Ember RV Overland Series 221MSL – Updated, so let’s look again

Today’s RV review is of the 2024 Ember RV Overland Series 221MSL. We have looked at this model in the past, but the company is continually making upgrades and changes to their offerings. Funny thing. Some of the aspects of this rig have changed simply because Ember’s expectations have finally come to pass. So, what we’re really looking at today is the completion of Ember’s vision. 

That is, until they refine that. The company is very unique in that they’re still a privately held company and the decision makers go camping. In Ember RVs. This is really an example of what you get when a company builds the kind of RVs that they want to go camping in. 

What is the Ember RV Overland Series 221MSL

Ember RV now offers three lines of RVs: the inaugural Overland Series, the Touring Edition and the E-Series. The Overland Series, which we’re looking at today, is more intended for those who like to camp where the roads might be more challenging—if they’re even defined at all. These are trailers that really embody the image of off-grid camping. 

The Touring Edition is more of a traditional travel trailer but one with very high-quality features. And the E-Series is a more affordable line that basically offers the essentials. 

For the prices of the Overland and Touring Edition models you might say they fall squarely into the luxury class, but what is luxury? Is it the presence of glitz and glamor? Or is it the absence of frustration? If you’re in the absence of frustration line of thinking, then Ember might be what you’re looking for. 

Ember RV 221MSL - 2024

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What’s it all about?

One of the things that has set Ember’s Overland Series apart is the CURT fully independent suspension that features a coil spring and two shocks at each wheel. I’ve been told that this provides a much better towing experience on road, but also enables some shenanigans off road. I wouldn’t take this trailer on the Rubicon trail, but there are some back roads for which it is perfect. 

As we all hear about the issues of frame reliability nowadays, know that the frame on this trailer was very specifically designed to work with this suspension—which requires a much more substantial build. 

Flexible cargo space in the Ember RV Overland Series 221MSL

Another feature that really sets these models apart is the flexible cargo space. Using what is generically called E-track and what Ember RV calls Ember Track, this model allows you to reconfigure the back of the RV on the fly based on what you’re wanting to do. 

For example, if you’re like me and want to bring e-Bikes with you, this would be a good place to store them. 

When you get to the campground and take the bikes out, if you need to get a bit of work done you can take one of the included platforms and place it at desk height and do just that. You could then just move the platform up a bit and use this as a serving buffet. 

There are also mattresses that come with this and you can use the platform as a single bunk. There’s also a second platform to increase the width so that you can use this as a double bunk. Each side is rated for 300 pounds so you could have two Tonys in each bunk (lord help us all). 

You get not just one of these flexible platforms, but two. So you could literally sleep four Tonys back there and then light your hair on fire and run screaming into the night. Four Tonys—even I wouldn’t want that. Which of me would be in charge of dad jokes, who’d get the beer and which one would write the RV reviews? 

But this flexible space can be reconfigured in moments, so you don’t really have to decide. Instead, you could just set it up as you needed it. This also means this would be the perfect bunkhouse trailer for those who aren’t sure if the prospective occupants of the bunk space were coming or would rather stay home and sulk. Teenagers. 

The rest of the story

This is a Murphy bed model, but fear not. It’s a fully 60” X 80” residential queen-sized bed. Further, you can just leave the bed down all of the time, if that’s your thing, as the slide clears it by a few inches. So, if you’d rather not have a Murphy bed but like all the other features of this trailer, no worries. 

Also, that window above the bed just makes me happy. It can open for air flow and there are both a screen and a shade that are built into the frame so you can adjust as desired. 

You’ll still have the sofa in the slide room, which has a table that mounts on the front. This can also fold down into a bed, and there are spiffy vertical cabinets behind it. 

Recently the company used Truma’s climate chamber to certify that Ember RVs are able to withstand use between 0°F–100°F. So they’re ready to camp in the cold, ready to camp in the heat. While some RVs claim to be capable of this, Ember has certified that theirs can through actual testing. 

Ember uses a Truma Aventa air conditioner, which is much more efficient than almost any other RV air conditioner, to my knowledge. Plus it’s very, very quiet and even features a dehumidifier function. 

Depending on conditions, you can use the dehumidifier function in lieu of the air conditioner and consume far less energy. But, since this is actually a modern, efficient air conditioner, you can also run the AC and consume less energy as well. 

This absolutely comes into play if you’re boondocking and want to use the battery system to operate the air conditioner. It’s just a well-designed system.

How these are built

All the joints between wall seams on the outside are covered in an EternaBond tape, which is the stickiest permanent thing I’ve ever messed with. Then a section of the aluminum exoskeleton is placed on top of that. The absence of issues is what Ember’s going for here. 

While many RV companies are using man-made materials in the lamination of their wall materials, Ember uses these on the interior walls as well. You’ve likely heard of Azdel, which is a plastic material that is impervious to water damage and such. That’s what they’re using here. But they’re also using it in the roof lamination. 

The flooring in this rig uses a laminate, too, including a proprietary material that is used by Airstream in their builds. It’s just that, well, Ember’s use is twice as thick. 

Another thing to note is that these use the Exact Slide mechanism. That means you can use the slide room when it’s retracted, which is not typical. 

This also employs the Truma Combi, which is a combination water heater and furnace. Like its air conditioners, Truma’s furnaces aren’t likely going to wake you up in the night when they kick in with a jet plane-like sound. Both of these units are remarkably quiet. 

Boondocking and travel access

While this does have a slide room and a Murphy bed, that doesn’t preclude your using the bed with the slide in. In fact, if you choose to just leave the Murphy bed deployed all the time, the only thing that that would change is that you wouldn’t have access to the second couch in the front. But that might be fine. You do you.

I had already mentioned that these have been tested to function in 0°F–100°F climates. Many RV companies make claims about winter readiness—Ember has actually tested it.

For those who like to boondock, this features the Showermiser system. That allows you to redirect the water back into the fresh water system while you wait for it to get hot. I have this in my own trailer and use it all the time.

There are 400 watts of solar now standard on these, with a 2,000-watt inverter. Ember RV also offers several upgrades—all the way up to a system with 800 watts of solar and 540 amp-hours of lithium power along with a 3,000-watt inverter.

Conclusions

Since we last looked at this model, they’ve sorted out the availability issues with the dual-pane polycarbonate windows. The convection microwave is also finally consistently available, so the two-burner propane stove now makes much more sense. There is no propane oven—and this was the intent all along. 

If you can’t tell, I’m really liking what I see from Ember RV. The company builds things differently than most RV companies—both structurally and also just from a design standpoint. 

Another example of this is the tongue jack on here. It is similar in how it functions to the Lippert Quick Drop stabilizers, which Ember also debuted. This tongue jack allows you to actually open the tailgate on your truck—what a novel concept. 

When I was selling RVs, I saw a lot of people who bought bunkhouse models and then the intended youthful campers never came along for the adventure. Therefore, they were stuck with functionality they had zero use for. Something like this is so flexible, it really serves a lot of use cases—and that makes sense. 

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

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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