I try not to comment on colors and style and things like that. But recently Bob M. asked me to check out the new-for-2022 Forest River Wildcat 260RD, and a few things really caught my eye.
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Wildcat
Forest River’s Wildcat is a line of travel trailers and fifth wheels that are sort of upper-middle class. Kind of like back when GM built so many brands, I guess Wildcat would be kind of like Oldsmobile. Remember them? Me neither.
One of the things we liked about selling the Wildcat brand was that the company tended to have thicker sidewalls and better insulation than some of the other brands we sold. As such, the 260RD has two-inch-thick sidewalls and is well-insulated throughout. There are 12-volt heating pads on the tanks and radiant foil barrier throughout.
Now, this isn’t unusual at all in the RV space. I’ve shared that some brands have actually certified their fifth wheels and travel trailers to be usable from 0°F-110°F, such as the Jayco Eagle HT31MB that we looked at in the past.
What’s inside the Wildcat 260RD
The floor plan of this fifth wheel is unusual in that there’s a big “U”-shaped dinette in the back. There are also theater seats on the road side sharing the slide room with a 12-volt refrigerator.
Those theater seats are pointed directly at a TV on the camp side, but they can also see the kitchen, which is “L”-shaped.
This floor plan is unusual in that the steps to the upper deck are on the road side. That means there’s no getting upstairs when the slide room is in. So, if you want to be able to access the bathroom you can, as they say in those movies, fuggeddaboudit.
However, when the slide room is out you can access upstairs where the bathroom is on the camp side. That bathroom is made bigger with a camp-side wardrobe slide that extends into the bathroom. This slide room provides lots of cabinets and hanging space, both in the bathroom and in the bedroom.
Wildcat uses the Road Armor suspension and pin box in this unit. I always appreciate any suspension upgrades to a floor plan. There’s also a high-performance vent fan in the bathroom. Another Wildcat trait is the access cover in the kitchen counter that has a trash can beneath it. It’s also accessible from the outside. This is a nifty touch.
What’s not in the Wildcat 260RD
The overwhelming feeling I get in this rig is the absolute lack of windows. This would be great for “camp ghosts” who hole-up in their rigs and never come out. But this would bug the heck out of me.
The only camp-side window is a small horizontal one under the kitchen cabinets above the counter. Otherwise, there’s not even a window in the door. I really dislike this.
Also, I don’t like to comment on interior style because we each have our own taste. But I just thought the combination of black cabinets, gold handles, cream-colored upholstery (you can get other colors), frilly valances and a frilly backsplash were flat ugly. RVs tend to be designed to appeal to a wide variety of tastes, but my first thought was “Oh, gosh, NO.”
But, again, to each their own.
Also, there’s a small fridge in the front pass-through storage that takes up space there. This isn’t the largest pass-through I’ve seen in a fifth wheel. I could do without the fridge, frankly. But if you feel the same way, that’s why there’s eBay and other ways of passing it along to someone who wants it more than you do.
Information, please
What I don’t get is companies like Wildcat not providing information to their prospects. By watching several videos and looking at a few dealer websites I was able to compile the chart for this RV. But how do you not have this information listed as a manufacturer?
Makes me wonder if the people in the decision-making department just call the factory floor and say, “Hey, can you build us an RV about 30’ long using the stuff we already have down there?”
Now, I know there is a lot of planning and design work that goes into an RV. But how do you not spend 10 minutes at least filling out the specifications on your own website? At least they put in photos, which is better than some Forest River brands.
In summary
Considering the lack of information on the company’s website, and that interior plus the complete lack of windows on the camp side, I think there are better choices than this floor plan. The Keystone Cougar 24RDS is a very similar floor plan but has all the things Keystone’s “Innovation Lab” offers including 200 watts of solar and a better warranty.
I can’t call myself a fan of this design, again principally because of the lack of windows and the interior design that really turn me off.
I would love to read your comments and suggestions over on our new forums, where you can weigh in and start or join a discussion about all things RV. Here’s a link to my RV Reviews Forum.
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.
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The pantry is in the wrong area. They should have a large window where the pantry is and longer dinette seat. Not getting to the bathroom is a deal breaker for me. I would also want the bedroom window that seems to be on the front bedroom. If they had all items in my comment and a travel trailer, I’d be interested.
I want to like this 5thW, but there are just too many engineering or design flaws to give it a passing grade. Question: the exterior photo showing the front cap doesn’t depict a windshield, while a bedroom photo appears to show a window above the north-south bed. Which photo is right? The same old Forest River bugaboos appear: woefully inadequate freshwater capacity, and an “only big enough for warming up a frozen pizza” oven. Last, but not nearly the least, is the completely antiquated and obsolete Coleman-Mach thermostats and controls. Can’t tell if this model is like other models where FR has been innovative enough to supply multiplex touch panels in addition to the sputnik style push buttons. It’s so nice to be to set the generator to come on at a certain temperature to power the AC. So important these days when hookups are unavailable because all the filthy RV camps and resorts are filled to capacity with newbies showing off their spanking new Airstreams.
Big nope. I don’t see anything that an owner would want. So who would spend that kind of money for this? Not me.
I’m with you on the window thing. We love having bunches of windows in our TT and have ALL of them open in the summer months. We also like all that natural light provided by them. I wonder if there are two grey tanks, given the larger grey compared to the fresh. But the bathroom and kitchen butt up against each other so the dual grey tank idea would make no sense. I guess I’m just wrong on that one. And, if you can’t get to the bathroom during a quick roadside stop without moving the slide, that’s the ultimate deal breaker for me.