We have been looking at FW for sometime now & narrowed down our search to a Rockwood signature ultra lite 8286WS by Forrest river. (Subject to change)!. For many reasons, such as having a GVWR of no more than 10,000 pounds, bunk beds for 3 kids & less than 32' long to name a few.I know you pay for what you get and it's not in the same class as DRV or Northwood but for the price of $35,000 RRP and being an 'ultra lite'. Has anyone experienced or have knowledge of Forrest rivers ultra lite's or even better, has this particular model & wondering what you think of them?Thanks in advance Mik

We had a Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite TT, the 8317SS and LOVED it. We decided to go to a 5'er, but I went and saw the 8286WS and didn't like it for ONE REASON. It had no place for the children to store their clothing in the bunk room. That was the only reason we didn't purchase because we had loved the TT, had no problems with it. Anyway, I would have no qualms about purchasing another Ultra Lite product or recommending them to my friends.

Merrykalia wrote:We had a Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite TT, the 8317SS and LOVED it. We decided to go to a 5'er, but I went and saw the 8286WS and didn't like it for ONE REASON. It had no place for the children to store their clothing in the bunk room. That was the only reason we didn't purchase because we had loved the TT, had no problems with it. Anyway, I would have no qualms about purchasing another Ultra Lite product or recommending them to my friends.Thanks for your honest feedback. Storage is also high on our list & 'on paper' & pictures over the internet (we haven't viewed in person yet) this model looks like it has plenty of kids storage, 2x wardrobes & some other strangly positioned cupboards on the top bunk. Is this not the case?If you don't mind me asking, what did you end up getting?

We have a 2010 Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite 8281SS (now the 8281WS). It has worked great for our family with 3 kids. The bunk slide and the 1/2 bath are good for our two girls who like to have their "own room." Our son bunks on the dinette, which we find easier to use than the sofa bed everyday. Other than a slide motor on the main slide that we replaced this year, it has been trouble free and we have made several long, multi-week trips up and down the east coast. We also find it small enough to fit into some of the nicer state parks in Tennessee.This is the second Rockwood we have owned--we had a Roo Hybrid for 4 years that we then traded on the fiver. The Roo also was trouble free. The other thing that has helped is that our local dealer is great in terms of routine service, timeliness of service, etc. All of which has contributed to 8 years of ownership satisfaction.

We had a 2005 Rockwood 8283 for 7 years and were very happy with it. We had just a very few issues with it. Our needs outgrew it, otherwise we'd still have it.

We ended up finding a used 2009 Wildcat 32QBBS that was being traded in at our local RV dealer on the day that we were looking at new fifth wheels. The couple that was trading it in had come to transfer their stuff from the old to the new. It is a Forest River product and we felt confident in purchasing it. I fell in love with the front bunkhouse with the rear master bedroom. We spent 107 nights in it from April until the end of October, so we definitely have gotten use out of it. We camp hosted two months at Virginia State Parks and another one in a Maryland State Park.2009 Wildcat floorplan

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Slownsy
Explorer
Dec 12, 2013
Hi Mike I don't believe they have air brakes but suspension, u can reduce GVWR in Australia to 4999kg, our TI has over 12000lbs from manufacturer but is rated to 4999kg in Australia. But alowe yourself say at least 1500 -2000lbs payload.
Frank.
Mik68
Explorer
Dec 11, 2013
Slownsy wrote:
Mike why max 10000 GVWR if TV a 350.
Frank.

G'day Frank, as you know we want to bring it home and I've heard that anything over that (4,500kg's) here in Aus, the TV requires air brakes. I'm yet to confirm this, but can't find anything on our Aussie govt. sites as yet.
The Dodge Ram doesn't have air brakes does it? Actually I read recently that the 2014 model has come out with air brakes. But we can't afford a new one. :)
Mik
Slownsy
Explorer
Dec 11, 2013
Mike why max 10000 GVWR if TV a 350.
Frank.
Mik68
Explorer
Dec 11, 2013
Michelle.S wrote:
No one was suggesting you travel with the Kids in the camper, but you will be surprised how much weight pots, pans, dishes, food, clothing, toys, and misc items will add up to. Unless you travel with it empty you will probably surpass the CCC easily. 1500 Lbs isn't much and more than likely will be quite a bit less on the actual delivered unit.

Michelle, I was just being sarcastic to goducks10 quote "With kids and everything else you may put in it would be maxed when towing". Of course he wasn't suggesting it but it surely could be read that way. :W
Yes it's amazing how things do ad up rather quickly. There must be a market for these Ultra lite's with a low CCC. So what do people buying these RV's do?
I guess we would really have to watch what we pack it with. My wife & I cycled around your country before kids & carried everything to be self sufficient. As you can imagine everything had to be super lite, It can be done yes?
texasclarks
Explorer
Dec 11, 2013
We own a FR Rockwood Signature TT and they are good for the money.
Michelle_S
Explorer III
Dec 11, 2013
No one was suggesting you travel with the Kids in the camper, but you will be surprised how much weight pots, pans, dishes, food, clothing, toys, and misc items will add up to. Unless you travel with it empty you will probably surpass the CCC easily. 1500 Lbs isn't much and more than likely will be quite a bit less on the actual delivered unit.
Mik68
Explorer
Dec 10, 2013
goducks10 wrote:
I would be nervous about the brochure CCC of 1508lbs, which will be less when delivered. With kids and everything else you may put in it would be maxed when towing. Looks like a weak spot.

I agree, this was a concern of mine & a question I asked months ago whether the CCC had any reflection on the build or structure of the RV. Common sense says yes, but because we are limited to our max GVWR of 10,000lbs it's unlikely we will find a FW in this class with a greater CCC. As a comparison we first liked the Sunnybrook Raven which has a dry weight of 9800lbs :) & CCC of 2460lbs, but GVWR is 14,360lbs. :(
Also, we wouldn't be travelling with the kids in the FW, they'll be riding in the truck with us & didn't think the GVWR was a concern while stationary (set up).
goducks10
Explorer
Dec 09, 2013
I would be nervous about the brochure CCC of 1508lbs, which will be less when delivered. With kids and everything else you may put in it would be maxed when towing. Looks like a weak spot.
ferretgrandpa
Explorer
Dec 09, 2013
Do your inspection!!!
Mine had a poorly installed furnace, plenum was not correct. Cargo doors never caulked, so floor of basement is soft from water damage. Front cap was not bolted on, dealer was unable to fix, local RV guy took cap off and bolted front cap frame to trailer frame.
Forrest River used good plans, good materials and a worthless workforce.

A poor workforce on Monday is a poor workforce ALL week.

Never again
Mik68
Explorer
Dec 09, 2013
All positive responses so far, thank you! We are pretty sure the 8286WS is the one for us as well jonrjen, and this decision was based on being about the only floorplan that we liked that weighed under 10,000lb's there were a few more choices over that weight but that's the way it goes.
Have been onto the Forrest river forum as well and overall people seem pretty happy with there purchases. Of course there was the odd one that may have been built on a Monday. :)

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