Live aboard 5th wheel

[H20mike6]

Hi all,

My wife and I are seriously considering going full time in an RV. We currently have a jay flight 26RLS. We are considering a few different 5th wheels and wanted to get your thoughts on them.

1. Northpiont 381 FLWS
2. Northpoint 387RDFS
3. Pinnacle 36SSWS



Any owners out there of these? Thoughts on tow vehicles are appreciated as well.



Thanks!

Michael.

[Stingray75]

Welcome to JOF Michael. Can’t comment on the specific trailers you’re considering but can share that fulltiming in a fifth wheel is easily done but does require some effort to downsize and purging of “stuff”. We did it 2 years in an 37’ Eagle Premier and just moved into a Pinnacle. Mininum tow vehicle would be a single rear wheel 3500/350.

Pinnacle vs NorthPoint thoughts - the added width of a Pinnacle feels nice inside.

[oldmanAZ]

Hi to you and welcome to the forum.

[jasonsele]

We have been living in a North Point 381FLWS for the past 5 months and can't be happier. I previously owned a Coachmen 37' travel trailer and we did not like the bedroom layout. Now we have a king bed and lots of room. It is so much nicer. Love the front living area. For a tow vehicle we have a F350 Dually Diesel. Did a lot of research on a singe or dual rear wheel but with the gross weight (16,750) we had to go with the dual. Just make sure to check the pin weight, trailer weight and tow capacity for fifth wheel on any vehicle. You certainly can tow with a lighter truck but if you get in a accident and don't meet the specs your insurance can deny your claim so it's better to be safe on tow options.

[AKRUEBBE]

Presently we have a North Point 315RLTS and love it. Since we are going full time starting this May, we decided to move up to a Pinnacle 37RLWS which is on order because of the extra room and as Stingray75 said, the 6 inches extra width in the Pinnacle in my opinion makes a big difference. We seriously considered the Pinnacle 36SSWS but felt the RLWS had more bedroom storage closets. And yes, getting rid of all that extra stuff is overwhelming to say the least.

[Joan617]

We got the Pinnacle 36 SWSS in December, Have done a few local shakedown cruises and moved in FT just yesterday. The expanded bedroom size of the SWSS is what flipped us. Ironically we have moved in to the smallest dwelling we have ever had (including New York City apartments) and now have the biggest bed ever. That's a big deal with 4 Chihuahuas and 4 cats.



Yes, divesting of the stix and brix house was stressful - we close on the sale on Friday. In the end we were paying people to cart furniture away to Habitat and Goodwill.



We have a few system tweeks but all is well so far. We have had to use both heat and air conditioning and it's all comfortable with no humidity problems. The Pinnicale is buttoned up tight as a drum with no leaks in torrential rains. One failure of the water heater was rectified by the prompt shipment of a circuit board under warranty and 10 minutes of my time to replace it.



Good luck with your deliberations and let us know about further questions.


Fair Travels
Angus

[DonaandDon]

All are great choices for a full timer. We have been in our 2017 381 DLQS for almost two years. Love it totally.

[NorCal Eagle]

Well, my opinion may not hold much water since I have a TT – but I've dreamed of the Pinnacle FLWS model since I got into RV'ing.

[Big1]

Welcome to JOF!