First time buyer... too much RV?

[Richter]

I would also suggest that, while you are reviewing different models at the dealership, you look at the units with all of the slides in. We have the Reflection 303 and you don’t go beyond the front of the island with the rear slides in. We knew that going in, so it’s okay. We can get into the fridge and freezer, and use the water in the sink. No table, chairs, recliner, sofa, TV, etc. We can also use the bathroom and bedroom. The bedroom slide is against the driver-side of the bed, but it’s still usable.

In some units, you can’t event get to the bath and bedroom because some kid who has never even stayed in a unit designed it with the steps up the wrong side, and they are covered by a slide.

Just be sure that it will meet your needs before you put your cash on the line.

Lived in Portland for over 40 years. It’s a nice place to be from...

[livinthelife]

I would also suggest that, while you are reviewing different models at the dealership, you look at the units with all of the slides in. We have the Reflection 303 and you don’t go beyond the front of the island with the rear slides in. We knew that going in, so it’s okay. We can get into the fridge and freezer, and use the water in the sink. No table, chairs, recliner, sofa, TV, etc. We can also use the bathroom and bedroom. The bedroom slide is against the driver-side of the bed, but it’s still usable.

In some units, you can’t event get to the bath and bedroom because some kid who has never even stayed in a unit designed it with the steps up the wrong side, and they are covered by a slide.

Just be sure that it will meet your needs before you put your cash on the line.

Lived in Portland for over 40 years. It’s a nice place to be from...

Yep. We didn't know about the whole "can I get to the bathroom with the slides in" thing. So our steps inside the rig are on the street side of the rig. Have to put the slide out. And the fridge butts right up against the island on the curb side slide.

[weekend warrior]

Depends on how committed you are. If you are positive you will camp frequently and won’t change your mind or decide its not for you 6mo after buying a rig, go bigger. If you like the idea but are not sure this is what you want to do long term, go smaller with room to upgrade later.

Much easier to sell a small/mid size TT than it is a larger trailer and/or 5er due to more people being able to tow the smaller units. You’ll have a smaller buyer pool when trying to resell a larger rig.

Since you’ve already camped before, you probably have a better idea of your commitment level vs someone who’s never rented a unit and done it before.

[DragonDriver]

Missus and I are also first-time buyers and the 320MKS is one that we had on our radar. I really liked the idea of having a little desk/work/coffee pot area.
We ended up with a 337RLS that the previous owner had installed his own version of outdoor kitchen (I'm a gonna put pics out there in the Mods area shortly 'cause he did a really good job.).

I SECOND your vote for the 1-ton for that unit (or any Reflection IMHO)
Just bear in mind that with all the trim packages and options added to each vehicle the only way to really be sure about how much load a particular truck will safely carry (which includes pin weight), is to look at the sticker inside the driver's side door. Don't rely on website. When we were looking for the proper tow vehicle, we ran across Single-rear-wheel F350's that had payload ratings from 2,200 pounds up to 4,100 pounds!

[MemphisRebel82]

We jumped right in with the Imagine 3250BH, which is a 36'11" travel trailer and have had no problems with the size. My advice would be:

1) Get a pack of orange cones off Amazon (we bought a 12 pack) and go to an empty parking lot. Do 20 driver side back-ins and 20 passenger side back in of varying angles. Do this a few weekends in a row, with your wife as your spotter and communicating with you via phone or walkie talkie. After doing this I felt really confident backing it up and my wife and I had developed our own vocabulary so that we were on the same page. When we first started I was really nervous about backing it up, but now I have a lot of confidence.

2) While you are at the parking lot, try some tight right turns or left turns to get comfort with how wide you need to take them. Also when driving around town really watch the way truck drivers drive, pay attention to the path they take on right and left turns.

3) When you are driving the rig, if it isn't there don't force it. If you think the right hand turn is too tight to make, just go straight and loop around to come at it from another angle. You would rather add 10 minutes onto your trip than tear up your tires on a curb or scrape a street sign down the side of your trailer.

4) At that length you might not be able to get into any park you want, but you should be able to find something that works in the area you want.

[BreakfastinAmerica]

I agree that many state and national parks limit to about 30’. Also older RV parks have spaces set at 90 degrees not the pull thru style.
You just need to plan your stays in advance or find open boondock areas if your into that.

I like the thought of the garage office, so look at the momentum line.

[Fsalmy]

I like the thought of the garage office, so look at the momentum line.

The Changing Lanes folks did a nice video on how they multipurpose their Momentum 397TH garage: https://changinglanesrv.com/toy-hauler-garage-modes/

[Kpopplet]

I would also suggest you look into the momentum as you say you are interested in moving into Idaho. You may want a power toy here. Also the garage is an excellent place to transport kayaks paddle boards. Secure vs the bed of the truck and has the onboard generator as we have never been to a hook up here

[ketelmeister]

So.. My wife and I are 39- no kids yet but hopeful and trying. We went on a 2 week vacation to visit the "Mighty 5" national parks in Utah earlier this month and rented a 25 foot motor home from Cruise America. We went into it having zero RV experience and not really having high expectations as we typically take more tropical/relaxing vacations. In fact we never vacation in the US if I'm being honest. We had an absolute blast. The RV though stunk. I quickly saw the downside of having to drive what you live in every day - getting stuff setup/taken down every day, stressing over parking spots at the trailheads because of the size of it etc. We immediately started researching travel trailers/fifth wheels mid-way through the trip and by the time we got home we were already thinking of all the places within a half day to day drive of Portland we could do extended weekend trips and then other 1-2 week trips in neighboring states in 2021.

Needless to say we are looking to get a trailer and a truck over the winter so by spring we are ready to take another trip but on our own terms with a much nicer and more practical setup. Yesterday we took a peek at the GD Reflections and Solitudes. We were blown away but also overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of floor plans and the sizes of them. I've towed larger boats since my teenage years (and yes I know a travel trailer or fifth wheel is considerably different but at least I'm familiar with trailering). My wife works from home full time (online/zoom practitioner) so she was really drawn to the 367/377 offerings as that mid-bunk could be used for an office on our trips to create privacy from the main living area which would allow us to have longer trips so she doesn't get so far behind in work. I thought getting up to 40+ feet seemed insane from the standpoint of towing and finding RV places that can handle that length. I was most interested in the 320MKS because it had the outdoor kitchen/tv setup and was more modest in length but still had that corner desk in the main living area. We live on acreage so storing the trailer isn't an issue.

We'd be doing a mix of extended weekend trips in the Pacific NW and then a couple 1-2 week trips to neighboring states per year. I'd like the ability to have another couple come with so sleeping 4 is a necessity which again the mid-bunk would allow that WITH privacy whereas the other models would put them out in the main living area.

Are we biting off WAY too much RV going right for one of the better/larger makes/models one can get from the get-go? We typically do things right the first time in terms of spending a bit more to get something better/higher quality that will last. We also figured we'd narrow down the model THEN buy the truck to match and overkill the hauling on it to be plenty safe.

I'd love advice from any other first-time buyers that went with a GD and how they chose the model they chose. I'd also love the advice on size. A few of my friends that have trailers/fifth wheels all focused on being under 35 feet and some under 30 but that eliminates entirely that mid-bunk which my wife seems stuck on.

One last thing to note- we hope to move to Idaho in the next 1-2 years. If so, we'd be able to potentially live in what we buy short-term while building our next home as an alternative to renting which again would favor the mid-bunk since it would realistically allow my wife to work while I'm doing other things in the trailer without distraction.

Lecture away please

Your experience is on the money. My family has been in the RV business for over 50 years and we have camped in just about every type of RV out there. Trust me, bigger is NOT always better. We have a 1/2 ton pickup with tow package and tow the Imagine 17MKE. It's a 17 foot body plus the hitch length. It has a murphy bed, so it has the living area of a much bigger camper. Any half ton will tow it easily, and it will fit into just about any site. It has two recliners,(or you can get a dinette, we love the recliners) nice TV, sofa and a good size shower and bath. My wife likes all the counter space in it. And tons of storage. We love it. It's the hottest trailer on the market right now for good reason, it's easy to tow, maneuver and you can use the pickup like a car. I would shy away from a huge truck and trailer at least to start. We could have anything we want for an RV, and this is it. Good luck!

[Beam57]

Your experience is on the money. My family has been in the RV business for over 50 years and we have camped in just about every type of RV out there. Trust me, bigger is NOT always better. We have a 1/2 ton pickup with tow package and tow the Imagine 17MKE. It's a 17 foot body plus the hitch length. It has a murphy bed, so it has the living area of a much bigger camper. Any half ton will tow it easily, and it will fit into just about any site. It has two recliners,(or you can get a dinette, we love the recliners) nice TV, sofa and a good size shower and bath. My wife likes all the counter space in it. And tons of storage. We love it. It's the hottest trailer on the market right now for good reason, it's easy to tow, maneuver and you can use the pickup like a car. I would shy away from a huge truck and trailer at least to start. We could have anything we want for an RV, and this is it. Good luck!

We have owned several RVs including class A and class B motor homes and a few travel trailers, the latest being an Imagine 2950RL. We recently sold it and are hoping to get into a smaller XLS 22MLE for a few reasons, but mainly lighter weight for use with a 1/2 ton truck and a smaller footprint to get better access to state campgrounds, etc. It also has the main features we liked in our 2950 including comfortable theater seats, a dinette and a reasonably-sized shower. In twenty plus years of RV ownership we seem to be counter to most people that keep going bigger and finding that smaller and simpler is better for us, especially with the new designs that offer better layouts and features in smaller packages. We also now use the trailer less, having used it previously for extended stays (between 1 and 5 months at a time) and now pretty much keep our trips to a couple weeks. Everyone has their specific needs so just think through how you would really use it and go from there. Good luck and have fun!