Review of the familiar-sounding 2024 Cherokee Arctic Wolf 23MLE fifth wheel

Today’s RV review is of the Cherokee Arctic Wolf 23MLE fifth wheel. Does that nomenclature sound familiar? It should. On Monday we looked at one with the same model designation from a different manufacturer. 

Today’s fifth wheel is a product of the folks at Forest River’s Cherokee division, whereas the Keystone Cougar 23MLE is one of Thor’s products. And it’s a popular one. So this reinforces something I’ve encouraged RV shoppers to do for some time now: Shop your RV dealership first. 

Unless a floor plan is truly revolutionary, if the floor plan that floats your boat is at all popular other RV brands are going to copy it. It usually doesn’t take long and the more popular it is, the more likely that it will be copied within a model season or two. 

So the fact that these two fifth wheels have the same floor plan and even model designation isn’t that big of a surprise. You’ll want to look at both and see which is your favorite. I know which one I like better. You probably will soon, as well. 

What’s the difference? 

Aside from details measured in inches here and there, company preferences and choices really show up when looking at these two RVs. 

For example, one of the big surprises and something people told me they didn’t like about the Cougar was the shortie queen. Oh, yeah, yeah. You can add your own, but here they’ve put in the real deal. Although no matter what new RV you get, you’ll likely want to upgrade the mattress anyway. 

Something I also like up here (I guess we’re starting in the bedroom) is that there isn’t the step of death to accommodate the frame—with the floor being flat, instead. 

Arctic Wolf 23MLE - 2024

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Keystone does have the advantage of offering a variety of solar and lithium choices. But here, Arctic Wolf only offers a package that’s upgraded from last year to include 100 watts of solar panels from the factory. 

Unique bedside inverter in Arctic Wolf 23MLE

However, something that’s unique to Arctic Wolf is that there is a small bedside inverter standard with a single household outlet. This small of an inverter in and of itself has little demand on the battery reserves of the RV. It may be an ideal way to operate something like a CPAP machine. I like this—but it’s either going to serve you well or not. 

Arctic Wolf’s iteration of this model does not have a wardrobe slide, but there is a hanging wardrobe at the back of the bedroom (sharing the wall with the bathroom). So, there’s still good hanging and drawer storage up here, and you don’t have a whole separate slide mechanism. 

Since we’ve moved on to the bathroom, here’s another example of companies thinking differently. I really liked the shower in the Cougar. This one is more basic, but the smaller size does make room for the aforementioned wardrobe in the bedroom. It also makes space for a pretty deep cabinet next to the sink. 

This is one of the first mainstream RVs I have ever seen with a good shower head right from the factory. I think the vast majority of us have replaced the garbage the RV company ships with an Oxygenics shower head. Well, surprise, surprise. Arctic Wolf done done that for ya’!

They also have a high-performance vent fan up here. 

The main event

Of course, the layout in the main deck of this is very much similar to that of the Cougar—but, again, nuances. 

For example, this model has an electric fireplace—the Cougar didn’t. There’s also a central vacuum here, which is a nice touch. It’s something typical of what you’d find in the Cherokee line. 

This model also features the hide-a-bed sofa, but no mention is made of being able to replace it with theater seats. 

The sofa does face a 12-volt TV, which is a nice touch. But that TV is way up on the ceiling—so it’ll be like those people in the introduction to the old Superman TV show looking for a bird or a plane. 

Across from the couch and under said TV is a traditional RV dinette with a set of knee knocking poles holding up the table. Bleh. 

Like the Cougar, this one has a big “L”-shaped kitchen that spans the width of the back of the coach and provides really good counter space, albeit at two heights. That large counter sits above plenty of drawers and cabinets, with more cabinets overhead. 

There’s a pantry in the slide next to the 12-volt fridge—so, again, more storage. 

For the most part, this kitchen has really good space for everything except what you’ll want to put in the oven, as you’ve got the chump-sized do-nothing 17” oven. Big ol’ bummer, dude. Big ol’ bummer. 

What’s not to like

I have said many times that I really appreciate Keystone’s Innovation Lab and the advances they make in your experience. Well, there isn’t an Innovation Lab at Cherokee. 

So, forget the central A/C with household filtration. Forget the fact that the Cougar has the wires run consistently from a color standpoint. Keystone certifies the Cougar to be able to camp in climates from 0°F–110°F. No cert here. 

The Cougar has a CRE3000 suspension system and Goodyear tires. Not here. And that, alone, would disqualify this if I were the dude with the checkbook. Unless you’re going to a seasonal site, cheap tires and suspension is a bad thing and something you’d want to upgrade right away. 

If there were a big price advantage to this rig, I might consider going this direction. But, from what I can tell, the MSRP on this trailer is actually higher than that of the Cougar. Oh, and Keystone spells out the MSRP on their website like adults. What I got was really an estimate for this fifth wheel. 

Conclusions

So while you’ll see that this floor plan is very, very similar to the Keystone Cougar, with the same model number, this is an example of why you shop for your RV dealer first and then shop for your RV from the chassis up before you ever step inside. 

I do like the color of the cabinets in here better than in the Keystone Cougar, and that might sway some people’s decision, as might the included ice maker, vacuum and a few other features. But knowing that I would immediately want to replace the tires and suspension before I traveled very far is enough to convince me to keep shopping. 

If an RV brand doesn’t care enough about my safety and peace of mind to get the proper running gear, what good is the rest of the rig, really? And this isn’t just Arctic Wolf. 

My thanks to Josh the RV Nerd from Bish’s RV for the photos and video.

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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