Bigger is Better?

[casey0672]

I have towed first an Overlander 27ft and than a Safari 25 (26ft). I am considering buying a Safari 30 (31ft).

Is there much difference in towing handling, cornering, overhang swing, backing up, etc. of the bigger 31 ft unit.

I have approximately 15,000 miles of towing experience and am comfortable towing.

Your insight and knowledge would be appreciated.

[primepower]

I have owned everything from a pop up to a 23 foot hybrid, then a 40-foot fifth wheel and now a 30 foot Airstream. I grew up the son of the trucker and on a farm so I am very familiar with towing. I do not believe you would see that much of a difference in towing trailers with that minimal of a difference. I feel my Airstream is pretty in line with towing the 23 ft hybrid. I do use weight distribution / sway bars on both trailers. The 40-foot 5th wheel was more than I wanted to do on a normal basis which is the reason I downsized. If I was you I would have no hesitation moving up. Just take it easy and get comfortable when backing in to spots. Normally that is the most difficult part.

[DaveP]

The only downside of the longer trailers is that it limits some of the state and federal parks you can visit. In the west, a 25 to 30 foot trailer is about the longest you can get in legally in many parks. Some are less than 25 feet.

[Labeda14]

I just moved from a 26U (26’-11”) to a 30’ international (30’-11”) and honestly cant tell a difference when towing. I actually think it might back a little easier. The added space and open layout was well worth it

[casey0672]

The Airstream has grown on us and it’s great utility is going to be more fully used. We traditionally used it to spend a couple weeks in Florida to get out of the cold but are looking to put it on a lake in the summer for use by us, our children and grandchildren, that is why we need more space.

We are also planning a few years of on and off transcontinental roaming and the larger unit fits our needs perfectly.

Nothing in the travel trailer genre has the quality and tow ability of an Airstream.

Thank you for your input, so now it is time to negotiate our best deal. Any suggestions on dealing with the salespeople?

[JayTheCPA]

I find that the longer the trailer, the easier to back. But, there are trade-offs such as
- backing in the dark is more challenging as there is a longer dark area from the reverse lights to the front of the trailer.

- (as already noted) the number of slips at a campground that fit longer trailers start to decrease.

- maneuverability in general starts to get more challenging and forward thinking gets more critical. Definitely workable though.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Bigger is fine if you need / want / use the space. If you fit fine in a 25' then there is no reason to change.

In the three years we have had the 30', I have not run into any situation that made me say "if only it was 5' shorter". That includes finding campsites at places like Yellowstone. Indeed something down in the sub 20' / teardrop range *would* be a very different thing.

Towing wise, as long as your TV's drive train is up to the task, it should tow fine. You *do* have more weight. An uphill slog with a small engine will be worse with the bigger trailer.

Bob

[Rocinante]

We’re in the camp that suggests we have in the smallest possible RV that offers the level of comfort we desire. We successfully full-timed in a 27FB for 8 months, and we know of bigger families who have done the same in that size for even longer. Now that we’re back to living in a stix/brix home, I’m once again jonesing for a 23FB, or something similar. Smaller is easier to tow with a smaller TV, it fits in more campgrounds, fits even more easily in the driveway for loading /unloading, and on and on. Small, but comfortable, is good.

[turk123]

The main difference we found from going from a 27 to the 31 is we now get our diesel fuel at truck stops. If you are a gasser, it becomes more challenging to maneuver in a gas station.

We try to fuel up before we hook up if possible. We do not travel more than 300 miles in a day. This sometimes is not possible so we go for the truck stops. Trucks stops can be faster anyway!

[casey0672]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.

[JayTheCPA]

One more thought. The longer the trailer, the more critical ball height gets. Ball too high and the rear has more opportunity to drag on irregular surfaces. Ball too low and it passes more (possibly too much) weight to the tow vehicle.

[casey0672]

Thanks