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5th Wheel vs Toy Hauler: What We’d Choose After Full-Time RV Living

Like There's No Tomorrow

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After living full-time for more than three years in a 2022 Alliance Valor 42V13 toy hauler, we traded it for a 2026 Alliance Paradigm 370FB traditional fifth wheel. Now that we’ve lived in the Paradigm for about a year, we’re comparing the two RVs based on what actually matters when your RV is your full-time home.

We’re talking about interior living space, working from the road, storage, cargo-carrying capacity, towing, boondocking, bathrooms, build quality, and the toy hauler features we genuinely miss—including that incredible side patio. We’ll also share the things we haven’t loved about the Paradigm and tell you whether switching RVs was the right decision or a big mistake.

The biggest lesson? A toy hauler or traditional fifth wheel can both be great full-time RVs—but the right choice depends on how you actually plan to live, work, travel, and use the space every day.

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📺 RELATED AND MENTIONED VIDEOS:

Our original Alliance Valor toy hauler tour:
Tour our 44ft Toy Hauler | Alliance Valor ...

Our first tour of the Alliance Paradigm 370FB:
NEW RV REVEAL: Our Full-Time RV Living Upg...

How we installed our two-person RV office:
8 Critical RV Upgrades We Prioritized for ...

Darlene’s side-patio accident:
Serious Boondocking Injury | Is this the e...

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⏰ TIME INDEXES:

00:00 5th Wheel vs. Toy Hauler
00:47 Why We Originally Chose a Toy Hauler
04:06 Why We Switched to the Alliance Paradigm
07:53 Living Space and Kitchen Comparison
13:30 Bathrooms, Bedroom, and Storage
19:00 What We Miss About the Toy Hauler Garage
25:28 The Side Patio We Still Miss
26:49 Storage and Cargo-Capacity Differences
30:59 Was Switching RVs the Right Decision?

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20 Comments

@liketheresnotomorrow Creator 2 months ago Pinned

After a full year in our Alliance Paradigm, we finally feel like we can answer this honestly: switching from our toy hauler was the right move for us—but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss parts of the Valor.

What would you choose for full-time RV living: a toy hauler or a traditional fifth wheel? And if you’ve owned both, what did you gain—or give up—when you switched?

We’d love for your experience to help someone else who may be trying to make this same decision.

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@CharlesSmith-vf4hd 11 days ago

Y’all’s comments on the Alliance 370 is really making me lean that way!! Thank-you!!

@shawnbeerens4292 2 months ago

That 5th wheel is really like a house on wheels!

@sharongriffin561 2 months ago

We went from a small toy hauler to a slightly bigger 5th wheel. We missed our living space. I gave up my island and he gave up his outdoor kitchen. Best decision we have ever made. We have so much more living area and storage. We have this unit 3 years and it’s a keeper !

@CharlesSmith-vf4hd 11 days ago

I LOVE that large pantry!!!

@kvalenzuela8033 2 months ago

We have a little older toy hauler 2007 Weekend Warrior. We absolutely love it. It hauls all our toys, UTV, ATVS, my Goldwing and his big Harley Dresser, Ebikes, grandkids toys, etc. (not all at the same time 😂) Because of the garage space, smaller bathroom 🙁. No slide outs, but one less thing to break. It has triple axles so that helps with hauling the weight. It would be awesome to have a new one but everything works in this one and we know what we have fixed already and it's history and it's paid for.

@theultimatefreedom 2 weeks ago

My wife and I just recently found your channel and we're enjoying it very much, your quality content is really well done. I do find it amusing and I chuckle when you call the toy hauler a "toy hauler" and the rig you're in a "fifth wheel" as those are your "designations." It was a bold move going with a 44 ft toy hauler fifth wheel as your first ever RV. Thanks for the great content looking forward to more...

@DiscoverAmericaRVing 2 months ago

Thank you for validating us!! We hang out inside as well. I love writing and photography which requires time inside. In the evening, we decompress watching YouTube…yes, we’re looking at you! We felt like we weren’t “doing it right” because we aren’t outside doing campfires. Thanks for the ok!

@crystalclarey7522 2 months ago

We full time in an Alliance 29rl and absolutely love it! Our kitchen/living space is the same with the opposing slides and big windows and that was what sold us on the floorplan for sure! We only have a queen bed and a small “closet” space but it works for us. Also my hubs still works full time, so we converted the dinette to a desk for him and I just put in earbuds or go into the bedroom while he’s on a zoom meeting lol! You find you can always make things work out and those are small inconveniences in return for this absolutely amazing lifestyle we live!! Thanks for another great video, love watching your channel. Safe travels!

@carashewomarion3405 2 months ago

First one was a Road Warrior toy hauler in 2013 when kids were 8, 9, and 10yo and had bikes and such to load and double queen bunks in toy garage…100 gal fresh water and generator onboard = perfect. Kids went off to college and bought a traditional 5-er (Jayco Northpoint) that was beautiful but too enclosed for us and missed the garage space and big eating area in garage. Went back to a toyhauler last year with the amazing XLR Nitro 40Bar13 with side deck and pass through kitchen to that deck. It’s so perfect as we have adventure motorcycles now and hauls great, has 150 gal fresh water, super efficient generator, and solar…boondocking in NW Montana as I type and agree: both traditional and toyhaulers 5-ers are great for whatever you specifically need.

@jenniferbartlett8464 2 months ago

❤We have a '16 Grand Design Momentum 397th it worked for us when we took our family and 6 dogs with us for separate bedrooms/bathrooms for privacy also when it came to traveling it provided space for grill,dog kennel panels ect in the toyhauler. After the family wasn't traveling with us,we purchased our alliance paradigm 370fb. We love it gives us space! It's perfect for us and 1 of our dogs❤

@Airstreaminginthesestreets 2 months ago

You guys make a great argument for a 5th wheel ngl lol😂

@walterrafolski5662 2 months ago

We have a 382 RK. It’s a 2023 model very well built, love the Alliance brand.

@bobabooie6389 2 months ago

My buddy has the 385fl. He loves it. Alliance took care of him with a major repair even though he was out of warranty

@mum2jka 2 months ago

When we decided to go full time we changed our TT for a fifth wheel. We went with the Montana High Country 331RL and loved it. It was slightly bigger than we initially wanted at just over 37’ but we made it work. Last year we decided to bite the bullet and swap it out for a Brinkley Z3100. We had first seen the Brinkley the year after we got our MHC. We are so happy with the Brinkley and can’t imagine changing it for anything else. And being just shy of the 35’ it is the perfect length for us.

@timalmich1964 2 months ago

I like your new rv. Looks really nice.

@chrisohiggins3267 2 months ago

Nice meeting you guys!

@Twobranchtravelers 2 months ago

My wife and I are struggling with this very thing right now! I’m retired and she works remote. We are leaning toward the toy hauler just to separate her from me and the dogs. Great videos and we love watching them.