Why A Fifth Wheel

We’ve run into so many of our friends and colleagues that are intrigued by our decision to live “on the road”. As mentioned in our previous blog, we have chosen to live in a fifth wheel trailer as opposed to the Class C, which many seem to think of when they hear “RV”, or a Class A Motorhome, the one that looks like a bus.

Why? Well, we’ve rented two Class C’s. Even though it will just be the two of us and our dog, Snowball, a Catahoula Leopard mix,

we both felt that the space would just be too tight. It was fine for the two trips we took, but we don’t think it would suit us for full-time living.

The Class A, Motorhome, would certainly provide much more space, and we did consider the purchase, briefly. However, a motorhome, as well as a Class C, would require that we tow a car if we plan to get around outside of any campground or RV park. We really didn’t think we liked the idea of driving our house everywhere we went and recognize the issues with finding parking or navigating through some areas not suited for large vehicles.

After visiting some RV shows and the RV-Dreams.com Fall Rally, we decided that the fifth-wheel, or 5-er, (fiver) was more to our liking. At that point, we then had to decide which floorplan we preferred. We looked at the rear living and the rear entertainment, and didn’t like the look and feel. The living area appeared to be just one big room because the kitchen/dining area also seemed to be a part of the whole scene.

When we walked into a front living fifth wheel, we knew there was no question about it. This is just what we were looking for. The floorplan makes it seem like we have a one-bedroom apartment. The particular make and model we selected, the Jayco Pinnacle 38FLSA, has the front living room, which is very large and roomy, a lovely kitchen complete with center island, a cozy dining area with windows surrounding it, a nice sized bathroom with a large shower, and a good size bedroom with plenty of closet space. It also sports a front door that gives you access to the living room/dining room/kitchen area and a back door that gives you access to the bedroom/bathroom area.  We think we’ll have enough space for us and, there’s always outside.

Certainly, another plus is the slideout set up.  There are five slideouts — two in the living room, one for the kitchen, one for the dining area, and one in the bedroom.  That setup makes the rig very spacious. And, although the kitchen is on a slide we’re not worried about a weight issue there.

2015 Pinnacle 38FLSA Floorplan

One thing we’ve learned is this: there are tons of choices for everyone’s tastes. Just as some may choose apartment living over home ownership, and some may like co-ops rather than condos, and some may like motorhomes rather than trailers, there’s something out there for everyone. Our decision is based on what we like and what we believe will work for us. We just know that we’re looking forward to this new chapter in our book of life and we invite you to continue to follow us as we live our dream – on the road.

 

2 thoughts on “Why A Fifth Wheel

  1. Well written, your recent post was a pleasure to read. Karen and I were also attracted to the front living room models. I thought the Pinnacle had about the best layout in the living room in terms of seating.

    We decided on a fifth wheel because we are going to be parked for longer stays. That was a hard decision to make until an older RV salesman said it like this: You have to decide if you want to be more comfortable when driving or parked? He added a motorhome looses it’s appeal when parked.

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  2. Enjoyed reading your reasons for choosing a fifth wheel. It’s funny how whenever I tell someone we are going on an RV trip they automatically assume we have a motorhome. My husband says we have a motor home, but the motor can come off. When we decided to get an RV nine years ago one of the reasons we chose a fifth wheel was my husband didn’t want another motor to take care of. We also wanted something with plenty of space since we travel with a Labrador retriever. Another bonus is having a four wheel drive truck to explore back country roads that would be difficult in a car. We are not full timers but what I call “part timers”. We have made several long trips of a month or more and our fiver is definitely a great home on wheels!

    Safe travels and enjoy your new home!

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