RV review: 2025 Cherokee Grey Wolf 20RDSE—big value, little trailer

Today’s RV review is of the Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 20RDSE travel trailer. This is a relatively simple and affordable trailer with no slides but some really great features. In fact, when I was selling RVs (oh, here we go with that again), we sold a comparable Keystone Springdale version of this and they sold like hotcakes. 

We would get them in three at a time, they were so popular. But they were also small enough that three could fit on a larger transporter trailer. Which meant shipping was cheaper, too. 

Start at the road with the Cherokee Grey Wolf 20RDSE

As you likely know, since you read this column on RVtravel.com, there are trailers built to all sorts of price points. Some of them are designed to be premium rigs with all the top-notch features and components. Some RVs are more built to price. 

Cherokee is a brand that is built more to be affordable. But I have always liked how they’ve included some features that are unexpected. 

Still, this does ride on import tires via leaf springs. However, they do use valve stem covers that are green when the pressure is correct and can go to yellow and then red when it’s not. Keeping proper tire pressure is important for so many reasons. This is a less expensive way to help you keep on top of this. 

What you might not expect is that there are 12-volt holding tank heaters in this RV. 

Best stabilizers in the business

Another plus is the use of Lippert’s Quick Drop stabilizers, which, I think, are the best manual stabilizers in the business. For all the grief some folks give Lippert, I do like a lot of what they’re doing. 

This is a wood-framed, aluminum-skinned trailer and has no slide, so it’s a relatively simple trailer. But something I’ve liked in Cherokee builds for some time is how they “decorate” the exterior.

Rather than use a lot of stickers to accomplish the appearance, they use different colored strips of corrugated aluminum. This gives the trailers some style without stickers that fade and look terrible over time. 

Grey Wolf 20RDSE - 2025

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What’s inside the Cherokee Grey Wolf 20RDSE

The first thing you’ll notice is that this trailer has a lot of glass coverage, given the size. The dealership I worked at was located in Northern California. Lots of our customers would camp in the Redwoods or on the coast.

The back of this trailer has a large U-shaped dinette that is surrounded by windows. This is ideal if you’re going to be camping in beautiful places—which is sort of the whole idea anyway, isn’t it? 

The table in this is mounted on two pole mounts, which is pretty secure. But I keep trying to convince someone in the RV industry to make a table that’s freestanding and also can be raised up to counter height. It’s not impossible—I have Lifetime plastic tables that do just that. 

Having such a table would be nice, as counterspace is a bit limited in this kitchen. For 2025, Cherokee followed the current trend with a three-burner propane cooktop and convection microwave where you’d expect an oven. This is a fine solution, honestly. 

They also are using what I call the “gadget sink”—where there is a glass washer and multiple inserts that can help with drying, veggie washing, and even a cutting board. It’s a good situation. 

Not much counterspace, but good storage

But there is not much counterspace—and that’s what you’d expect in a smaller trailer. 

There is decent overhead cabinet space. Also, Cherokee now has a drawer with a trash can, so that’s nice. I also like the new look of the cabinets, which are more “cabin in the woods” rather than home-improvement-center-discount looking. 

On the subject of cabinets, there is also a pantry in here—which is also a good thing. 

But not all the space is specifically taken up with cabinets and drawers. I know several of you have asked about space to hang things like vacuums and brooms and that sort of thing. There’s actually space to do that in here. 

Sticking with space, you’ll find the bathroom is limited in that regard. Something has to give, and the bathroom is where it gave here. Something you might be surprised by is the high-performance vent fan in this RV. That’s not a common item, but it is a good one. 

This also has a permanent walk-around bed. However, it is a short mattress and it would be tough to put a longer one in here and maintain the walk-around status. 

Boondocking and travel access in the Cherokee Grey Wolf 20RDSE

Since this has no slide room, everything works all the time—which is part of the appeal of this floor plan. 

Cherokee has doubled the amount of solar on the roof—now it’s 200 watts of solar in two 100-watt panels. This is probably sufficient to keep the 10-cubic-foot, 12-volt fridge running in some situations. But you’ll want to add more if you’re going to be spending time off the grid. 

Conclusions

Overall I really like this floor plan and the way Cherokee has configured it. This is a relatively affordable unit but one that could work for a lot of solo or couple campers. The company keeps making this a better value and more attractive with the features that are incorporated. For example, a backup camera is included with this—not something you’d expect. 

My thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the video and photos in this article.

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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