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Thread: 2021 261bh

  1. #1
    Setting Up Camp
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    2021 261bh

    On week three - one trip so far, second starts tomorrow morning. Wanted to share my experience with the 2021 Grand Design Transcend 261BH.

    Firstly, I chose GD as my new trailer as they seem to have better quality control and one of the best customer service departments. There were others on my list, but the layout of the 261BH was exactly what I wanted. I did pay for a seven year extended warranty, somehow I doubt I'll be using it, I had it with a previous RV and decided to fix things myself, but oh well. I'd be interested to hear from others that have gotten anything back from one of these plans.

    On to the issues - and none of these are major (I expected major, since ... it's a house on wheels made out of staples and glue):

    1) The baked on (duracoat?) paint - in one or two areas, seems to be rather thin - very thin in one spot, that I can see the tin. I'll bring this up to the dealer, manual says to paint with automotive paint (as a touch up). For the life of me, I cannot find any (good) feedback on how to wax this thing, or if it even has to be waxed. Thus far, soap and water.

    2) The bedroom ceiling trim piece which has 1/4" staples holding the ceiling paneling up -- manufacturer staple guy got a bit quick putting in some of these and the trim fell during the first trip - so the ceiling dropped by a few inches. Three staples later and the problem is resolved.

    3) Kitchen sink plumbing, drain goes to the wall behind it in a T (from what I can tell, very hard to see). Again, the person gluing the ABS fitting didn't properly ensure that all parts were covered, and water was leaking from there. Quick fix for JB watertight weld (which, I always have on me for issues like this).

    4) Today: Opened the slide and found multiple pools of water (small, but evident). Thought it was a seal but one area where the water was located, it couldn't have been a slideout seal. On the roof, the kitchen skylight (made out of some of the most flimsy plastic I've ever seen), I discovered multiple cracks on the "lip" of the plastic dome - I suspect over tightening from the manufacturer put stress on the cheap plastic and cracked it. Pushing down on the crack - sure enough, water emerged from between the crack. Another hairline crack was found at the bottom corner around the same area. I suspect this is where the water came from (rained 2" in about 2 hours yesterday). Documented it, took photos, will put some dicor around the cracks (checked with dealer first - they said it's ok to do so) to get me by until I can get to the dealer. Frankly I'm not sure how these cheap domes are going to support 8" of snow. My previous RV had many problems, but the skylights survived hail storms with ease, I somewhat miss them.

    5) Grey/black water sensor issues aside, the fresh water sensor should, by default, be somewhat (50% or better) accurate. From day one, it will read empty unless I'm at 75-85% full. The 1/2, 3/4 and F readings light up with under 10 gallons apart while filling.

    Other than that, it's a house on wheels - to be sure. Great quality. Now that I've said that and I'm hauling tomorrow for an hour ... lord only knows. The only thing I'd change on it would be the 39gal kitchen/39 gallon bathroom grey tanks. I'd rather have a 15 kitcchen/63 bathroom - or something to that extent.

    I'm also a little paranoid (based on conversations here) about the fresh water siphoning itself off. My previous trailer had no overflow, just a vent from the gravity fill. I'd fill it up and the water would remain depressurized, nothing would come out. Not the case here. The slightest hill and water pours out of the overflow. Tomorrow I'll be bringing two 6 gallon water jugs with me and I'll top it off once I get to the campground. It will be interesting to find out how much water I lost. Anything more than 4-5 gallons would indicate an issue in my mind.

    So with just one trip behind me and another coming up quickly, would I buy again? Yup. For sure. Ask me if the same is true in a week from now though. High hopes... high hopes..

  2. #2
    Seasoned Camper Outdoorsman's Avatar
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    Thanks for sharing! I love this floor plan as well! Do you find it having enough storage? Anything you do not like or find annoying?
    2019 Imagine 3000QB
    2018 Imagine 2800BH (SOLD)

  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper Outdoorsman's Avatar
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    Also, would you be willing to say what state you bought it from and purchase price before any add-one?
    2019 Imagine 3000QB
    2018 Imagine 2800BH (SOLD)

  4. #4
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by Outdoorsman View Post
    Also, would you be willing to say what state you bought it from and purchase price before any add-one?
    Well, with the exception of the skylights which are made out of ... tinfoil like plastic (and I found out today came cracked/has been leaking) - there isn't much I don't like about it. Quality of manufacturing is better than others I looked at. GD is leading in that respects. I did anticipate issues, after my first trip I thought I was one of the lucky 30% of people without any major issues - I was wrong, but I'll get it fixed.

    I don't care for the 39 grey water in the shower and the 39 gallon in the kitchen. I have kids, they shower, wife showers, I shower - it fills up fast. I would have liked a larger (or shared) grey tank. Minor detail. It's still larger than my previous (32 gallon) RV.

    The fresh water overflow remains a mystery to me. Some say they will siphon off the water (doesn't seem possible if the overflow valve is high up - which it should be) - but it certainly loses water while driving up/down hill. I'll know more tomorrow after I travel about an hour (plan to measure the loss at that time).

    The shades, black mesh - people tend to hate them, I think they are an improvement over my white ones of similar design ... but to each their own.

    The tin siding with the baked on paint is still unproven in my view. You don't have the non-stop maintenance that fiberglass demands, and the delamination. At the same time, you have to (from what I understand) stay on top of paint chips and get them touched up (automotive paint). Mine has a few spots I have yet to address. Nothing major.

    Little, stupid things, like this rubber sticky backed weather stripping they put in the center hinge of the outside storage doors and the outside kitchen .. it lasts all but one camping trip before it's come undone and destroyed. There is absolutely no way they didn't know it wasn't just for show and that it wouldn't fail. That by itself is a 30 second fix (add more cheap sticky weather stripping which will last for another few trips). Probably a better solution but I'm working with what I have in the garage at the moment.

    I can nitpick, I guess that means that I love a lot about it. The side ladder was starting to trust at the edges 24 hours after getting it home (with..no rain - somehow), which I found really odd. It's minor, just sand/paint, or leave it.

    Wife wishes there was another (dimmer) light under the booth dinette for card games and such. I don't see where the problem is, myself (she will cheat if I'm wearing sunglasses and will look at my cards that way).

    Overall, we are happy with it. Disappointing right now as I'm part of the 70% of people (I guess) with something big going wrong within the first few months (3 weeks in my case) - but so be it. That is why we have a warranty.

    So we paid 24.5, I think 450 was added for the theater seating - so around 24, before taxes, extended warranty, etc. There were new (never left the lot, but sat all winter long) 2020 units there for a few grand cheaper. I believe they held less fresh water and/or grey water, and we wanted something brand new from the manufacturer - so that we could spend the first week fixing it (sigh).

    Overall, nice camper! Honestly though, I really wish that skylight hadn't been broke.

  5. #5
    Setting Up Camp
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    As I'm finishing packing in the dark out here, putting things in the camper, I realized, I never answered your question about storage space. Apologies.

    I've always figured that is a hard question to answer because everyone is different. Some people own a lot more than I do, some people own less, some with kids, some by themselves, etc.

    The quick answer: So much I don't know what to do with it.

    The long answer: We had a KZ - 30ish foot (with the rear slide out). Two kids, dog, wife, myself. The KZ had two outside storage areas. One taller and smaller than the other which was wide and short. Inside we had a pantry, couple of cabinets, a few drawers for games. A closet for coats/blankets. Another big area for soda/water/beer (my favorite), dog food, etc.

    That camper was always 100% packed full. We had to keep things in our truck many times as we didn't have room in the camper (which slept 8).

    The 261BH on the other hand, with the same amount of toys/games/food/dog stuff/clothing - is about 50% full. The front bottom pass-thru storage doesn't get enough attention, it is huge - the brochures and video we looked at before buying didn't do it justice. I simply cannot fill it. All of our chairs, our outside carpet, outdoor games, a bin full of things I never want to have to use but may have to so I bring them with me - and it's maybe 60% full.

    Inside - big kitchen sink, counter space (we never had that before) .. all of our food in that area with room to spare. We'll be going on a five night vacation starting tomorrow, so we bring a lot of food with us.

    The entertainment area, the two cabinets, are empty - we don't know what to put in them.

    The dog stuff is under the fridge (drawer there). The rather large "shoe holder" near the door, I figured we'd have to use for storage - but we use it for shoes, because we don't have anything else to put in there. Thee cabinets under the sink (to left and right as well), 50% full.

    Our first trip out, while I was still finding things out about the RV, I was amazed and shocked when I couldn't reach to the back of the bathroom storage shelves - they are incredibly deep, and in our case, 90% empty. The medicine cabinet is of course full - but that is because I have to share it with three girls.

    So for us, having always been limited on space, we don't "own enough" to fill this one. Not by a long shot.

    Oh, and more nitpicking since I referenced our old KZ ... so our old camper had a light on the "drivers side" a ways back that you could turn on/off. I found that handy. This one does not have such a light. The "service light" or whatever it's called - at the tongue, is pretty unremarkable. The KZ had a normal "dome" on the front of the camper which I upgraded to some crazy high-end LED - and it lit up the whole front of our campsite no matter where we were at. But this is just nitpicking.

    Comparing the two, you can tell right away that the GD is built far superior, especially while walking on the roof. I've put on weight and I no longer have to "feel for tresses". It's just solid. Same as the inside.

  6. #6
    Left The Driveway
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    Thanks for sharing your experience with your new 261bh. Congratulations and I hope you enjoy it for years to come.

    For what it's worth, I had a similar issue with the skylight in my old camper. When it was installed, the screws were overtightened, causing it to start cracking. Ours didn't start showing issues until after a year. Fortunately, we had a two year warranty and the dealer took car of it for us.
    2018 Grand Design Transcend 28MKS
    2010 Ram 2500
    Blog About Travel Planning, RV Camping, Outdoor Living

  7. #7
    Big Traveler Grandesigner's Avatar
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    Sounds like your fresh water sensors have ground issue and/or the wire connections have worked loose. BTDT

  8. #8
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by the e-man View Post
    Thanks for sharing your experience with your new 261bh. Congratulations and I hope you enjoy it for years to come.

    For what it's worth, I had a similar issue with the skylight in my old camper. When it was installed, the screws were overtightened, causing it to start cracking. Ours didn't start showing issues until after a year. Fortunately, we had a two year warranty and the dealer took car of it for us.
    For whatever it's worth ... back from the second trip (5 nights).

    Leak in the cold water kitchen faucet line (flexible hose - just not making a good seal).

    I did measure how much water I lost on the road (about an hour trip, some hills, nothing crazy) .. from a full (over flowing) tank, I put in 7 1/2 gallons of water after setting up. Kinda a downer, as now I need to carry some water with me (I mostly do dry camping). That 7-8 gallons lost is enough for another shower (or two).

    Despite what the manual says (warns) you about not to do, some people have put a shutoff valve on the PEX overflow tube - since the tank itself is vented (VIA the gravity fill), there should be no pressure buildup by doing this. Curious if anyone has done this and actually HAD issues?

    I suspect the large fresh water tank is very wide and not very tall, so a good portion of your water sits on the top of the tank and it doesn't take much for it to run out.

    Regarding the skylight, yeah - that is what I figured, someone over torqued the screws.

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