We went from a tent to a 34' 5th wheel, then to a 40' and a season and a half later to our 44' Northpoint. The 34' I could whip into any site pretty much anywhere. The 40' was a little more of a challenge but not too bad. At that length we started to get a little bit limited on sites we could fit on. The 40' sat up high enough we didnt have to worry about ground clearance issues on uneven sites in most of our state parks. The 44' we got now, yeah, forget it. Since it is a luxury unit it sits much lower, is also taller so I'm constantly watching overhead clearances (tree branches, etc in the parks and even going down the roads). The length, you're basically a tractor trailer going down the road, so turning corners and such become WAY more wide turns and then there is the tail swing that you have to watch. To make matters worse I have a bike rack on the back that's another 3'-11". So the trailer is just under 48' plus the truck, crew cab long bed.
The 40' we had was taller than the 34' so I was watching overhead clearances there too. As far as turning corners, it was a little tight in some parks but not too bad and roads were not too bad either. You still had to hang wide.
All three were rear bunk house, the 40 and the Northpoint have 2 bathrooms and 2 entry doors and outdoor kitchen. The 40 seemed to be a BIG upgrade in size from the 34. You wouldn't think 6' is that much, but it is. Then adding another 4' on the Northpoint, at 44' it's a monster.
I will say when we had the 34' people seemed more friendly and talkative. The 40' we got more looks and fewer hi's and conversation. The Northpoint, it's like we are snobs or something. Hardly anyone says anything to us, but we get a lot of looks and turning heads. I can make friends with anyone. I work in a face to face customer service industry, so I know people and adapt quickly. I dont even dress like a snob. I wear camo shorts, a t shirt, sometimes, and running shoes. I also found we get even more of an audience when it's time to put it on the site, so you have to have your A game on. My show is short and some are disappointed and others are impressed.
Here's the trailer models we had;
04 Montana Mountaineer 318BHS. 6/11 to 6/15
15 Sierra Select 375TRIP. 5/15 to 8/16
17 Northpoint 375BHFS. 8/16 to current
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2017 North Point 375BHFS
2015 Silverado 3500HD Crew Dually Dmax 4x4
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