Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello everyone..my hubby and I are looking to purchase some acerage in Idaho and live in a TT or 5THWhl until we can get a more permanent building. There will only be two of us and our dogs. Anyway...IF we have a well and some type of septic system...which of the two above choices would we have a better system for hookups? It appears to me that a 5th wheel would be more comfortable/dependable and durable if our time frame runs longer that we expected. I understand the differences between the TV requirements however if we are going to be on our own land and not traveling accept to get there is the 5th wheel still a better option, can a TT be winterized? We have not made any purchases yet...still in the planning stage. In closing what would be a reasonable size for two folks...thanks
More 5ers are built for cold weather. I'd guess there are some TTs with similar insulation, etc., but the majority of full-time RVers use 5th wheels or motor homes. 5ers also have a little more storage room, as a general rule.
TTs can certainly be winterized. Cardboard boxes can be winterized. I'd get something that already has good cold-weather capabilities and start from there. None are really built for sub-zero weather, so just get the best you can and make do. Be sure you get dual pane windows; they're seldom if ever standard equipment on any of the 5ers/TTs.
Size is a very personal choice, but if I was getting something that was going to "sit", I'd get the biggest I could find. Keep in mind, federal regs have set the maximum size of a 5th wheel at 400 sq. ft. I don't know about you, but that's about the size of my current living room, and you'll have to squish a living room, bedroom, bathroom and maybe laundry room into that space. I'd be looking for a 40-footer with lots of slides.
You might consider buying a mobile home. They're built to higher standards and can be bigger and more livable. (This is coming from someone planning to sell our current home and RV until we're no longer able to do it, but we want an RV because we want to move around a lot, spend winters in AZ, etc.)
More 5ers are built for cold weather. I'd guess there are some TTs with similar insulation, etc., but the majority of full-time RVers use 5th wheels or motor homes. 5ers also have a little more storage room, as a general rule.
TTs can certainly be winterized. Cardboard boxes can be winterized. I'd get something that already has good cold-weather capabilities and start from there. None are really built for sub-zero weather, so just get the best you can and make do. Be sure you get dual pane windows; they're seldom if ever standard equipment on any of the 5ers/TTs.
Size is a very personal choice, but if I was getting something that was going to "sit", I'd get the biggest I could find. Keep in mind, federal regs have set the maximum size of a 5th wheel at 400 sq. ft. I don't know about you, but that's about the size of my current living room, and you'll have to squish a living room, bedroom, bathroom and maybe laundry room into that space. I'd be looking for a 40-footer with lots of slides.
You might consider buying a mobile home. They're built to higher standards and can be bigger and more livable. (This is coming from someone planning to sell our current home and RV until we're no longer able to do it, but we want an RV because we want to move around a lot, spend winters in AZ, etc.)
Thank you for your remarks...My husband is stating that we might be able to rent a TT to live in instead of purchasing therefore do not have to transport it across country...do not know about that. Yes have considered the mobil home if I can get the manufacturer to build one without all the toxic finishes and woods therefore I could get it more weather proof...
Either a 5ver or a TT can be winterized, but it wouldn't be my first choice of shelter in a truly cold climate.
You'll want the following: skirting around the entire trailer to help insulate the underbody and floor; storm windows; heat tape and insulation on your water intake; heat pads/tapes on your wastewater tanks. On a TT, you can consider removing the holding tanks altogether.
Thermal curtains for windows and patio doors help a bit.
Even the 3-season models aren't very efficient once the temps get below about 10 F. Be prepared to listen to your furnace run ----- a lot........and consider getting something larger than the standard 30 or 40 pound propane tanks. Furnaces can really chew through the propane when the temps get chilly.
Rudydog1, I spent one winter in eastern Oregon in a TT, and everything said above if spot on.
Cornerguy1 nailed most of the details. I would also include getting at least one and preferably 2 of the larger taller propane tanks, other wise you are going to be going to fill those little tanks every couple of days. Be prepared to use probably double the propane you think you're going to...and still have some cold evenings. Invest in blankets and wool socks.
I have a 5th wheel trailer and I've had many ten trailers. Take it from me, you do not want a tent trailer to live in during the winter unless you are in Arizona. Tent railers are very hard to keep warm when the wind is blowing. There is no perfect camping vehicle, a motor home is the most expensive to operate and maintain. A pull trailer leaves the bed of a pickup open and useable, but it isn't as easy to pull as a 5th wheel. For two people a 30" 5th wheel has enough room, much larger than that and they are hard to pull through campgrounds and take more horse power and fuel. I've used everything out there, and a tent trailer would be my very last choice.
Thank you for your remarks...My husband is stating that we might be able to rent a TT to live in instead of purchasing therefore do not have to transport it across country...do not know about that. Yes have considered the mobil home if I can get the manufacturer to build one without all the toxic finishes and woods therefore I could get it more weather proof...
Try these guys, and they'd be close too since they are in NE Oregon
Many good ideas here. A 40-lb propane tank can empty in 2 days of Oregon weather, and campers are cramped. An alternative is a towable "Park Trailer" which is like a small mobile home, but pricy and value plummets fast. I'd recommend against living in a camper in cold weather for any length of time. When you consider the rocking in the wind, no privacy, propane costs... I'd opt for a used mobile home and run electricity to it. You can buy one really cheap. Check with mobile home park owners. There's always one that someone abandoned in the night and he'll want to sell cheap to recover some of his losses. Or a new dealer with a worthless trade-in. When you're done, donate it to the fire department to practice burning it, and sell the frame to a scrap yard. See, temporary housing can be fun!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
5er VS TT in Cold Weather
