New RV Newbie! My First 48 Hours in the Grand Design Lineage 31ZW

9 months ago
Chad

Getting to Elkhart and Meeting the Lineage 31ZW

This trip started with an early flight into northern Indiana—bags packed with the usual travel essentials, plus some very unusual ones: hoses, toilet paper, mounts, a pressure regulator, a cellular modem, and a brand-new Garmin RV GPS.

Seeing the Super-C in person was exciting…and a little intimidating. This was my first time RVing in a driveable instead of towing, and the learning curve was obvious from the moment I sat in the cockpit. Buttons everywhere, things beeping, and a completely new sense of spatial awareness that comes from having your “house” in the same place as your steering wheel.

Orientation and First Impressions

The walkthrough at Grand Design HQ was incredibly helpful. The Lineage packs in a lot of well-thought-out systems—Lithionics lithium power, Firefly controls, see-level tank monitoring, and a shockingly comprehensive suspension setup. Being able to run through everything hands-on made a huge difference, even if half my internal monologue was: “Okay… but what does THIS one do?”

It’s wild to be able to walk straight from the living area into the driver’s seat. After years of fifth-wheel life, that single change alone made the whole coach feel like a new category of RVing entirely.

First Time Driving a Class C

Pulling out of the lot for that first drive was equal parts excitement and caution. The Lineage rides differently than our dually—smoother over bumps and expansion joints, but you feel crosswinds and passing semis more than with a heavy fifth wheel. Nothing the adjustable suspension can’t handle.

I-80 provided the perfect first test. A few tight toll booth moments (those mirrors do NOT telescope!) and one “let’s not do that again” approach later, I was getting into a rhythm.

Camp Check-In and Rookie Challenges

Checking into Elkhart Campground brought the first real puzzle: leveling and setup. I quickly discovered I needed blocks and chocks I hadn’t brought, and the auto-level gave me a “front out of stroke” warning that sent me back to the camp store and then to reposition the entire RV. This was very much a “newbie all over again” moment.

A Walmart run helped fill in the essentials: bedding, water, food, towels… and a reminder that the whole RV was unlocked when I came back. Definitely not a seasoned pro moment.

Liquified RV Tank Treatment (Sponsor)

One thing I did not want to forget was tank treatment. Our go-to is Liquified, but Walmart was out. Thankfully, Kim from Liquified came to the rescue with an emergency bottle drop-off right at the campground.

Liquified is running RV show-season deals right now, including buy two, get one free online, plus $19.99 show pricing at Tampa and Quartzsite. Use our link to grab the discount and stock up (sale runs Jan 14-31). Big thanks to Matt and the Liquified team for supporting the channel and for saving me from having untreated tanks on day one out!

Settling In and an Unexpected Tornado Warning

My first night went surprisingly smoothly—AC cold, systems working, everything stable. But on the second day, the weather rolled in fast. A tornado watch became a tornado warning, sirens went off, and the rain hammered the coach.

With gear staged by the door and shoes on, I was ready to make a run for safer shelter if needed. Luckily, it passed without incident, but nothing says “welcome to RV life” like a tornado warning on your shakedown night.

Breaking Camp and Heading Out

By the final morning, I felt much more confident. The leveling system made sense, the slide operations were second nature, and the Firefly iPhone app became my best friend. Closing everything up, checking lights, retracting jacks, and getting on the road felt smooth and controlled—night-and-day compared to the first 24 hours.

The best part? Even with both slides in, the entire coach is still fully accessible: bathroom, kitchen, fridge, laundry—everything. That’s going to be a massive quality-of-life upgrade on travel days.

Be sure to stay tuned (SUBSCRIBE) to see our upcoming adventures in this completely new kind of RVing!

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