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  1. #1
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    Transcend Evaluation 2 Months

    I purchased the Transcend 28MKS
    I realize now that the Transcend line of travel trailers (TT) are Grand Design's (GD) entry level TTs and are very cheaply made. Right out the gate, on the trip home, some of the wall paneling and ceiling panel seams were coming loose after less than 50 miles of travel. What I learned is this: before buying a TT , test the quality of construction by doing this:>>> standing inside the TT, press on the ceiling and the wall panels in several places, if there is any movement (flex) you know that you have a cheaply made travel trailer. There is plenty of flex on the Transcend line. When I compared this test to GD's Imagine line or different TT manufacturers like Mallard or Forest River, the difference is NIGHT AND DAY. You get what you pay for and the TRANSCEND line by GD is really a cheaply made TT . I regret buying it. Problems: my PVC roof had to be replaced 1 month after purchase because the glue failed and the membrane was coming loose. On the first trip out, it developed a water leak on one of the water heater connections in the wall that leaked under the sink cabinets and then spilled into the kitchen area floor. The TT had to be returned for major repairs. Although GD stood by their product, no one wants to buy a BRAND NEW TT and because of repairs, have a rebuilt TT 2 months after buying it. Never again, pay more get better. Transcend is entry level and poor quality. I should have demanded a full refund from GD rather than allowing them to repair my TT. Now I have a brand new REBUILT travel trailer. Sad but true.
    Last edited by Frit1981; 09-13-2020 at 12:41 PM.

  2. #2
    Fireside Member
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    Thank you, been considering transcend xplor... most feedback is positive but I do wonder how they can sell the xplor line for only $20-30k compared to 40-70k on imagines and 80-130k on solitudes/momentums.

    Sent from my SM-T820 using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper larry0071's Avatar
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    Grand Design has quality levels, like most any camper/RV company.

    Transcend > Imagine > Reflection 150 > Reflection > Solitude S-Class > Solitude.

    Price clearly tells you where you are on any of them, Coachmen has tow behind campers called: Catalina > Apex > Freedom Express that are all very similar floor plans but come across as a good/better/best with the 3. It is normal to have layers of quality, not everyone wants/can afford a $110,000 Solitude. Not everyone wants/will put up with a $30,000 entry level unit. But there are buyers for every price point.
    2020.5 Reflection 311BHS Dual AC, 2019 Ram 2500 Bighorn Level 2, 3.73 / 392 Hemi 14,404.34 lb towing and 3,004.34 payload, 2019 F-150 King Ranch 3.5EB CC/LB, 2016 Cherokee Trailhawk, 2014 Wrangler Willys Edition, 2019 Iron Bull 14K 22' Equipment Trailer, 2019 Quality Trailers 7K 18' Utility Trailer

  4. #4
    Left The Driveway
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    Sad thing is that my salesperson really did not have much knowledge in camper construction and how the different price points were related to quality and construction. You have to either know for yourself or bring a camper expert with you when shopping. I have learned so much on this purchase, that I am now a camper expert, well at least in IMHO, I am

  5. #5
    Commercial Member huntr70's Avatar
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    Yep, to be expected as it is a wood frame construction, just like a home. The other lines are all laminated.

    All "stick and tin" trailers will flex and move more than a laminated trailer.
    Steve- Inventory Manager at Tom Schaeffer's RV, Shoemakersville, PA www.tomschaeffers.com
    [email protected]
    2011 RAM 3500 SRW Outdoorsman Edition 4X4, 6.7 Cummins--TWEAKED!
    2021 Reflection 310RLS

  6. #6
    Site Sponsor
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    I have a 2019 28MKS that I bought in fall 2018. I have now camped about 75 nights with it and driven it over 2000 miles. Absolutely no problems like you are describing. It still looks like new. Sorry to hear you got a lemon. I had a couple minor warranty issues early and there are some design features that I am unhappy about, but all-in-minor stuff.

  7. #7
    Fireside Member
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    We are just finishing our first week in our new 2020 Transcend 30RBS. While we thought about getting the Reflection 300RBST, which has the same floor plan as our Transcend, we decided that for something that sits more than 40 weeks a year, for us, the extra several thousand dollar difference wasn’t worth it.

    I know we haven’t had our trailer long, but to this point, we are very happy with it. We love the floor plan and many of the “little” features the trailer came with. Other than a couple of minor cosmetic issues, which I repaired myself, we have had no problems at all. We are going again in another couple of weeks, so we hope the same is true then.

    The one grip I do have is gray holding tank(s) capacity. I thought I was getting a trailer with 68 gallons capacity, which in theory it does have, but 29 gallons are dedicated to a cloths washing machine that I will probably never install. It would have been nice and much more usable had GD made both tanks usable for “every day” gray water. So I really only have 39 gallons of gray water capacity. More than my last trailer, but not by much.

    All in all, to this point, we are very happy with our 30RBS.

  8. #8
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    Well, my experience so far has been very poor. Purchased my new TRANSCEND MKS on July 30. It has been in the shop since August 7 to replace the PVC roof, fix a hot water tank fitting leak that also caused cabinet damage and to repair some inside panel and roof seams that were separating, all occurring immediately after the pull home from the dealership (40 miles). It is still in the shop as of today and it may be 2 more weeks because of backordered cabinetry parts. I have a brand new camper that I paid top dollar for that is now going to basically be a rebuilt camper when I get it back and atop all of that we have yet to be able to use it ONCE for a camping trip I should have demanded a full refund and I regret the purchase. The only positive thing I have to say is that GD has stood by the warranty FULLY and their customer service was very responsive and timely. and because of that I would buy GD again, just NOT the Transcend entry line of travel trailers.
    Last edited by Frit1981; 09-18-2020 at 03:13 PM.

  9. #9
    Fireside Member
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    Dear Frit981,

    I’m so sorry to hear you have had such a bad experience with your Transcend to this point. To have a new trailer since July and not be able to use it would not only upset me, I would be livid! Again, we have only had ours a couple of weeks and have only camped in it for one week, and to this point have had no major issues.

    In a couple of weeks we’ll be towing about 500 miles round trip and camping for a little over a week. Hopefully, this will bring out any major issues our trailer might have. As I said previously, time will tell how good or how bad this trailer is.

    I do hope you get all your issues resolved soon. Camping season, at least here in Michigan, is quickly coming to a close.

    Best of luck to you.

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