New Bunkhouse For Us!

KD

KDinCO

Guest
Greetings!

We are currently the proud owners of a 2014 Grand Design Reflection 323 Bunkhouse. We absolutely love the floor plan but after spending 32 days in it on various trips last year with our 8 year old son (who often brings friends along) our dog, and friends, we found ourselves wishing that we had a second bathroom and a larger fridge. So, just out of curiosity of course, we started researching other bunkhouse floor plans that might offer us these additional features. We found several possible options from other manufacturers, but none offered us the quality and features that we love about Grand Design. Fortunately for us, Grand Design pays attention to suggestions from the public and we weren't the only ones wishing for these features in our bunkhouse. They just launched their brand new 357BHS model with exactly what we were looking for!

Some may call us crazy but this past weekend we pulled the trigger and decided to switch from our 323BHS to the 357BHS. While we're going to miss the extra storage we enjoyed in the 323 bunkhouse room and the larger pantry, we will be gaining in so many other areas!

Grand Design is awesome and we're so glad that they're in touch with their customers and we were able to stay part of the Grand Design family!

Karen & Joe
 
Welcome to the family!! It is amazing to me how many people I see on the forums doing the same thing. Only after we live in them for a while do we wish for some other feature!! I, like you, would not leave Grand Design!
 
Congrats and welcome! We just sold a bunkhouse of a brand not to named and ordered a 385TH toy hauler to have the extra storage space with the flexibility of the drop down bunks and most importantly the second bath.
 
Hi Karen and Joe, would you mind adding an update regarding your experiences with the new 357. I have been looking at both the 323 and 357 but havent been able to find any review / feedback information regarding the 357.

I welcome any other comments from 357 owners...
 
Thanks!

Thanks all for the greetings! We did our local test weekend in the 357 and are currently on the road for our spring break trip with "The Beast" behind us - may have to switch that name to Magnum though... Love it!!!
 
Hi QuadGuy.
We've only spent 2 nights in our 357 so far, so we'll likely have some more comments after this trip. Remember our 323 is a 2014 model, so there may already be differences on the 2015 model. Feel free to ask specific questions, but here's what we think so far.
1. Much prefer the rear landing gear on the 357 to the stabilizers on the 323. On the 357 they're far more robust like the front landing gear and can be used to lift and level, not just stabilize.
2. The bunkhouse in the 357 is huge! Not only is it good for the kids, but we hang in there as a family and do movie nights coz there's more room to lounge together.
3. Love the second bath! Only drawback is that once the pull out couch is used as a bed, access to the bathroom is difficult. Door needs to be other way around but can't be coz you'd then walk into the toilet.
4. Prefer the layout of the master bedroom and the extra windows next to the bed. HUGE closet and a ton of storage in the dresser and o/h cabs.
5. Kitchen/living area in 323 is a little roomier, but it has a smaller island and no second bath eating up the space. We do miss the extra storage that we had in the 323's living area, next to the couch and the o/h cabs above the couch, but the extra counter space in the 357 is nice and the drawer sizes are more practical.
6. Like the little window in the 357's kitchen - would be even better if it opened!.
7. Location of the power connection on the 357 is farther up the rig towards the front (323's is on the back) so when utilities are at the rear on a campsite, make sure your power cord reaches! We had to back the rig up to reach at our last site.
8. Really wish there was more drawer storage in the 357 bunkhouse. There are 2 big drawers and a larger closet than the 323 has, but the 323 had 8 drawers plus a cupboard and a closet.
9. Prefer main bathroom in the 357, especially the shower size - bigger with a seat and more shelves - like having drawers in the vanity as well. More linen storage in 357 bathroom than the 323.
10. There is no grill included with the outdoor kitchen on the 357. 323 had one attached to the rear bumper. Also, there is no bumper on the 357 and not sure if it is an option - ours has a hitch.
11. Preferred the size and location of the 323's pantry - 5 large storage areas instead of the funky (triangular) 3 in the 357. There is a cupboard above the pantry but it is very high and we're vertically challenged so need a chair to reach it, so it's not very useful!
12. Bigger fridge in the 357 is nice, although I miss the larger door bin in the 323...
13. Wish they'd improve the heat vent in the bunk room in both models. There is only one small, round wall vent and the room is always on the cool side. It needs a larger, more efficient floor vent or another wall vent.
So it's give and take, but we're still very happy Grand Design campers! Knowing the GD team, they'll read this and make improvements, then we'll have to upgrade again next year! LOL!
 
Welcome to the forum and no you're not crazy. In 3 years we've been thru 2 travel trailers and now a reflection that we can't wait to get out there and use it. Hope you enjoy the new one.
 
KDinCO,

Thank you for responding with such a thorough write-up. After comparing the 323 to the 357 and weighing the +/- of each model we decided to order the 357 for many of the features /+ you stated (2nd bath, larger BH, larger frig, etc).

I plan to take a GD factory tour soon so maybe I can learn why the best features of the 323 were not carried forward to the 357(extra BH drawers, pantry layout, etc). I know GD does not support customization when ordering but maybe there is an option to order 323 items independently for post-build installation. I'll update this post or create a new post with my findings...

Look forward to hearing any other feedback you have after your trip. Thanks again.
 
KDinCO,

Hi guys. We picked up our new 357 this past Friday which generated a couple questions regarding bunkhouse beds and TV. Hope you're don't mind but I sent you a private message...
 
First and foremost congrats.

As an aside we have had some issues with our 323 length (can't imagine an extra 5 feet). Just recently we had three campgrounds that told us they had a limited amount of space for rigs our size (above 35') and that they couldn't accommodate us (they say those spots book up a year of so in advance especially for holiday weekends). Some allowed us to stay in 30' spots where we stuck out slightly so a 41' rig wouldn't have been able to park there. Five feet doesn't seem like a lot once you hit 30' and up but for some reason campgrounds treat them differently.

However just recently we were in a State Park with a 35' max spot and you could have fit a 50' in there, not sure why the limit was there maybe because of the jack knife turn at the entrance? Whatever the case happy camping to you and best of luck!
 
Droidguru, was that State Park St. Mary's at Estes? I know their sites on their online booking system were listed incorrectly. They have now updated and corrected the issue and you can reserve online for big rigs!
 
Loving our 357 Made a few mods to carry extra septic lines,clear glass on the door and a few other minor things to make it homey
 
We've found our 323 to do a great job for our family, especially with the SuperSofa option. Yes, I'd like to have a larger refrigerator, however I've got the 4.5' fridge in the outside kitchen that gives us plenty of room. And with the outside gas grill option, we seldom even cook inside.

I'll be interested to see the 357 in person. It looks like it's got a great floorplan.
 

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