PROs vs CONs for Solitude 375RES-R

[orbsah]

I was told the dual pane windows aren't worth the added cost and weight; the additional insulation is rumored to be negligible and if any breach of the seal develops condensation can form between the panes

[boyscout]

Awesome! Yes, we are excited and are looking forward to getting it. Haven't decided on the dual pane windows yet (probably will). Definitely going with the heat pump. Also thinking about a tankless water heater. I know the unit has a 12 gallon heater standard. Any thoughts either way?

We had a 2018 Reflection with single-pane windows and now have a 2018 Solitude with dual-pane windows. We've been in just-below-freezing temps with both and noticed that the Reflection's windows were quite a bit more inclined to condensation. AFAIK the conditions were approximately the same but I didn't record ambient humidity or other factors to make this a scientific claim. We've also noticed that the Solitude is a little quieter inside as a *little* less outside noise gets in. Finally, since we don't load our trailer heavily the extra ~400 pound weight of the dual-pane windows was not a factor. We'd get them again.

The heat pump has been a bit disappointing for us. We didn't have a guy like me warning that the pump offers little benefit when the temps drop into the forties - the pump will run constantly struggling to warm the trailer and will blow coolish drafts around while generating quite a bit of noise. Again, we'd probably get it again anyway because it's easy to save the extra cost of the option by not burning propane in coolish temps.

People appear here frequently asking about on-demand water heaters but few of them reappear saying, "I did it!" They're costly, and one of the two leading brands can only be installed expensively by a factory-approved technician. However the question a lot of us ask is, "why do it?" The 12-gallon water heater can be run simultaneously on gas and electric which gives it a very good recovery time, but AFAIK ours has never had to "recover". Despite a wife (and occasionally a daughter) who likes long hot showers there's never been a complaint in our trailer about hot water supply, and we nearly always run it on electric-only. A few people here have reported that it's not enough for them, but not many. Probably best if you try living in the trailer for a while before deciding if you need the expensive upgrade.

Good luck with your decisions.

[Aridon]

I was told the dual pane windows aren't worth the added cost and weight; the additional insulation is rumored to be negligible and if any breach of the seal develops condensation can form between the panes

We took manufactures off the list because they didn't offer dual pane. Had them on every RV but one and I'll have them on any future purchase.

If you muddle around moderate temp all the time, you probably can pass. If you spend time in cold or hot or want extra sound dampening then get them. We were able to visit units side by side with and without them and the sound difference on its own was worth it. Windows also felt cooler, I didn't have my infrared thermometer to document numbers though.

This comes back to the anemic ccc and pushing to drop stuff because weight becomes an issue.

People that have had dual pane generally swear by them. People that don't have them are general vocal about their reasons.

[tularockstar]

Please specify what facts you have when you said the suspension and capacity are inadequate! We have a 2019 model and currently living in it full time, and with all of our stuff we are still not overweight. We have weighed our trailer and truck combo twice between Arizona and Wisconsin, and with full fuel and fresh water tanks. Many people have misconception about published capacity and do not understand how the pin weight is transferred to the TV while being towed. Hence, weighing one's trailer at a scale would show the real truth!

My wife and I have been researching for a long time and really liked the layout of the 375RES. However after digging deeper, I found the suspension inadequate considering the HUGE amount of storage space available. You might want to think about how much stuff you plan to carry. More info here:

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...-spring-issues
https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...ke-your-375RES

[[email protected]]

The con's we saw was the possibility of over loading and the length. A lot of parks only have a few spaces to fit 40'+ long trailers. If length is not a problem, we loved the under back storage that would have held our kayaks and SUP's, they take up a lot of room, but don't weigh allot. Now we have the kayak and SUP over the front of the truck, and a 33RL 5er in the back.

[Dick Noble]

We have spent two seasons in Southern Cal. in ours. I really love this rig. DW has decided, after two seasons, that she loves it also. She did not like it at first but has grown to appreciate it. It is as comfortable a rig as we have ever owned and we have owned 5 of them. I am careful not to over load it but that is true for all rigs.

[Dorwinion]

I agree with everyone who is concerned about the extra weight that the dual pane Windows add to the trailer. We have had suspension breakage twice which has put a damper on trips. Grand Design always ask me if I am overloading the trailer. We are diligent in not over loading the trailer, but the suspension system is designed to a minimal safety factor. Trailer is a great design but what about the engineering design?

[LovingIt]

If you plan on wanting to install a washer and dryer, I highly recommend ordering your trailer with them. We learned why installing ours why it was such a nightmare, apparently the manufacturer will build around the machines. We wished we were told this when we ordered our trailer. We installed the pinnacle washer and the compact dryer took a week because of daily issues because obviously the designers didn’t try doing that after it was built.
You do want dual pane windows they are worth it. We didn’t bother with the ac heat pump because the electric fireplace is right there, and a friend said don’t, but can’t remember exactly why, (more of a pain than worth?), we were advised to get the generator factory installed, so did. Tankless water heater was not a factory option, we think we want one, but we can install one when were ready.

[Loretta2.0]

Thank you. I appreciate the information on the washer/dryer and windows. Did not think about the problems that could be encountered trying to install W/D later.
How do you like your Dodge? I'm leaning toward the 3500 Dually, 4x4, Diesel.

[huntr70]

If you plan on wanting to install a washer and dryer, I highly recommend ordering your trailer with them. We learned why installing ours why it was such a nightmare, apparently the manufacturer will build around the machines. We wished we were told this when we ordered our trailer. We installed the pinnacle washer and the compact dryer took a week because of daily issues because obviously the designers didn’t try doing that after it was built.
You do want dual pane windows they are worth it. We didn’t bother with the ac heat pump because the electric fireplace is right there, and a friend said don’t, but can’t remember exactly why, (more of a pain than worth?), we were advised to get the generator factory installed, so did. Tankless water heater was not a factory option, we think we want one, but we can install one when were ready.

Washer and dryer are not available as a factory installed option.