Hi Sally,
First, congrats on the second retirement. I'm on number 3 and hoping it "sticks" this time.

There isn't a "right" trailer that fits everyone. The final size and configuration comes down to a combination of what your tow vehicle can haul (we can help with that), the overall length restrictions of your desired destinations (state parks = smaller trailer), and your personal tastes.

While I'm sure the many regulars here have favorite spots for extended stays, that type of information exchange is not the focus of this forum. We try to stay in the help-the-thing-is-broken-how-do-I-fix-it-lane.

Good luck on your search--and please if there's technical questions related to your search (aka "what are the pitfalls of slide x vs slide y") please feel free to ask away.

Howard

Happy New Year Sally,
I will agree with Howard there is no perfect trailer that's like finding a unicorn. I can tell you that on our three year search we went to a lot of RV shows and walked thru a lot of campers. After taking the first pass thru the RV shows we made a check list of must haves, don't wants, (that sort of thing) We then took that check list to the shows and that eliminated a lot of trailers faster. We were down to grand design and one other brand by the time we were ready to buy. I can also tell you that RV trader was very helpful, its a way to see campers without leaving home. It also gets you a good idea of pricing before you go to buy. And finally go online and watch the RV channels on U-Tube there are a lot of them with great advice and again you don't have to leave home.
Hope this helps and that you can become part of the grand design family.
J.

Note, if you go to RV shows be prepared to LIE. Tell them you are 3 years from buying and do not let them start offering the "SHOW SPECIAL" deals trying to suck you in. Show deals are available for weeks or months after the show, just note the prices they are offering for the ones you are looking at. Sometimes they even beat show prices after the shows to move show stock.

If possible avoid buying a "SHOW" camper. These things have been run without a battery on the converter (hard on the converter), and a lot of them have had the slides moved by using the 7 way plug (hard on slide motors and the wiring). Let's also not forget that there have been 100's or 1,000's of people walking through it opening and closing everything (good test of durability) and a lot of people do not realize that they put upper body weight on doors when leaning down (this can lead to hinge and face frame issues).

Again I do not work for GD and these are my PERSONAL experiences in purchasing (I did end up with a show model and yes I had issues hence only owning 23 months).