2024 Cherokee Wolf Pup 13BC – Small but feature-packed

For all the people who see RVs getting bigger and more complicated, allow me to present the Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pup 13BC. This is a small, no slide travel trailer with a slightly unusual floor plan that makes me think of how vintage trailers used to be configured. This is one some people are either going to love, or they’re going to loathe. What’s unusual in here?

Unusual layout in the Cherokee Wolf Pup 13BC

This new offering from Cherokee does not have a bed. Oh, there’s a provision to sleep, but not with a traditional bed. 

Instead there are two couches at the front of the trailer that face one another. When night falls and it’s time to dream of adventures, you simply fold down the two couches and now you have your bed. 

Having sold Cherokee trailers, I suspect that these couches are not dissimilar to the ones in the trailers I sold. I remember them being less than comfortable by day and less than comfortable by night. However, I think every RVer has had to deal with uncomfortable sleeping surfaces (what is it with the RV industry?), so we’re not unaccustomed to foam toppers and other make-do solutions for lousy beds. 

Another option, should you not even want the couches by day, is simply to put a mattress on top of the couches. Or take them out altogether, although there are still the box structures underneath and you’ll have to do a little fiddling. But, again, who doesn’t mess with an RV to make it your own?

Wolf Pup 13BC - 2024

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Nicely equipped

Considering that the Cherokee line is a more affordable stick-and-tin–type trailer from Forest River, these tend to be well-equipped within the price range. 

This one comes with a two-burner stovetop and microwave as your food prep gear. There’s a round sink and then more counter space than I would expect in a trailer of this size. Of course, it’s not chef-kitchen size, but it’s better than what I would expect. 

There’s also a standard-size 12-volt fridge in here. Typically little trailers have smaller fridges, but not this one. 

Some of the features that are included are surprising, such as the backup camera. We’ve all heard of backup camera prep, but this one actually comes with the camera. 

There’s also a rack on the back good for 200 pounds (but they hang the tire on there, so you’ll have to accommodate that weight). Lastly, there’s also a mount for a portable telescoping ladder, which I like much better than the permanently mounted ladders. 

Outside of the Cherokee Wolf Pup

While we’re out here, it’s worth looking at the way Cherokee trailers are finished. As a stick-and-tin trailer there are “ribbons” of aluminum siding that make up this type of build. Instead of using one color of material and then splashing it with those silly swooshes and swirls, Cherokee just uses a few different colors of aluminum. This is something I really like, as there aren’t a bunch of ridiculous stickers that will fade well before you finish making payments on this rig. 

The nose of this is a thicker-gauge aluminum and not corrugated. So it’s less of an aerodynamic drag than it would be if it were corrugated, which some trailers are. 

While we’re looking at the nose, take note of the manual tongue jack. I have advocated power tongue jacks if you’re using a weight distribution hitch. But this manual jack has a nut on the top that you can use to power the jack with a portable drill. Since we all tend to bring a drill to raise and lower the stabilizer jacks anyway, this is a far better solution than a typical manual jack. 

And since most of the power tongue jacks have plastic gears in them and tend to fail after just a couple of years (in my experience), I actually prefer this manual tongue jack. 

The bathroom

The bathroom spans the entire width of the back, so there’s a lot of space in here relative to the size of this rig. This has a small tub, of sorts. That’s also where you’ll find the bathroom sink—incorporated into the walls of the shower stall. 

I’m seeing this more and more. It makes sense and also reduces the number of fixtures the company has to plumb in, in a way. But the shower head is also the bathroom sink faucet and, of course, the knobs for the shower head are also the bathroom sink knobs. It’s a bit fiddly, but I guess it’s better than not having a sink—which was how some RV companies did things. 

Headroom in the shower is also a bit tight. While many RV companies put a skylight above the shower for this reason, you won’t find that here. Now, that does mean fewer places with potentials for leaks, but it also could mean that the shower’s a bit tight in the headroom department for some. 

And, there’s only a small fan in the bathroom. However, if you choose the “Black Label” option, there are more features, including a high-performance bathroom vent fan. 

This is also the only place for hanging storage and you won’t be able to hang your Cinderella party dress, although shirts could be hung here. You’ll also have to fold pants in half to hang them. 

Boondocking and travel access with the Cherokee Wolf Pup

With no slide, this might be a great choice for those who like to stealth camp or moochdock. Everything is accessible all the time. 

There’s also a small solar panel on the roof of the trailer. Last year Cherokee included a battery but, since you can’t please all the people all the time, that’s no longer the case. Now it’s BYOB, so those of you who spend a lot of time in RV parks can get an inexpensive battery and those who boondock can get something better. I like choice. 

As mentioned, there’s a solar panel on the roof that’s more of a battery tender at 200 watts. If you are looking to get more solar power, however, the charge controller on this trailer is 55 watts. So it wouldn’t be a big deal to add a panel or two. 

This also comes with an on-demand water heater, but that means it’s propane only. Advantages are more hot water; disadvantages are, no electric side to the water heater. 

One of the things I really like is a single-outlet inverter on this. If you’re going to get an RV with a serious solar and battery setup, you’re likely going to get a larger inverter. But the fact that this has a single-outlet inverter that comes from the factory is a neat thing. It’s right by the bed, so you could argue that this is for something like a CPAP machine. 

For many campers I think this solution makes a lot of sense. 

Conclusions

One of the things that frequently comes up in the discussions here is the price of new RVs. I wasn’t able to find the MSRP on this but I did see that it’s somewhere around $35,000. However, nowhere did I see this advertised for more than $20,000 selling price, which isn’t bad. 

While this is a small trailer and the bed is an advantage or disadvantage, depending on the individual, this is a decent value at $20K. 

A few things I didn’t like include the fact that there’s a window in the door, which is right at the bed, but no shade on that window. It’s deeply tinted so it’s not like you’re going to be putting on a show for fellow campers, but this would let light in when you may not want it. 

Of course, you may know I don’t like these knee knocker poles for the tables. It’s really an easy change to remove them and put in folding legs that might also provide additional height for the table such that you could use it as additional counter space. I don’t see why the RV industry finds this such a challenge. We know that a lot of RV decision makers never go camping, but maybe they don’t read these reviews, either. Harumph!

I can see a lot of people with less-capable tow vehicles looking at this as a way to go camping without upgrading what they’re towing with. This is also a nifty little rig if you camp on your own. 

Is this something that might suit your camping style? 

One more thing: Those of you in the Western states might notice that there is a Wolf Pup 13BCW. Several manufacturers, including Forest River, have plants on the West Coast and the “W” generally indicates a model built there. Typically this is done to save on shipping costs and address the huge demand for RVs on the West Coast.

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. RVtravel.com receives 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.

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