Josh Winters, the RV Nerd at Bish’s RV and an RVtravel.com reader favorite, is excited about the 28-foot 2026 Cougar fifth wheel trailer model 23MLE by Keystone RV, which is the basic model in the Cougar line. He is especially excited about the bedroom. In the video near the bottom of this article, he claims that this relatively modest-sized RV is well-suited to couples.
As Josh points out, Cougar fifth wheels are the second most popular fifth wheels in the history of RVing, second only to Keystone’s Montana.
Improved interior in the Keystone Cougar 23MLE
Josh likes the look of the interior: “The company has gone away from its ‘farmhouse-Vegasy kinda look,” he says, “going back to their roots.” He likes, and we do, too, the very smart use of drawer and cupboard space.
He hints that this is still a basic RV that could be considered a “camper,” unlike so many others that are so big and fancy that they’re more like residences. It’s probably fitting that this 28-foot unit does not have an electric fireplace, given that perhaps a campfire will be in order more often than with many of today’s fifth wheel behemoths which are not designed for “roughing it.” But, really, the lack of the fireplace/heater is primarily about available space. You can’t fit everything in, right?
Josh is excited about new and improved slideouts, which he explains should make them more reliable than in the past. Why did it take the company so long to get them right? In the video, Josh explains it required a whole new approach to how the RV was built, from the chassis up.
Bedroom
The bedroom, which, like most fifth wheels, is in the front of the rig, includes a King-size bed. Josh says it is a big improvement over the “short King” of previous years. He explains that the nose cap of the RV had to be modified to accommodate the longer bed. The bedroom includes a lot of drawer space, but not much room to hang clothes. If the owner of the rig installs a washer-dryer, then there’s no space left to hang anything.
We have to say that even though Josh is excited about the bedroom, it doesn’t seem all that special to us. Maybe he’s excited because of the bigger bed.
The RV is promoted as towable by a half-ton truck, but, as Josh explains, that’s probably not a good idea, noting a three-quarter-ton should be in order. He gets animated when explaining that a half-ton truck is inadequate. “If you go by the numbers, if you really know towing, you generally shouldn’t be putting any fifth wheel on a half-ton.”
Josh points to a feature that many potential buyers will not notice, and that’s the pin box, which is positioned to provide a better turning radius.
Two outside holding tank outlets
He points out one feature that we do not like at all. Even though the rig has only one bathroom, it has two outside holding tank outlets. The forward outlet is for the bathroom’s sewer and gray tanks. The rear outlet is solely for the kitchen’s gray water. This cockeyed setup likely benefited Keystone’s designers, but for the owners of the RV it’s just a pain in the you-know-what.
The MSRP for the rig is $68,550, but you should realistically be able to knock 25 percent off of that, or more.
As always, Josh has a lot to say about the RV that we haven’t touched on here. The video is about 23 minutes long, but well worth watching if this RV appeals to you.
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Thank you for noting the video and summarizing its main points, RV Travel! Have a great day and safe travels!