Today’s RV review is of something very, very different—the Forest River Timberwolf Mini Loft 16ML. To be honest, the RV industry has been a bit shy in the innovation department over the past few years, but for good reason. If they could build it, they could sell it. Instead of spending time with new and different ideas, they spent their time conquering supply line shortages and just building whatever they could.
Not only did I see some really different and quite intriguing floor plans at the recent RV Open House, but also some new components that we’ll be looking at in the future. But, as they would say in those Monty Python shorts … and now, for something completely different.
What is the Timberwolf Mini Loft 16ML
The best way to describe this trailer is as a very compact park model. There are a lot of good use cases for park model trailers, most of which are that they are designed to be lived in so long as you can find the infrastructure to support them. If you harken back to mobile homes of the past, that’s sort of what park models are, but smaller.
Yet park model trailers are still large enough that you aren’t likely towing them around with a half-ton pickup. Really, you’d need at least a one-ton pickup to tow a traditional park mode. So, you’d likely be hiring a towing service if you ever moved your park model trailer.
Further, park models don’t generally have holding tanks, so you can’t always use them in some RV parks.
What Timberwolf has created is a hybrid that could be towed by most 3/4-ton pickups in this new offering.
Getting lots of attention
They’ve also created something that stirred up a lot of attention at the RV Open House, including by competing manufacturers within the Forest River family. There was everything from quiet admiration to near scorn. But, suffice it to say, nobody was ignoring this.
What’s inside
I don’t have the specifications for this trailer at this time as they weren’t released yet. In fact, as of this writing, they’re still being finalized. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take a look and see what we do know.
Essentially this is a large box with a back porch, if you were to describe this to someone visually impaired. Being a Timberwolf/Cherokee product, this is a “stick-and-tin” trailer— which means wood framing and corrugated aluminum skin. That means this will be more affordable than, say, a fully laminated trailer, but tentatively heavier as well. (Here’s a story of the types of RV construction).
This is almost a two-story affair. The only entrance is through a sliding glass door at the back, with that door spanning the entire width of the trailer.
Inside you’ll find very large windows affording a nice view of wherever you’ve parked this trailer. In fact, the windows are almost two stories high, so this would be a nice RV for a beautiful location.
On one side is a two-place couch that can fold into a bed, along with a single recliner. On the opposite side are a bar-height table and a couple of bar stools.
Kitchen and bathroom in the Timberwolf 16ML
The kitchen and bathroom are a step down from the main floor, owing to the drop frame construction of the chassis.
You’ll find a traditional three-burner stove with a usable oven. There’s also a microwave and a farm-style sink. Counter space is okay, but not great, but they did what they could. The stovetop and sink also have covers, so you could use those for prep space, too. Not at the same time as you’re using the stove and sink, obviously.
A big surprise might be the big fridge on the road side. What I saw was a four-door residential-style refrigerator. Another thing you may not expect is the combo washer-dryer, which is a standard feature. Still not impressed? This also comes with a dishwasher! Oh, and an ice maker. So this trailer is absolutely set up for full-time living, no questions asked.
The bathroom is also quite spacious, with good space around the toilet and a fifth wheel-style shower with a step/seat.
Sleeping arrangements
If you’ve looked at vintage trailers that had upper decks, you’ve seen a taste of how this trailer is built. There are two lofts in this offering, a larger one at the front and a smaller one in the back.
Like that college dorm you may have had, the mattresses sit directly on the floor of these lofts. By the same token, the ceiling height is about enough to sit upright on the mattress—but there shall be no standing up here. Well, not for most of us.
The main loft has storage at the front via hanging wardrobes and some cabinet space. The back loft has no storage and is about sized for a single mattress.
Further, there are built-in steps to the front loft but the back loft gets one of the Lippert collapsible ladders similar to this one that I reviewed as the way up. That would be fun for the kiddos, as you could make sure your cousin is up there and just take the ladder. I mean, why wouldn’t you?
Lastly, regarding the holding tanks in this, while the specific details haven’t been finalized, I was told they are likely 40 gallons of fresh water, 76 gray and 66 black.
A few more thoughts
While this does have holding tanks, they’re not all that large, particularly the fresh water. So this won’t be a boondocking champion, but it’ll certainly handle a weekend off the grid.
There was also no mention of solar panels for this. But you could easily add your own or even use ground-deployed panels, especially if this is on a piece of property you own.
Who would buy this?
You might look at this trailer and wonder who in their right mind would want one? I can think of a number of use cases.
One of those might be if you have a remote property that you use for part of the year. You could tow this to that property and just leave it there, or even tow it to and from the property.
Another potential use case might be someone who has a place to visit, like a winery or brewery or farm—the kind of places you would find on Harvest Hosts. You could buy one, or five, of these and use them as vacation rentals.
Or, imagine if you have a business with seasonal workers. With housing so difficult to find, this might also be a way to recruit them.
Financing possibilities
Something also worth considering: While some park models might be difficult to finance, at this point, you can still finance these with typical RV financing, according to the people I’ve talked to at dealerships.
While this was not the intended use case, when I was selling RVs I know a lot of people would buy them who couldn’t find other housing in our area. With housing pricing being so crazy, this might be a great choice for that, too.
And let’s not ignore the tiny house movement. This trailer falls squarely into what could be defined as a tiny house. But, unlike a lot of those tiny houses, this can be financed and isn’t build with duct tape and baling wire, so it should last.
My first inclination with this offering was to scratch my head. But then, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Now I can see that there could be quite a market for this, and Timberwolf is the only company I know of who makes something like this. Sort of.
No official pricing was announced at the RV Open House, but there is already one dealership who has posted a list price of $61,258 with a selling price of $37,999. I have no idea what they’ve based these numbers on, but it seems about right and fairly reasonable for what you get.
What do you think? Do you see as much potential as I do for an offering like this?
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. RVtravel.com receives 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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This reminds me a lot of a campground in East Austin, TX, that we stayed at several times that was expanding it’s development into a tiny home community. This design is very much like the model homes there (but a bit smaller w/o a true stand-up bedroom.) They were extremely attractive and gave us food for thought for future possibilities.
RV crossover into tiny home, aka park model. Retaining it’s mobility is not really a practical matter.
Seams like a nice park model. Might be ideal for a hunting cabin or getaway. Have to see it in person.
Stay away from Forest River Travel Trailers. Their customer service is awful. My brand new 2024 Forest River Cherokee Timberwolf 16ML, which is permanently parked, was delivered with the gray water (and black water) pipe broken and they won’t send someone out to fix it and they won’t pay the full bill to fix it.