Searching for first TT, have questions.

[TrueBlueKC]

We have been looking for about three years to upgrade from our pop up. We're looking for a couples trailer that will sleep 4 and prefer a sofa to a dinette. Also want the total length under 28'. And some decent sized holding tanks.

Out of all the countless trailers I've looked at the top of our list is the Grand Design Imagine 2150rb

Our runner up is the Heritage Glen 23RBHL

One more we are looking at but haven't seen in person as it is a dealer stock only unit. The sale price is more than 35% off but the trailer is 200 miles away. Open Range light 216RBS This one is shorter but 100" wide and has two slides. No access to the bathroom or fridge it appears though with slides in?

My questions:

Of these three, which would you buy and why?

Is there anything similar to these or better that I haven't found?

Should we buy used? Those first two are hard to find used but we are in no hurry. We want to get the right trailer because we plan to use it for a long time. We don't want to settle for something that we will want to trade up in a couple of years.

Thanks in advance for any replies. The search is exhausting and any tips or recommendations are appreciated.

[wills670]

We have an Aspen Trail 2480rbs that is just slightly longer than your looking for by about 9 inches its just under 29 feet long shipping weight is just under 6000lbs. it has a 52 gal. fresh tank with 42 gray and black tanks. The way its designed you can get to the fridge and bath with the slide closed ,about 2 foot opening between the counter top and the couch.

We purchased ours as a couples camper with a trifold couch and I added a swinging/rotating tv bracket so the tv could be swing out where it was completely visible on the couch. It does sit quit high (11' 4" tall) but with the trailer siting as tall as it does makes it a lot easier to go in and out of my driveway. So far we are happy with the camper for our needs.

[rbpru]

We came from a Canoe and Tent and/or PUP back ground also, so I would suggest you do what we did.

We decided on the size and floor plan we liked and then Rented a similar unit for a ten day trip to the Ozarks.

We learned a lot and the best part was, if we did not like it, we dropped it off and went on our merry way.

What we really discovered was, our F-150 that had hauled our PUP all over the country did not have the horses or transmission to pull the load. Also our idea floor plan was not so ideal.

We upgraded to an F-150 with an e-boost engine and found a used camper with the floor plan we liked. We have put over 30,000 mile on it in four years.

The big pluses of renting was, by the time we spent the big bucks, we knew we were going to; get 10 mpg, drive about 250 to 300 miles a day at 55 to 65 mph, what wind and truck buffeting was all about, getting used to being passed by everything on the road but mostly, we learned what it was like to "camp" in one of these barns once you got to your destination.

We like it because it fits our retirement RV camping style. It is a lot different than the PUP.

[westend]

Why do some manufacturers, like the open range model you have selected, have the tv placed so you need to crane your neck sitting down? We don't watch a lot of tv while camping, maybe 30 minutes to an hour a night, but I don't want to be uncomfortable doing so either.

Ease of installation for the mfg comes to mind. It's not that difficult to select a different mounting bracket or even change the location of the screen. Lots of options with today's lightweight screens.

[FrankShore]

TrueBlueKC wrote:

FrankShore wrote:
Have you looked at Lance (the length you want is less that's 28' and they can sleep 4-6

Lance Camper Link

They're expensive but with Lance, you get what you pay for!

I've looked online at Lance as well as Northwoods and ORV but there are no dealers near me unfortunately so I haven't looked in person. I hear good things about Lance campers but the price point may be high for our first TT.

Lance has a users group where they have a classifieds section. You might look there. Lance has great fit and finish plus a lot of other innovative ideas making them a trailer to seek out. They're out of the ordinary.

[pbtman]

We recently bought a Keystone Outback 250URS. This unit has a large horseshoe shaped dinette on a slide-out. The king bed bedroom is hard sided and slides out the back of the trailer. It has bunk beds at the front of the trailer with an exterior door that will allow for bikes or whatever to be stored in there once the lower bunk is lifted up and locked. View of the floor plan is available on Keystone’s website. So far, we love it. We camp with our 2 youngest grand children.

[gmw_photos]

Politics, the stories of war and a lost daughter notwithstanding, it's worth about 19 or 20 grand in my estimation.

[TrueBlueKC]

We went and looked at some Minnie's today and are very impressed. The 2250DS is great. It has a ton of counter space and storage. The Tv is viewable comfortably from literally everywhere in the trailer. Even the toilet! And did I mention the counter space? The down side is that even though the big dinette is pretty comfy and doable, it's not as comfy as the chaise lounge on the Imagine. That and the tank sizes are keeping the Imagine at the top of the list.

It was a mildly interesting trip to this dealer. It's owned by an elderly man who has been in business for 63 years. I walked in and said I'm interested in looking at the Minnie's. He proceeded to tell me all about his time in the Korean war and his daughter being killed in a car crash and then started talking politics. Then he said "I can sell you that one for $26,995. The sticker is around $31,000 so I'm not trying to screw you here". That quote was for a leftover 2017 unit. We got to sit in it and see it and then we left.

[TrueBlueKC]

jfkmk wrote:
Were looking too, and are interested in two out of your three choices....the Grand Design and the Heritage a Glen (same models). From another post, I think you can't access the bedroom with the slide in, a deal breaker for me.

Why do some manufacturers, like the open range model you have selected, have the tv placed so you need to crane your neck sitting down? We don't watch a lot of tv while camping, maybe 30 minutes to an hour a night, but I don't want to be uncomfortable doing so either.

On the Imagines, the only models you can get to the bedroom with slides in are the ones with the door in the bedroom. On the heritage glen you can still get to the bed.

The TV viewing is an issue on so many floor plans but you can tilt the TV for a better view. The deal breaker for me on that Open Range is not being able to get to the fridge and bathroom with slides in because of the island.

[TrueBlueKC]

FrankShore wrote:
Have you looked at Lance (the length you want is less that's 28' and they can sleep 4-6

Lance Camper Link

They're expensive but with Lance, you get what you pay for!

I've looked online at Lance as well as Northwoods and ORV but there are no dealers near me unfortunately so I haven't looked in person. I hear good things about Lance campers but the price point may be high for our first TT.

[jfkmk]

Were looking too, and are interested in two out of your three choices....the Grand Design and the Heritage a Glen (same models). From another post, I think you can't access the bedroom with the slide in, a deal breaker for me.

Why do some manufacturers, like the open range model you have selected, have the tv placed so you need to crane your neck sitting down? We don't watch a lot of tv while camping, maybe 30 minutes to an hour a night, but I don't want to be uncomfortable doing so either.

[FrankShore]

Have you looked at Lance (the length you want is less that's 28' and they can sleep 4-6

Lance Camper Link

They're expensive but with Lance, you get what you pay for!

[George3037]

Nothing wrong with buying used. I just got the camping bug again after 5 years without a trailer and bought used. In my area I had hundreds of used and new ones to look at. I visited 6 trailer sales places within 15 miles of my house. I probably looked at 80 new and used and found a nice 7 year old 28' TT with two opposing slides in the living area and really liked the floor plan. I've been slowly upgrading some things in it over the winter and have plans for several local campgrounds before taking it on a long trip.
Good luck in your search.

[Lwiddis]

Looking at this TT it looks as if there is no access. WYN’s opinion x2. Blocking the bedroom in a couple’s TT is also not for me. Too confining.

[IndyCamp]

Well, we are trading in our Rockwood on a Grand Design (Reflection 315RLTS), so I'm a little biased. 😉

The quality of the Grand Design rigs seems to be awesome and I've heard a lot of good things. The trailer you are looking at looks pretty cool. I prefer the living area on the other side (park side) of the trailer, however, so you can have more windows that look out onto the outdoor living space of your campsite. That wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me, it's just something I prefer.