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Old 08-28-2007, 04:58 PM   #1
Little Rhody
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How big a Montana should we buy?

Hey all you Montana owners, we need some input. We are loving the 3400RL but think it too big to cover the USA smaller roads with, so we think something like the 2955RL or 2980RL would manuver easier in campgrounds, at diesel stations, parking lots etc. Currently we pull a 27' trailer with a short bed duramax GMC, but want to get a Montana because we like it so much. The quality seems good. Any 3400RL owners out there finding difficulty fitting in places? Is smaller better? Thanks for your help.
Anita and Ed
 
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Old 08-28-2007, 05:28 PM   #2
rogue
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Little Rhody, We have the 2955RL, with the roof ladder on the back we are about 34 1/2 foot. Add the truck and the size difference between the short and long maybe 40 foot is not enough to worry about. At least thats my opinion from the short side.

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Old 08-28-2007, 05:34 PM   #3
bsmeaton
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Anita and Ed, Welcome to the Forum!

Your concerns are real. We went from a 29' travel trailer (TT) to the 2955RL in 2003, and now to a 3400RL.

Transition from 29' TT to the 2955RL -
  • 2955 seemed huge, especially tall
  • 2955 actually easier to maneuver into camp spot than TT
  • 2955 towed much more stable than TT
  • 2955 much-much easier to connect than TT
  • Suddenly had to be concerned for width with 2955 slides
  • 2955 very roomy and comfortable coach, only downside was hide-a-bed blocked door and rear lounger by door felt isolated from rest of camper
Transition from 2955RL to the 3400RL -
  • 3400 seemed huge, especially LONG
  • 3400 a little tougher to maneuver into camp spot than 2955
  • towing 3400 almost identical to 2955 except far heavier
  • Suddenly had to be concerned for width with 3400 slides on BOTH SIDES
  • 3400 extremely roomy and comfortable coach. No downsides observed so far
Looking back, we more or less consider the 2955 to have been our sporty model that we could maneuver around even better than the TT and comfort was fantastic. We consider the 3400 to be a battle cruiser with very limited off road capabilities, but the ultimate in comfort and livability .

Of course - all just our perception which may differ greatly from others, but hope it helps you decide.
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Old 08-28-2007, 07:17 PM   #4
Bowie
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We love our 3400RL--the perfect set up for longterm stays in parks and/or campgrounds which can accomodate its extra length and width or holidays with family and grandchildren. Feel it will be ideal for winters in AZ, TX, FL, GA or wherever and summers in ME, VT, or the beach. Brad's comments pretty much jibe with our experiences (Our previous Monty was a 2980). Have discovered that the 3400RL cannot fit in many of CO's parks and public campgrounds and certainly will not go off-road. Expect that this may be true in other states as well. Think carefully about how you want to spend your recreational time and where you want to be. We have just added a Northern Lite drop in truck camper to our gear--so now we can go back woods and wilderness camping too. We are thankful to be able to enjoy both worlds.
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Old 08-28-2007, 09:32 PM   #5
Montana Sky
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I have only come across (2)two campgrounds that could not accommodate my 3400RL in the past 3 years of traveling throughout the country. When making reservations I make sure to specify that my coach is 40' long, has 4 slides, and is 13'3" tall. Every campground I have called tells me right on the phone that they can or can not handle a coach of this size. I also use the "Big Rigs" book that specializes in assisting owners of Class A, Bus Conversions, and 5th wheels up to 45 feet in length. Although I am single and travel solo, I have yet to find any situations where I could not maneuver my truck and coach into or out of a truck stop, fuel station, campground, or two lane highway on my own.

One final note: If your travel trailer is quoted at 27', I bet if you go and measure from the tongue to the rear ladder you will find your coach is probably closer to 30'. When comparing lengths of a travel trailer to a 5th wheel, be sure to measure the fifth wheel from just in front of the front landing gear to the rear of the coach. Everything in front of the landing gear +/- a few feet is actually over the bed of your truck and shortens the overall length of the coach when hooked to your truck.
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Old 08-29-2007, 02:08 AM   #6
BB_TX
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We recently bought a 3075RL (basically the same as the 2980RL except for kitchen cabinets). Haven't had a lot of experience with it yet. But we were in Beavers Bend State Park recently and the roads are VERY narrow, especially in the camping area. But the 3075RL went thru easily and was no trouble parking.
We wanted max floor space in the shortest trailer we could find. One thing I especially liked about the 3075RL is that even with the sofa bed out (with my grandson in it), my wife and I could still sit in the rocker/recliners and still had full access to the kitchen and bedroom. Don't know if you can do that with the 2980RL.
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Old 08-29-2007, 03:03 AM   #7
richfaa
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Brad gives a good report on the difference . We Do travel all over the country in our 06 3400. We DO winter in the 3400 and live in it for months at a time. ours is 39 feet 1 inch front to back, We call ahead to campgrounds and tell them what we have and we have never had a problem. We have been to Quartzsite , Az which IS off road and the 3400 can careen across the desert fairly well.My suggestion is to buy as big as you can afford IF you are going to be spending a lot of time in it.....Note that Montana does not make a small 5th wheel..even the so called small ones are fairly long.
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Old 08-29-2007, 04:28 AM   #8
Dustytuu
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We have the 3295 Montana and have not had any park that would not fit.
Have been in a couple of sites, that took about 15 minutes or longer to get into.
The 3295 is almost 36 foot. Tows very well.

I wouldn't worry about length. If the floor plan fits you and you like the Montana... go for it!
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Old 08-29-2007, 10:02 AM   #9
padredw
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Rhody, We used a 2955 RL for five years and over 50,000 logged miles. I will not make any comparisons with other models but simply share my experience with the 2955. It was our pick of the Montana models because of its length and weight. The expression we used over and over again was, "It pulls like a dream!" And it did! We would agree with Brad that it is a downside that the hide-a-bed blocks the door. Of course, we used that bed very rarely. We did not feel any isolation with the recliners, but that is a very subjective matter. Our 2955 was a 2002 model and still had the wooden sliding doors between the bedroom and the bath. The loss of that in the newer models was a major reason that we did not trade for a newer 2955.

Bottom line, without making any negative comment about any other model, the 2955 we had was a very desirable trailer, just the right size for us. That may have put us in a minority, but the 2955 was, for us, the 'pick of the litter.'
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Old 08-29-2007, 01:31 PM   #10
Pete Hanson
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I have to agree with Padredw about the 2955 (ours is a 2002 also) and how it fits our needs at this time. We only weekend or take two week vacations in it because we are both still working. I too was concerned about length and weight as this is our first 5er and to my relief it tows so easy it "is a dream". All that being said, I think it all comes down to floor plan and how you plan on using it. Everyone will have a different opinion about what is the "right" model. We both feel that the 2955 is big enough for us to long time in it but probably too smalll to fulltime. After being on this forum for awhile and seeing what folks write it seems that all the Montana models tow well and most camp grounds can fit them now.
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Old 08-29-2007, 02:18 PM   #11
OntMont
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Keep an eye on the weights as well as width and length. If you have a 2500HD, you are going to be borderline on weight with a 3400. Not necessarily impossible, just something you are going to have pay attention to.

We have a similar sized trailer to the 3400 and have not experienced any real difficulties with it on the road, but there is always going to be some road or camp ground that can't accommodate you, but that is always going to be true no matter what you drive or pull, there is always a limit.
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Old 08-29-2007, 04:42 PM   #12
ols1932
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Actually, the question of how big a Montana to buy is really subjective. It depends a lot on just what a person is going to do with it. Is it going to be used for weekend camping, vacation camping, long term living or even full time living? In our case, we were intent on living full time in one when we bought ours. We talked to our dealer, told him what we were going to do and he lined us up with the one we have. We special ordered it. It is 36 ft long with three slides and like everyone else says, "It pulls like a dream." Have never had any problems with Interstates, US highways, State or County roads. There was only one time we couldn't park it in an RV park and that was because the RV park management lied to us when we made our reservations and told us they had a spot for us. When we arrived, we discovered that you couldn't back a 25 footer into the spot! Needless to say I was upset and demanded my money back. Got it but they refused to refund my deposit.

Orv
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Old 08-29-2007, 05:20 PM   #13
rames14
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We moved from a 27 ft. TT to the 3400. We have not found anywhere yet where we couldn't get in with the 3400 that we could have with the TT. We have been very happy with the 3400. I was wondering a while back about downsizing, but other members helped us to realize that we would miss the space.
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