Excited to become part of the forum

**Ondroad** · 06-30-2020, 10:20 PM

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are about to purchase our first 5th wheel and after lots of research we've come to the conclusion that a Grand Design Solitude seems to fit what we want.
Now we have to decide wether to get an s class or the original and wether to buy a 34' or a 38'. There are pros and cons. It's basically just going to be him and I.
Our favorite floor plan is rear living.
Thanks,
Orita

**geotex1** · 07-01-2020, 06:32 AM

Welcome! I vote S-Class, but I may be biased! Good luck in your decisionmaking and be sure to read the forum for advice, tips and tricks through all phases - searching, tow vehicle needs, desirable options, negotiating a deal, PDI, shakedown trip, must-haves, mods, and more!

**MarceloMC** · 07-01-2020, 11:29 AM

We just purchased our first 5th wheel too! We LOVE our rear living area! We decided to go with the Solitude 377MBS and it works great for our family of 5. The dual slides in the back really open up the living area and the full sized hutch and center island are great touches and add that level of elegance I feel like at home!!

See you out there!!!

**Ondroad** · 07-01-2020, 02:06 PM

Thx everyone. We’re also checking the brand new Alliance Paradigm. It’s a great rig too.

**geotex1** · 07-01-2020, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by Ondroad

Thx everyone. We’re also checking the brand new Alliance Paradigm. It’s a great rig too.

It's in the same space as the GD Solitude and Jayco high-end 5ers. Several folks from GD went to Alliance in fact. Some really nice styling! However, personally I would let them age a few model years (this is their first). We met owners of a paradigm in Gettysburg last week and they're pretty frustrated with issues they have been having but did comment Alliance is working on their satisfaction. So, customer service is there.

Whatever you do, remember to weigh if you will have demand for a good dealer. That is, if you're handy and a DIYer, probably not. If you are not and prefer to have a dealer do work, that is a real consideration.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

**openrangeowners** · 07-01-2020, 02:19 PM

Congrats! We just ordered a Solitude S-Class 2930RL. Get whatever floorpan you like the most. One thing to consider - many campgrounds delineate campsites as 25' and below, 30' and below, 35' and below, 40' and below or 40+'. So the difference between 34' and 38' is going to matter for some campgrounds. As far as towing, you probably won't notice much of a difference. Backing up, the extra 4 feet need to be accounted for when you swing your camper into a site, but whatever it is you will most likely have a spotter and you will accommodate your driving/backing up accordingly.

We chose the S-Class because it had the same construction as the regular Solitude (7K axles, larger frame, wide body) and we liked the layout/floor plan of the 2930RL. The 310GK Solitude was nice too, but the 2930RL hit all of our check marks for what we were looking for. We liked the bedroom layout with the front windshield over the bed (North-South queen bed) for looking out at the sky at night. Some people may not like that, but we do. We also wanted a floor

The upgrade I am doing on the S-Class is changing out the inbox for a MorRyde - the regular Solitudes already have an upgraded pin box. The other thing I would have opted for is disc brakes (an option on the Solitude but not one for the S-Class. I can purchase a kit for under $2K and install myself someday in the future, so not really a problem right now).

Having the place for a separate washer./dryer in the kitchen area is a plus for us since it will not add as much pin weight to the camper and will allow us to do wash in the evening without disturbing our sleep as much (assuming we someday add the washer dryer). Right now we will do mostly weekend trips this fall and see what the future brings - we are downsizing from a 40' bunkhouse 5th wheel that we had for almost 10 years.

**Steven@147** · 07-01-2020, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by Ondroad

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are about to purchase our first 5th wheel and after lots of research we've come to the conclusion that a Grand Design Solitude seems to fit what we want.
Now we have to decide wether to get an s class or the original and wether to buy a 34' or a 38'. There are pros and cons. It's basically just going to be him and I.
Our favorite floor plan is rear living.
Thanks,
Orita

Yes there are pros and cons to the Solitude and Solitude S-Class. We like the rear living as well. One thing I will relate is cargo capacity. Some of the regular Solitude's do not have a lot of cargo cap. Our S-Class has over 4000# of cargo capacity and that was important for us going full time. We did not want hydraulic leveling and slides. The S-Class does not have that, its all electric. Otherwise our S-Class has everything else the regular Solitude's have or that we deemed important.

Length - thats a personal preference and depending on where you like to camp it can be an issue with the longer rigs. Our 3350 is right at 37 feet and that is big enough for us. The 2930 S-Class is a little shorter so it would fit into more sites at older campgrounds. We do not like to camp at a lot of state parks. We have found way too many trees have not been kept trimmed and site entrances have trees
over grown right at or on either side of a campsite entrance making it very difficult to back into a site. Yes they are cheaper but a lot of them have not been upgraded for the more modern and longer rigs. I will not risk damaging our rig on low hanging tree limbs and parks that have not kept the trees trimmed away from camp site entrances. Your area may very on State Parks.

**openrangeowners** · 07-01-2020, 04:23 PM

Steve and Tami - reading your signature I see you upgraded your pin box to the MorRyde one. How do you like it and how does it tow compared to the original Lippert one?

**Steven@147** · 07-01-2020, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by openrangeowners

Steve and Tami - reading your signature I see you upgraded your pin box to the MorRyde one. How do you like it and how does it tow compared to the original Lippert one?

Yes we did upgrade to a MorRyde pin box. The S-Class does not have the MorRyde option either on the pin box or the leaf spring equalizers. The S-Class equalizer is an Equa-Flex. With the rigid Lippert box we would get some chucking on some highways. The MorRyde box dampens the chucking and improves the ride substantially. Yes they can be a little pricey but well worth the money. We were able to find one on Craig's List just a year old from date of manufacturer and had only been used to pull a Jayco 5er once. The guy selling the MorRyde pin box upgraded his truck to a Ram with side bed tool boxes and the MorRyde box would not clear the bed tool boxes. I paid half of the price of a new one. It made a lot of difference in towing.

**geotex1** · 07-01-2020, 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by openrangeowners

Steve and Tami - reading your signature I see you upgraded your pin box to the MorRyde one. How do you like it and how does it tow compared to the original Lippert one?

Another way to go is the Reese Goosebox. We went this route as my other 3 trailers are all goose and I just prefer to have my truck bed free. B&W Companion is collecting dust shelved in the garage! Check it out, maybe it's for you too.