2023 Grand Design 22MLE | Full Time RV Living Tour

Welcome to our 2023 Grand Design 22MLE Join us as we give you a complete tour of of our new home for full time RV Living
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🧗Originally from New Hampshire, In 2017 our youngest daughter asked us to take her on a vacation anywhere that had palm trees. Little did we know, that would start us down a path of travel. In 2022, After 28 years of marriage, Our kids, now grown, ventured out onto their own and left us with an “Empty Nest”. Seizing on an exploding real estate market, we sold EVERYTHING and hit the road in our brand new 2023 Grand Design 22MLE. Our videos serve as a diary and an open window to REAL RV life.
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📫 Physical correspondence can be sent to:
Bob & Karri c/o Life Redesigned
5753 Highway 85 North
Box 5827
Crestview, FL 32536

[@BToddL]

A few items you may want to consider that have worked well in our 2021 22MLE. 1. A Fan-Tastic or similar fan in the bathroom. 2. Rooftop vent cover. 3. Rechargeable motion activated lights for the closets. 4. Upgrade the inside speakers. 5. Screen door cross bar handle Enjoy your adventure!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you for the great ideas. Do you have any suggestions for the ceiling lights? They are so bright and we would love to make them dimmable? Thank you for taking the time to watch our videos and comment! We truly appreciate it!

[@BToddL]

@@liferedesigned Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions on dimming the lights. The type of switch that is used can't be exchanged for a dimmer like a toggle switch could. We often use one of the single lights and/or a small lamp on the table.

[@susanbrenner900]

Can you cover the lights with some type of fabric? School teachers do this in classrooms to minimize the glare of fluorescent lights.

[@brianmorgan1978]

Welcome to the MLE 22. My wife and I purchased ours in 2022 ('22 model). So far we're very satisfied. Grand Design is very good to work with on replacement parts and service. We had a seam tear in our awning and they replaced it without any quibble. Wishing you many fond memories in your new camper.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you so much! We are very happy with it! We appreciate the kind words and happy your awning is fixed! Stay safe, safe travels and enjoy your journey! Karri

[@theresad6990]

For that really deep cabinet behind the dinette seat (11:18) Think about maybe taking that mirror off the wall and cutting a hole behind it to access that cabinet and then put hinges on the side of the mirror and a magnetic closure. That way you could access it from that side and put your safe toward the back of that deep cabinet where it wouldn't be obvious. Another thought would be to install drawer slides and attach a long bin so that you could pull it out to get to your way back stuff.

[@liferedesigned]

Excellent ideas! Thank you 😀

[@Hawk89gt]

Was going to say the same, I’m just about to do that with mine.

[@thespankdmonkey]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I love it when folks share their honest reviews. Still got a few years before I can pull the plug but so looking forward to making the decision to go full time.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you for taking the time to watch our videos and commenting! We truly appreciate it! One thing about us is we are honest… I cannot stand fake reviews, etc. Not everything is perfect all of the time. That said, Bob said you win username of the year! 😂 Have a great day! Karri

[@NavigatingChaos]

Just get rid of the dinette. Replace it with a long table and a couple of chairs. You will enjoy the extra floor space, and way more practical for what you are using it for right now.

[@liferedesigned]

May have to look at that option down the road but for now we love the flexibility

[@itsonvideo]

In my 22MLE the water pump is under the dinette :(

[@liferedesigned]

@@itsonvideo correct!

[@Hawk89gt]

@@itsonvideo yep, correct.

[@deanfranz]

Nice, thorough review! I've always wanted to see a practical video that actually shows one of these RVs in action, and this is a perfect example! This is the kind of review I like to see, from somebody who did the legwork and made the purchase, and you guys seem to be getting on pretty nicely! Thanks for showing that it can be done, and without much difficulty! I'd love to see or hear about the experience you two had with simply buying the RV, about how that process went!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you. We were very careful with what we purchased as this was going to be our home. As far as the actual purchase went… we’ll, let’s just say that was indeed an experience. We’ve been on the fence about sharing that though. Thank you, we appreciate the kind words. Be well, Karri

[@TheDaruma100]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMMENTING ON YOUR MATTRESS CHOICE! Valuable info!

[@karenr67]

I'm in love with the layout. Great couples trailer.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Karen! Thank you! The layout is awesome! Have a great day!

[@dumasbagofhammers]

We have a 2022 Grand Design 22MLE which we are very happy with. It is perfectly laid out for a couple and the camp side dinette is money. We have towed it across the country three times and it has held up with well with only mileage appropriate maintenance required.

[@liferedesigned]

Same here! Safe travels

[@roxannegordon6162]

Good to hear. We, husband and I, have towed our Winnebago Minnie Drop from New Hampshire to Shanandoah, Mt. Rushmore, Devils tower, landing in Yellowstone, down to Grand Teton on the way home with no issues except the little thing is now too small. We are on our 5th season, 2024 and need the GD MLE. We don't need a bedroom door, although husband would like one, the curtain works well as it has in Winnie. I really don't want to deal with a Murphy bed. I read in bed before turning out the light. Husband watches the nightly news to see what countries blew each other up before coming to bed. The curtain works great. Murphy bed is a deal breaker for me. Salesmen love to show me, a woman, how easy it is to lower and push up. Not the issue. The issue is: it's a Murphy bed. The dinette is required for board games, map marking and meals. The theater seating is for movies and reading. MLE has both. Not all RVs do. We hope to pick this up by the years end. Perhaps we'll get an out of season sale. Wish me luck.

[@WNTAdventures]

Love the video. We watched a bunch of videos on this and similar floor plans from other manufacturers. We liked the layout so much we bought the same unit as yours yesterday. Then we see your video and are feeling pretty good about our decision. Nice to see a video by an owner and not an RV dealer trying to sell one. We have a son, daughter in law and grandson in Ocean Isle Beach just up the road from you.

[@liferedesigned]

We love our 22MLE (Humphrey) and hope you will love yours as well! Safe travels!

[@milleraudio3280]

Love you guys. Great review, I hope to watch more of your videos. Love to see a one year recap of this initial review when you get there! Cheers

[@liferedesigned]

Funny you should say that lol, we had planned a 6 month update but we got so busy we never got to it - we should have a recap video out within the next month - lots of requests for it 😀

[@TheGrainSideUp]

Great video. Congrats! I showed my other half this video to help her see how the inside can be decorated for travel. I have been preparing for this purchase for some time. The Cougar 22 has been super high on my list followed by the Micro Lite 22FBS. As I learned more about my truck, trailers and towing limits. I learned over a year ago that I am pushing my payload limits with the Cougar. It was sad for us after first seeing it at an RV show in Texas. And, to think the salesperson told us....oh yeah, your truck can tow with no problems. We moved on to Micro LIte 22FBS, but these are hard to find....I guess it is a very popular couples model. We looked into other brands, but we heard great things about Grand Design. So, we have finally come down to the 22 MLE, 22 RBS and 23 LDE. Of the two 22 models, the other half really likes the MLE layout until I took her to see the 23 LDE for fun. Unfortunately, the 23 LDE was pushing my payload limits. It wasn't over my limit, but it concerned me. So, we have found a '23 GD 22MLE and hopefully we can come to an agreeable price before I get an RV inspector to review the unit. I am super glad to hear that you enjoy your unit plus other owner reviews. Oh, Amazon has battery operated motion sensing lights about 7" long that can be used in your closets. They are magnetic and mount by two sided tape to a strip of metal for easy removal. We used them all over the house, closets, stairway, etc. Enjoy your redesigned life!

[@liferedesigned]

Wow, well good luck with the MLE. It’s really a great RV. I’m really curious about the motion sensing lights. That would come in super handy for the closet behind the dinette. Thank you so much for watching our videos and taking the time to comment! I love that! Take care and safe travels! Karri

[@hikethisplanet1017]

We kept our mattress (23lde Imagine) and went to Costco and bought the memory foam mattress topper for about $179.00 CDN ( $125.00 usd approx.) We love it.

[@liferedesigned]

That is great! We have never had good luck with mattress toppers being full timers, The Casper mattress has been a must have for us and so far one of the best upgrades we have made. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment! Really appreciate it 😀

[@SM-jx7tn]

Thanks. We're looking at one now and this if definitely our favorite floor plan. I appreciate the lived in perspective.

[@liferedesigned]

Anytime!

[@geraldschultz6044]

TNG we just bought the 2023 GD 22 MLE and picked it up Dec 7th. We get to use it next weekend for the first time. we also pre- bought an 8-inch thick mattress for it. We will be camp hosting in Oregon 5 months this year and can't wait to go.

[@liferedesigned]

That is great! You will love it!

[@cowdogconnoisseur2809]

🎉 Congrats! She’s a beauty!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank You!

[@bryanbarner5665]

Wonderful video very informative, very helpful and well done!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you!

[@1111visions]

Thank you for your time to make this video. Very helpful!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you Frank! I appreciate you taking the time to watch our video and commenting! Have a great day! Karri

[@bonniepettersen4063]

Love the design, love the rear kitchen!

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Bonnie! Thank you!

[@diverm2371]

I want to love grand design but ther service department is a 1 of 10 . Nice trailer with potential tho. For the most part happy with ours. Nice video

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you. I agree with you 💯. We’ll be putting out a video soon about our experience so far. Thank you for watching and taking time to comment, I really appreciate it! Safe travels!

[@NicLH]

Just got married and we are planning a life on the road for our future! Thank you for this review. Exact kind of info we are looking for in doing our own research for our first camper purchase.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Nicole! Congratulations! That’s awesome! Thank you for watching and commenting! Feel free to reach out with any questions.

[@bobdrawbaugh4207]

This was on tops of our list for a new RV. The swintech slid and the laminate floor was a dealbreaker for us. I still live this floor plan.

[@liferedesigned]

We looked and looked and finally decided on this one - stay away from the Keystone Cougar - front window leaks. Zero issues with the slide (had the same on the Winnebago) it is all about following the operators manual - only open fully and close completely, never had a problem. As for the floors - love them! Easy to clean and take quite an amount of abuse

[@commonsenseguy8189]

Great Video guys. I am looking at this trailer for myself as well. I am planning to remove the pantry cabinet and the one booth dinette seat and put in place a LG wash tower 27" wide stackable washer/dryer unit... The unit is 331 lbs but with the trailers 1600+ lb cargo capacity that is no issue... Also thinking about swapping the bed for the murphy unit used in the 25BHE... I would lose the storage above the bed but would have more seating and open room in the trailer...

[@liferedesigned]

Interesting- please keep us updated

[@maxyourjourney]

Looks like home. Love it guys nice choice hope it works out.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! We are loving it!

[@Me-je2jv]

God bless you 🙏 😊

[@juliecover5418]

Love the review guys! We just bought this identical trailer today and couldn’t be more excited! We pick it up next Tuesday and can’t wait to hit the road. I’ll be watching this review again and can’t wait to hear more about your experience!

[@liferedesigned]

Congrats!

[@mimi.honey08]

❤ I love y'all ❤️ Thank you for sharing your rig. I think this could be a perfect fit for my hubby and I

[@liferedesigned]

Aw thank you ❤️❤️ We love “Humphrey” and have looked at literally hundreds of rigs and have not found a better floorplan!

[@phyllisgayhardt3374]

I enjoyed y’all’s tour. Sold our Class C and looking around.

[@liferedesigned]

The 22MLE is the best for us. We spent HOURS/days/weeks, etc. watching reviews, going to RV shows. What “must haves “ are you looking for? Thank you so much for watching and commenting, we appreciate it so much! Take care!

[@stacyking4438]

Nice your living my dream

[@jesserevilla992]

Congratulations 🎉we have the same Rig 2022 . And its a great rig. We love having our Dinette on the "camp-side" We have a Sound Bar for the TV. Like your work set up. I recall your Winnebago Micro Mini .. Just Subscribed .. Blessings on your mew Full-time RV life style 🏁🌅

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! We absolutely love it! Bob put in a sound bar too, wasn’t necessary, but…. His work set up is pretty good. Everything moves out of the way so we can still sit at the table for dinner. Thank you again for the kind words and subscribing, but most importantly taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it! Take care and safe travels!

[@roysims7710]

Good job on video y'all have fun an enjoy life

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you!

[@BBQROCKSTAR178]

Congrats on your new home! Looks like a great rig!!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you so much! We love it! We have named our RV Humphrey 😀 Thank you so much for watching our videos and taking the time to comment! We truly appreciate it! Have a great day! Karri

[@Bigsky1886]

Thanks for the review, it was very helpful

[@liferedesigned]

Glad to hear it! There is also a follow up 1 year later video if you are interested. (Spoiler) We love our RV 😀

[@donnawagley5675]

Great review! We pick ours up tomorrow!❤

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! Congratulations on your Grand Design! Thank you also for watching and taking the time to comment! I really appreciate it! Keep us updated on mods and storage ideas…something I struggle with 🙄 Enjoy your journey! Karri

[@NavigatingChaos]

Keri, check put some of the other full timers who have been doing this for 5 years or more. LOTS of storage ideas. Some that have inspired me,..Keep Your Daydream, HappilyEverHanks, All About RVs, Five2Go, No Ordinary Path, Paving New Paths, RV Tips & Travels, RV With Tito DIY, ...just a few.

[@liferedesigned]

Yeah, I was looking more towards full timers that have the 22MLE or similar. These guys have enormous rigs. We don’t have any storage units, etc.What do you have for a set up as far as storage goes?

[@carlmiller4368]

You use the dinette as an office area. I should also mention that the dining table can be lowered and the cushions repositioned resulting in a 38 by 72 inch sleeping area.

[@liferedesigned]

good points! Stay tuned in the next few weeks we will have an update video on how the rig held up to full time living.

[@fasteddie617]

I see you have a nice curved monitor on the table for gaming 😆 nice unit guys. Be safe, have fun!

[@liferedesigned]

The big monitor is for work and editing, Bob purchased it before we sold the house. The TV is for occasional gaming lol. Thank you for watching our video and commenting, we really appreciate it! Take care, Karri

[@DeanStraka-kq2mp]

Just came across your video which I really enjoyed As you guys, we are owners of the same Grand Design. Bought it last fall but take delivery this coming Friday. Getting excited now.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you and Congratulations!

[@chisrusin]

Where in New Hampshire? I used to live there years ago!

[@liferedesigned]

We were just outside of Keene :)

[@duderlefebvre3869]

Nice review...1 thing I wish reviewers did was to sit on the flush as it seems pretty tight there and a challenge to do the paperwork...lol

[@liferedesigned]

Thank You, Josh Winters (aka Josh The RV Nerd) does a great job of doing that in his RV reviews- check out his channel - highly recommended

[@roxannegordon6162]

You should see the Winnebago Minnie Drop that I'm on my 5th season with. The wet bath is no longer tolerable. When mother nature decides to play game with me (on the NJ turnkpike) and I have to 'go' with cars zooming by as I sit on the throne in the non-existing breakdown lane.......I realized this is not the camper to take across the country 2,000 miles and back to New England. This MLE bathroom is HUGE!!

[@wolfpack3121]

What a great video. Very detailed. Does your model come with TPMS ready? Living full time I hope you have it. All the best. Safe travels.

[@liferedesigned]

We use an aftermarket TPMS and it is definitely a must have!

[@petertarantelli]

I like the Grand Design floor plans. A few things they missed - a place for the kitchen garbage and those drawers with the empty space behind them, why didn’t they install deeper drawers? Otherwise, I love it! I’m looking at a few of the Imagine XLS models and hope to pick up a gently used and well maintained one in a few years.

[@liferedesigned]

I agree with you. I also noticed that you can’t open the closet doors on the sides of the bed all the way because the pulls end up against the valance. A new thing we learned yesterday while trying to move a shelf in the refrigerator…. You can’t unless you take the refrigerator door off, as it bumps up against the arm of the recliner, thus not allowing the door to open all the way to take the shelf out. That said, not one RV is perfect, but this one had what we needed/wanted so I can work with the quirks and make it our own.😀 Thank you for taking the time to watch our videos and commenting! I truly appreciate it! Good luck to you! Karri

[@petertarantelli]

@@liferedesigned one other thing, I didn’t see a black tank flush port but I’m sure there is one, right?

[@liferedesigned]

Yes it does have one, right below the outside sprayer port. It works remarkably well! Far surpassed any others we have used

[@petertarantelli]

@life redesigned ah, I think i see it, it blends in with the dark decal very well.

[@liferedesigned]

Yes it does!

[@judyross182]

I have a TV like yours only a year older. If you lose sound do a power-off reset and it should come back but wait about 5 minutes before you plug the TV back in. It has happened 4 times to us and unplugging it has fixed it each time. You mentioned that "we are older" so what have you done to put safety bars in your bathroom shower? Any advice that has worked well for you would be appreciated.

[@liferedesigned]

No safety bars in the shower needed… yet anyway 😀

[@joycemaurer3588]

We don't hang clothes when camping so we would probably put shelving in the wardrobes. Maybe one side for hanging if you need it. LOL delete those negatives! $4 fart fan, yep love Josh.

[@liferedesigned]

We don’t either. The closest space is not an ideal design, I’m looking into stackable shelving so we can still put our sweatshirts and such in the back.

[@KU9L]

We have been watching this model and comparing it with the Cougar 22MLS. In the real world, there are always compromises of course. We would like to get the 22MLE with the i400 solar power package of the Cougar 22MLS as we do a lot of remote camp hosting and depend on our extended dry camping experiences for about 6 months of the year. A whole house inverter is important so you don't run the generator excessively. We need more space than our current Lance travel trailer provides and they have priced themselves out of the market for new models, at least for us. We have been full-timing since 2008 and have seen many industry changes in 15 years. You never buy your last RV first and your 2nd RV is never your last either. When you get to our age you realize you do not want to work until you are 82 years old to pay off that fancy motorhome that will be total junk in 15 years so we figure it is better to upgrade travel trailers every 5 years to keep up with modern RVing. We manage 13 campgrounds during summers for the USFS in CO via our concessionaire employer so we get to work in a beautiful area and get paid at the same time. Cheers! Dave & Sheila

[@liferedesigned]

Hey Guys! We were looking at the Keystone 22MLS but found that a lot had quite a few issues with leaking front windshields and moisture build up! The Grand Design won us over just due to amount of extra storage around the bed by dropping down to a queen bed as opposed to a king size. That and the carpet on the sides of the bed were a huge turnoff! As for solar - that i400 looked great but we are just not in need of that (yet) but know a few companies that we can go through aftermarket if need be. Either way - Keystone or GD - the layout has been awesome for us 😀

[@KU9L]

@@liferedesigned Yeah, I could do the solar work myself, but it is significantly expensive enough to get installed up front so it is incorporated into the original loan rather than trying to pay it off on consumer credit. After doing this for 15 years we found our niche as most workamping barely paid our way and managing 13 campgrounds for the USFS requires us to be out there in the sunshine, hail, and wild strawberries, LOL. Have a great December!

[@johnhildebrandt9541]

Thanks for the genuine honest review. Question: Did you consider buying a Rockwood 2205s and if so how do you think it compares to the Grand Design 22 MLE? Thank you for your opinion.

[@liferedesigned]

We researched for quite some time. It came down to the 22 MLE and the Cougar 22 MLS. We didn’t look at Rockwood. We were all in on the MLS until people were flooding the forums saying the window above the bed leaked. The best part of the MLE is that we have access to everything in “road mode”. Thank you for watching and commenting, we truly appreciate it! Take care, Karri

[@boberwin583]

Love your walk thru. The 22MLE is one that I have had my eye on for a few years now. I am so happy that GD added a solar package and the 12V fridge. I suggested that as an option to my local dealer in 2020-21. Is there an electrical outlet in the bathroom? I saw elect tooth brushes and hair torture devices with cords. Or do you have to plug into the kitchen outlets?

[@liferedesigned]

Hi! Yes, there’s an outlet in the bathroom. It’s located underside of the cabinet. Thank you so much for watching our video and commenting! We truly appreciate it.

[@jdurrant421]

I love this layout and rustic color inside. Weve looked at coleman, kodiak, imagine. We keep leaning towards the Imagine. 3-4 more years till retirement and were thinking about living in a rv full time also. I just joined your page and thank you for the video. I may of missed it but on the AC did you go with a 13.5 or a 15.5 and can you have 2 or is 1 ac enough. Kids are grown also so its just wife and i and a rat terrior. Were in Louisiana but plan to go all over. Maybe well run into you guys one day. Glad the 1/2 ton can pull trl. Been on the fence getting a 1/2 or a 2500. Thanks again.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi! Thank you for joining! We appreciate it! We have one AC which works great. There are also several vents on the ceiling so you can direct where you want the air to go. I’m not sure about your other question, but I will ask Bob and let you know.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi! Bob said it’s a 15

[@bertkelly7650]

My bed closets are full of blankets and junk. Yours look fine.

[@liferedesigned]

Haha! Thank you, it works for now.

[@TheLakingc]

I love this layout. Thank you. Do you gave a pantry? Why is your wife afraid to use the stove? How is the oven? Ours (GD Imagine 21BHE) is so small, i gave up. Did you consider a fifth wheel? I would not recommend GD with islands as they break loose causing serious water damage. But the designs are nice. We were going to full-time, but got dekayed. Thank you.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi! We don’t have a pantry, but we have plenty of cabinet space. I’m used to an electric stove so the gas was a slight learning curve as well as the oven. I can light the oven like a champ now lol. We did consider a fifth wheel, but this layout, model gives us what we were looking for and we have plenty of room to move around without having to do the “side shuffle”. Good luck to you with your full time journey. Have a great afternoon!

[@EconomicRefugeesRV]

Nice !!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! We are very happy with it!

[@rmathews8648]

I follow your channel and really enjoy your posts/videos. We are experienced RVers and continue to learn and pick up tips from folks like you and Carey. We are cinsidering purchasing a new XLS 22MLE. Love the layout. My only concern is whether or not the A/C is enough to cool the coach down on those hot blistering 100 degree days. We were also looking at the 23LDE model. We spent two hours in that model at the dealer and inside temp never got below 84 degrees. I would really appreciate your AC experience with your 22MLE. Thanks.

[@liferedesigned]

Honestly we have never put ours below 66 degrees, even in 90+ degrees weather in Kentucky as it will literally freeze you out! We were also in Florida in June and never once had an issue. Ours is a Furrion 15000 btu

[@rmathews8648]

@@liferedesigned thank you. That helps a lot. My wife is from Michigan and likes it nice and cool. What did you discover was the black tank glitch?

[@asab4930]

We are also considering the same model but I have a couple of questions: 1. What do you do about a kitchen garbage can location 2. How well does the Furrion A/C unit work? Is it quiet, does it come with the soft start? Thank you

[@liferedesigned]

Ah the kitchen garbage location - this one stumps everyone lol. We keep a small can next to the dinette but are careful not to block the fuse panel as it blows warm air out. As for the a/c - I do not believe any come with the soft start already installed, so far the Furrion has outperformed our old dometic that we had in the Winnebago and it is also a heck of a lot quieter as well! Overall it has been a solid RV for the couple of months that we have been full time in it. No regrets. Will keep updating in videos upcoming! Thanks for watching and taking the time to reach out - greatly appreciated 😀

[@asab4930]

@@liferedesigned Great info, thank you for answering my questions!

[@liferedesigned]

Anytime 😀 if you have any more, we are happy to answer what we can!

[@gregreinert642]

Really like this model. We're trying to decide between it and the 23lde. Appears your pulling with a half ton. How well does it tow in elevation?

[@liferedesigned]

Never had a chance to find out as we bought a new Ram 2500

[@richardkoch8752]

How would you compare the general build quality between Grand Design and your previous Micro Minnie? I am considering a Micro Minnie 1800BH no slide (single traveler with Golden Retriever) Will do mostly BLM boondocking. I will do exactly like you and remove the bunks (at least the bottom) for extra storage and to put a EcoFlow Delta Pro and extra battery. I do also like a couple of the smaller Grand Designs but their R40 roof insulation claim pisses me off. I know enough about construction to know better.

[@liferedesigned]

That is a tough question. Overall I think the build quality is better with our GD but not by a whole lot. Being that they are the same company and using the same materials- it is a toss up really. I will say that on the GD side - they tend to utilize space better. Winnebago side always has wasted space.

[@bobhannigan3869]

Can you access the bathroom and fridge with the slide in? Looks like the bed would be accessible with the slide in? Look forward to hearing from you.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Bob- everything is accessible in “road mode” / slides in. Was a major deciding factor for us purchasing it

[@bobhannigan3869]

@@liferedesigned appreciate the information. Happy Camping!!!

[@MrPcairns]

nice

[@wayneogden1510]

Have you weighed your trailer with a fully loaded refrigerator, food and all your gear? Interested to see what that typically adds to the empty weight.

[@liferedesigned]

We haven’t yet. Might have to stop sometime

[@roebucksadventure]

so, I'm very new to this. I'm actually looking at getting my first travel trailer. what do you do with loose items like your toiletry in the bathroom when you are traveiing?

[@liferedesigned]

Hi! To answer your question, I typically put the shampoo and such on the floor of the shower. If anything should leak it goes down the drain. I always have a shelf open where I put towels so the toothbrushes and holder, mouthwash, and whatever else is on the counter goes in one of those. Nothing falls. I will say that no matter what, something always falls in the medicine cabinet no matter what I do, so I’m just mindful when opening it.

[@toporcov]

Which truck do you use to pull it? Tks for the video!

[@liferedesigned]

We have a 2022 Ram 2500. We started with a half ton GMC 1500 but felt the upgrade handled it alot better

[@cyaah86]

Good video,Thanks! What tow vehicle are you using? Engine, tow capacity, etc.. Any issues towing this trailer?

[@liferedesigned]

We have a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 with the 5.3L Motor - we are at about 80% of our tow capacity. No issues towing this at all, hardly notice it is back there to be honest. We also use the Husky Centerline hitch

[@auroranite]

Do you have a weight dist hitch? Tks its a beauty. We had GD 5th wheel, liked it but too big. This is same look and yes the Thomas Paine seats are wonderful. Definitely will check this model out. Congrats👍

[@liferedesigned]

Yes I do! Wouldn’t tow without it!

[@auroranite]

@@liferedesigned one other ? can you access bathroom with slide in? tks

[@liferedesigned]

@@auroranite Yes, you can. The entire RV is accessible in road mode.

[@perecarl12]

how loud is the air conditioner? How consistent is the on demand hot water heater?

[@liferedesigned]

Very quiet AC especially compared to our old winnebago

[@francoisbourgault8674]

Hello! I have the same travel trailer (2022 edition) and I am very pleased with it. Have you been able to use the trailer's speakers with the tv? The tv is already plugged to the entertainment system using the HDMI Arc Port ("G"). Nothing on that in the TCL Roku TV Manual nor the trailer's Manual. Thanks!

[@liferedesigned]

Honestly we never tried. Overall I was not impressed with the stock Furrion unit. We have a Sony soundbar that sits under the TV which we had leftover from the house. Amazing low end and “surround sound” feel

[@larrytanton5787]

I assume it has the 165 watt solar will it keep the fridge powered up or need to use AC sometimes? And how much propane it uses in the winter?? Not real sure how those tankless hot water heaters work but i am assuming it does not use propane or it's propane and AC.

[@liferedesigned]

Solar keeps the fridge going during transit but you will need a/c power to run the fridge continuously (or add batteries) Hot water is propane only - winter usage will vary greatly depending on climate, useage etc. we average a tank a month in the winter when using heat also and every 6 weeks in the summer but again your mileage may vary.

[@KLL1869]

My wife and had a Flagstaff micro lite 21fbrs which we loved. We sold it in thoughts to upgrade. We looked at a 2024 22mle. We are on the fence. We did some research and found that some people had an issue with the stove being on the slide. Pinching the gas line. And also, maybe a possible issue with the fridge being on the slide as well. Seeing how I am now seeing this 11month old video, have you had any issues with the both?

[@liferedesigned]

Neither one has given us any issues. Minor other issues not on the slide side

[@KLL1869]

@@liferedesigned Thank you for your quick response. How about the 12v frig? Do you have a problem with it running the battery dead?

[@liferedesigned]

No problems there either. To be fair the longest it has been without shore power is about 16 hours.

[@KLL1869]

@@liferedesigned Thank you again

[@johnedgerton261]

We are thinking of upgrading to the 22 MLE as well. We have camped right across from where you were in Lakewood. How is the towing with a 1/2 ton? What model of Micro Minnie did you upgrade from? We have the 1708FB. Thanks. :-)

[@liferedesigned]

Hi John! Our Micro Minnie was a 2100bh, as for the truck - about 2 months after this video was made we traded in our GMC 1500 for a 2022 Ram 2500. While the GMC could handle it okay - the 2500 is definitely a better fit

[@TheLakingc]

Is there under bed storage?

[@liferedesigned]

Yes there is.

[@tomballard8877]

Can you get to the bathroom with the slide in?

[@liferedesigned]

Yes you can! If you would like to see it it in closed mode - check out our video from 2 weeks ago “ we finally picked a domicile state” we show it completely closed inside

[@josephpfalzgraf4213]

Looks like you all camping that and mosquito heaven next to that water

[@liferedesigned]

Never had an issue with mosquitoes while we were there - this video was in December

[@arlenewolf5260]

We are looking into getting one of these. Do all of these XLS 22 MLE models come with the Artic Insulation feature?? Or is it an option?

[@liferedesigned]

I believe it is standard but I would advise checking with your dealer or reach out to Grand Design directly as things change constantly in the industry

[@arlenewolf5260]

DONT do the air bags, if you do you will be sorry. Air bags are nothing but trouble. If your equalizer hitch is set up properly you will have no squat. I just traded a 2017 Silverado 5.3 and now we have a 2022 Silverado 3.0 Duramax. I want to hear more on the 22 MLE and the Cougar 22 MLS. We are getting ready to get another camper.

[@liferedesigned]

We were kicking around the idea of a cougar 22 MLS, until we learned that the window over the bed leaked…this happened to a lot of people. There is a issue with the seal and mold setting in. The floor plan between the 2 are similar, however, with the MLE in “road mode” you have access to the entire RV. Good luck to you and safe travels! Karri

[@arlenewolf5260]

@@liferedesigned I do not need the front window (I did not like the front window on our Gulfstream that we got sold before we got our Forest River Solaire). FYI The Cougar western edition does not come with the front window, but the western edition also does not come with the shoe garage. The good news is the cougar comes with a king bed and 15" wheels with the same floor plan. We will probably end up with the Imagine only because the Cougar is ten thousand dollars more.

[@perecarl12]

What exactly model GMC half ton do you use. What gas milage do you experience pulling AND not pulling? Thank you.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Carlos! We have since bought a Ram 2500 but if I remember correctly it was around 15.7 highway and towing was around 8mpg

[@coletteadcock]

Can you talk about price?

[@liferedesigned]

Pricing is a difficult issue, as the prices swing drastically from area to area. For what it is worth, we paid $36k for ours.

[@susantaylor8554]

Nice I like for you I need bed shut off from rest. Just me .

[@roxannegordon6162]

I love reading in bed in the daytime, so pulling the Murphy bed down, up, down, up gets to be a real pain in the neck. For my new RV it's go'na have a real bed, DOWN all the time with the entry door at the other end.

[@TRUMP-2024-MAGA]

Wish you would have sat on the toilet... how much "function" room is there...

[@liferedesigned]

Check out Josh the RV nerd’s review - he does that.