Grand Design Reflection 150 Series 260RD fifth wheel review
Today’s RV review is of the Grand Design Reflection 150 Series 260RD. In some ways this review is different in that friends of mine bought this after we talked about various RVs that they were considering. I got to go see it yesterday and thought I’d share my thoughts with all of you.
First, a warning
Like several RV manufacturers, Grand Design is marketing this unit specifically to owners of half-ton pickups. I think this is a giant mistake. Honestly, the only fifth wheel I’d consider towing with a half-ton pickup is something like the Scamp 19 that we reviewed a while back.
Check out our towing guide to help make a towing decision.
While you might find that the weight of this trailer, including the pin weight, may be within the specifications of a half-ton truck these things have such large surface areas that you could experience control issues in windy conditions. With anything this large, you really do want as much control as possible and I don’t feel that a half-ton truck offers that.
I wish all RV makers would just quit claiming that their fifth wheels are half ton towable.
Further, know that not all half ton trucks are alike. With any trailer purchase, know the capabilities of the tow vehicle including cargo carrying.
The manufacturer of this trailer rates the hitch weight at 1,269 pounds. Our half-ton Ram 1500 has a cargo carrying capacity of roughly 1800 pounds. That leaves just 531 pounds of capacity for everything, including Peggy and I.
And this is before you add the first thing, like a house battery, to the fifth wheel.
Upgrades for 2023
There are a number of things I saw in this model that appear to be upgrades from previous generations of this trailer. In fact, the things I saw on my friend’s fifth wheel really made me happy.
One of those was the steps. This had somewhat traditional aluminum folding steps that have served we RVers very well for many years. But they also installed a Lippert Solid Stance Step Stabilizer. To me this is the perfect entry step solution in an RV.
Grand Design has also gone to Goodyear Endurance trailer tires and a MorRyde CRE 3000 suspension system. Further, the trailer had a TST tire pressure monitoring system. This is another very, very good feature.
I’ve noticed that a surprising number of owners of fifth wheels upgrade the suspensions within rather short order. A lot of people I know have also replaced the tires after experiencing their first flat. I think that’s something owners of this model won’t seek out - these are good bits indeed.
A tankless job
This also now comes with a tankless water heater system. I really like these as you’re not heating water until you actually need to. When you do then you could theoretically stand in the shower for an hour and not run out of hot water.
The tankless water heater is a product of Furrion which was acquired by Lippert. Lippert tends to be good at listening to customers and also working on developing solutions that work well.
I see more and more Furrion components in RVs for good reason. Lippert is very good at supply chain and delivering on promises which some friends in the RV industry told me was not a strong suit of Furrion in the past. That has changed under Lippert.
Further, this water heater has a number of built-in systems to even out temperature delivery so you won’t get the surprise blast of cold or hot water that had been part of tankless water heaters in the past.
I do really like this system but it’s good to know that it only works on propane. Traditional RV water heaters often worked on both propane and electric but you simply can’t bring in enough electrical power in an RV to make a proper tankless water heater.
More to like
The overwhelming feeling I get in this trailer is of space. Lots and lots of space. And windows. Lots of those too.
The way this trailer was equipped there is a three-person theater couch on the road side in the slide room. Then there’s a large u-shaped dinette in the rear of the trailer. That provides plenty of seating space for entertaining.
The U-shaped dinette has a large table on a single pedestal mount and this table can swivel around. It is also easy to lower to make the dinette into a bed.
To add to this RV’s status as being well suited for entertaining, the kitchen is over in the front corner on the camp side. The solid counter top extends all the way along the camp side of the RV to the door. This would be a great situation for laying out some food for friends. Further, under the counter are a whole bunch of drawers.
Storage and counter space are really a strong suit of this floor plan.
Further, the model my friends got features a 16 foot Furrion 12 volt refrigerator. For all those who want larger fridges and seek-out a residential model, this is a far better solution. No inverter, it has a very large freezer section and a good sized refrigerator as well. Plus these newer 12 volt refrigerators are specifically designed for the harsh environment that are RVs.
Another thing I like about the 12 volt fridges is that they don’t require large venting in the back and they cool quickly. I just don’t see the need to ever put another residential refrigerator in an RV ever again.
For those who prefer a traditional propane-electric RV refrigerator that is still available and these can make sense for some boondockers.
Top floor
On the upper deck of this trailer is, of course, the bedroom which features a proper 60” X 80” queen-sized bed. No shortie queen here.
Further, there are the closets on either side of the bed as you might expect along with hanging storage and drawers on the back wall of the bedroom.
The bathroom is a good size with a nice walk-in shower whose floor is not raised above the rest of the bathroom unlike in many RVs. No worries, mate, there is a lip there so you don’t flood the RV but it’s nice not to have to step down when getting out of the shower.
I didn’t catch this but my friends pointed out that there’s really not a lot of storage in the bathroom but then there’s that closet in the bedroom. There is a medicine cabinet over the toilet, though, so watch your noggin.
Boondocking and travel access
This fifth wheel has a lot of things I really, really like but the steps to the upper deck are on the road side which means a closed slide room specifically blocks access to this area. Otherwise all the lower deck is fully accessible with the slide in.
As for boondocking there are nice large holding tanks as you would expect in a fifth wheel. Grand Design includes 165 watts of solar with a second 165 watt panel available. With a fridge this large, though, I wish they offered more solar from the factory. This is something Keystone has really embraced and I think it’s an area where Grand Design absolutely should step up their game.
Final thoughts
I liked this fifth wheel in theory when I saw it and liked it even more in practice when I got to walk around inside. There are a lot of things to like about this, but the overwhelming feeling of spaciousness and the ability to have a bunch of friends over and have a comfortable seat for them is a big plus.
Peggy and I tend to like to camp with others so RVs that are good for those nights when the weather is less hospitable are a plus for me.
I also have to commend Grand Design. They have created a feeling of good will among their customer base which has translated into strong loyalty. This fifth wheel is the second Grand Design product these friends have purchased and other friends, too, are on their second or third Grand Design RV. The company really does a good job of creating good will with their owner base.
However I really, really wish all RV companies would do a better job of educating people on the realities of towing these trailers. I think calling this a half ton towable fifth wheel is a disservice to people.
As mentioned, Grand Design is by no means alone in being guilty of this.
Overall a really nice design with some solid improvements over previous years that I think will make my friends very happy campers.
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