Do any of you regret buying too big of a rig?

[Clemson1881]

I have a friend who had a 35 foot Montana. He sold it saying it was too big. He downsized to a 30 foot SOB tag a long trailer. Within 12 months he traded to go back with another 35 footer. There is no substitute for the space and being comfortable. I wouldn't downsize for anything myself.

[richfaa]

We got 400 Square feet which was the largest you could get at the time, still is I think, Nearly 40 feet long, 4 slides. We need bigger. the only regret is that we could not get or afford bigger.

[exav8tr]

This 3400 is our only attempt at RV'ing, so it's hard to say whether bigger is better as we are pretty big now. I can't imagine a smaller space for the 4 of us, Lab and Cat, Cathy and I. Towing it is easy, backing is not hard, watching for overhead limbs and narrow sites is the most troubling for me. I, personally, would not want to be moving this thing every couple of days. We usually stay a week at a time, unless we are enroute. I honestly think a motorhome would be more suited to frequent moves, but you can't beat the space or comfort in this home. I have actually seen smaller apartments on HGTV than what we have here. We have not regretted, one bit, buying this model. We don't usually stay in State parks so that is not an issue.

[Delaine and Lindy]

Bill we made our first mistake and we traded on the first trip to the Florida Keys with first 5th wheel we owned had it less that 30 days. We are exactly were we should have gone when we started. We should have done more research in the begining but we let the MSRP scare us away. We now have what we wanted when we started this adventure. I think you should work up a plan of were you want to be in say 5 years and what type of Camping you want to do. Do you want to go RVing or Camping, boondocking, State parks? We try hard not to use State parks most need upgrading, and spaces are very close and and full hook-ups aren't always there. I never intend on doing any Camping or boondocking, we prefer RVing only. But I would never downsize and probably want buy another 5th wheel and for sure want have to buy another Truck. Again I think it requires a lot of planning and research, and you will save a lot of money. Good Luck. GBY....

[mail2us]

Bill, I believe you will be able to answer your own question come March when you will get to know your new rig, the truck and your own capabilities and level of use and enjoyment. Judy and I never owned a 5th wheel, let alone the large 3400 model. We selected one of the great models Montana offers. Is it tough for me to grasp it all; driving, towing, maintenance issues, safety, backing, getting diesel, etc. Oh yea, but we love it. I have truly learned to be deliberate! The MOC has been excellent with the many concerns, issues or even questions we have had since our purchase over 2 years ago.

Get the beautiful rig on the road. Bill. Think ahead on campground selections, getting fuel or even attending a MOC rally. Maybe you and the DW could attend the Great Lakes rally in August. Good luck and be safe.

[Bill and Lisa]

Couple of things to add that haven't neccessarily already been addressed by the fine folks on this site.

Set up and break down every couple of days. It will get old but I can't imagine it not getting old if you chose a tent, a pop up, or any tow behind trailer. There is not much "special" that you have to deal with in this rig than any other type out there....in fact, being big means they didn't have to cramp all the hook ups into a real small space so it might be a little easier.

Since you will be setting up and breaking down every couple of days, I will assume you will be moving your rig down the road between those events. You will find that (at least in my opinion) that towing/backing a 5th wheel is MUCH easier than a tow behind trailer, even a small trailer. Once you get comfortable with it (back to the practice theme again) you will be happy with your decision.

One piece of advice, if you haven't towed a large rig before with a brake controller make sure you practice being able to reach down and manually engage the trailer brakes without looking for the lever. In almost all emergency situations (blow out, loss of a tire, etc) brake first with the trailer only to reestablish control of the whole rig and then use the truck brakes to come to a complete and safe stop.

Bill

[KDS MONY]

Short answer, no. Long answer, it will not be too big when you are inside,or driving down an uncrowded straight and flat highway. It becomes too big in the hills, congested traffic, right hand turns, small campgrounds and buying fuel. Solution, have enough truck,carefully plan your route and stops ahead, use the truck islands at truck stops, and maybe most important, get out on the road and have a good time, best wishes, Jay and Kathy

[Fire5er]

We researched for three years prior to purchasing our rig. We started looking at 27' SOB 5er, and then we found "the best selling 5er" the Keystone Montana line. We first were looking at the Montana 3000RK and found that most here on the Montana forum had the 3400RL. The first time we set foot in the 3400RL at the RV show we fell in love. We LOVE our rig.
As said before, if you are only going to stay in state parks (at least here in western Washington - eastern Washington is ok) then not many will have a site large enough for you. But if you check out RV parks all can accommodate and most have much better service than the state parks anyway.

[padredw]

Here is one of those questions towhich there is no right answer. But the question was asked in a way that each of us can answer without reflecting negatively on the answers others give.

So in the interest of adding to the complete picture, my answer: We are not, and never will become, full timers. We like to take long trips with many stops. We prefer state parks and natural settings. We prefer to have a 3/4 ton pickup for other use as well as towing. So there is a limit to how big we want to go.

For example, we had the 2955 Montana, and felt it was an ideal size for us. We pulled it for five years and over 50,000 miles, spent 297 nights in it. When we traded we still felt good about the Montana. We did move up a couple of feet in length when we found a floor plan that we really liked (SOB), but were able to stay under 34' overall.

Just for the record!

[Art-n-Marge]

Early on I thought I had regrets until I realized what the regrets were about - the driving, the weight, the size, the setup, the backing up and where we couldn't fit. But now with experience I DO NOT regret it:

- The drive is no different because you need to consider clearance no matter what the length.
- The weight while heavier is not noticeable when you are driving and anyone concerned about MPGs shouldn't be towing an RV. The benefits of what the weight brings far outweigh what you have wherever you stay.
- The size doesn't matter because if you were 40 ft long with a short trailer and went to 50 ft long, what's really the difference. The only difference you need to consider is from driving a solo vehicle or driving a two rig combination. What difference does that make how long it is after the solo vehicle? not much to me it turns out.
- The setup is the same no matter the size of the trailer. BUT, with a larger trailer you can have so much more room for yourselves and all the guests when they pile into your rig because of poor weather and it can contain almost everyone even with multiple rigs and the partying can continue.
- Backing up. Practice solves that problem, then the gain in confidence is immeasurable and therefore the places you can go increase as the fear subsides.
- So the large RV doesn't fit in all rustic National Park campgrounds. There is always somewhere you can accomodate your rig and having the rig means bathing, cooking, cleaning, entertainment occurs much quicker per the inherent convenience. I have not given up tent camping or hiking/backpacking, I have just added the ability of bringing all the comforts of home if I want. There are so many places to go that are not size restrictive.

DW still brings it up on occasion but when we discuss the benefits, all is good. That's the time when we need to get ourselves back out there and remind ourselves of the benefits. After all, we no longer have to point at the behemoths that used to be amongst us and think, "How come we aren't living in something that nice"? We are now!

[eastridges]

Our 3605RL is 37' and sometimes waling across the parking lot and seeing it and our truck I think wow that is so big. Once we set up camp and go in for the evening and sit down I think this is the perfect size and but could use a little more storage. On a rainy or cold day you will be comfortable and not crowded. Enjoy, I go to state parks but have to look on-line to see the camp diagram and see if they have pull thru's or easily accessible sites, doesn't hurt to call either. State camp grounds even though they don't normally have full hookups are my favorite.

[print6800]

Wow! I'm really amazed and grateful for all the great responses in just 24 hours. What a great forum.

I'm afraid that I just read one too many postings, on other forums, about getting into tight spots when driving and about not being able to get into some of the older parks.

DW and I have loved the 3400RL since we first walked into it. We're both very excited (and a touch nervous) about getting on the road with it next month. Yes, we do plan to stay mostly in RV parks. The DW loves to socialize (can you say talk?) and we both like to be active.

As for practicing towing, the DW and I took the monty to truck driving school the week after we picked it up. It was only a half day school, but the instructor was a long time semi driver who is also an RVer. We've since spent some time in a parking lot practicing what we learned. Our backing skills aren't a thing of beauty yet, but we're making progress.

Thanks to all for the insightful reply's. After reading about your experiences I once again feel confident we made the correct decision when we went "BIG". I'll try to keep all the great tips in mind when we hit the road.

[iowaone]

I have also had popup, TT and now th3400. We also only stay 2-3 nights most of the time. About 60 nights the last two summers and nearly all in State, County, and Corp of E. campsites. Would not go smaller. Its about the same work no matter size, in fact larger makes everything but parking easier. It is always scary when I see how big it is in the drive way but smaller on the road and in the campgrounds where many are as big.

[KDS MONY]

Print6800, the posts about tight, too small places are mostly true. But what it means is you just have to plan ahead. As mentioned if you have not been to a place before check it out carefully on Livemaps or some such satellite imaging service. The detail is amazing, you can often tell if there are too many tees or tight turns or too small spaces etc. Also look at sites like RVPark review , if everyone is complaining about the tight turns, narrow road or small sites then there is probably a legitimate issue. You can not rely on what someone at the campsite tells you on the phone, they may not have a clue about the turning radius of a big rig or how long a site it really needs. They may just be a parttime employee who has never driven a big rig in their life!! best wishes, Jay and Kathy

[eastridges]

My first time driving our 3605rl was crossing a four lane road in Muskegon, Mi while leaving the dealership. It was about two hours before I settled down. You're way ahead taking the training and practicing!!!!

[trlrboy]

We went from tent camping to a popup (twice) to a 29' 5th wheel and now to our 3400RL. Best thing we ever did. Weather seldom makes a difference in whether we go somewhere for a weekend and it's like a little condo on wheels for us. We actually found it's easier to back up than the previous 5er because we could see the rearmost corners sooner. You'll love it after a few times out.

[rving2us]

Wow you guys are in for a fantastic journey, taking your monte out for the first time. I still get that prickly feeling when I think about our first trip. Enjoy your rig and good luck.

[Bill-N-Donna]

I think you will get used to the size of it. It may take a little time but after a while you probably won’t think anything about how big it is. My only concern is getting in somewhere that is too small. With time you will automatically watch out for things like that. Everything about the fifth wheel is better than what I’ve had in the past except when turning. After a few trips, it became a lot easier. When we first got ours I drove away from the dealer and was told about making wide swings for the turns. I had gone only about a half mile and then I had to make a sharp right. I swung out and I still ran over part of the curb with the wheels. After you get a feel for it you will know when you need to start a turn and how much room you need to allow. Towing is much better on the road than anything else I’ve ever towed. I don’t even get concerned when a truck passes now and before I was always watching out for them so I would be ready for the “air swoosh” as they went around.

[bafflefinder]

We have a 3665RE and love it. Up from a 32' Colorado. You won't be sorry and congrats on going with a 1 ton pickup.

[05WAF350]

We purchased our first RV in 2007 with the 3400RL. We also have close friends that did the exact same thing and we would not do it any different. The truck and RV is a perfect match. Just make sure you go wide on corners.