If you’re living in your fifth wheel with maybe a few other family members, there’s a lot to be said for a front living model. Today we’re looking at the Keystone Montana High Country 377FL. This is a big momma of a fifth wheel with a living room over the pin box up front and sleeping out back, with some rather unusual features even for this floor plan.
Keystone Montana High Country 377FL
We’ve looked at almost the same floor plan in the past in the Forest River Sabre 37FL. The proof that this works well for family travels, including full-time living, is the fact that Jason and Abby Epperson of RVMiles travel the country full-time in the Sabre with their three boys.
This floor plan has the benefit of offering a number of places for people to sleep that are distinctly separate from one another. This offers parents and offspring their own space in the trailer.
For example, the drop frame and rear bedroom affords a large private bedroom at the back. It’s completely separate from the loft upstairs, which is the other bedroom in this model.
But I could also see using that loft without the mattresses for a couple or business person traveling around. The loft could offer great storage for stuff like crafts or work-related items.
Door on road side in the back of the Montana Hgh Country
I also like that there’s a door on the road side in the back of this specific Montana – which isn’t something you see often. But that door gives you access to the bedrooms at the back as well as the bathroom, which is behind the kitchen, even when the slide rooms are closed in for travel.
In fact, this is an unusual trailer in that you have pretty good access to a lot of the trailer with the slide rooms closed. That’s uncommon in something of this size.
Speaking of the bathroom, since the roof line of this trailer has to maintain a single height to afford space for those in the loft over the rear bedroom, the bathroom benefits from this in this model with an almost laughable ceiling height. It would be no exaggeration that a pro basketball player could take a shower in this trailer.
One of the things the Sabre has going for it is that they’ve put a loft bed over the bathroom, too, so there’s more sleeping space. But this also means the ceiling height in the bathroom is somewhat limited. As with all things, it’s all about the priorities.
Kitchen in the Montana High Country
The kitchen in this fifth wheel is also a real highlight to me. There is a genuine 22” oven. You don’t often see that in RVs intended for larger groups, but they nailed it here. These fifth wheels come with a choice of either a residential refrigerator or a gas-electric “absorption” fridge. I’m surprised Montana’s not offering a 12-volt model at this point.
There is a good amount of kitchen counter space, though. This floor plan features both a bar right at the entry way as well as a table and chairs. That table is mounted to the wall of the RV so there are no knee knocking poles – also nice. There is an extension but I could see most gatherings, even for meals, being done upstairs. Still, the kitchen-level options are good.
Upstairs
Of course, the main living space here is similar to other front living models with this one featuring a windshield in the nose. There’s a TV on a televator here and blackout shades for the windshield, as well.
This is another situation where I just don’t see the point of the windshield – but there it is, just the same. I guess you can get light in when you’re up here and aren’t watching TV – so there’s that.
Other things you’ll find, again like others with this floor plan, is the fact that the couches on either side of the living room fold out and can become one gigantic bed. Hugh Hefner might have likee this floor plan for the size of that large of a sleeping space.
The down side
There is always a good and a bad with any choices in most things in life, and in particular with RVs. For example, the drop frame that makes the rear bedroom possible also rides low to the ground. So this fifth wheel might be a challenge to navigate in some situations, including even steeper driveway aprons.
Storage, too, isn’t a hallmark of this floor plan. I like how Montana has provided outside storage in the rear under the bed. But this rig isn’t the one to get if you’re looking for huge outside storage.
In summary
But if you do want a fifth wheel that offers really great interior space that offers truly separate spaces for the various family members, this might be a great choice. I would also look at the Sabre, as the differences between this one and that are sufficient that you might really prefer one over the other.
Montana High Country comes with Keystone’s own solar system and AC
Also, being a Keystone product, it comes with the SolarFlex™ 200 solar system, at a minimum. You can spec this up to much larger solar systems, if you choose. I also like that this fifth wheel comes with the Blade Pure™ air conditioning system. That has been shown to provide 20 percent more air flow but also offers homestyle air filtration.
As I’ve written before, there are a lot of similar floor plans among all the RV manufacturers. Just this and the Sabre are so similar, yet details here and there may make the difference enough to sway someone in one direction over the other.
My thanks to Josh Winters at Haylett RV in Coldwater, Michigan, for use of the photos.
Tony comes to RVTravel having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. You can find his writing here and at StressLessCamping where he also has a podcast about the RV life with his wife.
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.
Got an RV we need to look at? Contact us today and let us know in the form below – thank you!
##RVDT1736
One of the things I REALLY like in this trailer is the ‘slider’ windows instead of the fashionable ‘flush mount’ push out windows. These allow for lots of cooling cross-wind breezes. Nice touch, Montana. But, that overhang on the back will present problems with the slightest non-flat pavement or dirt.