An RV designed for full time living? (Grand Design)

[tx2sturgis]

I had not heard of these, but ran across a few happy owners at the NomadFest in Wellington.

One nice lady told me that they are fully warranted for full-time living...which was news to me!

They make 'extended stay' travel trailers starting in the mid $20K range all they way up to nice large fifth wheel trailers bumping $100K. No they aint cheap, but might be an option for some well-funded members here.

I did not get to see the inside of them, but they sure look nice from the outside.

I have no affiliation with them (surprise!) but wanted to pass along the 'head's up'.

Full Time Living:

https://www.granddesignrv.com/why-gdrv/full-time-living

The Imagine XLS is the 'half ton towable' line:

https://www.granddesignrv.com/showroom/2019/travel-trailer/imagine-xls

Build details:

https://www.granddesignrv.com/showroom/2019/fifth-wheel/solitude/construction


Looks like they will be in Quartzsite too!

https://gdrv4life.granddesignrv.com/events/official-rally-calendar

And here I thought that most RV manufacturers went cheap for the 'weekend-warriors'. It's nice to see some recognition in the industry for full timers.

 

[BeachRVer]

Thanks for the share! Haven't heard of these before.

 

[Anhedonic]

With the absurd amounts people are willing to spend on their RVs, I've often wondered why some company didn't make a really high-quality, no-corners-cut, full-time-capable RV. It looks like someone is doing it for trailers. Thanks for the link!

Is anyone doing it for vans?

 

[texas0322]

Looked at these when I was considering a bigger travel trailer. Seem to be very well made. Their biggest online community has tons of info, cant remember the site. The one thing that stuck out to me was the high level of customer service they seem to provide.

 

[Smitty716]

Imagine the resale value, is poor folks couldn’t afford a used one

 

[sushidog]

My DW and were thinking about buying a travel trailer for full time use. I even bought a Ford F-250 6.4l diesel to tow it with. The main problem I was having was finding one that was not only durable enough, but with sufficient carrying capacity for FT use. The smallest Grand Design travel trailer has around 1,100lbs carrying capacity and the largest around 1,500lbs. While this may sound like a lot to some, it is for the dry weight of the base model only, with no "options" or add-ons like batteries, spare tire, awning, propane, etc. This makes the actual, real world carrying capacity much less than it would first appear.

If you like to boondock, as most here do, eschewing RV parks for the freedom and economy of living "in the wild" you must consider all the above "options" plus the weight of the water in the tank and water heater (at 8.3 lbs/gallon) and the weight of batteries and either a generator or a decent size solar system. This will easily eat up this meager carrying capacity leaving you with little left for even food in your fridge let alone propane to run it.

After the diesel engine blew up on my Ford, I sold it for scrap (as I thought it was foolish to spend $15,000 on repairs, plus I still had to buy a travel trailer to live in.) Instead we decided to purchase an older used, low mileage motorhome with this $15k budget. We found a 1999 National RV Tropical that was meticulously cared for (with all maintenance records to prove it) with under 29,000 miles. In addition to being very sturdily made, it has dual rear axles and a 3,500lb carrying capacity. This includes the weight of a 5,500 watt onboard generator, 2 golf cart batteries (and the engine starting battery), a spare tire, a large awning, 2 rooftop air conditioners (which can both run off the generator at the same time if needed - plus if one breaks we have a spare, until we can afford to replace it), dual pane windows, great insulation, etc. It also includes the weight of a couple old, heavy, tube type TVs and a heavy sofa bed (which I removed to save more weight). This is sufficient to be able to add a decent size solar system, and travel with full water and fuel tanks and still have enough carrying capacity for clothes, linnen, food, tools, camping gear, etc. - basically all our worldly possessions. Plus there is much more storage space available on a motorhome than a travel trailer.

I just bought a used tow bar and installed a base plate to pull my little Chevy Cobalt we'll be using as a toad. This will give us a vehicle that returns outstanding fuel mileage (30+ mpg vs 9-10 MPG for the MH) for use for our daily tasks after we stop and set-up a base camp - for touring the area, grocery runs, etc. We can also carry heavy items, like tools and extra fuel and water in our toad, giving us another ton of carrying capacity if needed - just in case. It don't think it will be needed but it's better to have a little extra capacity than not enough.

Though this Grand Design line of trailers appears to be very well made, quality products for those considering a travel trailer for FT use, we found what we believe to be a better alternative for our personal needs, giving us much more for far less money. Food for thought.

Chip

 

[rm.w/aview]

Also, do a study on the carrying capacity of Class B and Class C to discover similar weights that sushidog mentioned in the first paragraph, using the wet weight (with full fluids and fuel) as a baseline. This may be found in brochures, but most likely not as they tend to use dry weight or unloaded vehicle weight (UVW). Motorhome Magazine has been a source for specifications in the past, and similarities among the manufacturers will show a pattern develop if you cannot find a specific Class B or C in the reviews. I've yet to be impressed with the cargo carrying capacity (CCC) of this type of RV. The chassis that they're built on has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and the RV and it's components consume a vast portion of this. Typically, if you desire a high CCC in a motorhome a Class A shines brightest. I've seen travel trailers (TT) and fifth wheels (5ers) with high CCC from Northwood Manufacturing, and of course toy haulers in both TT & 5er format will have high CCC (Grand Design included), and these also have a higher UVW due to structural design to carry the toys. There really is no "best" RV, only what's best for the individual, and at that time in their life. Circumstances, ideas, wants, and desires may have a person owning various types of RVs over time.

 

[B and C]

My class B+ only weighs 9700 pounds fully loaded with a Gross vehicle weight rating of 10,500 pounds. If I could find the space I could cram another 1300 pounds in it without being overloaded. Maybe I could find a place for more beer

 

[Smitty716]

B&C , check your math .. 10500 minus 9700 equals 800, not 1300

 

[B and C]

Oops!  I am not close anyway.  Wrote in a fog and have gotten old .  Still, 800 pounds of beer I could not fit in even if I kicked a bunch of stuff out 

 

[Smitty716]

Just fill water tank with beer and stay in the cold climates

 

[B and C]

^^^Like

Unfortunately, it would be flat before I got a six pack into it. And I would still have that 800 pound (stand corrected) cushion.