Seeing how RVs are made is pretty interesting. Most companies aren’t letting the public tour the line while it’s in operation due to ongoing COVID restrictions. However, I was able to see the plants after the employees left. What did this tell me? Processes.
One of the places we visited in Indiana was the Rockwood-Flagstaff factory in Millersburg, where you’re as likely to be waiting behind an Amish buggy at a traffic signal as a truck delivering RV parts or RVs.
What was being built when I visited was the Rockwood Mini Lite 2205S (Flagstaff sells the same model as the Micro Lite 22FBS). It’s a nifty couple’s camper that checks almost all of our boxes as we shop for our next RV.
Guilty, Your Honor
I have written before that I like the Rockwood/Flagstaff products quite a bit – and there are good reasons. Rather than being a brand allegiance, the company just does things that I think make a difference over the long haul.
For example, they use a Dexter Torflex® suspension system and Goodyear Endurance tires that they fit them with a tire pressure monitoring system. They have frameless windows (lower maintenance), and vacuum-laminated walls including slide boxes. Even the roof/ceiling and all the lamination is done in-house. The company has also upgraded the builds to include Azdel wall substrate – which is a waterproof material.
If another company did things the same way I’d feel just as strongly about their product. But typically where a lot of travel trailers fall short is on suspensions in particular. My own Rockwood trailer probably has between 20,000-25,000 miles on it. The towing experience and durability of the trailer is partially due to a good suspension system, in my opinion.
What’s inside the Rockwood Mini Lite 2205S
Taking the tour of the trailers being built, this model isn’t very large, at under 23’ in overall length. But it does offer good space and can be used even with the slide room in. That’s a biggie for the way I travel.
Stepping inside, the first thing you come to is the refrigerator. You can choose the traditional gas-electric fridge or move to a 12-volt DC compressor fridge. That comes with an upgraded electrical package including a 190-watt solar panel on the roof, charge controller and a 1,000-watt inverter.
There is also a closet/pantry space right by the door. It has adjustable or removable shelves and also a hanging bar – so it could either be for food or clothes or both. This trailer comes with a flat-top griddle (a Suburban model similar to a Blackstone) and a table. So you have an outdoor kitchen and the pantry by the door could be the source of some supplies for that kitchen.
I also like that there’s a space below the pantry for shoes.
Next up is the bathroom. It is a corner bathroom but is decently spacious with a porcelain toilet and a corner shower with radius glass shower doors. There’s also linen storage and a sink in here, and this is where you’ll find the high-performance vent fan.
The main living space and slide room
Back in the main living space on the road side is another large storage space but with fixed shelves, although this one is relatively deep. Next to that is the slide room which also has some depth to it. It houses the theater seats, which are standard. You can also get this model with a booth dinette or even table and chairs. Rockwood-Flagstaff are also distinctive in that they offer a lot of options and upgrades.
There is also a small storage space along the ceiling of the slide room but with drop-down doors. Not sure why these aren’t hinged at the sides.
Some buyers might not be thrilled by the carpet in the slide room. Speaking of carpet, you’ll find more on either side of the bed in carpeted boxes along the sides leading up to the bedside tables on either side of the bed.
On the road side are both 110vac and 12-volt plugs along with the control for the inverter and then the bedside table top. On the camp side there’s a drawer. Above either of these is a hanging closet – but it’s a bit of a reach with that “box” next to the bed.
There’s also storage above the bed. The four doors here are hinged at the sides. There is further storage at the foot of the bed in the form of three drawers at floor level. You can also lift the bed, which is supported by gas struts, and there’s additional storage here, sort of like a hope chest.
Space-heating electric fireplace and Furrion TV
Along the camp side is a cabinet that houses a space-heating electric fireplace. Above that is a Furrion TV that operates either on 110 volt or 12 volt. This is smart as many folks have to run an inverter to get their TV to work. Here you won’t have to.
Speaking of the TV, there is a roof-mounted antenna that can receive TV signals, of course, but can amplify some WiFi and cell signals, as well. You can also incorporate a cell plan into this system so the trailer literally has its own coverage. Yes, please.
While this is a smaller rig, there is a usable amount of solid surface counter space. Also, there’s an extension that goes into the space in front of the cabinet that holds the TV.
The stove is a three-burner model that incorporates a 22” oven. Next to that is a two-bowl stainless steel sink with two covers, a solid one and a slotted one for drying dishes. Above the stove is a microwave flanked by two additional cabinets.
Of course, the cabinet holding the stove also features three standard drawers and two larger drawers.
Outside the Rockwood Mini Lite 2205S
I’ve already mentioned the griddle and the table. But it’s worth mentioning the storage, which is a full pass-through behind large doors. All the exterior doors are keyed alike. They don’t use the typical 751 key that’ll open almost any travel trailer baggage door.
Lastly, there is a 2” receiver hitch at the back to hold bike racks or a generator mount or things like that.
More stuff about Rockwood-Flagstaff
A few of the things I regularly complain about are not complaints here. For example, Rockwood-Flagstaff use the 22” oven. Sure, some folks don’t use the oven at all. But for those who do, this one is actually usable.
The company also offers geeks like me the opportunity to operate many of the functions of the trailer with an app but doesn’t force you to do so. There are still traditional buttons. To me, this is the way to do this.
52-gallon fresh water tank with Showermiser system
There’s also a sizable (for a small trailer) 52-gallon fresh water tank. But then there’s a Showermiser system that allows you to redirect water back to the fresh tank when waiting for the water to get hot in the shower. It’s a little thing but it could add a day to your boondocking, if that matters.
I liked how the production line worked where there was an upstairs section where all the wiring harnesses were built specific to the trailer. The plumbing, too, was all put together upstairs and then delivered to the assembly line downstairs. At the end of the line, plumbing, electrical and overall seals were tested again.
So are these trailers perfect? Heck no. No hand-built product ever will be. Furthermore, I’d like to see the carpet go away in the slides and those drop-down cabinet doors over the theater seating seem silly to me.
But based on my personal experience dragging one of these all over the U.S. and running a Facebook group with about 8,000 others who are doing the same thing, I do believe Rockwood-Flagstaff products are among the best products in the industry.
And this model, in particular, really catches my eye.
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. 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.
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##RVDT1635
I’m fixing to buy a Rockwood 2906BS do you know where I can get a good price want a brand new one I have my heart set on this model I am in Louisiana
With the current supply and demand situation prices are probably higher on any RV than they have been in a while. My best advice to anyone buying any RV is to shop your dealer first as a great dealer will make all the difference in the world in your overall experience.
I know some dealerships are actually charging full list price on inventory so finding a deal isn’t going to be that easy to find at this time.
I like your review writes-up, but your scoring system perplexes me as it seems each review has a different scoring criteria.
In any case, looking to be pointed in the right direction on TT options for fulltime live, work, and play for a couple and a dog. We’ve only rented Class B & C in recent years so are very hesitant to go with a Class A or 5th. Criteria:
– easy to convert/add fold up work desk space in TV/entertainment unit
– full kitchen
– dry bath
– light off road duty (mountain biking and hiking are key activities)
– only to boondock near trailheads – not extensive overland excursions
– offgrid/roof solar upgradable (not plug in portable panels)
– 12V and inverter as much as possible
– large tanks
– LTE/wifi antenna prewired
This Rockwood Mini-Lite line seems to hit a lot of criteria here and we can probably do well with in one of the 25′ models. Any other TT we should consider? Budget wise – even Airstreams are in play – but don’t want to spend that if not needed.
Ah, yes. My scoring system. Here’s my thinking.
I try to be relevant in the scoring but it truly is subjective. I want the score to be relevant to the category and RV I’m reviewing. For example, this trailer has a drop frame and has great storage for a small travel trailer, but couldn’t hold a candle to the storage of a Class A diesel pusher. So I look at the relative space of what I’m reviewing for the scoring. I have been noodling a better system but haven’t figured anything out.
As to answer your question if you’re looking for something smaller with office space perhaps you might wait until the full plethora of 2022 models hits the market. One of the reasons I went to Indiana is to see what’s now but I also went to see what’s next and there is some truly nifty trailers in this size category coming, but I promised I wouldn’t say anything about ’em just yet.
I had a feeling new models might be better addressing our requirements. I’ll stayed tuned for more reviews. 2020 changed everything for a lot of people and a lot of industries. For good and bad, I see many more people in my demographic moving to digital nomad adventure lifestyle. There is quite a huge product gap between the retiree full-timers and millennial vanlifers right now.
Build quality nearly a perfect score?! I call BS. You have no idea unless you looked behind the curtains. The appliances have nothing to do with build quality.
It really doesn’t matter how good it looks or how well designed the floorplan is….It’s made by Flagstaff, so it will fall apart 10 minutes after the warranty runs out.
Well, considering I actually watched these being built I will have to disagree with you on this one.
And, as I wrote in the response above the scoring is relative. Is the build quality of ANY RV anywhere close to any passenger vehicle/truck? Absolutely not.
But do I believe the processes and materials employed by Rockwood/Flagstaff are better than many others in this space? Absolutely.
I like that they have their own vacuum lamination process and only do two sidewalls at a time, I like the secondary random inspection, the materials use including Azdel substrates and torsion axle suspensions and frameless windows and more. Again, the scoring is relative to other travel trailers but I stand by what I wrote.
I don’t count the appliances and components in this because they’re the same stuff you’ll find in many RVs but the companies are able to choose various grades of products.
It’s nice to see a small TT that offers so much freshwater capacity. It exceeds the tank sizes of so many bunk models. It has so many other features which have become necessities to me: decent night stands that will hold both a water glass and a phone charger, 12V fridge, a fireplace and no Murphy bed. The 2205s seems hard to beat for a couple and their pet spending a week boondocking. Now that Hershey is back on, maybe I’ll get the chance to inspect one.
Our 2012 Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S had the same floir plan and many of the of the same features as the 2205S being reviewed. Some differences were a two-foot shorter length, a jack-knife sofa instead of theater seats in the slide, a 17″ oven, no outdoor kitchen, no phone app controls, no Goodyear tires, and no Azdel. But it worked well for the 27,000 miles we towed it, including a 9,000-mile Alaska trip. And we sold it in 2016 for the same price we paid for it (we did throw in the Reese hitch and upgraded batteries in the sale). So, all-in-all, a good purchase for our style of RV travel.
Good day to you, I recently viewed a travel trailer made by Carson Trailers called the Kallipso.
I bet this camper will peak your interest.
Thanks, Jan Blaes