After spending a grand total of nearly 12 months in our camper and lots of discussion, we decided to upgrade. It is very common for full-time RVers to change rigs during their first year or two on the road. There are many reasons people change their rig: Going smaller to fit into National Parks or BLM land, going larger for more space, or upgrading features. We are mostly in the features category. Things we wanted to improve include: larger shower (and bigger hot water tank), residential-grade refrigerator (with ice maker), stove with a built-in igniter, washer/dryer, walk-around bed for easier sheet-handling, entry steps that rest on the ground, automatic leveler, better over-all stability while parked, and better storage for our clothes. We got all of that and a grandkid loft bed and a central vacuum in our new Grand Design Solitude. The Solitude line of campers are made for full-timers. We have had it for about two months now and are really happy with our new rig.
Our big hang-up was the truck. We had a great Chevy Silverado 2500HD, but its payload capacity was far too low for any of the fifth wheels we considered. We upgraded to a brown 2019 Chevy Silverado High Country 3500HD dually diesel. The first camper weighed 9600 pounds full; our new one weighs 16,800 pounds full. Our first camper had a hitch weight of 950 pounds and our new one has a pin weight of 2750 pounds. We needed the new truck. It came with a sunroof that we use all the time.
Below are a few pictures inside the new camper. I copied most of these pictures from the Grand Design website.
