Considering a 22RBE

[rocketjam]

We had a Lance model 1995 that we bought late last year and were living and traveling in it full time until we had a crash at the beginning of August this year. The crash totaled our tow vehicle and trailer. We were pretty happy with the Lance trailer but had a few things we thought we'd like to improve on when the day came to upgrade. We bought the Lance largely on their reputation for making reliable trailers. We were happy with the quality but really wanted a bit more space and especially a bit more storage.

We've gotten our insurance money from our wreck and are beginning to seriously look for a replacement trailer. We've been kind of focused on the Imagine XLS 22RBE. We like the size and the bedroom with a door as well as having more counter space and storage than our Lance did. I'm wondering if any 22RBE owners might want to give their opinion of their trailer. Are you happy with it? Have you had many problems with it and would you recommend this model to others?

Thanks for any feedback!

[Soundsailor]

We had a Lance model 1995 that we bought late last year and were living and traveling in it full time until we had a crash at the beginning of August this year. The crash totaled our tow vehicle and trailer. We were pretty happy with the Lance trailer but had a few things we thought we'd like to improve on when the day came to upgrade. We bought the Lance largely on their reputation for making reliable trailers. We were happy with the quality but really wanted a bit more space and especially a bit more storage.

We've gotten our insurance money from our wreck and are beginning to seriously look for a replacement trailer. We've been kind of focused on the Imagine XLS 22RBE. We like the size and the bedroom with a door as well as having more counter space and storage than our Lance did. I'm wondering if any 22RBE owners might want to give their opinion of their trailer. Are you happy with it? Have you had many problems with it and would you recommend this model to others?

Thanks for any feedback!

First off, welcome to the forum. The 22RBE is a popular floor plan, I've heard a lot of good comments here. Let us know what you end up going with, this forum is a good place to learn from other GD owners.

[Tigger1]

@rocketjam

Welcome to the forum!

We don’t have the 22rbe but we sat in one for awhile at the Hersey RV Show in 2019 before deciding to go with the 22mle. Since you are experienced travelers you probably already know that everything has its trade offs.

When we sat in the 22rbe we really liked the good size bathroom, the color and finish quality, and the counter space. Although the bedroom has a door it felt a little tight for us but that is subjective. We really wanted two seating areas too. And while this is probably a minor thing, we felt that having the slide on the entrance side might take up some outside awning seating space. Again, these are subjective and each person/couple has their likes/dislikes.

If you like a private bed, good counter space, and find that two seating areas is preferable, check out the XLS 23LDE if it’s not too big for your needs, 28’ 5”.

Good luck with your decision.

[alias100]

My wife and I (and 2 small dogs) have a 22RBE and have spent about 30 nights in it so far. Love the big bathroom, all the storage and the counter space. The bedroom is a bit tight, but certainly manageable. We have been out for 7 nights in a row and still have not used up all the storage.The build quality has been good, not great or perfect, on ours, it was built around April/May of 2021. It pulls easily with our 2021 Ram 2500 with the 6.4 Hemi and an Anderson hitch. You know it is back there, but very stable.
I get up before my wife so the private bedroom allows her to get some more sleep. The slide being on the camp side has not been an issue for us, so far at least. We seldom put out the awning so we don't hang around just outside the camper where the slide would be in the way. I suppose on a very small campsite it could be an issue but we have always been either boon-docking or on bigger sites so we can spread out.
Having two seating areas would be nice, but it was a low priority for us. The recliners have worked fine and are very comfortable, and face the television.
We had a minor issue with the sliding door to the bedroom, had to re-attach the track to the ceiling. The small door stops mounted on the floor to prevent the doors from swinging (as opposed to sliding) also had to be replaced.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any followup questions. I would definitely recommend the 22RBE to others.
Good luck with your decision.

[FL-Guy]

My wife and I have a 2021 22RBE. So far it's been a pretty good trailer for us.
Pluses for us:
There is plenty of room in the kitchen to work because the counter is pretty big.
Plenty of storage too. We've been out a week at a time and still had empty storage spaces.
Upgraded the bed to a memory foam mattress so nice and comfy now.
Tows easily with my F150 with the powerboost engine (haven't tried "real mountains" yet just ones in Georgia) We just got back from a non-camping trip to Colorado and I'm not sure the truck would handle those mountains.
Theater seating is comfortable.
Wife likes the bedroom door but I could care less about it (I'm always up earlier)
AC works great and cools the unit down fast, even here in FL
Theater seating is comfortable but we unplugged the vibration and cup lights (controls too sensitive)
There is plenty of grey water holding due to the 2 tanks.

Negatives:
I don't really like the awning side slide because its always touching the awning and it cuts down on usable awning space.
To us, the big bathroom is a waste of space because we don't usually shower in the trailer but use the campground showers instead. We don't boondock (yet).
The bathroom sink is almost unusable because its so small.
The supplied "kitchen table" is terrible. Its wobbly and you have to sit side by side. We just took it out and use a folding table and chair. No dining/work area for computer use.

Overall its a good unit for 2 people. My preference would be the 22MLE if I could convince my wife that she doesn't need a bedroom door. Its always open anyway :-) I like the layout of the 22MLE because it has a dining/work area, but happy wife....

[Capt Bob]

I waited till some RBE members chimed in but I tend to agree with FL-Guy (Fla. native withstanding). We looked at both models (RBE and MLE) and went with the MLE for most of the same reasons. We like the dinette. We like the open bedroom as it makes the inside feel bigger. We spend minimum time in both the kitchen and bath so the reduced size is not a factor. Both have a lot of on board storage and towability is the same. Our friends purchased a used RBE (looked like it have never been used) and love it so...
Either model should fit your needs and like our friends, you'll be happy with the RBE.

[rocketjam]

Thanks @Soundsailor! I will!

[rocketjam]

Sorry to be slow responding to everyone. We took off a couple days to drive to Little Rock to get our new tow vehicle.

Thanks to everyone for the input. I really appreciate it and it's all very helpful. The concerns expressed about the RBE by some of you are the same things we have thought about. Particularly the slide on the awning side and I'm not sure how I would like the table. We've also considered the MLE so we will look at both of them in person before we decide which one we'd like to go with.

I will update after we make a decision!

[Hitsman3]

We have had our 22RBE for 3 years now & are very happy w/our decision. We like the separate bedroom & bigger bathroom. Wife loves all the storage & counter space inside. Only complaint I have is I wish the pass thru storage was a little bigger. We don't mind the slide out being on the camp side as it allows us to back or pull our trailer in & hug the non-camp side & give us as much space as possible to utilize. Only issue we've had is the recall on the propane regulator.

[rocketjam]

@Hitsman3,
Thank you for the feedback! A very positive recommendation. I wondered about the pass thru storage a bit too as our Lance also had an outside storage bay at the bottom of our slide out and I kept our hoses and electric cables in there as well as leveling blocks and some other outside items.

We went and looked at a new one earlier this week and we're pretty sure that's the direction we're going to go although we're going to find a used one rather than buying new.