95tigerbill
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2016
- Messages
- 90
Have you considered a diesel pusher and tow a jeep behind it?
5th wheel travel trailer construction
- Thread starter Addicting
- Start date
Addicting
Well-known member
Yes, we are looking at that as well but it’s a whole different price bracket to get into. Especially the insurance, fuel, and maintenance.
95tigerbill
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2016
- Messages
- 90
Yeah - buddy of mine did it for a year then did the math on his per night expenses 
. It’s a different conversation if you are mainly going full time vs just recreation.
. It’s a different conversation if you are mainly going full time vs just recreation.
Addicting
Well-known member
I would be interested in that number.
Johnny Bravo
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2022
- Messages
- 1,348
Just pony up the 500K and get a super C.... 
17remhunter
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2025
- Messages
- 169
I took a tour of western range camps facility in utah. There built like a tank and are designed to stand up to hard off road use. They will build then anyway you want and go out of their way to get you what you want. For a hunting RV their the only way to goBuild your own....Joking but not joking
Peak Mountain Camps are basically modern Sheep wagons. No personal experience but if i was buying, I'd l;ook at 'em...
https://www.peakmtncamps.com/
Western Range camp is another along that line...
Home - Western Range Camps
WR Camps specialize in the highest quality Range Camps, Sheep Camps, Sheep Wagons, Commissaries, Toy Haulers & Teardrop Trailers.www.westernrangecamps.com
Now that you mentioned a class C and that your wife wants glamping, my parents also used to own a class A winnebago. They loved sitting up higher while they were driving, big window, better view. Could move around inside while driving for the bathroom or food. Quote from them: "with a 5th wheel the vacation starts when you arrive, with a class A (or C), it starts when you leave". Freedom of movement is worth something. Edit: they never had one issue with the old (2000s) winnebago and drove it all over the place.
Slightly higher operating cost - rv and tow vehicle so twice the maintenance. Less storage than a big 5th wheel which is why they switched when going full time.
Slightly higher operating cost - rv and tow vehicle so twice the maintenance. Less storage than a big 5th wheel which is why they switched when going full time.
@Addicting Im helping fix my parents 2021 grand design right now. If you see plastic pex fittings like this pictured, run. Specifically the flexible, not hard, pex with the pex clamps. If the flexible pex goes onto a plastic fitting with the pex clamp, it will leak eventually. The flexible pex needs to go to a brass fitting, and we are using HD hose clamps to fix the issue. Light duty hose clamps arent strong enough.
They said trade-in or dealer purchase value on their $150k rv after 5 years is now $30k. They are also part of the class action lawsuit. Steer clear...
They said trade-in or dealer purchase value on their $150k rv after 5 years is now $30k. They are also part of the class action lawsuit. Steer clear...
Addicting
Well-known member
Wife and I looked at designs like this for a WY homestead. She has agreed we can be based there for the summers. But I had to concede to FL for the winters. 
17remhunter
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2025
- Messages
- 169
Florida?? Wyoming is at its best during the winter
grizzly_
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2013
- Messages
- 1,276
Yep, those stupid lines on my GD leaked and filled the entire belly up with water before catastrophically failing in the middle of the night.
I spent over a thousand dollars getting it repaired and replacing all those lines with real pex. This was my first attempt at a fix and it didn't work (we used a pex:butyl adapter with hose clamps as a backup).
I believe the manufacturer literally tried to use 1/2" I.D. pipe with fittings intended for 1/2" O.D. and then clamp it down with pex clamps... it simply won't last.
If you have that shiny flex tubing it's only a matter of time before it leaks and then every piece you fix will disturb another fitting and that will start leaking. I fought it for a month before tearing the hole thing apart and replacing every piece in my trailer.
I'd love to know more about the class action, because they owe me a reimbursement for using the incorrect fittings that don't match with the tubing, IMO.
Last edited:
I will try to get the info for the class action suit and pm you. That sucks how yours failed, it was what I was trying to prevent today. Every time I touched another set of pex it would create a new leak...
Thats a sweet setup for a homestead with the rv garage attached. Can't say Id opt for FL in the winter, but it would be fun to explore. AZ would be nice, throw in some late season hunts. I'm sure that has crossed your mind!
RealMuddyboots
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2021
- Messages
- 869
No matter which 5th you decide upon, your tow rig has to be married up damn near perfectly to help prevent a lot of the shake, rattle and roll these get going down the road. My parents had them and my dad was over road trucker so he was fastidious in this area. Horsepower, lots of it! He preferred one ton single rear wheel 4x4. Diesel, no other option in his thoughts. Trailer balancing to insure level going down road absolutely critical to minimize road sway which transfers a structure torque to entire rig. Triple axle, tire air pressure maxed. The tires take up axle limitations. His truck had air bags as well to adjust hitch adjustable downward pressure again to minimize nose sway. He also was really OCD on how much weight was placed in lower storage again for weight balance. Spare tires, 3! If you hit something on interstate, good chance takes out entire side. Overkill?
I can tell you I was with another guys rig coming back from elk hunt had a double taken out on I80 at night in snowstorm. I offered backup spare when we left but declined. That went well..
The biggest thing he felt was these rigs are not built to carry every dam thing you can think of inside. Keep it simple.
I never heard him say anything about plumbing but sure did about slide outs. Grease their "slides" but also inspect the weather and splash shields. How they are attached, material etc. stapled?
YMMV but some might think OCD, but over the road preparedness can help offset the build "defects".
One last comment he was adamant if really windy he would hunker down until conditions passed. His opinion was wind torque on rig was major potential oh crap. They are not 18 wheelers and cannot hold up in bad conditions.
I can tell you I was with another guys rig coming back from elk hunt had a double taken out on I80 at night in snowstorm. I offered backup spare when we left but declined. That went well..The biggest thing he felt was these rigs are not built to carry every dam thing you can think of inside. Keep it simple.
I never heard him say anything about plumbing but sure did about slide outs. Grease their "slides" but also inspect the weather and splash shields. How they are attached, material etc. stapled?
YMMV but some might think OCD, but over the road preparedness can help offset the build "defects".
One last comment he was adamant if really windy he would hunker down until conditions passed. His opinion was wind torque on rig was major potential oh crap. They are not 18 wheelers and cannot hold up in bad conditions.
Southern Elk
Well-known member
Will there be living quarters in the building or will you just park the camper inside and live in it? A lot of folks around here do that because HOAs prohibit living in campers out in the open long term.
Addicting
Well-known member
Living quarters inside. Trying to find a small property without a HOA. Just can’t believe what sagebrush is going for now.
Southern Elk
Well-known member
Tell me about it. Land is roughly 4 times as expensive as it was when I moved here.
