When you are looking for luxury, 5th wheels are the go-to travel trailer class.
Motorhomes have bulky components that take up a lot of potential living space.
By excluding those parts, fifth wheels have the capability of providing a level of luxury that the Class As, Bs, and Cs could only dream about.
My Favorite High-End Luxury Trailers
- Grand Design Solitude Fifth Wheel
- Luxe Elite
- 2019 Forest River Cardinal – 3350RLX
- Keystone Montana – 3561
- 2018 Keystone RV Alpine 3800FK
There are many positives and negatives to RVs of all types.
This creates a bit of subjectivity to the question of what is the best.
The better question might be, what is best for me.
That is how I approached the question. The trailers below are the trailers and some of the features that stood out to me. I’d be very interested to know what trailers you would pick.
Grand Design Solitude Fifth Wheel – 375RES (Floorplan)
(Full specifications provided here)
This Luxury trailer is priced just under $95,000 Although it can be more if you add additional features.
It is a is measured at just over 41 feet in length, so you might have some difficulty finding a lot in some of the older RV parks…However, that shouldn’t really be a surprise.
Luxury RV’s are not known for their modest sizes.
The floorplan that I am referencing in this list is just one of twelve, so there is a decent amount of customization.
There are three manufacturer warranties included with your purchase (12 Month Basic, 36 Month Structure, 12 Year Roof), so you are covered if you run into any issues.
The Features
Okay, let’s get to the fun part. Luxury isn’t luxury without being equipped with a batch of fantastically upgraded or unique features.
Kitchen Spaces
Why settle with one kitchen when you can have two?
The Solitude Fifth Wheel is equipped with an indoor and outdoor kitchen space.
The indoor certainly announces its high class highlights with a quality 3 burner stove, an oven space that you would typically find in a brick and mortar home, a convection microwave attached to the wall directly above, and to top it all off, a full-sized propane-powered refrigerator.
If you feel like a barbecue, then head outside to the extended L-shaped countertop space that offers more space than you are likely to need.
The grill space is incorporated into the countertops, and the hookups are notably convenient.
Storage
The storage space has been said to be industry leading, and I believe it. The footage is impressive.
It is presenting a large slide-out space that can easily fit at least two kayaks.
Interior Space
There are five power retractable slide-outs that give a tremendous amount of living space.
In the living room, there are 2 tri-fold sofas and 2 theater recliners that heated, can give a good massage, and are electrically powered. This area has a separating curtain to offer a bit of privacy.
How Many Can it Sleep?
There is one king size bed, one queen size bed, two sofa beds which is enough to comfortably sleep a total of 6 people.
Heater and Air Conditioning
Anyone that has spent some time parked in an RV lot can tell you that a good conditioning unit is the main component that separates a nice vacation from a trip to hell.
Some RV’s can feel like ovens, but this isn’t one of them.
The air conditioning unit is the most efficient in the industry, and it pumps out a rough 30,000 BTUs of cold air.
It is also one of the quietest air conditioners that you will come across, so that is a definite bonus.
Luxe Elite
(Full specifications provided here)
When searching through the top of the line travel trailers, you begin to see a similar layout that seems to duplicate itself across all of the brands.
The most significant distinctions, to me, seem to be the things that an untrained eye might overlook.
That isn’t always the case though.
Occasionally, a brand stands out, and carves out a unique look. Luxe is known for its quality designs and high end trailers. People are willing to pay for them because of that quality.
Like most of the luxury vehicles, you will find all the amenities that you would expect to find in a residential home.
The one difference, of course, is that you can pull this fully featured home anywhere you please and turn the great outdoors into your own personal backyard.
Heating, Cooling, and Insulation
The heater and air conditioning system is one of the most important features in every RV.
There is a lot that we can sacrifice for the good of space, but the capabilities of the environmental systems should never be one of them. In a luxury RV, this must be taken seriously.
Luxe succeeded in this by constructing a dual zone system that tackles the heating and cooling of each zone with independent units.
There are three air conditioners and each of them pump out 15,000 BTUs of cold air.
You’ll be thankful for that on a warm Arizona day.
For the colder northern winters, you’ll be taking advantage of the 2 furnaces.
Each one heats up its respective deck. However, it doesn’t just heat up the room, the underbelly of the Elite RV is filled with furnace warmed air to help keep your toes warm at night.
Of course, all of that heating and cooling will be wasted if you don’t have the insulation to maintain the temperature.
The design was well conceived your dreams of warm winter nights will come to pass.
The Thermopane windows are double-paned and airtight, so that should keep those wintery views on the outside where they belong.
There is also a layer of both thermal pack and fiberglass insulation wrapped around the roof, floor and chassis underbelly, so you’ve also got a double layer of the basics.
The Suspension is Phenomenal
I’ve read that one of the major causes of breakdowns in an RV are caused by the vibrations and shaking that happens during transit. If so, then a good suspension has a lot more value than just comfort.
Luxe excels in this arena by providing one of the most stable suspension systems on the RV market.
Appliances
When Luxe talks about their products, one word that they love to emphasize is “residential.”
They worked very hard to provide the same level of convenience and quality of products that you would find for a stationary home, and from what I have seen, they did a good job.
The appliances are top notch.
The oven and stove have a 24″ cooking surface, so you shouldn’t have any trouble cooking a big meal.
A washer and dryer are included. They are located far enough away from the bedroom so that you can run the machines and still get some sleep.
Flooring
High quality and easy to repair vinyl tiling.
It is a relatively simple process to swap out tiles, so you aren’t stuck with the scratches and dings that day-to-day life will inevitably create.
The Office
This is where the 42MD really stands out for me.
I am a heavily introverted person.
It is important for me to have a place where I can have a bit of solitude. I have that space with a bit of extra space provided by one of those amazing slide-outs.
The one downside is that I must share that space with a washer and dryer, but that is a small price to pay for the sanity that it provides me.
2019 Forest River Cardinal – 3350RLX
(Full specifications posted here)
There is definitely a classy touch to the forest Cardinal. It is decorated with one of two real hardwoods, Walnut or Maple, or as some people have put it, light or dark.
Whatever your choice, you will appreciate the real wood after a scratch or two.
In contrast to the cheaper materials, hardwoods have the potential to look almost as good as new with just a little bit of love.
6 Point Auto-Leveling System and Hitch Height Memory
This is super convenient if you are constantly moving from one point to point.
It is the mundane and repetitive work that people often find drives them insane or evolves into a bit of a meditation…If you are the former, then you will appreciate the one-touch auto-leveling features.
Same Great Features as the other RVs
I don’t want to sound like a parrot, so I’m just going to group some of the listed benefits right here.
This luxury shares some features that you will commonly find amongst this RVs are part of the luxury class.
It has a gel paint coat, lots of storage, frameless windows, and all the quality appliances.
Like many of these RVs – It doesn’t come standard with a dishwasher, but it is an optional upgrade.
Keystone Montana – 3561
(Full specifications provided here)
The sleeping capacity of the 3561 is a bit lower (Sleeps four) than some of the other RVs, but that may not be a bad thing depending upon your needs.
Everything is a tradeoff when it comes to the RV life.
From what I can tell the positive to this negative seems to be additional storage space, a nice sized shower, and a central vac system.
QuietCool Airconditioning System
There are some noteworthy conveniences to this RV. Cardinal opted for the QuietCool system that a lot of the luxury RVs have incorporated into their luxury lines.
It is worth mentioning that this quality system is desired for these 5th wheels due to the benefit that is their namesake.
These systems are well-known for being about 35% quieter than the standard cooling systems on the market.
Prepped for Future Upgrades
These luxury Cardinal 5th wheels are conveniently prepped for a couple upgrades.
The groundwork for a third AC and solar panels has been laid down which could save you thousands of dollars in installation costs.
A Couple Convenient Modifications
There are also a couple useful modifications that the Cardinal crew has made to the latest version of this RV.
The chosen standard oven has an electric lighter, so you can press a button instead of hunting for that matchbox. Sure, not a big deal, but I love those little time savers.
The other modification is a swing arm door for the bathroom.
These doors work like a sliding door and like a normal swinging door, so that you can easily access the room from either side in the tiny hallway.
To hopefully explain, if opening the bathroom door is going to block you from entering; you can open it part way, and then slide the door open. That is kind of cool, right?
And of Course…
All the expected appliances that all of the other luxury RVs seem to incorporate into their designs.
2018 Keystone RV Alpine 3800FK
Interior photo above is from 332oMK
(Full specifications provided here)
And now for something a bit something. I wanted something a bit unique to add to this list, and I think that I found it.
Every other luxury fifth wheel seems to have the same basic floorplan, and I can understand why that is the case.
When you are working with the same puzzle pieces, you tend to put the same picture together. There is an ideal way to organize rooms and furniture to maximize the space.
However, everyone has different priorities, and that will translate into different floorplans.
This RV is another floorplan that isn’t meant for a big family.
A small group of four people is the ideal size for this model. Just like the other Keystone, this one is losing in one area to improve on another.
Kitchen
One of the defining features of this particular 5th wheel is the kitchen.
Instead of being located near the center entrance of the RV, Alpine has opted to put it in the front where the bedroom is usually located.
For a foodie like me, I can definitely appreciate giving the kitchen priority over the bedroom.
This gives the kitchen a prime viewpoint from the lead of the trailer.
The fridge is massive, so you shouldn’t have any troubles with space there.
There isn’t an island like most of the blueprints. You aren’t giving up any counter space though, so no real worries there.
Finally, I love the In-Command thermostat controls of this trailer.
RVs haven’t really seen much innovation in the gadgets department. Sure, there are upgrades, but nothing that screams 21st century.
In-Command App
The In-Command control system puts the control of several of your RV features into the palm of your hand.
The In-Command app gives direct control over the water pump, electrical, propane, lights (both indoor and outdoor), security system, slides.
It also allows you to monitor the consumable resources that you have stored within your RV.
The grey water, black water, and battery levels are much easier to monitor.
Now, you can mark off the items on your departure checklist from the convenient location of wherever you happen to be at the time.
Bedroom Storage Space
Yes, you get all the typical features that also includes plenty of storage space.
However, as common as that might be, the bedroom gets a bit of extra attention here because you get 6 drawers and 3 large wardrobes. That’s a lot of space, so you should have any issues with places to put your clothes.
If desired, one of those wardrobe spaces has been set up for a washer and dryer should you happen to be one of those strange people that like to wash your clothes.
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