First time 5er needs advice

The nice thing about the Grand Design Reflection series is that they're all capable of being hauled by a 3/4 ton truck. I have the 37' 323BHS, and my F250 with the 7.3 engine hauls it fine. I have a 60 hp DP Tuner and a set of AirRide airbags on the rear.

My camper's presently stored in Gatlinburg, however we do most of our camping in the Northeast Georgia mountains. There are plenty of campgrounds on the Tennessee side of the Smokies, however the North Carolina side (southside) are marginal for campgrounds. I prefer to store my trailer and not haul it back and forth long distances.

A good point was mentioned about buying used so depreciation does not kill you as you upgrade and experiment with other units. I've had good luck with this through the years by buying used, doing good maintenance and storage under roof. Got almost all my money back out when sell time comes.

X2. On truck. Get a 350 so if you ever want a bigger trailer, your truck can handle it

I spent 4 months shopping for a used F350 (2011 or newer -- read blogs about problems with older Ford diesels). And another 3 looking at used trailers. used them for 2 years and very happy with them. Just got a great deal & pulled trigger on a 5th wheel that would over weight for a F250....

F350 gives you more options

Wow,
You guys are awesome. Thank you for some very valuable advice.

Agree that you should get the F350 for the difference in price it allows you options should you want to upgrade.

We love the Reflection 303. It has enough room for us to be comfortable and for our Golden retriever to have room for her toys (and her water bowl where we don't kick it over). We don't have the storage full, but love the storage. Everything except clothes and food and toys stays in the rig.

Since we retired we typically spend at least 4 nights for a trip; longest trip was about 7 weeks. The 303 is large enough that you don't start to climb the walls, assuming you occasionally take a 1 or 2 week vacation. Our previous 5er was 30' and it got small very quickly.

You will find some campgrounds too small but many others that are just fine. As noted above, staying under 35' gives you a lot more options. COE parks are usually great. You do have to worry more about where you tow, but steep and curvy mountain roads are an issue no matter what you tow.

You can get more input on the Grand Design owners forum. Dave carries a kayak and has a Reflection 337. One of the 303 owners posted in her forum blog, and I believe that they stayed in Pisgah National Forest.

Best of luck in your search.

My experience; it took us until the third different fifth wheel to determine all our preferences as far as floor plan, conveniences, options etc. We are now looking for that 'perfect' unit that will check off all the boxes and as we have a unit we are happy with for now, there's no rush. We bought used so that we weren't hit with huge depreciation when we upgraded.

We had truck campers prior to moving into our 5th wheel. The ability to find campsites and be accepted into parks was limitless. Once in Cody Wyoming we pulled into a private owned RV park on a weekend when the rodeo was in town. The registration clerk at the desk told us they were totally slammed full but since I had a truck camper he allowed us to park beside the building and use the 20a recepticle on the side of the building.

5th wheels take a little more thought and planning. Since you enjoy the NC mountains I'm sure you travel the Blue Ridge Parkway. Keep in mind some of the tunnels have height restrictions. Weekend trips don't require much but the toys you bring along mean everything. We find making reservations is almost a necessity sometimes. To maneuver into a back in site is a little tricky sometimes because parks don't allow enough room or other campers park their unhooked tow vehicles in the way, you can't swing wide enough. 5th wheels back up a little differently than pull trailers and this is not a problem once you get used to it and know how. You will be more thankful for the statement "pull through sites" available! State parks are sometimes simply not "big rig friendly" and you will have significant height restrictions with tree limbs and maneuvering around trees close to the access roads in parks don't allow much room for error. I've seen people do damage to their trailer in these places.

Moving from a camper van into a 5th wheel may present new challenges for you so think this thing out carefully. Do you go to the same places all the time. Do you know what to expect in roads, parking, fuel stops, overhead clearance and unforseen issues? If I were you I would consider a 24 foot pull trailer. There are limited 5th wheel products now available in this length but they are available, do a search on the Internet. Since you a are used to a camper van, a 24' pull trailer will make you feel like you camping in a house!!

Good luck with your decision. Upgrading slowly sometimes is the best route. People always want things bigger and more storage space. Think about the increase in comfort and liveability of even a 20' trailer over your current campervan! There are lots of good late model used products out there. Enjoy the search!!

The kayaks may be a problem if you get a short bed truck. The goal post carrier attached to the front of the truck with the cab top rack for the rear carrying surface should work well.

As others have mentioned you will be limited by the F250 GVW. I assume you will get either a SC or CC and depending whether 2x4 or 4x4 the Truck gets heavy real quick. If you look at Ford tow ratings it may look like you have more than enough carrying capacity but you will go over the GVW.
My '09' F350 CC DRW has a GVW of 13000 a rated 4094 capacity and GCWR of 23500 and maximum fifth wheel of 15200.
The problem is the truck weighs 8900 with full fuel and me, 9300 with me DW and fifthwheel hitch.
If you subtract loaded truck from GCWR of 23500 you wind up with 14200 or 1000 less than Ford max fifthwheel weigh.
My suggestion is order yourself an F350 and get the max GVW package of 11400.
If you ever upgrade your fiver you'll be happy you did.

CG sites won't be an issue......some of the older cg roadways can be tight thru the trees and low hanging limbs.

With a 12K GVWR that 5vr is a good weight match for 250/2500 trucks.