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  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
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    2021 Transcend Xplor 297QB Review

    I just brought home our new 297QB this last week. This is a new model and I couldn't find much real world experiences out there, so I thought I'd post some of my observations.

    A little background: we upgraded from a 1978 Silver Streak (think wannabe Airstream) that was in decent shape. This had the rear bathroom -> twin beds -> kitchen -> front living area with fold out couch. Looked really cool, but too old, fold out couch (where I slept) was not comfortable, and a little rough around the edges. And the layout was difficult with our 5 year old twins.

    My search for a TT started with looking for a bunk setup with a layout that would work well for us. Main things I was looking for was bunk beds away from the bathroom. I first came across the Coachmen 262BHS and really liked the layout. Bunk beds were partially separated from living area and had the front/mid bathroom. There were a couple of other brands with a very similar layout, similar features, at a similar price point, including the GD Transcend 265BH. Then I stumbled upon a listing for the 297QB and liked that layout even more. Doing some reading on forums, I found generally more positive feedback around Grand Design being better quality and better features, etc. I found a 297QB about 1.5 hrs away, so I went to take a look after stopping at a more local dealer with the 262BHS. At the end of the day, I put a deposit on the 297QB and haven't looked back. Overall, I'm very pleased. Kids love having their own room. We've already slept in it a couple of times in the driveway, and it's worked really well with only a couple of minor issues (see below).

    Pros:
    -I love the layout. Bunk area in the back that can be closed off with a door. Bathroom up front/mid (away from bunks). Separate bedroom in front that can be closed off with a door. As mentioned, we have 5 year old twins, and it is great to be able to put them to bed before us and we can still be up and about (quietly, of course) and be able to comfortably get ourselves ready for bed in the bathroom away from their "room".
    -Lots of little, and not so little, nice to have features that other "entry" level trailers didn't seem to have. For example: magnets to hold under storage doors open instead of plastic clips, 165W solar panel installed at factory is standard, motion lights in under storage compartments, stainless kitchen sink, 10 cu. ft refrigerator, larger capacity tanks, wired for 50A (which allowed me to find one with 2 A/Cs for central TX), etc.

    Cons:
    -Longer than I would have liked. My previous trailer was 33' from tip to tip. I would have liked to keep it that length or even a little shorter. This one is almost 3' longer. Not a deal breaker, and far outweighed by the benefits of this setup.
    -Less kitchen counter "work space" than other layouts. Walking through other layouts with the "L" shaped kitchen counters, it felt like there was more usable work space. Not necessarily a ton more, but felt more open.
    -Smaller bathroom than other front/mid bathroom layouts where you walked through the bathroom to get to front bedroom. However, I prefer going around the bathroom rather than through it. Worth the trade off for me.

    Issues:
    -I found a slight water leak at the hot water connection coming out of the water heater. This seemed to only happen when the water heater was fully heated up. I'm assuming pressure built up on a marginal seal. I was able to hand tighten further, indicating it may have just been a little loose. But I disconnected, lubricated the rubber gasket and re-attached. That seems to have solved the problem.
    -The 12V Furrion fridge doesn't seem to be working correctly. It gets as cold as I would expect, but cooling cycles seem to run longer than I think they should (3+ hrs), and too much time elapses between cooling cycles so fridge/freezer temps get higher than I think the should. I've captured this behavior in another 12V Furrion fridge thread (https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...-fridge-issues).

    We'll be taking it out on our first trip next weekend. I'll update this thread as I get more runtime with it.

  2. #2
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    Great review. I'm in my research phase of our next camper and the 297QB is one of the ones on my list. Any insight on how the outdoor kitchen is setup, at least for functionality. Also, do you mind posting what the available cargo carrying weight is? (I know the published weight will be higher than an actual unit)

    Thanks!

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    2023 Momentum 398M-R
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    SOLD - 2021 Reflection 311BHS
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by FT4NOW View Post
    Great review. I'm in my research phase of our next camper and the 297QB is one of the ones on my list. Any insight on how the outdoor kitchen is setup, at least for functionality. Also, do you mind posting what the available cargo carrying weight is? (I know the published weight will be higher than an actual unit)

    Thanks!

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
    Outdoor kitchen is pretty basic, but functional. Simple 2 burner stove that you need to connect/disconnect each time you pull drawer out (quick connect hose tucks up under drawer when retracted). And small 110v dorm fridge next to it. The shelf above stove is super flimsy, and I can't imagine putting anything of any weight on it. I plan to cut a 1/4" plywood piece and just lay in there for additional rigidity. So, simple and basic but very functional. I slow cooked a stew while sitting outside drinking a beverage or 3 from the mini fridge. Not fancy, but it works.

    As for cargo carrying weight, my sticker says cargo weight should never exceed 1505lbs for my unit.

    Out of curiosity, what other trailers are you considering?

  4. #4
    Left The Driveway
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    Just got back from our first official trip. We went to Fredericksburg, TX for a long weekend and stayed at an RV park with full hook ups. I left the house for a 2hr drive about noon on Thursday, 12/31. It softly rained on us the whole trip and literally started to sleet as I'm rolling into the spot. My folks had arrived in their 40' class A an hour or so ahead of us, so I sent the twins to hang out in Omie and Opie's while I proceeded to set up in the sleet. I did a quick leveling and electrical connection job to get us situated. I had water in the fresh water tank, so we'd be functional until the weather improved. For the next several hours, it fluctuated between heavy sleet and big snow flakes. I had extended my awning to protect the entry as I'm going in and out while setting up, but soon retracted it because it was getting weighed down by the ice/snow. At the end of the day, we got set up and warmed up (electric heater plus furnace worked well), and had a nice night.
    The next couple of days were nice. Chilly but sunny, so comfortable with no weather drama.
    All in all, it was a fun trip. I feel like the trailer was adequately tested with the rain and sleet/snow as well as sub-freezing nights. No leaks, and we stayed pretty comfortable with the combo built in furnace plus my electric radiant heater I brought along. Only outstanding issue is the 12V fridge I've commented on before, which I'm taking back to dealer on Wed.
    Some observations:
    -Room layout was great. Kids loved their bunk room. And parents did, too. It was great to be able to put them to bed and still putter around until it was our time. And then being able to comfortably get ready for bed and then close the "door" to our bedroom, was nice.
    -Limited counter space. After you put a coffee maker, a Berkey water filtration setup, and a dish drain rack, you've used up most of your counter space. Not ideal, but manageable.

    Looking forward to our next trip in a few weeks.

  5. #5
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jctx2020 View Post
    Outdoor kitchen is pretty basic, but functional. Simple 2 burner stove that you need to connect/disconnect each time you pull drawer out (quick connect hose tucks up under drawer when retracted). And small 110v dorm fridge next to it. The shelf above stove is super flimsy, and I can't imagine putting anything of any weight on it. I plan to cut a 1/4" plywood piece and just lay in there for additional rigidity. So, simple and basic but very functional. I slow cooked a stew while sitting outside drinking a beverage or 3 from the mini fridge. Not fancy, but it works.

    As for cargo carrying weight, my sticker says cargo weight should never exceed 1505lbs for my unit.

    Out of curiosity, what other trailers are you considering?
    Thanks for the info. I had a list of about 30 different trailers, and then narrowed it down to 10 trailers based on them not having floor vents, one of the things we loved about our Momentum. I finally showed my wife the 10 floor plans tonight and she didnt hate any of them...not helpful narrowing it down. Then she wanted to see the Reflection bunk houses and she loves the 311, which ironically has a single floor vent in the bedroom. It's not in a high traffic area, and we dont like heat in the bedroom so I will probably just cover up the vent, it's what we did in our Momentum too. At this point I'm guessing the 311 is our next trailer which hopefully i can find a slightly used one around summer time.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
    2023 Momentum 398M-R
    2023 Ford F-450

    SOLD - 2021 Reflection 311BHS
    SOLD - 2017 Momentum 399TH

  6. #6
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    We are looking at the 297qb vs the 29tbs. I think the main difference for us is the dinette. We actually have 4 yr old twins and a 6 yr old. With the 297 it’s just a two bench dinette and the 29tbs has a u shaped dinette. Problem is finding the 29tbs is more difficult. What do you think about the bench dinette with 2 adults and 3 children (one day 4 children) ?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nhanner86 View Post
    We are looking at the 297qb vs the 29tbs. I think the main difference for us is the dinette. We actually have 4 yr old twins and a 6 yr old. With the 297 it’s just a two bench dinette and the 29tbs has a u shaped dinette. Problem is finding the 29tbs is more difficult. What do you think about the bench dinette with 2 adults and 3 children (one day 4 children) ?
    In my experience, 2x adults + 2x 5 years olds is comfortable in our regular dinette. Adding a 3rd kiddo would be tight, IMO. Personally, I'd want to go with an arrangement with more seating in that situation.

  8. #8
    Rolling Along
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    I like the 297QB layout. Much too long for what we do, but it has a very similar layout to the 261BH we are getting, but with the bathroom up front instead of in the back. The whole reason we decided to get a Transcend Xplor was for the particular kitchen layout, we think it looks a lot better for us than the typical designs in this size range.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nhanner86 View Post
    (one day 4 children) ?
    You're basically going to need two dinettes .
    Current: 2021 Transcend 261BH, 2019 Ford F250 SRW SWB CC 6.2 - Picture
    Previous: 2016 Jayco X213, 2014 F150 EB 3.5

  9. #9
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    we are taking delivery of a 297QB Thursday. had really been looking at the 265BH but the queen bunk was the deciding factor. I sit here and read all the reviews of deferent experience's good and bad. one minute i feel like we bought a quality camper and then you see a few bad reviews and it makes me wonder. After looking at other entry level campers the quality seems better in the Grand design i hope it holds true.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by NewGDCamper View Post
    we are taking delivery of a 297QB Thursday. had really been looking at the 265BH but the queen bunk was the deciding factor. I sit here and read all the reviews of deferent experience's good and bad. one minute i feel like we bought a quality camper and then you see a few bad reviews and it makes me wonder. After looking at other entry level campers the quality seems better in the Grand design i hope it holds true.
    We are order the 297QB this Thursday. It checks 98% of the boxes for us, other than being a few feet longer than desired and lacking the u shaped dinette its perfect. More storage than we dreamed at the price point. The outdoor kitchen seems pointless to me but it is what it is, I'm sure we will load the mini fridge with waters and I may be able to store my Weber Q series above the little two burner stove.

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