Travel Trailer advice needed

[Donald Stanfield]

With my job, I am free to travel as I work remotely. I also have an issue with staying in hotels and Airbnbs. This leads me to thinking of buying a travel trailer. I see the ones made for EVs to tow, with the assist motors and batteries, and even the Evotrex with the generator. They look a little small for longer-term trips. Can you really cook in one, relax in one as a family, without being overly crowded? Besides that, there are fifth-wheel trailers that are much larger but require a diesel truck, probably a dually.

How limited are the longer fifth-wheel campers in terms of where you can take them? Is it strictly the difference between overlanding and having camp sites, or are camp sites limited as well? I've done no research on this yet, but it seems like these EV specific travel trailers are all 150K and for that price I can get a dually and a pretty decent fifth wheel setup so I'm really confused on which direction to go.

If I got the EV assist trailers I could pull them with an R1, and I wouldn't need another vehicle but the other way would require a diesel, although I don't need to get rid of my R1 as a daily.

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[Time2Roll]

Most commercial campgrounds can accommodate the large 5th wheels. If you want to be in federal, state, county campgrounds they are often older and cannot accommodate the larger RV trailers. For these a smaller 24' to 28' is preferred. Often these have minimal power, water, sewer connections so life is a bit limited. Frequently full too, need reservations. The smaller trailer is good for maybe 3 or 4 max depending on your family dynamic. Need to get outdoors to have space. And the trailer seem to shrink when it is raining.

Wifi tends to be a bit spotty so plan on Starlink subscription or similar for work.

Another possibility is to rent a motorhome (class C) and see what works for you. MH is much easier to get parked and set up. Go from there if you want to buy.

I have a small 26' 5th wheel pulled with an F150.

 

[antimatter]

There's so many variables in deciding which RV will work best for you. Generally speaking, the more remote you want to be the smaller the rig should be, unless you have 'helicopter money', meaning you can afford to have someone else deliver the trailer and set it up for you. The second question is how much set-up time to you want to spend? There are rigs with lots of slide-outs or awnings that need to dealt with when you arrive somewhere. An added wrinkle is that some RVs with complex set-ups are very sensitive to how well you level the things when you arrive. If you don't get very level, slide-outs and plumbing may not work as well as it should. The last question is how tolerant is your family of going without creature comforts? I've seen everything from families in tents all the way to a fifth wheel with a tall mast so the family has access to all their favorite TV shows and a fast internet connection. Do you need a bathroom? How about a shower? If so, how many people are going to want to use the bathroom and/or shower per day? Black or grey water tank size can be a real issue if you have to do multiple dumps while camping. And don't forget about storage and maintenance as well. Campers do require upkeep, as most have limited warranties and you'll either need to pay or DIY stuff like roof seals, brakes and plumbing. I'm not saying its not worth it (I love RV camping), but it can be a lot of work. The cold economic truth is that the cost of even a used RV is a lot of hotel/lodge rentals.

I think renting a unit is a good idea, as it will help you narrow down what would are you 'must-haves'. I personally love RV camping, but I grew up doing it so I have a lot of fond memories as a boy doing all the outdoors stuff with my family.

 

[Trinculo73]

Antimatter is 100% on the nose here. Your personal needs are the biggest variable. My wife and I currently camp in a 15' trailer and are quite happy, from our perspective the Evotrex is frigging massive and I'll be honest I almost choked on the idea that it might be too small

I'd also suggest renting on Outdoorsy or something similar and trying a few different styles out to see what works for you.

I'm attaching a couple of pics of our setup for comparison. As always, YMMV

 

[Donald Stanfield]

From these replies, I'm probably looking at a big 5th wheel or a diesel pusher. We usually stay in nice hotels when we travel. My purpose of getting one of these is not to deal with the issues of hotels or Airbnbs. You don't know how clean a hotel is, and it isn't yours with your stuff. No food you eat or organization for clothes.

So now I have to decide between the setup time for the 5th wheel and the diesel pusher. This would be something we use for several weeks at a time. I would have to see what the setup time and ease of use are for those two, or whether dealing with this hassle is even worth it. My difficulty with travel has always been missing my house. I can do 3-4 days but after I'm ready to be in my own bed with my own stuff. Hopefully this could fix that.

 

[Riviot]

150K and for that price I can get a dually and a pretty decent fifth wheel setup so I'm really confused on which direction to go.

When we went looking for a TT, we walked the lot and went smallest to biggest. Our favorite was a Keystone Montana with a man cave: https://rv.campingworld.com/rv/2025-keystone-montana-high-country-385br-2493309-french-camp-ca

Our realistic favorite is a 22MLS floorplan and is under 30', Keystone Cougar has trim and styling we like: https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2026-Keystone-Cougar-Half-Ton-22mlswe-5036999013#sid=580319

If you want to be in federal, state, county campgrounds they are often older and cannot accommodate the larger RV trailers.

Not always true, a lot of state parks we frequent in the PNW have good deep spots or pull through slots. Granted, we decided under 30' to increase available slots.

it isn't yours with your stuff

That's why I'm looking for one! I did the math: for 2 years, the cost is the same between VRBO/hotels and TT depreciation, storage, registration, camping fees, increased kWh usage, all of the costs.

So for the same money, would you rather bring your place with you? More work, but it's yours.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

When we went looking for a TT, we walked the lot and went smallest to biggest. Our favorite was a Keystone Montana with a man cave: https://rv.campingworld.com/rv/2025-keystone-montana-high-country-385br-2493309-french-camp-ca

Our realistic favorite is a 22MLS floorplan and is under 30', Keystone Cougar has trim and styling we like: https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2026-Keystone-Cougar-Half-Ton-22mlswe-5036999013#sid=580319



Not always true, a lot of state parks we frequent in the PNW have good deep spots or pull through slots. Granted, we decided under 30' to increase available slots.



That's why I'm looking for one! I did the math: for 2 years, the cost is the same between VRBO/hotels and TT depreciation, storage, registration, camping fees, increased kWh usage, all of the costs.

So for the same money, would you rather bring your place with you? More work, but it's yours.

We walked the lot today as well. I liked the Keystone Montana, I also liked the campsite elite for the price, but the finishings are a little meh. I think we are going to wind up with a brinkley Model Z. https://www.brinkleyrv.com/wp-conte...026-Brinkley-Model-Z-3200-Floorplan-Flyer.pdf

I will need a diesel truck for one of these, but the size seems right. We still might get a travel trailer, but I'd need an R1T for that anyway, so I would still need to switch vehicles. With how short the range is I think I need diesel.

 

[Time2Roll]

Nice rear kitchen layout with mid entry. I recommend the dual pane window option. Good to see dual A/C.

Is this dually territory? That 2250 pin is dry weight so count on 2700 to 3000+ for the payload + occupants etc in the truck. Tow rating should cover the full GVWR.

Dealer will help if a sliding hitch is needed.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Nice rear kitchen layout with mid entry. I recommend the dual pane window option. Good to see dual A/C.

Is this dually territory? That 2250 pin is dry weight so count on 2700 to 3000+ for the payload + occupants etc in the truck. Tow rating should cover the full GVWR.

Dealer will help if a sliding hitch is needed.

I'm not sure if it's dually territory. I hope not; I'd like the truck to be easy enough to drive on its own around the city and whatnot when we are at our destinations. I think this one is fine, but the next size up, the 39', is dually required. It's hard to say, as the trailers with the full wood cabinetry tend to be pretty heavy.

The dual-pane windows would be for R-value, correct? We definitely want something well-insulated if we decide to take a winter trip.

 

[Time2Roll]

Yes noise and thermal insulation. Tend to sweat less in the cold. An option I regretted skipping.

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