New to this looking for a trailer.

[Ram2500]

Sorry for the black. It was copy and paste. I'm not sure why it had the black I will retype. 

First time buyer here my wife and I have 2 kids (5 and 2) opnions wanted. We are looking at bunk house trailer 2 we have in mind are the grand design transcend xplore 265bh

https://www.granddesignrv.com/showroom/2021/travel-trailer/transcend-xplor/floorplans/265bh

The other being keystone passport 267bh 

https://www.keystonerv.com/travel-trailers/passport/floorplans/267bh-sl-series-travel-trailer/

 

One one the biggest opnions I wanted was on siding I like the look of the fiberglass much better. My brother owns some land out in the middle of now where and going out there boondocking it would be on our list. The road has about 3 good miles up the mountain and 2 ruff ones with pot holes and trees over hanging. I havent made it out there my self yet its 4 hours 1 way from my place. I'm a little worried about trees and what would hold up better with I did get tangled up in them. It would only be like a monthly trip. And on top of that I still would like to hear everyone's likes and opnions. Again very sorry for the black text.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Ram2500
Black text.

[2gypsies]

Welcome!  First, your post is extremely difficult to read with the black highlighting.

With two small children you definitely want bunks and a table.... no tv trays.  Having to make up the bed on a sofa every day is a pain and then you have to store the bedding daily.  Bunks are great for kids.  They have their own space and can read/play in them.

If you know the trees are so low over the road that the RV will touch them, I'd seriously look at a used trailer rather than putting addt'l money into new and have it ruined right away.  Fiberglass is more difficult to repair.  However, the real issue is the roof.  Having a tree put rips in it will lead to leaks and that you don't want.  Personally, I wouldn't be using that road... ever.  There's no way around not getting damage.

[Kirk W]

Welcome to the Escapee forums! If you could edit your post and take out that black, it sure would be helpful. What I can make out is that you are comparing a Keystone product to one from Grand Design. The Grand Design is a much more highly rated travel trailer. We might be able to help more if we had a bit more information 

[TXiceman]

With the black, I will not even try to read it.  Sorry.

 

Ken

[SWharton]

x2

 

[Ram2500]

23 minutes ago, SWharton said:

x2

 

I'm sorry about the text fixed it.

[sandsys]

Welcome to a great group. Here's my quick thoughts on a first pass through: They both have adequate kitchens with the Grand Design being a bit better if you use the counter under the TV. Neither has much closet space but if you only do weekends it will be enough. Both have U-shaped dinettes which, if you look at the pictures, you will see only have enough surface for two place settings. I would not want to wash kids in the shower so would pick a tub for that but as a kid myself we had a shower we put a wash tub in for bathing so that might work for you. The Grand Design has steps up to get in the lower bunk for the little kid but I don't know what they offer for access to the upper bunk in either trailer; some kids are climbers so it might not matter for your family. I don't like the open bathroom in the Grand Design but that is MY preference.The Passport has better angles for viewing the main TV. The Grand Design has larger tank capacities which is important to me but may not be a problem if you indeed only do weekends. I agree that I would not try to drive under trees if they are low; can they be trimmed?

Too much? Sorry about that.

Linda Sand

[Ram2500]

Thanks for the input so far keep it coming! As far as the trees go I'm not real sure how bad the trees would be I just didnt know how much the two types of sidings handle it I didnt know if it would be real easy to pop the aluminumn or if the fiberglass would scratch super easy ot if the handeled it ok I don't want to damage a brand new trailer but sometime you may get yourself in a sticky situation no pun intended. I know other properties around him has people with campers up there. 

Washing kids in the shower wouldnt be a big deal they both listen well enough to get the job done. My 5 year old is a climber for sure and we do plan on boondocking for mostly justweekends but theres potential for longer. 

[Darryl&Rita]

Either bring a saw with you, or do recon first to see how bad the trees are. Both sidings will handle minor brushes with trees branch tips, but awning arms, door lights, and especially the roof won't. Between the 2, I favour the Grand Design. They also seem to be built a little better than the Passport line.

[Kirk W]

Most RV siding will handle brushing against the smaller, flexible limbs but not a more rigid one. If you will be going in and out frequently it would be wise to do some trimming to prevent anything more than about 1" diameter from dragging. I really don't see much difference in what would hold up better. Probably the fiberglass would be somewhat so as it is more smooth but the aluminum is more easily repaired. 

Thanks for editing out the black!

[Ram2500]

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

Most RV siding will handle brushing against the smaller, flexible limbs but not a more rigid one. If you will be going in and out frequently it would be wise to do some trimming to prevent anything more than about 1" diameter from dragging. I really don't see much difference in what would hold up better. Probably the fiberglass would be somewhat so as it is more smooth but the aluminum is more easily repaired. 

Thanks for editing out the black!

No problem I think a sawzall will definitely be going with me. 

 

Also little more information the trailer will be used mostly for weekends but I could see using it for week long trips maybe twice a year. It will be in a non covered storage lot about 2 miles from my house I got 2 kids so tank sizes seem to be a plus but we also need to learn how to be less wasteful with our water in the first place. 

[Kirk W]

2 minutes ago, Ram2500 said:

we also need to learn how to be less wasteful with our water in the first place. 

That is a very important issue when you stay without any RV connections. The same for the size of the gray water tank as it will be where most of the water used ends up. You can get big jugs to carry extra water and there are portable waste tanks but they are very heavy when full if you get the larger ones. 

[sandsys]

12 hours ago, Kirk W said:

You can get big jugs to carry extra water and there are portable waste tanks but they are very heavy when full if you get the larger ones. 

If you get extra tanks keep an eye on your weight. Water weighs 8+ pounds per gallon in whatever tank it resides.

Linda

[fpmtngal]

The answers above give you lots of good information and really answer your question.  

I’m not familiar with either of these trailers (I’m solo).  Some thoughts of mine that very well may not pertain to your situation.  As I read your original post, I spotted the “rough road”.  If all you are talking about is a dirt road that has pot holes that aren’t too bad, then it doesn’t matter. But if you are talking about 2 track that’s often overgrown, then you might want to look at how much ground clearance the trailers have (I have a low trailer that’s easy to tow but can get into trouble easily).  If the road is just wash-board dirt road that doesn’t cross over any ditches or have relatively steep dips, then length/overhang isn’t something to consider either.  But if there are significant dips, you might want to look at the trailer’s overhang, to see if you would scrape the back end when you go over them (been there, done that one time when a dip didn’t look as deep as it really was).

Washboard roads just mean you drive slowly, not a big deal.  It’s the rest of the stuff that might or might not go with the definition of “rough road” that would concern me.

On the other hand, it sounds like a great place to go to!  I’d love it.

[TXiceman]

Our daughter and family found a good quality and fit with a Winnebago Minnie Plus bunk house model last year.  Seems to be better built than the Thor and Forest River stuff.

https://www.winnebago.com/models/product/towables/travel-trailer/minnie-plus-1

 

[Ram2500]

Hey everyone thanks for the feed back we still havent decided on a trailer yet there is so many to choose from and so many check alot of the boxes but none check all yet.

[Ram2500]

What do yall think about gulfstream as a manufacture? 

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, Ram2500 said:

What do yall think about gulfstream as a manufacture? 

I have heard mixed reports but have never owned one of their RVs. 

[fpmtngal]

I’ve also heard mixed reviews, not sure that means as much if you do a good inspection before you buy a particular trailer.  I’ve read a number of negative reviews for every RV manufacturer.

I know someone who has one.  He had ordered it and there were issues with the order.  He ended up going directly to Gulfstream to get it sorted out - his dealer was useless (they received the wrong trailer in place of his and tried to sell it to him.  When he pointed out it didn’t match his order, they didn’t do anything to find out what happened.  He contacted Gulfstream who told him that his trailer had failed QC and was still at Gulfstream and that they had shipped his dealer a trailer that was supposed to have gone to another dealer).  So he liked their customer service.  He’s had the usual RV type of issues, nothing major, just a few minor things and all fixed under warranty (the dealer’s service department was much better than their sales department).  He’s now had it for 2 years and seems quite happy with it.

That doesn’t really answer your question because it’s only one person’s experience and I’m not sure how picky he is as far as fit and finish goes.

I looked at a couple of their Vintage models, but couldn’t get beyond the fact I don’t like the decor.

[2gypsies]

Here is some talk on Gulf Stream:  https://www.irv2.com/forums/f110/

[Kirk W]

As you research RV manufacturers, keep in mind the fact that no manufacturer is so good that they never have any unhappy customers, and none is so bad that they have no happy customers. I have found that if you post negative statements about any brand, there will be those who defend the company, probably because they believe the negative statements about that RV manufacturer reflect badly on them for having bought that brand. 

[Ram2500]

22 hours ago, Kirk W said:

As you research RV manufacturers, keep in mind the fact that no manufacturer is so good that they never have any unhappy customers, and none is so bad that they have no happy customers. I have found that if you post negative statements about any brand, there will be those who defend the company, probably because they believe the negative statements about that RV manufacturer reflect badly on them for having bought that brand. 

Definitely alot of truth behind that dont go to a ram, ford, Chevy forum asking about quality they seem to be biased. As I do my research I do find alot of happy people with gulf trailers but alot of people not happy with the motor coaches.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Ram2500

[Ram2500]

Thanks for all the input everyone. We put a deposit down on a east to west della terra 28krd. It was pretty much to only 2020 left in my area. Love the trailer it's a little bigger than I wanted my wife loves it. Got a pretty good deal with it being a left over 2020. 

Thanks again!

[2gypsies]

4 hours ago, Ram2500 said:

Thanks for all the input everyone. We put a deposit down on a east to west della terra 28krd. It was pretty much to only 2020 left in my area. Love the trailer it's a little bigger than I wanted my wife loves it. Got a pretty good deal with it being a left over 2020. 

Thanks again!

Look like a nice RV for you!  Looking at the bunks they would be very difficult to use sheets.  You'll have to think about sleeping bags.  Have fun!

[Ram2500]

7 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

Look like a nice RV for you!  Looking at the bunks they would be very difficult to use sheets.  You'll have to think about sleeping bags.  Have fun!

That's the wifes problem now!