Fifth Wheel vs Travel Trailer: Utah Guide
Fifth wheel vs travel trailer is the first fork in the road for most people who walk onto our lots in Millcreek and Spanish Fork, and both are good choices for different lives. A fifth wheel rides in the bed of a pickup and gives you a tall, multi room floorplan. A travel trailer hitches behind the bumper, tows lighter, parks easier and fits more driveways. Here is what each one costs you in towing, setup, storage and weather, using the spec ranges off the new units we have in stock right now.
How a fifth wheel and a travel trailer tow differently
The hitch point is the whole story. A fifth wheel puts its pin weight over the rear axle of your truck, the most stable place to carry it. That pin weight is real, though. Most of the new fifth wheels on our lot run from 1,320 to 2,825 pounds of hitch weight, and every pound of that eats into your truck's payload before you add passengers, dogs, coolers and firewood. Travel trailers on our lot run from 313 to 801 pounds of hitch weight, which is a very different conversation at the scale.
Total weight follows the same pattern. Our new fifth wheels run from 8,100 to 15,609 pounds dry with GVWR ratings from 11,000 to 18,500 pounds. Our new travel trailers run from 2,690 to 6,700 pounds dry with GVWR ratings from 3,765 to 8,800 pounds. In practical terms, a fifth wheel almost always wants a three quarter ton or one ton truck, while plenty of travel trailers here are at home behind a half ton, and the lighter end opens up to midsize tow vehicles. Bring your registration and your door jamb sticker and we will do the math with you.
Now put that on a grade. Parleys, Spanish Fork Canyon up to Price, the climb out of Sardine. Weight is weight going up, and it is heat in your brakes coming down. The fifth wheel behaves better in crosswinds and in the truck wash you get from semis near Point of the Mountain, because the pivot sits ahead of the rear axle instead of behind it. The travel trailer simply has less mass to manage. Our fifth wheels with an axle count listed show two axles, while travel trailers on the lot run from one axle to two.
Turning and backing matter more than people expect. Fifth wheels here run from 31.75 to 44 feet long and pivot tighter than that number suggests, which helps in a tree lined loop in the Uintas. Travel trailers run from 19 to 31.58 feet, and the short ones go places a big rig never will, including dispersed spots off Mirror Lake Highway and forest roads in the Manti-La Sal.
Setup, space and what camp life feels like
Space is where the fifth wheel earns its keep. Our new fifth wheels sleep from 4 to 9 and carry from 2 to 4 slides, which is how you get a separate bedroom, a real kitchen and a living room with chairs instead of a dinette. Our new travel trailers sleep from 3 to 8 and carry from 1 to 2 slides, so the floorplan works harder and the furniture does double duty. Neither is wrong. A family that camps three weekends a summer rarely needs four slides. A couple living in theirs from April through October usually wants them.
Setup time is close to a wash once you have done it twice. The payoff shows up on a dry weekend. Fresh water on our new fifth wheels runs from 50 to 76 gallons, with grey from 50 to 123 and black from 41 to 88. Travel trailers run from 26 to 55 gallons fresh, 26 to 70 grey and 26 to 42 black. If you boondock below Goblin Valley or out past Antelope Island, that difference is how many days you go before you hunt for a dump station. Cargo capacity runs from 1,945 to 3,824 pounds on our fifth wheels and from 911 to 2,208 pounds on our travel trailers. Bikes, a generator, groceries and a case of water add up fast. Both types show up with solar, from 200 to 430 watts on the fifth wheels and 200 to 400 watts on the travel trailers, so neither locks you out of camping away from shore power.
Storage, height and the HOA question
This part sinks more deals than towing does. Listed exterior height on our new fifth wheels runs from 12.3 to 13.42 feet. On our travel trailers it runs from 9 to 11.25 feet. Measure your storage building door and your covered spot, because that difference decides what fits indoors in Salt Lake County and what lives outside through February.
Then there is the HOA letter. Plenty of neighborhoods along the Wasatch Front limit how long an RV can sit in a driveway or want it out of street view entirely, and some side yards will take a 21 foot travel trailer but never a 40 foot fifth wheel. Length and height together set your storage bill. If you are paying for storage either way, that evens things out and you can choose on living space instead.
Weather: mountain nights and desert heat
Utah gives you cold October nights at 9,000 feet and blazing July afternoons in Moab, sometimes in the same month. Heating capacity on our new fifth wheels runs from 20,000 to 40,000 BTU, and on our travel trailers from 8,000 to 35,000 BTU. Part of that is how much space there is to heat, but the bigger units generally bring more furnace to a late season trip to Bear Lake or an elk camp.
Cooling runs the same direction. Air conditioning on our new fifth wheels runs from 13,500 to 45,000 BTU. Our travel trailers run from 5,000 to 15,000 BTU. For St George in August or a shadeless site at Yuba, that matters, and so does the smaller interior of a travel trailer, which takes less work to cool in the first place.
Side by side on the spec ranges, and who should buy which
| Spec | Fifth wheels, new in stock | Travel trailers, new in stock |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeps | 4 to 9 | 3 to 8 |
| Slides | 2 to 4 | 1 to 2 |
| Length (ft) | 31.75 to 44 | 19 to 31.58 |
| Ext Height (ft) | 12.3 to 13.42 | 9 to 11.25 |
| Hitch Weight (lbs) | 1,320 to 2,825 | 313 to 801 |
| Dry Weight (lbs) | 8,100 to 15,609 | 2,690 to 6,700 |
| GVWR (lbs) | 11,000 to 18,500 | 3,765 to 8,800 |
| Cargo Capacity (lbs) | 1,945 to 3,824 | 911 to 2,208 |
| Fresh Water (gal) | 50 to 76 | 26 to 55 |
| Grey Water (gal) | 50 to 123 | 26 to 70 |
| Black Water (gal) | 41 to 88 | 26 to 42 |
| Furnace (BTU) | 20,000 to 40,000 | 8,000 to 35,000 |
| AC (BTU) | 13,500 to 45,000 | 5,000 to 15,000 |
| Solar (watts) | 200 to 430 | 200 to 400 |
Buy the fifth wheel if you already own a three quarter ton or one ton truck, if you camp for weeks rather than nights, if you want a bedroom with a door, and if you have somewhere to keep something 12.3 to 13.42 feet tall. Buy the travel trailer if your tow vehicle is a half ton or smaller, if your storage is tight, if you like short canyon sites and forest roads, or if this is your first RV and you want the easier learning curve. Plenty of our customers start on a travel trailer and move up later, and plenty go the other way once the kids are grown. We carry both at both stores, so drive your truck over and walk through a few of each.
Frequently asked questions
Can I tow a fifth wheel with a half ton truck?
Usually not, and the hitch weight is why. Our new fifth wheels carry from 1,320 to 2,825 pounds on the pin, and that lands on your truck's payload along with everyone riding in the cab. Most half tons run out of payload long before they run out of tow rating. Bring the truck in and we will check your door jamb sticker against the specific unit you like.
Which one is easier to back into a campsite?
The one that is shorter. Our travel trailers run from 19 to 31.58 feet and the small ones are forgiving in tight loops. That said, a fifth wheel pivots over the truck's rear axle, which makes it predictable once you learn it, and ours run from 31.75 to 44 feet, so the challenge there is length rather than steering feel.
Will a fifth wheel fit in covered storage along the Wasatch Front?
It depends on the facility, so measure before you buy. Listed exterior height on our new fifth wheels runs from 12.3 to 13.42 feet, while our travel trailers run from 9 to 11.25 feet. That gap is often the difference between an indoor bay and an outdoor spot for the winter in Salt Lake County and Utah County.
How long can I camp off grid in each one?
Water capacity sets the limit for most people. Fifth wheels here carry from 50 to 76 gallons fresh, with grey from 50 to 123 and black from 41 to 88, which covers a several day stretch for a couple. Travel trailers carry from 26 to 55 gallons fresh, 26 to 70 grey and 26 to 42 black, so you plan shorter stays or haul extra water. Solar helps both, running from 200 to 430 watts on our fifth wheels and 200 to 400 watts on our travel trailers.
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