One of the perennial debates on this list -- as well as in the RV community as a whole -- is the question of which is better: a motor home or a trailer/fifth wheel. The quick and dirty answer is that neither is better by itself; you must base your choice on your own needs. A more expanded answer is that folks who plan on traveling on a regular basis will enjoy the self-contained nature of the motor home, while those who stay in one location for longer periods of time will enjoy the greater space and the flexibility of a separate vehicle.

This summary, however, only touches the surface of the debate. Below are some of the advantages of the self-contained rig:

1. In a motorhome, you can move around while you are driving -- at least the passenger can! It is safer, certainly, to pull over, but most passengers take advantage of the ability to go to the bathroom, prepare a snack, or take a nap on the sofa or the bed. This not only saves time, since the driver can continue to make time, but it is a real convenience in bad weather, since no one has to exit the vehicle.
2. The use of a regular car at your destination is major advantage for many. It is true that you do have to deal with the question of pulling the toad, but you have a small car that is great for sightseeing, shopping, etc. instead of the large truck that gets 10-17 miles per gallon (or less!). The regular car is more comfortable to ride in, easier to maneuver, holds more people, is easier to park, and gets much better mileage. Here is an advantage even for those who stay for longer periods, assuming that they do pull a toad.
3. Setting up camp is a breeze. All you *need* do is stop, level, and plug in. And in case of bad weather, you might even skip connecting your shore lines, so if you have power levelers, you simply turn off the motor and you are at home! It is true, of course, that you do not always have to disconnect in a trailer or fifth wheel, but many folks do so, especially if they need to level (few if any fifth wheels or trailers have power levelers). Even at best, you have to get out of the truck and into the traveler -- not a major headache, perhaps, but don't you wish you could just turn off the lights and go to bed? (If you pull a toad, this may be a different story. It is much more complicated especially if you have to back into a site, since that would require disconnecting.) If you are staying for several days, of course, the time required to disconnect would be unimportant.
4. If you ever feel nervous about your surroundings, you can start the motor and leave without ever opening your door, an option that is definitely not available with a trailer or fifth wheel. If it were a true emergency and you felt unsafe, you could even pull off from a campsite where you were hooked up; you might have to replace your shore line and water hose, but your life is more important! (In reality, you would not normally have security problems in a campground where you were connected; most problems would occur when boondocked outside of a campground.)
5. A motorhome is usually easier to park and set up. Backing a trailer requires some experience, and even then some sites are difficult to maneuver. Hooking up would take about the same time, but a motorhome with automatic jacks is sure going to level faster than a trailer and blocks.
6. An advantage to a motorhome with a toad is the duplication of vehicles. If one vehicle dies, you have another means of transportation. This could be a major advantage if you are driving out in the middle of nature. You must also maintain two vehicles, of course, but normally you can schedule this at times when you can work around the inconvenience.
7. Many people feel more comfortable driving a motorhome than pulling a trailer or fifth wheel (at least when they don't have a toad behind them). Unless you have the right hitch combinations, pulling something behind you is just more nerve wracking.
8. Ever gotten stuck in a traffic jam in a car, truck, or van? Even if you have your home behind you, you are pretty well stuck. In a self-contained motorhome, you can fix supper, change drivers ö WHILE STOPPED, PLEASE, read a good novel, watch TV. In short, you just continue your normal existence instead of cursing the traffic.
9. One unusual advantage for some is the flexibility of a motorhome to drive forward or backward into a site. Sometimes the view is much better from one end and the site is accessible from only one side. Most RVs have a much better window on one end, and if it is facing the wrong way, you are out of luck.
10. An advantage for those who might need to spend the night at Wal-Mart is that a motorhome parked looks like someone parking, but an unhooked trailer is obviously someone camping. You certainly want to get permission either way, but this may prevent hassles from security folks and makes an unoccupied vehicle less attractive to someone up to no good.
11. Safety is always important. Trailers have cranky electric brakes, which are often undersized, need frequent adjustment, and rarely work as well as they should. Most motorhomes have better braking systems with lower maintenance requirements, and will probably stop quicker.

Those who prefer fifth wheels and trailers point out the advantages to these types of RVs:

1. Money! The cost of a good fifth wheel or trailer, plus the tow vehicle, is usually much less than a comparable motorhome. And when you compute maintenance, annual fees, registration, and insurance, the advantage of these RVs is obvious. You must examine the Individual units you are considering, of course, since a bargain motorhome might well run less than the cost of the least expensive combination truck/trailer, but on the whole, you will probably spend less with a fifth wheel or trailer. (And if you do wind up spending major bucks on a truck, you are probably looking at a vehicle which will outlast a similar priced motorhome.)
2. Space is a major advantage, especially with the fifth wheel. Triple slideouts are more and more common, so foot for foot the fifth wheel is larger. Some motorhomes do have slides, of course, few provide as many. A motorhome also loses space due to the driver's section. Even though the driver's and passenger's chairs can be turned in many coaches and become part of the living area, space is still lost. And if you have an older rig or a non- diesel, there is even more space lost. Even a motorhome owner wrote, "You can't imagine how I drool when I step into a 5er with twin slides after the squeeze of my 32 foot MH." (Note: The increased size also has its drawback -- increased weight. The bigger your trailer, the larger and more expensive the truck you will need. As always, get what you need.
3. A motorhome without a toad is extremely inconvenient once you have set up. If you decide to run to a restaurant, visit the grocer store, or do some sightseeing, you have to disconnect everything and then do your thing. (And remember that driving or parking that monster in a city is a headache by itself.) Of course, you can pull a toad, but pulling a fifth wheel behind your truck or a trailer behind a van is much easier for most folks. Passing is especially hairy with the motorhome-toad combination unless you have a rearview camera.
4. A strange advantage to the separate house, according to some, is that you can *not* visit the restroom or get snacks while driving, for it *forces* the driver to stop at regular intervals, which is safer and which adds health benefits. As one writer related, "A friend of ours was hospitalized because of some sort of clotting in her legs. When all was over, the medical observation was that as we get older, the circulatory system gets less efficient. Sitting for prolonged periods can lead to what happened to her. She was advised to go no more than two hours without getting up and about to stretch the legs." Might not be as convenient in bad weather, but it is healthier.
5. The fifth wheel (to a greater extent than a trailer) has more storage space. This means you can take more clothes ö or tools, whichever you prefer. Remember, however, that individual units may differ. There *are* spacious motorhomes -- especially in the basement storage -- and there *are* compact trailers and fifth wheels. As always, examine the specific units that interest you.
6. Having separate vehicle and house makes repair problems much easier to live with. If your truck needs repair, you can park the trailer somewhere and live in the comfort of home. If, on the other hand, your house needs repair, you have a vehicle that will get you to a motel. Unless you pull a toad, a sick motorhome is doubly inconvenient.
7. A major advantage over a motorhome-toad combination is that you *can* back up a trailer or fifth wheel, whether because you need to maneuver in traffic or because you have to back into a site. Those pulling a toad have to get out and unhook before they can do anything. (And if you were alone, that would be a *major* headache.) You can also re-hitch the night before you get ready to leave, so all you need do in the morning is drive off. If you are pulling a car, often you don't have room in the site to connect, so it must be done in the morning. (Those who drive motorhomes and pull toads argue that with experience, the time factor can be cut to 3-5 minutes; some have also pointed out that in most situations, they can find a level, perhaps even a covered area, to do the hooking/unhooking.)
8. Those who live in a fifth wheel often say that a motorhome is just too temporary. "I think it'd drive me nuts when I'm stationary to see the steering wheel every time I look toward the front of the vehicle," wrote one RVer. This might not be a major factor for most of us, but those full-timing may find it more important.
9. As always, safety is important. Folks who ride in a motorhome (especially those behind the passenger compartment) are protected only by a thin layer of aluminum/fiberglass, insulation, and thin paneling. You must also remember the possibility of flying furniture in case of a crash or a panic stop. A truck is much more secure.
10. Repairs are sometimes more difficult for those who own motorhomes, at least when it comes to the drive unit. You can take your Ford or Chevrolet truck into almost any mechanic and get parts and service. Pull your motorhome into Bob's Garage and you may get a quick exit. He can't get to your engine easily, his rack won't support the weight of the unit, and the blasted thing doesn't easily fit in the door. Even the dealer's repair shops are sometimes reluctant to tackle the job.

One footnote to this discussion: A few folks use a B-van and pull a small trailer behind. The van gives the convenience of the self-contained rig, but is much easier to drive in the city and in tight spaces. The trailer provides the added room. You can't pull as large a trailer, of course, but the storage space in the van and the holding tanks in the van compensate for that. It seems those on this list can solve almost any problem with a little thought!

So which is better? Only you can determine that. Consider the advantages given above for each to see which best fits your needs. And be assured -- whichever way you decide, you will lots of folks who would do just the opposite and lots who will totally agree. Just join the debate. We RV folks love to argue about our favorite toys!