Solitude 310GK or 2930RL?

[StacyQ]

Hi all... hubby and I are narrowing down our search for our first 5th wheel. We are really only considering the Solitude 310Gk or the 2930RL. We love both and they seem to be the ideal length for us. I would appreciate any input on either one... I know that there is only about 7 inch difference between the two but the title gives basically a 2 foot difference. So are there any build/durability differences? Is the 2 feet in title a deal breaker at various national parks and other state campgrounds? We will not be full timers as I still work but we will be in the rig for several weeks at a time in summer (a teacher life for me).
Also... in the pictures of the 310GK, there is a shower door but at our local dealer, the rig has a shower curtain. What's up with that and is there a preference? I just know at the house, the kids always had water on the floor using a shower curtain! Thank you for any input!!

[Bradnailer]

We don't have ours yet but we have our sights on the 2930RL. We also looked at the 303RLS. We prefer the 2930 over the 303 because the bathroom is a little bit larger as is the shower and the lavatory counter. We like the window in the front of the 2930 and prefer the bed that has night stands and is more easily made versus the 310 which is tucked up in the slide. I don't believe you can go wrong with either.

[2hams]

We were also between the Solitude 310 and Solitude S Class 2930, as an upgrade from our Reflection 303.

The 310 and 2930 are on the same frame, 34'11" per specs. The 310 has hydraulic slides and 6 point leveling, the 2930 has electric slides and (I think) 4 point leveling. The 2930 has a ton of kitchen storage, a 12cf fridge, a walk through bathroom, closet slide, and nice big nightstands. The 310 has enough kitchen storage, an 18cf fridge, bed slide and front closet. They used shower curtains for a short time and went back to shower doors. I don't remember if tank capacity is the same for both rigs. I believe the 310 has better insulation values.

In either layout you can get to the fridge and bathroom with the slides in.


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[moenoodle]

Hello,
My wife and I purchased the 310GK in Sept and we absolutely love it!!

I have not found any place where 2 feet would be a deal breaker but we are new and have not camped a lot yet. 35 feet is a really good length, all most all places can accommodate that size trailer.

I think the main reasons for choosing the S-Class model is price and weight. The S-class has some features to make it lighter and less expensive, it is meant to be a middle class between the Reflection and the Solitude. It does not have the frame-less windows and some other features the Solitude has, I am not sure of all of them, you should check on that as well.

While ours is a 2019, it does not have the central vac or the trailer hitch. GD changes features on these things throughout the model year. They did make some with a shower curtain but my understanding is they went back to the glass door. If the glass door is important then shop around and get one with the options you want.

We like the Solitude and decided after a few years of shopping around that is what we wanted. We also wanted a shorter model to start with so we could get comfortable towing and maneuvering it. We had a 2016 F350 SRW truck at the time so we decided on the 310GK since it was the lightest Solitude available. However after the purchase and a couple of short trips, we purchased an F350 DRW because after loading the trailer we were just over the cargo rating of our SRW truck. So please take into account the capabilities of your tow vehicle.

I would advise you to make a list of the differences between the two models and determine if the differences are acceptable. Also go take a tour of the manufacturing plant if you can. It is a real eye opener and will give you the opportunity to ask questions.

Here are the things that drove us to GD Solitude. Quality of the build, GD support, open floor plan (we love the kitchen and living room arrangement), blackout shades, large bedroom and closet, and the thing that really sold us, the large windows in the living room!!! Oh yeah, the auto leveling, that is AWESOME!!!

One other item to consider, we only realized this after camping a few times. If you do not plan on boondocking, get the residential refrigerator. We thought we would boondock so we got the propane/electric RV frig. However we are having a hard time keeping the frig below 40 degrees. I have to check the door seal, I have a feeling that maybe the issue, and I have ordered a fan for the cooling fins to help out. Currently we are just camping for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. Eventually we will go full time and will upgrade to the 373FB because of that really large bathroom and we will get the residential refrigerator.

I hope this helps, please ask us any questions you may have and I will do my best to help you. Good luck, you cannot make a bad decision here!!! We love our 310GK and take it out every chance we get, even if it is only 5 miles down the road for the weekend.

Brian and Susan

[boyscout]

Hi all... hubby and I are narrowing down our search for our first 5th wheel. We are really only considering the Solitude 310Gk or the 2930RL. We love both and they seem to be the ideal length for us. I would appreciate any input on either one... I know that there is only about 7 inch difference between the two but the title gives basically a 2 foot difference. So are there any build/durability differences? Is the 2 feet in title a deal breaker at various national parks and other state campgrounds? We will not be full timers as I still work but we will be in the rig for several weeks at a time in summer (a teacher life for me).
Also... in the pictures of the 310GK, there is a shower door but at our local dealer, the rig has a shower curtain. What's up with that and is there a preference? I just know at the house, the kids always had water on the floor using a shower curtain! Thank you for any input!!

EDIT: Wow, when I started writing this you had no other replies, by the time I finished it (I was working at something else too) you got a bunch of good replies. Good luck!

Hi, welcome.

When you say, "the title gives basically a 2 foot difference", I'll guess that you're talking about the model number. Those model numbers are a mysterious thing outside of the manufacturer (Grand Design as well as others) and often can't be presumed to be a reliable indicator of anything except the manufacturer deciding to give the unit that model number.

For example, in the 310GK the "31" isn't the length (that's 34'11' as you know) and nobody here seems to know what "GK" means (some have the theory that it means "Grand Kitchen", but its kitchen is much like that in many other models).

Your concern about your trailer being a "deal breaker" in some parks based on its model number can be retired. You'll be asked, "how long is your trailer" and can report "34 feet" or "35 feet" depending on which model you choose. That one-foot difference is unlikely to make any difference anywhere you go.

There ARE build differences between the two models. One result is a weight difference... the 310GK is almost 700 pounds heavier overall and almost 200 pounds heavier on the hitch of your truck. Given that both models have the same "Gross Vehicle Weight Rating" that means you could carry about 700 pounds more stuff in a 2930RL.

However the weight "penalties" don't make it a slam-dunk decision for the 2930RL. It is a lower-priced unit with lower weight because it doesn't have features that the 310GK does have. One I remember is that the 310GK has hydraulic leveling and slide systems whereas on the S-class they are electric motors - we've had both systems and like the hydraulic. Another obvious difference is that the 310GK bedroom has a slide, the 2930RL a centerline bed. FWIW we strongly prefer the slideout bed because it has windows on either side of the bed for ventilation, for looking outside from bed, and for giving thrills to nosy neighbors.

There are other differences in features and construction between the two units. Here's one thread discussing differences::

https://www.mygrandrv.com/fo...or-the-Factory

I believe you'll find more threads/posts using Search.

Also talk to the dealer and/or Grand Design and ask about the differences. Then you can decide if the savings is worth the sacrifices.

Re: the shower door vs curtain, Grand Design for a brief period began putting curtains in them but they got a pretty strong reaction from this community and other customers about it and soon returned to using glass doors. Maybe your dealer will give you a reasonable price on putting a shower door in the curtain-equipped unit he wants to sell you.

Good luck with your choice.

[Steven@147]

Stacy, we also looked at the 2930 RL S-Class 3 or 4 times and almost bought it. The wife liked the dual entry to the bathroom and we preferred the shower curtain because it is easier to keep clean, just replace the curtain. The curtain rod is bowed and actually gives you a little more room in the shower. If you have the shower doors they better be well secured while traveling because if they come loose they can break and the ones on our home are a pain to keep clean. The 2930 bed arrangement we liked along with the night stands on either side. The window in the front was not a big deal for us, it does let in a lot of light but also a lot of heat but then again you only really sleep at night. The pull down blind to cover the window was ok.

We really liked the 2930 also because you get some of the goodies of the Solitude line but at a lower cost than a full Solitude. Also for me I did not like the hydraulic slides and jacks of the full Solitude, I wanted the electric units which the S-Class has although it is 4 way leveling instead of 6 way. The length well that is up to the individual and at 34 feet, the 2930 would be good for a lot of older state parks with smaller sites. I think you would like it.

In the end we went with the 3350RL S-Class because we will be going fulltime. It has much more storage space and payload (4500 lbs) for full timing. It is electric 6 way leveling and slides. The two extra stabilizing jacks mid-ship makes for a very stable unit when parked. It has the full closet up front and the dresser which again was more important for storage full timing. If we decide to install washer/dryer (not likely but possible) it would be up front and out of the way instead of in the living quarters area. All this was more important to us than length.

Good luck with your decision,

[boyscout]

If you do not plan on boondocking, get the residential refrigerator. We thought we would boondock so we got the propane/electric RV frig. However we are having a hard time keeping the frig below 40 degrees. I have to check the door seal, I have a feeling that maybe the issue, and I have ordered a fan for the cooling fins to help out.

Brian, we had trouble getting good temps out of our 18cf dual-fuel fridge too, most of them related to door seal issues.

Eventually the dealer replaced the fridge - its floor had buckled up and was defeating door seals. The new fridge was VERY satisfactory for a while - and I like things near-ice-cold - and then began getting warm again. I could see myself that the flap between the doors wasn't fully closing to seal the fridge, it was rubbing on the floor of the fridge.

I removed the left door and put a washer on the lower hinge pin of the door. It raised the door slightly, the flap now closes reliably again, and the fridge gets plenty cold enough on a 5 or 6 setting. It's also REALLY good at holding its cold... we can travel for 5-6 hours with the fridge turned off and still have solid ice cubes in the freezer.

Maybe we just got a good one - I've seen lots of complaints about them - but it's possible that a door flap fix will give you a good cold fridge.

Good luck.

[2hams]

The real decision for us to pick the 310 over the 2930 was the height of the bathroom mirror - the top was at Dave's chin, he is quite tall. We also wanted the heat pump option, and moving from a Reflection 303 the Solitude feels like much more of an upgrade. The taller closet was also a consideration for his tall jackets.

FWIW, we have only had a few trips. I have to keep the RV fridge on a lower setting so that fridge contents don't freeze.


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[moenoodle]

Thanks Mark, I am going to check the door flap next time we take it out. I hope that is the issue. The last time we had it out, the outside temp was less than 80 degrees but really humid, rained a lot!! We had water everywhere from the condensers so I have a feeling it is a door leak. The freezer stays around 5 degrees but the frig struggles. I appreciate the update on your frig, I will look into that and update you on what I find.

[zadiemay]

What will your truck pull? Those are both very heavy & you will need a BIG truck.