Today’s RV review is of the 2022 Wildwood FSX 176QBHK, one of the more unusual small trailers that I’ve ever seen. We’ve discussed how unusual it is to find something I haven’t seen in the RV space, and that in itself is especially unusual since I’ve looked at even vintage RVs. But here in this trailer, we have ourselves a true unicorn.
What’s unusual about the Wildwood FSX 176QBHK
What we have here is a relatively small RV that has a truly unique and flexible bedroom. Inside that bedroom is a bunk bed but one that can also be a couch by day. The upper bunk can flip up so you can sit on the lower one.
Then there are also three storage totes that come with the trailer which sit under the lower bunk. So now we have storage, seating and sleeping for two. And then you add that there’s also a queen-sized bed in a slide room in this same space.
Essentially all the sleeping is in the back bedroom for all the campers, sort of.
Further, under the bed are more storage totes.
This is not a trailer to get if you have a lot of clothes you want to hang. But the totes under the lower bunk and under the bed combine to offer more clothing or stuff storage than I’ve seen in a lot of RVs. Further, it’s nifty that these totes enable you to bring them into your home and pack them. This makes getting ready for a getaway more convenient.
The nice thing about having all the sleeping space in one room is that if you do have little littles, you can be there with them. The bad thing is that you likely won’t be making more on camping trips unless you’re really sneaky.
The bedroom space is separated from the front living space by a bathroom that splits the trailer in half. This gives Wildwood the space to put in a large shower over on the camp side and then a roomy toilet and sink on the road side.
More sleeping up front in the Wildwood FSX 176QBHK
Up front there could be more sleeping, as the front of this trailer features a large “U”-shaped dinette which spans the full width of the trailer. In fact, this is more than seven feet tall. So, really, two more people could sleep up here if need be.
The dinette has one of those tables that mounts on the wall of the bench on the side. These concern me, as they’re not that sturdy, really. I could see a bigger person using this as a lift assist and breaking it right off the wall. As regular readers will know, I’d much rather see a freestanding table with the ability to be stepped up to counter height to facilitate more prep space.
On that subject, though, there is a surprisingly good amount of prep space in this kitchen. The counter top is an “L”-shaped affair with a round sink against the rear bulkhead. Then there’s a two-burner linear stovetop. There is no oven, although there is a microwave. But I think a lot of people don’t camp and bake, anyway.
A large 12-volt fridge shares wall space with the entry door over on the camp side. And, unfortunately, there is no window in the entry door.
More details
This is a single-axle trailer that weighs in at around 4,100 pounds (dry). So it’s relatively small and light, even though it does sleep up to six people when you count the front dinette.
I also like that this comes with a Bluetooth portable speaker rather than a lousy built-in radio system. This means that you can take the speaker outside or use it wherever. This is what I’ve done with our camper, actually. Further, no outdoor speakers (which never sound good anyway) means fewer holes in the side of the rig. Nice.
The “U”-shaped dinette in front makes for an interestingly shaped pass-through space, but one that’s not bad at all.
There is a griddle that’s included. However, it’s on a slide-in mount and takes up the cargo space on the camp side pass-through. This would be easy enough to remove if you prefer the storage, but I also like these griddles.
I also like that Wildwood uses the Accessibelly system, which is a segmented underbelly. This means that the whole underside is enclosed but also means that, should there be a problem, you can easily remove one segment of the underbelly to effect a repair. Nice.
Boondocking and travel access
The only slide room in the Wildwood FSX 176QBHK is in the bedroom which houses the RV queen bed. When the slide is in you have to fold up the lower bunk, but the bed is available. However, this is a Schwintek slide mechanism. I’ve been told it’s not advisable to use these when they’re retracted.
But the kitchen and bathroom along with the front dinette are fully usable in road mode, which makes this a good situation by my estimation.
Final thoughts
One thing to absolutely note is that this unit features a “direct dump” air conditioner. In other words, it’s not ducted throughout the unit. If you do camp where it gets rather steamy, you’ll find that the AC is up in the front section, which is separated from you by the bathroom.
While the bathroom doors don’t go all the way to the top, you still might not get much AC back there. This might be a bummer in some places.
Also, this trailer’s cargo carrying is pretty limited, at 976 pounds. Add a couple of batteries and a couple of propane bottles and you’re further constrained. I would imagine this unit is going to appeal to campers who have more limited tow vehicles. So these are things to be absolutely cognizant of.
This trailer would work very, very well for a lot of circumstances.
*****
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Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong 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.
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##RVDT1924
Four warm bodies trying to sleep in summer in a single, poorly air-condtioned bedroom sounds like a pretty uncomfortable night to me. Especially with the undoubtedly too short “queen bed” in a deep slide. Hope the vent fans are real 14″ ones or even spring and fall sleeping with the windows open could be miserable.
And, with that trouble-prone Schwintek slide, I would rather have it be a no slide, no “queen”, four-bunk floorplan with a good vent fan in the bedroom. That design mIght at least appeal to a family of four where one spouse has several hunting or fishing buddies and the second spouse enjoys weekend camping with good friends while the first spouse stays home with the kids (I intentionally made no reference to their genders!). The problem with these scenarios might be the small tanks, the limited cargo capacity, and the 19th-century leaf-spring suspension.
Be a nice small camper if it had a front windshield by the dinette and didn’t have a Schwintek slide.
I guess if your lifestyle is such that you need a couch with a view of the bed, this is the one for you! 😀