Grand Design Imagine AIM 14MS—redefining small trailers

Today’s RV review is of the Grand Design Imagine AIM 14MS. Whew, that’s quite a name. In fact, the name may be longer than the RV itself. I was pretty happy with another model in this series recently in my review of the Grand Design Imagine AIM 15BHS. Like that model, this one really has some category-busting features that might make some buyers rethink how large an RV they need.

So why do people buy huge RVs? Obviously, they want more space. But I believe that people who buy midsize travel trailers are often buying larger than they had originally wanted to simply because of usability of the interior. There are a lot of smaller trailers with compromises that make them less usable, to me. 

Things like wet baths, corner/pocket beds, zero counter space, that sort of thing. What’s unusual about this trailer is that you get a lot of the things you might go to a bigger trailer to get, but in a very small package. And that could mean the difference between having something you like and having something you tolerate. In a more wallet-focused way of putting things, that could make the difference between having to buy a larger tow vehicle and bringing what you already have. 

What’s inside

One of the remarkable things about this trailer is the kitchen counter space. Unlike some smaller trailers, this one is a full eight feet wide, so the same width as most larger trailers. Grand Design then took that width and put the kitchen counter across the entirety of it. Then they wrapped it around the camp side and continued with more counter space. 

That means you have a real amount of kitchen counter space without having to repurpose or flip things around or any of that. In fact, this has more kitchen counter surface than my own trailer, which is five feet longer. 

A nifty thing they did was also continue this as a dining counter along the camp side wall and then put a nice, large window right there. So you could belly up to the dining counter and have a meal while watching someone else back in their RV. 

I always wanted to get those numbers they hold above their heads in Olympic competitions to rate the back-in and set up of others in the campground. I’ve seen 10s, and I’ve seen ones where I’d be hunting down a “-” to put in front of the number. I don’t think the recipient of my unsolicited rating would appreciate it, though. 

Anyhow, under that dining counter is a series of cubbies. I’m sure more than one owner is going to find just the right tote to go into those cubbies to make packing that much faster and easier. 

It’s not like there’s a shortage of storage as it is in this trailer, at least not on the inside. There are cabinets above the kitchen counter and drawers below. They’ve really done a marvelous job with interior storage. 

Grand Designs 14MS - 2024

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The kitchen

On the subject of the kitchen, it’s also pretty usable. This has a two-burner propane stove where the burners are in line with each other. This is a huge space saver over a three-burner model and, honestly, I rarely see people using more than even one burner let alone three. I’ve seen inside your trailers where there might be one burner being employed, but also a bunch of countertop air fryers, toaster ovens, crock pots, fandanglers and whatchamacallits. 

Fortunately, this also has a microwave/air fryer gadget built right in where you’d normally find the oven but, now, microwave. No worthless 22” oven burning your cookies. Just things you’ll probably actually use. 

One area where there does appear to be a compromise is in the refrigerator. The one in this model is a 12-volt unit but it’s only 6.2 cubic feet. This is something you might find in a van as opposed to a towable. But, quite honestly, this should be more than sufficient for most people. 

Potty talk

So you’d think with a nice kitchen and good place to eat the bathroom would stink, pun intended, but it doesn’t. It, too, takes up the full width of the back of the trailer so there’s a nice shower, sink and even a porcelain foot flush toilet with room even for you long-legged campers. 

You know I’d like to see someone at Grand Design finally give up and just install high-performance vent fans in their rigs. But I guess if that’s the biggest complaint, it’s not much to get all troubled about. 

How’d they do that? 

Okay, so you know how all this magic happens? Grand Design put a Murphy bed in this— and not where you’d expect it. That Murphy bed is in the slide room. That means that there’s a couch by day and that Murphy bed by night. 

This makes so much sense, as a bed consumes such a great deal of the space in smaller campers. So having it be convertible is probably the best way to go. I will say I’m not a fan of bendy beds, and that’s how they accomplished the Murphy bed in this one. It’s also not quite a queen-sized bed, but does measure 76” inches long. 

The couch is not bad, with a center armrest and two drawers underneath it adding to the interior storage of this rig. 

The couch and bed also directly face the TV, if that’s important to you. Heck, they directly face the TV even if that’s not important to you. I know some of you are going to poo poo this trailer just because of the Murphy bed. So it’s a good thing I’m not forcing you to buy one. 

Boondocking and travel access

Even with the slide room retracted you can still access everything in this trailer. While it’s a bit of a tight squeeze to get by the couch, you can do it. So that means you could use the kitchen and use the bathroom. It’s all possible. 

A word of caution, though. This incorporates a Schwintek slide mechanism and, to my knowledge, that means you shouldn’t occupy the slide room when it’s in travel mode. That means that, yes, you could leave the bed down and bring the slide room in, but I wouldn’t use it like that. I also would avoid sitting on the sofa when the slide is in. I know it’s tempting, but not a good idea unless Grand Design has built the slide room to accommodate this. But most towable manufacturers don’t. 

The standard solar on these is a 200-watt panel. But there is an upgrade available that adds a second 200-watt solar panel as well as a 20-amp inverter that powers everything in this camper. 

How they’re made

This trailer is more a small, well-made trailer rather than built to be inexpensive. So there are a lot of things that are better quality. For example, they use a thicker aluminum nose cap but laminated sidewalls. 

That lamination incorporates Azdel in the outer layer but, as of this writing, it’s still Luan on the inner layer. However, there are some places where Grand Design is using Azdel on inner walls. 

I also really like that the furnace on this has no floor vents. 

The underbelly is fully heated and enclosed. Plus, there’s something unusual: The plastic underbelly material is laminated to the insulation so it doesn’t move around. That underbelly is also heated, which is not typical of these smaller trailers. 

Conclusions

As much as I like this trailer, there were a few things I didn’t like. We’ve already looked up and seen that the vent fans are low-grade. Bummer. But not a surprise in a Grand Design. 

While interior storage is plentiful given the size of this rig, exterior storage is minimal, at best. The only outside storage compartment is in the slide room under the couch/bed. 

Also, this has two gray water holding tanks—one up front for the kitchen and one in back for the bathroom. You know where I’m going with this. As small as this trailer is, there are two connection points for the dump station. Seriously. 

Something I saw here which I’ve been meaning to comment on are the overhead lights. I’ve seen them in a number of 2024 RVs from some fancy motorhomes to trailers like this. Essentially they’re a band of light that crosses the entire ceiling from side to side. 

The nice thing about these is that they are dimmable. But I don’t like them, and here’s why. Yes, they look good. Yes, they’re dimmable. But all the lights have to be on when they’re on. With the puck lights that we’ve been using for so many years, you can shut off individual fixtures so you could only have one light on if you choose, or have multiples. We do this all the time in our trailer. 

I’m curious what your thoughts are. Is the fanciness of these new lights worth the fact that you can’t shut off individual fixtures? 

I think this is one of the first trailers I’ve seen where someone could buy the trailer more for the usability and layout than just because it’s small. There are people, myself included, who like smaller rigs because of the places we can go and park without worrying about accommodating some giant thing. 

But often those smaller trailers have a lot of compromises that do affect the fun of using them. I would say that this one doesn’t, unless you’re not a fan of Murphy beds. That aside, this is one of the best small trailers I’ve seen on the market. 

More about these RV reviews

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.

Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.

You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy. 

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