Today’s RV review is of the Outdoors RV 22FQS. This is one of the smaller travel trailers from Outdoors RV and features some updated features and decor. I don’t get to see a lot of products from Outdoors RV products because the La Grande, Oregon, company is not very big.
Actually, what we have are two variants on the same theme. There’s the Outdoors RV Mountain Series 22FQS and the Outdoors RV Timber Ridge 22FQS. Essentially they’re the same basic trailer but with varying trim and equipment levels.
In fact, our dealership inquired about selling Outdoors RV products and the company just was at capacity for production and dealerships. They don’t build a huge number of RVs but the RVs they build are extraordinarily well made.
Who is Outdoors RV
Headquartered in Oregon, Outdoors RV specializes in off-road capable true four-season RVs. The company is unusual in that they build their own chassis and then certify them for off-road use.
Part of that is using heavier components, but they also employ a suspension with MORryde CRE 4000 suspension components and KYD shock absorbers. This is premium stuff and highly unusual in the towable market.
Sometimes I see RVs that claim to be winter-ready and laugh. Sure, they might have heated and enclosed underbellies and 12-volt tank heaters. But then you get to the shower, and the outside door is nothing more than a very thin piece of plastic.
Question. If you were to guess where the major failure points in the plumbing are on a lot of RVs when they’re used in winter, would you guess that it would be the outside shower? Ding, ding! You’re right.
Outdoors RV does have an outdoor shower, but this is enclosed behind an inch-thick baggage door.
The company also uses a ten-gallon gas-electric water heater. It’s much larger than the six-gallon units in most RVs, and this is a couple’s camper.
As part of insulating these well, the ceiling of the pass-through storage is insulated. That is not something I’m aware of any other company doing. I do know of lots of RV owners who have insulated the pass-through storage compartment themselves after feeling a big change in temperature in their RVs. I bet nobody who owns one of these has had to do that.
For 2025, Outdoors RV also changed the design of the coupler at the front of the trailer to an underslung design. It is intended to make it possible for more owners to be able to own the tailgate of their pickups. Neat.
Interior of the Outdoors RV 22FQS
I will admit that the interiors of some Outdoors RV products have a dated feel to them. So the new wallboard design does make the interior of this unit more appealing to me. It brightens up the space and makes it feel more open.
The dinette in these trailers is significantly larger than what you’ll find in many RVs. There is a very sturdily mounted table, although those mounts are pole mounts, which aren’t my favorite. At least Outdoors RV uses marine-grade pole mounts, so they’re solid. But I’d still rather have a free-standing table.
The seats of the dinette have a drawer under each side. There’s additional hidden storage behind those drawers that you access by lifting the cushions of the dinette and lifting a hatch. It’s a pretty clever use of space.
Kitchen in the Outdoors RV 22FQS
There is a significant amount of counter space in the Outdoors RV 22FQS, with an “L”-shaped countertop that incorporates a large single-bowl sink. There’s a three-burner propane stove with a 22” oven, as well, along with a traditional microwave.
I am writing this while we’re teaching a class about RV basics, and we usually ask the attendees whether they use their ovens at all. Of all the attendees, only one mentioned ever using her oven for cooking, although another attendee said she does use hers. For storage.
Perhaps I am making too big a thing of these ovens. Who knows.
The company has moved to all 12-volt refrigerators for 2024, in line with so many others in the RV industry.
Choose your poison
As mentioned there are two big trim variants to this floor plan which can make a difference in what you get. It’s not just about trim, but function.
The Mountain series of this trailer comes with manual stabilizer jacks whereas the Timber Ridge features power stabilizer jacks. Both come with a power tongue jack.
The fancier variant also has a better mattress, which is a good thing. It also sports stainless steel appliances and even a mirror on a telescoping mount in the bathroom.
The Timber Ridge also comes with a slide topper.
Boondocking and travel access
Travel access in this trailer is okay. You can squeeze by the closed slide room and to the walk-around, queen-sized mattress—depending on your personal girth. It’s also a Schwintek slide, so you’ll want to either fully extend the slide box or fully retract it—none of this half-in, half-out business.
But you can get to the kitchen and bathroom with the slide room in.
As for boondocking, things have stepped up with this trailer now coming standard with 400 watts of solar panels on the roof. You can also get it with 600 watts of panels, or even 1,000 watts. Yabba dabba do!
There is also room for up to four batteries on the tray on the tongue of this trailer rather than the usual two.
Know, too, that one of the advantages of building your own frames, as Outdoors RV does, is that you can put much larger holding tanks in the trailer—and they do. This one has 80 gallons of fresh water capacity. That’s more than most travel trailers and certainly better than just about any other smaller trailer.
What I would change
The one thing I saw about this trailer that I thought was odd is that the fresh water fill for that fat 80-gallon tank is on the camp side, rather than the road side. I’m not sure why.
Well. I know why. Because that’s where Outdoors RV chose to put it. Duh.
Conclusions
There is a lot to like about this brand in general and this trailer is a good example of how well the company does things. Just one example of that is the propane cooker hooker (Thanks, Josh!). It is in a compartment on the camp side of this rig in an easy-to-reach spot rather than buried under the rig where only a contortionist can get to it.
Aside from the weird spot for the water fill, this thing is pretty solid and a good example of how to build a winter-ready trailer. And, that better insulation means it’s a more summer-ready trailer, too!
Unfortunately, these aren’t very common and predominantly available on the left side of this great land (if you look at a map of the U.S.). But, they are worth seeking out.
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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Looks great, very much like the floorplan of our Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S, although we had a sofa slide instead of a dinette. This ORV is longer and much heavier, as are all Northwood/ORV’s very well-built, heavy-duty, true 4-season products. Which is why we bought a Rockwood–the NW/ORV products were too heavy for our tow vehicle. But we still consider them the best travel trailers manufactured in the U.S., bar none (hear that Airstream?). And the solar packages and options, plus the huge water tank, mean these are truly long-term boondocking capable, as well as semi-off road capable with that terrific suspension system. Another premium NW/ORV RV for those who can afford and haul the best!
Well – it’s not like you made a bad choice. I think Rockwood is one of the better brands out there. That’s what we have.
Yeah, when we sold it in 2014, we bought another Rockwood–a fifth wheel instead of a TT. Again, however, we would have preferred a NW Arctic Fox, but we couldn’t justify the cost of a 1-ton, 4WD truck to tow it!
I have owned two Outdoors RV…current rig is a 2018 Blackstone 23BKS…built like a brick outhouse. I have owned many RV’s over the years and a few were well made, like the original Holiday Rambler trailers for example. Now days with all the corporate greed going on , the thousands of cracker boxes being yanked across the country will never last like the Outdoors RV products will. Most any coach built by Northwood is in the same category. You get what you pay for. By the way…it is La Grande, Oregon…not La Grange.
But I’ve heard it’s the ZZ Top of Oregon.
LOL!
Thanks, J B. The location has been corrected. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
It’s really good to see a family-owned RV manufacturer still exists!
I took a peek at some of their specs on top end units…marine grade plywood roof and real tongue & groove plywood subfloors! I looked at their 5ver line, since that’s what we plan to move back to someday, and sadly no floorplan with a W/D space. When we’re on long trips, our days of finding and using laundromats are over.
But kudos to them for actually building RVs to be proud of! 🙂
Thank you, Tony! Thank you for highlighting one of possibly a very small number of makers of high quality RVs. I had never heard of this company and thank you for educating me. I expect that my buddy Dan’s budget will only get him a used one, but, given how well-made these seem, I wonder if they ever appear in the used market? Either way, I’ll send this to him so he understand that they make really solid RVs. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂