ʻO ka huila lima vs. travel trailer debate can cause some confusion. If you’ve decided to join the camping world and buy an RV, you have some decisions to make. Perhaps you know you want a towable RV, but you may not know whether a fifth wheel or travel trailer would best suit your needs. 

Kiʻekiʻe JSK hoolei ana i ka lima huila 37C

How do you decide which one is best? Let’s take a closer look at the fifth wheel vs. travel trailer debate. Maybe then you’ll have a better understanding of what each type of towable has to offer!

Nā pōmaikaʻi o kahi RV Towable

Narrowing it down to a towable RV shows progress. Motorized RVs, sometimes called drivable RVs, certainly have their perks. But you’ll find some advantages to owning a towable RV. 

First, you have a separation between your living space and your vehicle. Often this means more space inside the RV, even if your towable is shorter because you don’t have the front cab taking up several feet. The separation of home and vehicle also means when you travel, you can put more things in the truck or SUV and not take up room in the RV.

ʻOi aku ka maikaʻi o ka loaʻa ʻana o kahi kaʻa kaʻawale ke hiki ʻoe a hoʻonohonoho i kāu kahua hoʻomoana. A laila hiki iā ʻoe ke lawe i kāu kaʻa kaʻa a holo i ke kūlanakauhale e kiʻi i nā meaʻai a i ʻole e holo ma ke ala nani me ka ʻole o ka huki ʻana i kāu rig holoʻokoʻa me ʻoe.

Nā Huila ʻElima vs

Now let’s look at the fifth wheel vs. travel trailer dilemma. There are several differences worth noting. Once you have an idea of how you want to travel and where you plan to camp, you can make the best decision for your needs.

The differences below don't make one good or bad; they’re just different. Although you can set up a fifth wheel more easily, you have more towing options with a travel trailer. So just note both have pros and cons.

Nui

Ma nā ʻano like ʻole o nā RV, ʻokoʻa ka nui. Hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻokele i kahi kaʻa kaʻa 30 ft Class A a i ʻole 40 ft Class A kaʻa kaʻa. Hiki iā ʻoe ke loaʻa nā kaʻa huakaʻi māmā 30 ft ka lōʻihi a ʻoi aku ke kaumaha 25 ft ka lōʻihi. ʻO ka nui āu e makemake ai, hiki iā ʻoe ke loaʻa i ka mea kūpono loa iā ʻoe.

In general, the space inside a fifth wheel will feel larger than the space inside a travel trailer because of the higher ceilings. If you compare a 34 ft travel trailer and a 28 ft fifth wheel, you might feel like the fifth wheel is bigger even though it’s several feet shorter. A fifth wheel’s ceiling measures about 9 ft compared to a typical travel trailer’s ceiling, around 6 to 7 ft, because the front cap sits over the truck’s bed. For taller individuals, this matters a lot.

Ma waho aʻe o ke kiʻekiʻe o ke kaupaku, ʻoi aku ka lōʻihi o nā huila ʻelima ma mua o nā kaʻa huakaʻi. Hāʻawi lākou i ka bang loa no kāu kālā. ʻOi aku ka nui o ka lumi o nā huila ʻelima ma muli o nā paheʻe ma nā ʻaoʻao kūʻē e hoʻonui ai i ka hakahaka. ʻOi aku ka nui o ka lumi moe nui ma muli o kahi paheʻe.

Ka holo ʻana

E lanakila mau ana na huila elima ma ka mahele hookele. ʻO kēia ma muli o nā ʻano like ʻole o ka hitch. Hoʻopili ʻia kahi kaʻa huakaʻi huakaʻi, i kapa ʻia hoʻi he bumper pull, ma o ka pōpō a me ka ʻōnaehana hitch ma ke kua o ke kaʻa kaʻa. ʻOi aku ka paʻakikī o kekahi poʻe i ka huki ʻana i kahi kaʻa huakaʻi no ka emi ʻana o ke kaumaha o ke kaʻa kaʻa. Loaʻa i nā mea hoʻokele ka ʻoi aʻe o ka hoʻokele a me ka liʻiliʻi o ka mana, ʻoiai e kōkua kahi kaʻa kaumaha i ka hoʻopau ʻana i kekahi o ia mea.

On the other hand, a fifth wheel attaches to a special hitch in the bed of a truck. Because it has several feet and a couple of thousand pounds of the RV in the truck’s bed, it places more weight on the rear axle. This means you have more control when towing. 

The turning radius decreases because the fifth wheel hitch pivots to about 90 degrees. Drivers don’t have to swing out as far when making tight turns. The ride is also smoother when towing a fifth-wheel because of the hitching system.

Kumukuai

Usually, a fifth wheel will be more expensive than a travel trailer. Regardless of length, fifth wheels are heavier and require more production time due to the front cap design. If you have a smaller budget, you probably won’t find a fifth wheel to suit your needs. 

He $25,000 a 35,000 ke kumukūʻai huakaʻi huakaʻi hou, ʻoiai e hoʻomaka ana ka huila ʻelima hou ma kahi o $40,000 akā hiki iā ʻoe ke loaʻa nā hiʻohiʻona ma luna o $100,000. Eia hou, ʻokoʻa kēia ma muli o ka nui, nā koho, a me ka brand.

Nā Pono Kalaiaina

Hiki iā ʻoe ke loaʻa i nā mea āu e makemake ai ma ke koho towable. Inā makemake ʻoe i kahi mokupuni kīhini, hiki iā ʻoe ke loaʻa nā huakaʻi huakaʻi a me nā papahele ʻelima huila e hāʻawi i hoʻokahi. A i ʻole makemake ʻoe i kahi hale moe, e loaʻa i nā RV towable nā ​​hiʻohiʻona e hōʻike ana i nā wahi no nā keiki. Inā pono ka pahu hau hale noho, hiki iā ʻoe ke kiʻi i kekahi i loko o ka huakaʻi huakaʻi a i ʻole ka huila ʻelima ke loaʻa iā ʻoe kahi kumu hoʻohālike 50 amp. 

So the inside amenities compare. The biggest difference inside is the ceiling height and number of slides. As already mentioned, these features make fifth wheels feel bigger and homier, even if they’re shorter.

Hoʻokele Waila

ʻOi aku ka pili o ka hoʻokele waiwai me ka nui a me ke kaumaha o ka RV towable ma mua o ka hoʻolālā maoli. No ka mea, ʻoi aku ke kaumaha o nā huila ʻelima, hoʻonui lākou i ke koʻikoʻi ma ke kaʻa, e hoʻonui ana i ka hoʻohana wahie. 

Additionally, many fifth wheels need to have trucks or diesel engines to tow them, which adds to the cost of fuel. A smaller travel trailer will be much more efficient traveling along the interstate or up mountain inclines because they don’t weigh as much.

Maʻalahi o ka hoʻonohonoho

This aspect of the fifth wheel vs. travel trailer debate is about the hitching system. Because you can easily unhitch a fifth wheel, setting it up feels like a breeze compared to setting up a travel trailer. The kingpin simply slides out of the hitch — no manual labor involved. Often, fifth wheels come with automatic leveling, so with the push of a button, your rig will be set up in a matter of a few minutes.

Ma ka ʻaoʻao ʻē aʻe, pono ʻoe e hana i nā hana hou aʻe e wehe i kahi huki bumper. Pono ʻoe e hoʻokiʻekiʻe i ke alelo a wehe i nā kaola a me nā kaulahao. Pono ka hapa nui i kekahi ʻano o ka pae lima, no laila hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻonui i ka manawa e hoʻonohonoho ai i kahi hoʻomoana me kahi huakaʻi huakaʻi. 

Waihona

ʻOi aku ka nui o ka waiho ʻana o nā huila ʻelima ma mua o nā kaʻa huakaʻi. ʻO kēia ma muli o ko lākou kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe. ʻOi aku ka kiʻekiʻe o nā keʻena mālama mua ma muli o nā ʻanuʻu 2 a 3 e piʻi ana i ka pāpale mua. 

The bottom of the RV remains at the same height while the interior floor goes up about three feet. This gives you more storage space underneath. They also have the addition of the storage bay under the front cap that travel trailers don’t have because of the tongue.

Make Sure You’re Towing with the Right Vehicle

One of the most important decisions when choosing an RV is having the right tow vehicle. If you already own an SUV, you will need to look for travel trailers. You can’t tow a fifth wheel with an SUV.

You also want to pay attention to towing and payload capacity of trucks when considering a fifth wheel. Even though a fifth wheel may only weigh 9,500 lbs, its payload may exceed what your Ford F-150 with Ecoboost engine can hold. It’s recommended to tow fifth wheels with a three-quarter-ton truck or heavier so the rear axle can handle the extra weight.

You must pay careful attention to the GVWR of the RV to know what towing capacity your vehicle needs to have. Many RVers choose to follow the 80/20 rule, which means not exceeding 80% of the vehicle’s towing capacity. This leaves room for human error in any calculations and doesn’t put too much stress on the tow vehicle.

ʻO wai ka Towable i kūpono iā ʻoe?

Your dreams to visit state parks, mountains, and beaches can come true with the right RV. You just have to decide which type of towable will work best for you. When you’re shopping for your perfect RV, we recommend acting like you’re using it. Pretend to cook a meal, lounge on the couch, stand in the shower, and sit on the toilet. If you do this in enough RVs, you’ll be able to tell which floor plan and layout will work with your family.