I would like to get opinions of the Cougar High Country

cathy97 wrote:
We have a 2012 246rls and love it. Lightweight and easy to tow. We initially towed ours with a Dodge 1500 with no problems. We now pull it with a Dodge 2500 and the truck barely notices. We have pulled it from Texas to Canada and back a couple of times as well as numerous shorter trips and have had no problems. We did add a second battery for dry camping and changed all the lights out to LED. The remote is a definite plus. The DH simply opens up the back window on the truck and uses the remote to run the front jacks until he gets it where he wants it. It also came with a Reese Sidewinder type pin (I guess that is what it is called). It makes it really easy to hook up in a tight space as well as easy to turn around. Pretty much if we can turn the truck around, the fiver will follow.
When we bought it we were looking for a smaller lightweight fiver. Had it narrowed down and we picked out the Cougar because it was the most finished. What I mean by finished is the inside. It was the only one we looked at where there were no visible staples, the trim was straight, the doors on the cabinets were wood etc..

Thank you for this information.

We've decided that we are going to step down in weight and start this adventure with my 2001 F-250 diesel pulling a lighter 5th wheel. We have always looked at the heavier 5th wheels so will now do our research before the Pomona show and decide at that time. We have a 27 foot Arctic Fox that is used for 7 weeks during the summer so we'll be living in that for 6-7 months until we purchase our new 5th wheel.

We have a 2012 246rls and love it. Lightweight and easy to tow. We initially towed ours with a Dodge 1500 with no problems. We now pull it with a Dodge 2500 and the truck barely notices. We have pulled it from Texas to Canada and back a couple of times as well as numerous shorter trips and have had no problems. We did add a second battery for dry camping and changed all the lights out to LED. The remote is a definite plus. The DH simply opens up the back window on the truck and uses the remote to run the front jacks until he gets it where he wants it. It also came with a Reese Sidewinder type pin (I guess that is what it is called). It makes it really easy to hook up in a tight space as well as easy to turn around. Pretty much if we can turn the truck around, the fiver will follow.
When we bought it we were looking for a smaller lightweight fiver. Had it narrowed down and we picked out the Cougar because it was the most finished. What I mean by finished is the inside. It was the only one we looked at where there were no visible staples, the trim was straight, the doors on the cabinets were wood etc..

Our 2012 HC RKS299 has an 8 Cu Foot fridge, battery disconnect, Hi gloss gel coat, toilet access with slides in, kitchen/fridge access with slides in, easy access to tank pulls, ext propane connect. Options were dual pane windows and 15 BTU AC which I believe also meant 50 Amp. I replaced the Load Range D with Maxxis LR-E and probably could have had the dealer do it as part of the deal. My recliners don't have to be moved to close the slides, but still need to be moved against the wall for lashing down, no big deal for us. Loaded, we have 1650 pin weight and 9500 gross. Since we pull with an F150, it should be no problem for a 250/2500 class.

Some features to look for that I was excited to find in my rig under 40g
16 inch wheels and tires e rated
15500 btu ac
50 amp power pre wired for 2nd air
Dual pane windows with deep tint
Auto levellers
8 cubic ft fridge
80 amp battery charger with charge wizard
A floor plan with no "gotchas" like moving recliners to put slides in
External propane quick connect
Battery disconnect
Easy winterize and accessible low point drain
Easy access to sewer pulls (not under slides)
Toilet access with slides in for travel
Hi gloss gel coat
Built in vacum
Not all of these features will matter to all buyers (ie dry campers likely don't care about the vacum) but for me it was a boatload of features that I will use. YMMV

Paul Clancy wrote:
Not dissing the cougars. I owned an 07 and liked it. Just make sure you are getting the best for $$$. The bed slide does have plus of good ventilation across the 2 windows in the slide. A plus over my unit while mine has a lighter pin weight and I move air with a maxx fan with remote.

Best bang for your buck might be a better conversation. I may need some suggestions before the Pomona show.

JDJ

Not dissing the cougars. I owned an 07 and liked it. Just make sure you are getting the best for $$$. The bed slide does have plus of good ventilation across the 2 windows in the slide. A plus over my unit while mine has a lighter pin weight and I move air with a maxx fan with remote.

Paul Clancy wrote:
Tv is wall mounted.

We'll have to look at that type layout again at the Pomona show.

Your tow vehicle will handle a number of mid sized fivers. Last time I looked at the HC it was lighter than your numbers and used cable slides, lacked 50 amp service or dual pane windows and with the darker color it was significantly hotter inside than other white Cougars sitting next to it on the dealer's lot.

My triple slide fiver has everything the HC didn't have with a dry wt. of 9200 lbs and 1800 lb pin wt. We tow heavy and our 2500HD did fine even with a larger fuel tank and heavier utility bed. But after 10 yrs time for a new tv and got a great deal on a 3500 that has yet to tow.

Only problem I have with the cougar layout is the rear recliners. It looks from the floorplan like one or both of them need to be moved before the slide can come in. Could be wrong but if correct that would be a deal breaker for me.

Tv is wall mounted.