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  • How do you like your 17MKE?

    We are looking at our very first TT and the 17MKE has really caught our eye...wondering how you like it so far? I've never done any type of camping, although my husband has done a ton of tent camping, so this is REALLY a new experience for me....
    Looking at 17MKE

  • #2
    Well, since you asked .... we bought a new 2021 17MKE in May. We were so in love with the floor plan when we walked through a couple of them at a local Grand Design RV Rally. We thought we loved the kitchen and talked ourselves into how neat such a small trailer might be. 3 months later we sold it for a 22MLE.

    I don't intend to say it's a bad trailer in any way, it's just after camping in it 3 times we quickly realized it was just too small for us. Very few and small windows, a cool but poor functioning kitchen for 2 to work in, and the whole idea of the cool Murphy bed got old after a few days/nights. Our biggest disappointment was giving up a dinette to sit at and eat, play games, read, etc.

    These kinds of posts are always dangerous for the folks responding because I certainly don't mean to throw shade on those who absolutely love their 17MKE, there's a very active and great group of owners on FB you may check out, but for us, it missed the target of a great couple trailer. The 22MLE does the trick for us.
    Paul and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD; 2015 Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
    2016 GMC Denali 3500 SRW

    Comment


    • #3
      We love ours. It is a perfect couples trailer, especially if you don't want to tow something over 25 feet. We had bigger trailers when our kids were younger and wanted something smaller this time. We are now empty nesters. We have two small dogs and have worked from the trailer. My wife takes the Murphy bed couch and I sit in the recliner or if it is nice, we sit outside.
      We bought ours at the Hershey RV Show this past year. You can read about the entire experience at this link but I will summarize for you here.

      https://outdoorexplorerusa.com/blogs...o-buying-an-rv

      There were five trailers we wanted to compare at the show.

      In our opinion, these are the Best Couples Travel Trailers 2021-2022:Two of the RVs on our list quickly became finalists. The Keystone and Grand Design. Luckily, they were close in walking distance to each other, so we walked back and forth a few times comparing them. They may as well have been side by side so comparing was very easy. We picked the Grand Design 17MKE.

      The quality was up to our standard, it had theater seats to lounge in and the murphy bed that easily folded up and is another couch. The counter space was by far the best, it had a large shower, porcelain toilet and lots of good features like a solar panel, enclosed water hookup panel, great insulation and the Compass Connect app to monitor and control some aspects of the trailer.

      We have no problem with the Murphy bed. It is ridiculously easy to put up and down. There is room behind it so the pillows and covers can stay on it. The kitchen, bathroom and recliners are awesome. The ducted air and heat are a plus. Not all trailers have that. We did not want a built-in dinette. The 17MKE has a table you can move around or put outside.

      The Grand Design won out because of quality. The advantage of seeing them at an RV show is that you can easily compare them. As soon as you walk in an RV you can tell the quality immediately. I won't bash other brands, but some were really disappointing. The favorite going into the show (because it had cool features) was quickly eliminated.

      Let us know if you have any other questions.



      Brian at OutdoorExplorerUSA, 2022 Grand Design Imagine XLS 17MKE, 2017 Nissan Titan 4WD SL Crew Cab

      Comment


      • #4
        To be honest we bought it in the fall and parked it for the winter.
        With that said we had it in our driveway for a bit and it was really nice so far.
        We had thanksgiving dinner and watch a movie in it for testing.
        the furnace worked very well and the heated massage chairs where great.
        The only down side so far when the inside lights are on at night, its too BRIGHT...
        Looking forward to using it this summer.

        Wow like the above comment by OutdoorExplorerUSA , well said.
        I agree
        Last edited by Peter Dianne; 01-13-2022, 12:24 PM. Reason: spelling

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Paul & Deb View Post
          Well, since you asked .... we bought a new 2021 17MKE in May. We were so in love with the floor plan when we walked through a couple of them at a local Grand Design RV Rally. We thought we loved the kitchen and talked ourselves into how neat such a small trailer might be. 3 months later we sold it for a 22MLE.

          I don't intend to say it's a bad trailer in any way, it's just after camping in it 3 times we quickly realized it was just too small for us. Very few and small windows, a cool but poor functioning kitchen for 2 to work in, and the whole idea of the cool Murphy bed got old after a few days/nights. Our biggest disappointment was giving up a dinette to sit at and eat, play games, read, etc.

          These kinds of posts are always dangerous for the folks responding because I certainly don't mean to throw shade on those who absolutely love their 17MKE, there's a very active and great group of owners on FB you may check out, but for us, it missed the target of a great couple trailer. The 22MLE does the trick for us.
          Thank you for posting your experience with it. We had looked at a 2500RL a few years ago and didn't purchase it...fast forward, we no longer have as big of a truck to tow with plus we were looking for something that would take up less room in the yard. We haven't seen the 17MKE yet - saw a 22MLE at a show this weekend and it was nice. I too, am a little concerned about the lack of a big window, which is something i LOVED about the 2500RL we were looking at before. We are hoping to get to see the 17MKE in person this weekend.
          Last edited by Cate&Rob; 01-13-2022, 05:14 PM.
          Looking at 17MKE

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by OutdoorExplorerUSA View Post
            We love ours. It is a perfect couples trailer, especially if you don't want to tow something over 25 feet. We had bigger trailers when our kids were younger and wanted something smaller this time. We are now empty nesters. We have two small dogs and have worked from the trailer. My wife takes the Murphy bed couch and I sit in the recliner or if it is nice, we sit outside.
            We bought ours at the Hershey RV Show this past year. You can read about the entire experience at this link but I will summarize for you here.

            https://outdoorexplorerusa.com/blogs...o-buying-an-rv

            There were five trailers we wanted to compare at the show.

            In our opinion, these are the Best Couples Travel Trailers 2021-2022:Two of the RVs on our list quickly became finalists. The Keystone and Grand Design. Luckily, they were close in walking distance to each other, so we walked back and forth a few times comparing them. They may as well have been side by side so comparing was very easy. We picked the Grand Design 17MKE.

            The quality was up to our standard, it had theater seats to lounge in and the murphy bed that easily folded up and is another couch. The counter space was by far the best, it had a large shower, porcelain toilet and lots of good features like a solar panel, enclosed water hookup panel, great insulation and the Compass Connect app to monitor and control some aspects of the trailer.

            We have no problem with the Murphy bed. It is ridiculously easy to put up and down. There is room behind it so the pillows and covers can stay on it. The kitchen, bathroom and recliners are awesome. The ducted air and heat are a plus. Not all trailers have that. We did not want a built-in dinette. The 17MKE has a table you can move around or put outside.

            The Grand Design won out because of quality. The advantage of seeing them at an RV show is that you can easily compare them. As soon as you walk in an RV you can tell the quality immediately. I won't bash other brands, but some were really disappointing. The favorite going into the show (because it had cool features) was quickly eliminated.

            Let us know if you have any other questions.


            Thank you for all of the information, it's helpful for sure. I'm hoping to see a 17MKE this weekend - they didn't have one at a show we went to last week. We have had our eye on GD for the last few years, almost bought a 2500RL a few years ago. I'm a little concerned about the small windows in the MKE as i was really attracted to the large living room window in the 2500RL, but, I kind of like the idea of more "floor space" and towing something smaller now that we no longer have a full-size truck...plus I don't think we'll be spending THAT much time inside unless it's bad weather, so maybe it won't be an issue. I'm looking forward to seeing one in person...and the counter space looks awesome! I will certainly checkout all of the other info you posted.
            Last edited by Cate&Rob; 01-13-2022, 05:16 PM.
            Looking at 17MKE

            Comment


            • #7
              The Drakes


              Welcome to our Grand Design owners forum. Forum members are typically owners of Grand Design products, but we welcome questions from prospective owners. Note that you are conversing with a group of owners, not the company that builds our RVs.

              To maintain readability across all devices, we ask that participants not change the default font. I realize that just changing color is relatively insignificant, but please see Forum Rule 13. https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-forum/60-forum-rules

              Rob
              Last edited by Cate&Rob; 01-13-2022, 08:53 PM.
              Cate & Rob
              (with Border Collies Molly & Angel + Kitties Hazel & Elsie)
              2015 Reflection 303RLS
              2022 F350 Diesel CC SB SRW Lariat
              Bayham, Ontario, Canada

              Comment


              • #8
                Not a mentioned model but we love the 221RB as our couples trailer. We are glad we have the wall separating the bedroom as we both can be light sleepers at times. I wanted the aluminum instead of fiberglass/gel coat as I think it's easier to maintain. 26'11" hitch to bumper and I pull with my half ton no problem. We were looking at the 200MK then looked at the 221.
                Bill & Cindy
                2021 Transcend Xplor 221RB
                2021 Nissan Titan Pro4X
                SE Texas

                Comment


                • #9
                  We considered the 17MKE but decided the 22MLE was a better choice for us. Why? We use "George" for both short trips (3-5 days) but also use it for long trips - this fall 7 weeks and 5000+ miles. I can't imagine the long trip in the 17MKE.

                  Just saying you should figure out how you intend to use the trailer and add that info into your decision.

                  We are very happy with the 22MLE.

                  Shawn & Gary
                  2021 22MLE
                  2014 Nissan Titan Pro4X
                  Edwards, CO
                  Shawn and Gary Boris
                  2021 22MLE
                  2014 Nissan Titan Pro4X

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Colorado Campers View Post
                    We considered the 17MKE but decided the 22MLE was a better choice for us. Why? We use "George" for both short trips (3-5 days) but also use it for long trips - this fall 7 weeks and 5000+ miles. I can't imagine the long trip in the 17MKE.

                    Just saying you should figure out how you intend to use the trailer and add that info into your decision.

                    We are very happy with the 22MLE.

                    Shawn & Gary
                    2021 22MLE
                    2014 Nissan Titan Pro4X
                    Edwards, CO
                    Thanks for responding...I appreciate hearing different perspectives from folks that have way more experience than we do. For now, most of our trips will be relatively short - maybe two weeks at the very most since we are both working. I can certainly envision in retirement wanting something bigger (went to my first RV show this past weekend and fell in love with some of the Solitudes) because I would like to do some extensive traveling. So many things to think about! And so helpful to have a place to come seek advice. Thank you again.
                    Looking at 17MKE

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by BillinTexas View Post
                      Not a mentioned model but we love the 221RB as our couples trailer. We are glad we have the wall separating the bedroom as we both can be light sleepers at times. I wanted the aluminum instead of fiberglass/gel coat as I think it's easier to maintain. 26'11" hitch to bumper and I pull with my half ton no problem. We were looking at the 200MK then looked at the 221.
                      Thanks for responding. I'll make sure we look at one when we go to our local dealer. Honestly had not looked into any Transcend models, but, that's good info to have. Thanks!
                      Looking at 17MKE

                      Comment

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