Utahtea:
Thanks for the website. I will check it out, I have a feeling however, that shows will not take place until spring and we are looking to buy around Jan. Do you feel safe traveling on mountains? Some of the mountains we have been on this year would have been REALLY scary for me in a motorhome or 5th wheel re: 120 into Yosemite?
dfrostnh:
So, what I'm hearing is to buy a truck with a factory tow pkg? You lost me on the anti-sway bars. Is this something installed on the vehicle?

Checked the site and I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! There's a boat and RV show this weekend an hour from our home!

cd,

Great about the RV show. The one "Big" one in my area is in January. You can get some really good deals at these RV shows!

The sway bars are used on travel trailers...not 5th wheels or motorhomes.

When we had our suburban and travel trailer, my DH tried to avoid mountain passes because we didn't have enough power. If we had had a better tow vehicle he would have done the mountain passes. In our motorhome we fly over them.

When we first got our class A motorhome it was a little bit scary sitting up so high and just being on the road. A few hours on the road and I loved it. Mountain roads don't bother me in any vehicle....so I guess I'm not the one to ask. We drive over Tioga Pass (Hwy 120) on our way back from vacations all the time. It's one of my favorite routes.

BTW, I tried to find your post over on the RV net message boards. I couldn't find it. What handle are you using over there?

Utahtea

I didn't post anything, I have just been reading what other's have to say.

For those either living in or traveling to southern California, one of the largest RV shows in the country will be held Oct 10-19, 2003, at the LA County Fairplex in Pomona. I've attended in years past and it has several buildings of vendors and acres of motorhomes, trailers, vans, and support vehicles. You should be able to compare to your heart's content.

Thanks to everyone who has responded to my post with such good information! You have been a great help.

In my opinion, 5th wheels are the best handling RV rigs, followed by motorhomes, with travel trailers worst. There can be a wide variation though, any of them can be underpowered or poorly designed/set up. If you are covering a lot of miles, the premium for a diesel engine may be worth it in fuel economy, but remember that diesel fuel pumps aren't available in all gas stations. If I had a 5500 pound trailer to tow, I wouldn't look for a truck with a 6000 pound tow rating; while it might be fine for occasional use, you would likely find it marginal for extended traveling