Short answer. On the makers’ published figures, the median fifth wheel here is 40′ 2″ long and 12,500 lb dry (n=411); the median travel trailer is 29′ 9″ and 6,098 lb (n=1,231). Length is only part of it: between 34 and 38 feet, fifth wheels have a median dry weight of 10,686 lb (n=88) against 7,891 lb for travel trailers (n=209), and a median published sleeping capacity of 6 against 8. A fifth wheel also puts more of its weight on the truck: a median 19% of dry weight on the pin (n=411), against 12% on a travel trailer’s tongue (n=1,211).
One record per floorplan page (1,352 travel-trailer and 458 fifth-wheel pages); model-year records are not counted twice. Not every maker publishes every figure, so each row states its own count. For the practical side (how each hitches, tows and lives) read travel trailer vs fifth wheel. † Cargo capacity is shown only for makers whose own floorplan pages print it (Forest River, Jayco, East to West, Highland Ridge). For the others this site does not subtract dry weight from GVWR to make one.
01Side by side
Medians across every page of each type, with the range the middle half of plans fall in.
| Measure | Travel trailer median | Middle half | n | Fifth wheel median | Middle half | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length (ft) | 29′ 9″ | — | 1,349 | 40′ 2″ | — | 442 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 6,098 | 4,644–7,599 | 1,231 | 12,500 | 10,431–14,659 | 411 |
| GVWR (lb) | 7,775 | 6,395–9,950 | 1,029 | 16,128 | 13,958–18,075 | 322 |
| Cargo capacity (lb)† | 1,695 | 1,425–2,086 | 1,048 | 2,772 | 2,156–3,371 | 321 |
| Hitch weight: tongue / pin (lb) | 735 | 550–960 | 1,331 | 2,335 | 1,915–2,860 | 453 |
| Fresh water (gal) | 45 | 39–54 | 1,346 | 75 | 55–81 | 458 |
| Grey water (gal) | 40 | 34–70 | 1,338 | 87 | 78–100 | 457 |
| Black water (gal) | 35 | 30–39 | 1,242 | 50 | 40–76 | 434 |
| Grey + black combined (gal) | 78 | 66–105 | 1,235 | 140 | 123–164 | 434 |
02At the same length
Fifth wheels are longer on average, so the headline gap overstates what the hitch type itself costs. Set the plans in 4-foot bands: the fifth-wheel median dry weight is higher in 5 of 5 bands where both types have 5 or more plans. Read the sleeps column too: at the same length the fifth-wheel median sleeping capacity is lower in 4 of 4 comparable bands, since the raised front usually holds the main bedroom. Length is the maker’s published overall length.
| Length | TT dry (lb) | n | 5W dry (lb) | n | Sleeps TT / 5W | Slides TT / 5W | Fresh gal TT / 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26–30 ft | 5,762 | 243 | 7,922 | 20 | 6 / 4 | 1 / 1 | 52 / 54 |
| 30–34 ft | 6,507 | 247 | 8,790 | 43 | 6 / 5 | 1 / 2 | 52 / 54 |
| 34–38 ft | 7,891 | 209 | 10,686 | 88 | 8 / 6 | 2 / 3 | 52 / 70 |
| 38–42 ft | 9,590 | 88 | 13,139 | 88 | 8 / 6 | 3 / 3 | 52 / 75 |
| 42–46 ft | 12,012 | 50 | 14,484 | 149 | — | — | 40 / 75 |
03Tongue weight vs pin weight
The share of the trailer’s dry weight that sits on the hitch, as each maker publishes it, for plans that print both figures. The pin share runs higher, and on a heavier trailer: the median published pin weight is 2,335 lb (n=453) against a median tongue weight of 735 lb (n=1,331). That weight comes out of the truck’s payload, which is why fifth wheels are usually matched to heavier trucks. See how to read trailer weight numbers and tow match.
| Hitch weight as a share of dry weight | Travel trailers (n=1,211) | Fifth wheels (n=411) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10% | 42 (3%) | 0 (0%) |
| 10–12% | 460 (38%) | 0 (0%) |
| 12–14% | 494 (41%) | 1 (0%) |
| 14–16% | 163 (13%) | 38 (9%) |
| 16–18% | 43 (4%) | 92 (22%) |
| 18–20% | 8 (1%) | 170 (41%) |
| 20–22% | 1 (0%) | 66 (16%) |
| 22% or more | 0 (0%) | 44 (11%) |
Two hitch figures printed by their makers but implausible against the dry weight are left out, as on tow match. Published hitch weights are base-unit figures; loaded hitch weight is higher.
04Water tanks
For time away from hookups, tank size is one of the limits on how long you can stay. Fifth wheels publish a median of 75 gal fresh (n=458) and 140 gal of grey and black combined (n=434); travel trailers 45 gal fresh (n=1,346) and 78 gal combined (n=1,235). How the plans spread across tank sizes:
| Tank size | Travel trailers | Fifth wheels |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh water: 40 gal or more | 1,009 of 1,346 (75%) | 458 of 458 (100%) |
| Fresh water: 60 gal or more | 165 of 1,346 (12%) | 312 of 458 (68%) |
| Fresh water: 80 gal or more | 90 of 1,346 (7%) | 139 of 458 (30%) |
| Grey water: 40 gal or more | 692 of 1,338 (52%) | 452 of 457 (99%) |
| Grey water: 60 gal or more | 513 of 1,338 (38%) | 440 of 457 (96%) |
| Grey water: 80 gal or more | 156 of 1,338 (12%) | 319 of 457 (70%) |
| Black water: 40 gal or more | 251 of 1,242 (20%) | 344 of 434 (79%) |
| Black water: 60 gal or more | 47 of 1,242 (4%) | 143 of 434 (33%) |
| Black water: 80 gal or more | 17 of 1,242 (1%) | 102 of 434 (24%) |
05Sleeps and slide-outs
Sleeping capacity and slide-out count are printed for fewer plans than weights, so the counts below are smaller.
| Sleeps (as published) | Travel trailers (n=727) | Fifth wheels (n=282) |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 | 108 (15%) | 9 (3%) |
| 4–5 | 233 (32%) | 107 (38%) |
| 6–7 | 174 (24%) | 91 (32%) |
| 8–9 | 130 (18%) | 46 (16%) |
| 10 or more | 82 (11%) | 29 (10%) |
| Slide-outs (where stated) | Travel trailers (n=310) | Fifth wheels (n=161) |
|---|---|---|
| None | 40 (13%) | 0 (0%) |
| 1 | 182 (59%) | 14 (9%) |
| 2 | 57 (18%) | 14 (9%) |
| 3 | 30 (10%) | 70 (43%) |
| 4 or more | 1 (0%) | 63 (39%) |
06Where the two overlap
The types are not separate worlds. 90 of 411 fifth wheels (22%) publish a dry weight under 10,000 lb, while 88 of 1,231 travel trailers (7%) publish 10,000 lb or more. 77 of 442 fifth wheels (17%) are under 34 ft, and 138 of 1,349 travel trailers (10%) are 38 ft or longer.