Questions re under 30 ft reflection.

Luv2gowalkabout58

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We have been RV’ing for many years. Currently in a Durango 2500 fiver since 2017 after Mr Walgreens truck totaled our other fiver. We have loved that camper. 2017 was a good build year for them. Really lucked out with no issues. We are getting older and have been waffling between getting a motor home or a small fiver. Since we already have a Duramax truck we keep coming back to how we really like to travel. We like being able to park the camper and drive off. Towing has been so much easier with the fiver than a trailer( we have had both). Storage is better on a trailer vs motorhome. We would have to sell both to get a motorhome and then have to get a tow vehicle. That seems silly. There are many other reasons I won’t go in to. We have been looking since Covid to change but nothing has caught our eye as we really wanted an under 30ft to get into state campgrounds. There just has been a void in small well designed fifth wheel campers. So we fixed up our camper( new roof, new shades, new awnings, etc) This year however 2 GD models have caught our eye - the 260rd and the 270bn. Leaning more toward the 270bn. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts on either of these? In looking into grand design they have impressed us with their build. Tires, brakes, levelers, tire monitoring, quality. It definitely shows. We were wondering about the ABS braking system as we have upgraded to disc brakes on our rig and wouldn’t be without them. Also about the solar package should we upgrade to the 370w
 
Thread moved to New To RV'ing, Purchase Questions & General Concerns.

Welcome to the forum!

Rob
 
This year however 2 GD models have caught our eye - the 260rd and the 270bn. Leaning more toward the 270bn.

While I think you'd be happy with either, of course, I'm a bit biased towards the 260RD. We love the windows and the layout is great for the three of us (DW & cat). If you're on the road a lot, the 270BN has direct access to both the bedroom and bathroom, but you lose the windows.

The stock brakes have been fine on our coach, but we've found that we prefer camping to driving and so don't travel great distances. As to solar, yes, the 370-watt package is a worthy upgrade if you plan to camp off-grid. Do yourself a favor, and decline the stock battery. Instead put the funds towards at least 200 Ah of LiFePo4 batteries. The 12-volt frig (which we love) uses about 125 Ah per day on its own.
 
All good points. Thanks so much for the info. We keep waffling between the two on paper. We need to get into both at the same time I think.
 
Also about the solar package should we upgrade to the 370w

If you are talking about the factory "options", if you go with the 260RD and the larger fridge, it will come with the 370W solar package. If you go with the 270BN, it has the smaller fridge, and the 370W system is not available to add.

You can, of course, do anything you want to after the fact....
 
We have the 260RD and are very happy with it for the 2 of us. Lots of light with windows 3 sides. Large diner with 3 seating on 3 sides. As has been mentioned, you need to extend slide to use the bathroom when traveling. Not a problem for us. You may also want to look at the 28RL and the 280RS. Both about 18-24 inches longer than the 260RD. Happy camping in whatever you decide on.
 
We have the 260RD and are very happy with it for the 2 of us. Lots of light with windows 3 sides. Large diner with 3 seating on 3 sides. As has been mentioned, you need to extend slide to use the bathroom when traveling. Not a problem for us. You may also want to look at the 28RL and the 280RS. Both about 18-24 inches longer than the 260RD. Happy camping in whatever you decide on.

Thanks for your input. We are trying to downsize to 30 feet. The windows and the u shape dinette are winners for us. But the 270 seems to have more storage and the outside grill. I think both would work. I think we will just have to get inside both and see what feels best for us. I am looking forward to a smaller footprint for access into more parks on short notice. We have also begun to pare down our”stuff” and travel lighter.
Has anyone traveled a lot of miles in there GD rigs. Problems with construction when doing that? I ask because our 2017durango 2500 has been traveling for 40k miles and we have only ever had minor wear and tear issues. Going by all the chatter everywhere I think we have been very fortunate.
 
Almost 20k miles towing it and the only big expensive problem has been the marginal schwintek slide, which we replaced last month with Vroom system.
 
There just has been a void in small well designed fifth wheel campers. So we fixed up our camper( new roof, new shades, new awnings, etc) This year however 2 GD models have caught our eye - the 260rd and the 270bn. Leaning more toward the 270bn. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts on either of these?

I have a 273MK which is almost identical to the 270bn. The size and floorplan have been perfect for our use. Great trailer.

Not being able to access the bathroom with the slide retracted would be a deal breaker for me. Not so for others. If it were not for that issue I may have strongly considered the 260rd.

[MENTION=331]huntr70[/MENTION] makes some good points as to the 260rd, but I'm not so sure there is as much storage area in the living area as with the 270bn.
 
We love our 260RD. I've also looked at the 270BN but like the layout of the 260RD better. We have friends with 5th wheels and most are cluttered with an island in the middle. We really like not having the island. For just me and the wife, it seems perfect, but we do have friends and/or grandkids stay over now and then. No access to the bathroom isn't a deal breaker for us but we don't travel that much (currently renting a seasonal spot at a private campground just a half hour away). We have not had problems with the Schwintek slide.
 
I also just got a 2020 273mk, i couldnt be more happy with it.

Yeah, it's surprising they only made it for about a year and a half, but apparently there are not a lot of folks like you and I.

I don't think it's really possible to compare two trailers and say which is the best. This thread shows that everyone has different needs and preferences.
 
No doubt, different people want and need different rv's. I spent 8 years fulltiming in a cheap forest river TT, no slide/s. I wanted it that way, for personal and usage needs. I could do just fine if my 273mk had no slide, and was made that way. I could use it without the slide out, but it isnt made that way for long term stays.
 
No doubt, different people want and need different rv's. I spent 8 years fulltiming in a cheap forest river TT, no slide/s. I wanted it that way, for personal and usage needs. I could do just fine if my 273mk had no slide, and was made that way. I could use it without the slide out, but it isnt made that way for long term stays.

Well, I'm with you on slides but we are sure in the minority. Also, I found what it would be like on the 273MK to not have a slide. I had issues on a 5 day return home trip after having Schwintek issues. It was an easy fix but I didn't know that until I got home, so the rest of the trip was spent without opening the slide. Got to say I didn't remember how tight a living area is without an open slide.

In my years of trailering one of my biggest regrets is not buying an Airstream. I never hear Airstream owners complain about the space in them without slides.
 
Heck, if you paid as much for your Airstream as they did, you wouldn't complain either. LOL I'm sure they have issues just like everyone else.
 

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