trails, rv parks sometimes, would like to visit all the national parks, state parks, pretty much everywhere. We would sign up for various camping memberships and discount programs. But we don't want to not be able to visit somewhere because of size.

    How is your experience pulling a large 5th wheel? Should I look smaller?
    Hi! My wife and I own a GD Momentum 45’ Toy Hauler and have been full timers for 2 years. The idea of the toy hauler was to give us a place to load our bikes, kayaks and miscellaneous stuff while on the road. We did purchase a Garmin RV 760 to keep us on safe roads due to the size and height of the 5th wheel. No problems to date! The garage area has been well used by grandkids and other company due to the 2 queen beds that tuck away nicely when being used. With the gang you will be traveling with the extra room will be welcomed as well as a private space for your daughters. Hope this is of some help.

    Pam & Rick


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Safe travels,
    Rick & Pam Kercheval

  4. #24
    Left The Driveway
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    Another part of my concern is limiting where we can stay. While all oregon state parks have at least one 60' site the roads in them and sometimes getting to them are super narrow with sharp turns.
    We were just camping last weekend at a state park and the roads where so narrow in the park and peoples trucks poking out of their sites and there's no way you could maneuver a 40' fifth wheel in there. We only saw a couple of fifth wheels but they were smaller. About 30' or so.
    The state park we're going to in a few weeks is even tighter. Our trailer is only 27.5' long but even in that park it gets pretty sketchy driving through the loops with that.

    Granted there's RV parks around that cater to these larger sizes but we generally don't care for RV parks and they tend to be more expensive. And we have dogs that most RV parks won't allow.

    We want to stay in state and national parks and not always outside the park. And also in BLM, forest service and national forests. Often times off of main roads. We would also consider a thousand trails membership as well as passport america.
    Is that going to be an issue with a 40' fifth wheel?
    Last edited by archer75; 04-11-2018 at 03:50 PM.

  5. #25
    Big Traveler
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    I would think 45' of toy hauler is going to really limit where you can stay. At 33'10" our truck with the fiver attached is about 52' long, and not all that easy to maneuver in tight spots.
    2017 Ford F450 - our kids call her "Big Red"
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 28bh

  6. #26
    Setting Up Camp
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    Jan 2017
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    There's no question that having a 42-foot fifth wheel limits where you can stay. It's not only the length, the height also can sometimes cause problems. Even at sites long enough there may be low tree branches or other things that will get in the way. For the most part, if you want to stay in state parks, then a large fifth wheel probably isn't for you.

    We've joined Thousand Trails and their parks, they call them preserves, are generally more park-like than your typical RV park (which we don't like either) and most, in our experience, can handle big rigs. Granted, it's not a perfect solution and it may not work for you, but for us it's working well. Between Thousand Trails and their sister properties, Encore and RPI, we can generally find parks close enough to where we want to visit.

    If you can justify the high up-front investment, Thousand Trails might be something to consider if you're going to be full-time and want the space offered by a large fifth wheel.
    Steve & Patty
    2017 RAM 6.7L Diesel
    2018 375RES
    One Fantastic Wife and Three Lazy Dogs

  7. #27
    Left The Driveway
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheLexx View Post
    I would think 45' of toy hauler is going to really limit where you can stay. At 33'10" our truck with the fiver attached is about 52' long, and not all that easy to maneuver in tight spots.
    We are considering a number of options. One being the 311BH which is 36'10" long. Others we are considering are longer. I'm trying to find something smaller that has most of what we want but no luck so far.

  8. #28
    Site Sponsor orbiker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by archer75 View Post
    Another part of my concern is limiting where we can stay. While all oregon state parks have at least one 60' site the roads in them and sometimes getting to them are super narrow with sharp turns.
    We were just camping last weekend at a state park and the roads where so narrow in the park and peoples trucks poking out of their sites and there's no way you could maneuver a 40' fifth wheel in there. We only saw a couple of fifth wheels but they were smaller. About 30' or so.
    The state park we're going to in a few weeks is even tighter. Our trailer is only 27.5' long but even in that park it gets pretty sketchy driving through the loops with that.

    Granted there's RV parks around that cater to these larger sizes but we generally don't care for RV parks and they tend to be more expensive. And we have dogs that most RV parks won't allow.

    We want to stay in state and national parks and not always outside the park. And also in BLM, forest service and national forests. Often times off of main roads. We would also consider a thousand trails membership as well as passport america.
    Is that going to be an issue with a 40' fifth wheel?
    I live in Oregon too.
    I fix coin washers and dryers. The company I work for has the contracts for all the Oregon 1000 Trails. I have looked at 1000 Trails Florence and Newport. There are a few sites that are big enough for our 42ft 380TH. The corners are tight. I can stay at 1000 Trails with my RPI membership for $10. I choose not to because they are a bit tight. 1000 Trails in Seaside is bigger and we have stayed there.
    We are members of Neskowin RV Resort ( Sound Pacific ). That membership also lets us stay at Cascade Meadows near La Pine for free also.
    There are many, many parks across the nation that we can now stay for free with our new updated membership. We will be going full time in a few years and enjoying the benefits of this membership even more.
    KEN
    Backpacker and tent camper all my life, including BSA as a kid and adult.
    Motorcycle trips across the USA with a tent - 1978 to Present.
    02-10-2005 - 2002 F350 SWD PSD and 2003 Citation 10'8S mostly for Crater Lake Ski Patrol.
    10-29-2015 - 2016 Grand Design 380TH. It's HUGE compared to a camper.
    10-19-2018 - traded truck for a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW Laramie CC 4 X 4 Long Box.
    03-16-2019 - Traded Momentum for a New 2018 374TH-R Solitude
    FULL TIME RV'er Nov 2021

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