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Old 09-13-2015, 10:48 PM   #1
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26RLWS, 27RLWS, 26FKWS Would you buy again?

Looking at these 3 Forrest River models. Not 100% on any of them yet. But essentially if you had it to do over again, would you purchase?

Thanks,
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Old 09-14-2015, 12:36 AM   #2
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On my third Forest River RV in four years average 100 days a year camping 3 to 5000 miles a year. Currently have an 8528RKWS fifth wheel traveling from Indy to Monterey California so far going great
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Old 09-14-2015, 07:46 AM   #3
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Absolutely....

Had a few of the minor glitches that these all had.. Surround sound not wired properly, shower not sealed with large possibility of leaks, one window slide not installed properly, and the water filter impending failure. All repaired (by me) the first month or so.

Since then, no issues. Two trouble free years of camping. Great floor plan. Tows well, even in strong winds (which we always have).
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Old 09-14-2015, 08:00 AM   #4
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We have the 26rlws and are very happy with it.


2015 Flagstaff 26RLWS
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Old 09-14-2015, 08:07 AM   #5
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I'm not sure of the exact units you are looking at, but we have a Hemisphere 263RL that we love. It has the same floor plan as the Flagstaff 26RLWS or the Rockwood 26RLWS, but there were features we really liked on the Hemisphere that the other two did not have. It has the rear living with recliners, couch, dining table and chairs, and kitchen. The couch and recliners have a very soft, comfortable pleather, unlike the Flagstaff/Rockwood, which was not comfortable at all. We were able to get recliners instead of the little chairs. Despite the lack of the wardrobe slide, there is plenty of storage. We love the rounded shower, which adds "butt" room. We also like that the bathroom sink is not angled. The understorage has doors on both ends, rather than one side only. The kitchen counter is "L" shaped, so there is more counter room. The kitchen window is by the sink, not behind the stove. (Whoever thought of putting a window behind a stove, where grease will splatter?) These differences really have added to our comfort level and we comment all the time that we are glad we purchased the Hemisphere over the other two. We also like that the bath is between the living and bedroom, which allows for privacy and noise control when one is sleeping and the other is watching TV or listening to the radio, which is the same in the Flagstaff/Rockwood. The only thing I liked a little better on the Rockwood was the cabinetry, (although the Hemisphere's cabinets are beautiful too), and the wardrobe slide. We have so much storage, however, that we really do not miss the slide at all. It also allows for a window on that side of the bedroom. I also thought I would miss the light from the front end window, but that has not been an issue. Also, I have read on the forum about so many having problems with road debris kicking up to hit the window. We also love the front cap on the Hemisphere. Of course, we have had a few minor issues, but from what we read, most units have to be tweaked here and there due to manufacturing issues. They are not built like cars! If you have not taken a look at the Hemisphere, please do. It will allow you to be sure that, no matter what you purchase, you will be happy with your decision.
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Old 09-14-2015, 09:41 AM   #6
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We love our 2604WS, in fact, there is nothing about it that we would change. We shopped a lot, and feel that we got the perfect trailer for the two of us.

Oh, and the 2016 Rockwood came with recliners, seems they've made an unannounced change.
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Old 09-14-2015, 11:26 AM   #7
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We purchased a Flagstaff 27RLWS in July of 2013 and have had it to the Black Hills, up the ALCAN, and then did a long trip last winter, ending up in Arizona. The trailer has about 18,000 miles on it and we love it. We have had a couple of minor issues that I fixed, but overall it has been a good unit.
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Old 09-14-2015, 12:11 PM   #8
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27RLWS

We bought our new FR 27RLWS in March 2015. We've got about 32 nights in it now, along with just over 5,000 miles, mostly a recent trip to Yellowstone. Agreeing with the others, a few glitches that I fixed myself, great floor plan, and extremely easy to tow, especially in 40+ winds, I would definitely buy again. Recommend getting the dining table and 4 chairs though, the u-shaped dinette is not a sleeping area for us, unless I get in trouble!
Good luck, tough decision!
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Old 09-14-2015, 12:32 PM   #9
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We have the Rockwood 2608ws (flagstaff 26fkws) and I like having the additional counter space and cabinets in the end kitchen. Fourth Rockwood trailer and no problems with any of them.
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Old 09-14-2015, 02:32 PM   #10
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We purchased the 27RLWS in Feb 15. We've just over 3000 miles on it, mostly a trip to Colorado. We've had to have a very small leak fixed on the water heater, the 15K Coleman AC was replaced as it would not blow cold air at all too. Both of these were covered by our warranty.

As for the layout, we have the U shaped dinette. It works well as a dinette and a comfortable bed for children. The plus side is that there is a large amount of storage with it. The kitchen is well laid out with the L shape counter. The Bathroom is comfortably sized and has good storage. The bedroom has a closet slide. It's a little tight and hard to get around the bed. Also difficult to get dressed in the room, easier to do so in the bathroom.

The one major downside for me is the couch. It's horrible. It's uncomfortable to sit on as the bench doesn't stand up well, it slips down and feels like it's going to dump you on the floor. It is very uncomfortable as a bed. It folds out into 3 sections with gaps in between. We are looking for a suitable replacement ( theater seating or two recliners).

Overall we enjoy the trailer. It tows very easily with a Ford F-150 with the 5.4 V8. We use an Equalizer weight distribution hitch with the anti sway bars. Works great!

Best of luck with your decision!
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Old 09-14-2015, 02:51 PM   #11
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We have the 2015 Flagstaff 26 RLWS and love it. Haven't had any issues with it and it tows great behind my 2015 Ford F-150 3.5 V6 EcoBoost. We have had it since June 2014 and have been to Galveston TX from Chicago and a bunch of short trips around the Midwest ( Iowa, Indiana & Illinois). We bought it at Holiday Hour RV in DeKalb IL and have been happy with it since day 1. We have the table and chairs which works well for us. Normally it's just the two of us plus 1 big dog and 2 cats. My daughter used the sofa bed with air mattress on one trip and said it was pretty comfortable. I highly recommend this unit.
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Old 09-14-2015, 04:14 PM   #12
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The wife & I love our 26RLWS and would definitely buy the same camper again. It's the perfect size and layout for just the two of us. She's retired and I'm about a year or two away from that delightful condition, so for now we're limited to long weekends and about one week-long trip a year. No problems at all so far other than self-inflicted ones. Just make sure the TV is pushed all the way back on its mount before extending the main slide... and no... don't ask how I came by this sage advice. But anyway...

At this point we have just over 2000 miles towing and 30 nights sleeping with the unit.

From build quality to features to convenience - we're very happy with this camper.
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Old 09-14-2015, 08:55 PM   #13
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She's retired and I'm about a year or two away from that delightful condition,

ZERO TASKING, That's what its all about. Good for you!
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Old 09-15-2015, 06:34 AM   #14
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Camper

Ours is not the same series camper but we just love our 2012 V-LITE 30WFKSS.
We wanted the tv to be viewable from the couch or chairs and this does it, plus center bathroom, lots of cabinets, etc. We camp about 3 months a year in it.
No major issues other than replacing all tires with E rated tires. Good luck and have fun! Jim
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Old 09-15-2015, 06:47 AM   #15
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Had $ down on the 26rlws. Wife nixed that one for the 27vrl. The cons of the 26rlws for us was the spacing between the chairs in the back and the counter. Too little leg room. The 27vrl chairs recline and the legroom is "adequate" with the chairs reclined. The 26rlws also has the short queen whereas the 27vrl has the full queen on the slide. The 27vrl has the bath in the nose and a double bowl sink and believe it or not 3 people can stand in the bath and you don't have to have the bathroom door open to finish the paperwork if you know what I mean. We got ours with the dinette which works well for our 7 yr old grandson that lives with us. Three opts. we ordered on it. and glad we did were minimal carpet, fantastic fan in main room and slide toppers on both slides. Happy shopping
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Old 09-15-2015, 12:09 PM   #16
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We have a 26FKWS,
Were very delighted with the amount of storage Space and upgrading to the Emerald package was well worth it. The shower is a little tight getting in and out with the living room door being right there, the shower door should have been installed in a reverse position. But over all there is plenty of room for the wifey, myself and our two pups.
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Old 09-20-2015, 07:53 AM   #17
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We have the 27rlws and really enjoy it. Picked this unit because of the open floor space created by the opposing slides. The counter area is large for this size TT.
No issues what so ever. Found our home away from home.
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Old 09-21-2015, 07:31 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff64 View Post
Had $ down on the 26rlws. Wife nixed that one for the 27vrl. The cons of the 26rlws for us was the spacing between the chairs in the back and the counter. Too little leg room. The 27vrl chairs recline and the legroom is "adequate" with the chairs reclined. The 26rlws also has the short queen whereas the 27vrl has the full queen on the slide. The 27vrl has the bath in the nose and a double bowl sink and believe it or not 3 people can stand in the bath and you don't have to have the bathroom door open to finish the paperwork if you know what I mean. We got ours with the dinette which works well for our 7 yr old grandson that lives with us. Three opts. we ordered on it. and glad we did were minimal carpet, fantastic fan in main room and slide toppers on both slides. Happy shopping
We bought our 27VRL last month. We did the table and chairs, slide toppers, outside grill (which is half decent). The only mods I've done is 1x6 dividers gorilla glued in the storage over the sofa/dinning and recliners. Keeps everything from sliding in there. Also going to add shelves to the cabinet next to the fridge. Otherwise everything has worked perfectly with no issues.
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Old 09-24-2015, 08:30 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Riccochet View Post
We bought our 27VRL last month. We did the table and chairs, slide toppers, outside grill (which is half decent). The only mods I've done is 1x6 dividers gorilla glued in the storage over the sofa/dinning and recliners. Keeps everything from sliding in there. Also going to add shelves to the cabinet next to the fridge. Otherwise everything has worked perfectly with no issues.
We have had few issues with ours as well. Still have a buzz in the surround sound on TV Audio. Added this little fabricated piece to the screen door slides. I'm always closing the screen door and leaving the slider open. You might have a tough time fabricating this, but, you could easily do it with a couple short pieces of 1/8" x 3/4" angle aluminum. Also changed out the t-stat to a digital and fitted oxygenics shower head. Big difference in water consumption and pressure at a lower flow. Also fabricated awning poles and brackets from scratch. Check cord tension on day/night shade in the back. If you can just about play a tune on the cord.. they are probably too tight. We have had to replace ours. There is a You tube video on cord replacement. you'll see why
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Old 09-24-2015, 12:26 PM   #20
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We have had few issues with ours as well. Still have a buzz in the surround sound on TV Audio. Added this little fabricated piece to the screen door slides. I'm always closing the screen door and leaving the slider open. You might have a tough time fabricating this, but, you could easily do it with a couple short pieces of 1/8" x 3/4" angle aluminum. Also changed out the t-stat to a digital and fitted oxygenics shower head. Big difference in water consumption and pressure at a lower flow. Also fabricated awning poles and brackets from scratch. Check cord tension on day/night shade in the back. If you can just about play a tune on the cord.. they are probably too tight. We have had to replace ours. There is a You tube video on cord replacement. you'll see why
Ahhh, yes, the buzz in the surround sound. Only when the scene changes, like going from program to commercial and back. Annoying as all get out. Do the awning poles help? I could see there being an issue in windy conditions, but otherwise the awning is pretty stable.

I'll check out that shower head. The factory one leaves a bit to be desired. And, yes, the day/night shade cords are very tight.

Haven't really used the screen door much. It seems pretty flimsy and I'd rather not break it. lol
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