Thinking of purchasing Forest River A126

[Bowman]

I'm thinking of buying a Rockwood hard Side series A126 put out by Forest River, inc. This would be my first purchase of a recreational vehicle. I would really appreciate any feedback on the A126. Do you like it? Has it been any trouble?

Thank you for any help!

[Triguy]

Bowman!

I'm moving your thread to Tent Campers, A Frames and Pop Ups subforum so hopefully more campers with the A126 can see it.

[Bowman]

THank you!

[loganmartin]

I say go for it!!...I haven't heard of any chronic problems. I have been pleased with my Flagstaff.

LM

[gregory]

We have an A126 and love it! No trouble at all but then, we have had 3 travel trailers over the last 25 years, along with some tent camping as well.
So we knew what we were getting into when we purchase our Aframe.

Some questions for you:
Have you had any experience camping in any form?
What are you planning on towing it with?
How many are sleeping in it?

Ask some specific questions of your own. We love chatting and advising here.
Welcome to the forum

Deb

[schrederman]

I would say... be sure you are buying something big/convenient enough for your preferences. I did a lot of tent camping with my kids... and hadn't camped in a long time... (read - I got old )... I bought my first trailer about 2 years ago and it was OK... just too small. My daughter and son-in-law decided they wanted it so I didn't trade it in. I did buy a 26' X 8' Surveyor with a slide to replace the 18.5' X 7' Shadow Cruiser. I will try to use it in a couple of weeks, just to see if anything needs a fix. Since I live about 29 miles from Palo Duro Canyon, it shouldn't be too difficult... if work doesn't eat me.

[TURBS]

If your not sure your going to like camping a lot and might go a few times a year the a might fit your needs.
if you think its something your going to enjoy and do it a lot you might want to go bigger. Don't short your self in room.
To many times I've heard people say we bought to small of camper we've out grown it in a year.
on the other spectrum to many people buy one to big for there needs
And then have to up grade there tv as well.

[backpacker3]

I have the A128S and it is the right size for the DW and myself. We had a P/U and upgraded to a TT and later when it was just us, we went back to a small camper and it was the A Frame. We love it, just the right size for us. Have had no trouble with it.
Good Luck

[Jeep4Two]

I have the A126 and love it. It's great for my wife and I. It our first camper and tows pretty well with my 2 door Jeep Wrangler.

Like others have said, consider what you can tow with your tow vehicle. If I could have gone a little larger I would have strongly considered the R-pod as it can be had for just a little more than the A126. It is too much trailer for my Jeep however.

Keep in mind that the floor plan on the A126 is designed for 2 people. That is due to the inclusion of the cassette toilet (versus the porta-pot in the A122 or A128). I like the cassette toilet and just the 2 of us meant it was a good fit. We like the hard side aspect, but the smaller easier to tow folding camper format fit our towing ability. The A126 (like all the A-series campers from Rockwood) has all the basic comforts including a nice fan, fridge, stove, outdoor grill (option?), and microwave. Heating and cooling offer standard heat Pump / AC, with optional gas furnace (ours has the gas furnace, and is a must if you ever do cold weather boon docking).

Search my profile for an in-depth review that I wrote after getting aquatinted with out new A126.

[Jeep4Two]

Here's a link to my review thread, had to go to my browser to copy it, the app doesn't have copy

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...iew-16393.html

[thehamguy1]

After a little more than a year of owning it and over 7000 miles pulling it, we've had no serious problems with our A128. If there was something I wasn't completely happy with about it, it was easy enough to make modifications. If your family will fit in one and your vehicle will pull it you'll probably enjoy it.

Next stop: Alaska!

[2lvrvn]

Hey Hamguy...can you give me any input re putting up sidewalls in windy conditions?

[thehamguy1]

We've been camping in some really windy conditions but we were already set up when the winds came. I think the basic advice would be the same for setting up as taking down: orient the trailer so it's pointing into the wind if possible. The front roof section hooks over the rear one, so wind blowing against the front roof will help keep the roof locked together until you can get the first sidewall up and latched. Waiting until the wind dies down at twilight is another strategy, as long as the wind actually does die down. My third suggestion is to find a sheltered spot in the campground, put up the walls there, then pull the camper back to your campsite. It's no taller than a travel trailer so there shouldn't be a problem taking it on CG roads.

I've read of people passing a rope over the roof section before lifting it and assigning someone(s) to keep light tension on it while the roof goes up. Not sure that would work; what keeps the rope in place during this time?

Others will chime in with better answers I hope. Lots of clever folks on these forums. Which Hardside do you have?

[2lvrvn]

I am looking to purchase the 128S. You have so much great input. Thanx for sharing yr knowledge. This IS a great forum, can't wait to become a member with some good ideas to share.

[Laura June]

We recently purchased an A122, we have downsized from a 29' 5th wheel. We wanted a bed with a mattress, and it sleeps really well compared to the campers that you have to sleep on the cushions. Yes it is small, but we have everything that is necessary. We have lost our bathroom, along with a lot of the upkeep that goes along with it. A porta-potty serves us well, and is easier to empty than the black water tanks. The only bad thing we have heard about these campers is the tires may fail. We are very happy with our little camper.

[gregory]

Keep the tires properly inflated and, under normal conditions, the tires should hold up fine.

Deb

[lenwick]

We have a A126 and for a couple its very good easy to set up

[chucker25]

We have the 2013 A128S and the new front locker is great and adds a LOT of storage, which these units tend to lack.
We were originally considering the A122 (fixed bed) but after a lot of research at the dealers decided on the A128S. It gives you to option of an extra table, can leave down as bed if desired and just seemed to have the most floor space and "openness" (if you can imagine openness in these rigs ). The trailer is bigger and heavier than you might think and the tongue weight on ours with the storage unit is around 300lbs empty (I think the locker moves a fair amount of weight forward, and will so when the locker is packed. So you do need to consider your TV.

As for space 98% of the time we camp just the 2 of us, and we don't mind being 'close'

Good luck.

[MrMeyer]

Just got back from New Mexico and Arizona and logged a little over 4000 miles, stayed in it where we had to use the furnace in the mountains and the AC in the desert and couldn't be happier. Stayed in it 9 nights with my wife and cattle dog and a pile of gear, plenty of room. We love the deck on the front where we put a large Contico storage box that contained all our cooking and camping gear and had 2 more boxes in the back of my truck to carry 2 Honda parallel generators, wood and some food. This trailer is a breeze to put up and take down, amazing some other campers who watched in amazement at the speed with which we did it. Just make sure you are fairly level when putting it up. If you are going to use the furnace I would advise you to fire it up and let it cycle for several hours to burn the oil off the heat exchanger since the smell was kind of annoying. The AC worked great, temperature was 99 in the desert and it cycled on and off keeping us a cool 72 where we had it set with plenty of capacity to spare. We have had no warranty issues yet and plan on pulling it back out to AZ in September for 2 weeks and use it this as many weekends as we can here in the Midwest this summer. Good luck on your decision, hope this helped.

[thehamguy1]

Welcome to the forum, MrMeyer. Happy to have another happy A-frame owner join us! Be sure to post pics, it's how we all get by between our own trips.