Captivating couple’s camper—Keystone Cougar 25FKD

Today’s RV review is of the 2024 Keystone Cougar 25FKD, a travel trailer that’s under 30 feet in length but is one of the better designs of a couple’s camper that I’ve seen. Like many RV floor plans, this isn’t a dramatically new floor plan whatsoever, as RV companies take things that work and massage them to accentuate features or functions. 

In fact, we’ve looked at other RVs with this floor plan, including the Rockwood Mini Lite 2516S and the Cherokee Alpha Wolf 28FK. So what makes this one different?

What makes the Keystone Cougar 25FKD different?

First of all, know that this is yet another rig from the Elkhart RV Dealer Open House held last September in Elkhart, IN, where RV companies showed off their latest and greatest to the RV dealers in the hopes that they’ll buy them. If I were an RV dealer, I would absolutely buy these. There are some things Keystone did that make this stand out. First of all, this is a travel trailer with a front kitchen and two entry doors, and one where the windshield makes sense. 

Another thing that makes this stand out is storage. Outside storage in these floor plans can be a bit challenging, but they nailed it with this example. Up front, where most travel trailers have pass-through storage, this has a storage compartment on the camp side of the rig but one that you can also get to from the inside under the cabinet that houses the kitchen sink. This would be a nifty place to put a trash can for this reason, or other indoor/outdoor things. 

There’s also a rather sizable storage compartment at the rear of this trailer, which is effectively under the king-sized bed. This is a great place to put things you’d need for setup, such as wheel chocks (don’t, don’t, don’t buy cheap chocks!) and other setup goodies. I keep mine in totes to make it easier to get to them but also so they don’t get things damp in the trailer. 

The best storage compartment

The best storage compartment, to me, is the one on the camp side in the center of the trailer. This one is the largest of them all and has direct access to a large pantry that’s inside the rig. If this was your thing, you could stow a 12-volt cooler in here that you could also get to from inside. I’m really happy that Keystone didn’t include a bar-sized fridge, as this also means you can put whatever you want here. But, if that whatever is a cooler or bar-sized fridge, there’s a 120-volt household outlet here that can operate from an inverter, if you have that installed. 

That pantry storage is located behind the TV in this rig and is accessed, from the inside, via a sliding wall like in some of those old horror movies. 

Yes, yes, you can hide in there and scare the living daylights out of someone who might slide the pantry door open. Yes, yes, I would do that. This is a pretty sizable storage cabinet and I like the ability to access it from both inside and out. 

Keystone Cougar 25FKD

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Kitchen features in the Keystone Cougar

Something I also like is that the 12-volt refrigerator is right at the main entry door, so you can also just reach in and grab a hot dog or whatever. 

The kitchen in this wraps around the front and starts with a 22” oven. There’s a lot of counter space and, as mentioned, the cabinet under the sink is also accessible from the outside. 

There are also overhead cabinets, so storage isn’t going to be an issue for most people. It’s a nice kitchen, but the only strange thing, to me, is that the countertop dips down a bit over the drawers. I understand why this is—it’s difficult to manufacture a countertop this large. But it would have been nice if the countertop were all one height and maybe have some sort of a split or something of that sort rather than a level change. But it’s not that big of a deal. 

Seating

In this same space, Cougar gives several choices of seating. You can have a traditional hide-a-bed sofa or theater seats. You can have a traditional dinette or free-standing table and chairs. The couch or theater seat directly faces the TV that’s in that sliding wall. 

Should you choose the dinette option, the table is one of those “dream dinette” contraptions that hangs right from the wall—which means you don’t have those knee-knocker table legs. Nice. 

Big bathroom

Another thing Keystone did well here is the bathroom which bisects the trailer. I know, I know. Some of you don’t like this, but it makes it possible to have a lot of space in the bathroom without making the trailer all that huge. 

I also like that this has a rather large shower that is not a corner shower. The rest of the bathroom, too, is rather spacious and nicely configured. 

Fit for a king

In the bedroom, there is a standard king-sized bed, as is customary in Cougar products. There’s also a set of drawers and cabinets on the camp-side wall. The bed is in a slide and is surrounded by windows on three sides, but there’s also a nice, big window at the back. Cougar, like many other brands, features blackout shades, which I really like. 

Keystone stuff

I have become a fan of Keystone products for many reasons. One of those is that the company has a climate testing facility, so their rating of 0°–110°F in this camper is backed-up by fact. Part of that is also tank heaters along with an enclosed underbelly that is also heated. 

Keystone also is unusual in that they specifically use consistent color coding on their wiring. That means that a green wire on this trailer does the same as the green wire on the next, rather than the line workers just pulling wire as is convenient. I also found that this intentional wiring translates into fewer issues with wiring. 

The company also has its “Innovation Lab,” where they work to come up with things that will make a difference. Among those is their Blade Pure air conditioning ducting that, reportedly, provides greater efficiency and airflow. They also use a residential air filter in their AC systems. This just makes sense, considering that we’re dragging these rigs to places where there’s pollen and other things that cause allergies. 

Boondocking and travel access

I was shocked when I found that this entire trailer is fully accessible with the slides in. Shocked, I tell you. It is a wee bit tight to get to the bathroom, but you still can. Everything else is fully accessible. 

As for boondocking, Keystone was really a pioneer in the solar space with their SolarFlex system. This starts with a 220-watt solar panel, but you can get systems with integrated inverters and additional solar right from the factory. Further, they’ve partnered with Dragonfly (the makers of Battle Born) so that dealerships can drop in that brand of battery and it’s covered under the warranty of the trailer. 

It’s a really good situation. 

What I would change

There are a few things I would change about this, though. One of those is that Keystone includes a prep for a tire pressure monitoring system, but not the system itself. They have upgraded to Goodyear Endurance tires on these, but I wish they would have also just put the tire pressure monitor in from the factory. 

This rig, like so many lately, has overhead cabinets with doors that don’t have a provision to stay open. So now you have a two-handed operation to get whatever’s in there out of there. Also, there are heater vents in the floor, which isn’t my favorite. But at least these are a unique design to Keystone where things are more difficult to drop down into them. 

Lastly, can we please, please, please get rid of any naming convention that suggests what kind of tow vehicle is needed? Please? This is not something I would consider towing with a half-ton truck. So calling it Cougar Half-Ton series, to me, is not only bad but actually dangerous. 

Conclusions on the Keystone Cougar 25FKD

Overall, I think I like this floor plan the best of all the ones like it. The way they’ve organized things makes sense, and the three cargo compartments on the outside, with two able to also be accessed inside, are great. 

I think this is a home run and worth considering for a variety of reasons. I like it. Especially since I have a 3/4-ton truck—because there’s no way I’d tow it with a half-ton truck. 

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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