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Old 08-11-2020, 01:38 PM   #1
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2021 Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pup 16FQ Travel Trailer & What I did on my 62nd Bthday


Just picked up our NEW travel trailer a week ago in Iowa. We're newbees! Here's how we got there.

2021 Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pup 16FQ Travel Trailer & What I did on my 62nd Birthday.


This story, review, recommendation, starts a few years ago when my wife and I first started looking at travel trailers in passing Skip that, now we’re in March 2020 Covid19 time on Long Island New York. Looks like there will be a new normal, but who knows when and what will be normal. Travel will no longer be on a whim or worry free. Time to finally pull the trigger and get a small modest travel trailer.

About Us: My wife and I are in our 60’s, with one adult son. I’m a motor head, fairly handy tech person and other than mechanical and landscaping projects, a partial couch potato. We both like travel. Our current vehicles are: 2013 Rav4 2.5 (106K miles), 2007 Trailblazer 4.3 (157k), 1971 440HP Super Bee (Vroom!) . Guess we’re using the 2007 Trailblazer to pull.


Being that we like to travel and sight see, stick to one area for 4-7 days, we decided that a Travel Trailer would be preferable for us over an RV (camper and vehicle all in one). We can leave the travel trailer at a camp site as home base, and set off on day excursions in the Trailblazer.


So we looked for a best all around Travel Trailer with the following must haves:
1) Queen Sized Bed (walk-around preferred)
2) Full Bathroom (no little toilet in the shower)
3) A dining table that was comfortable for us to sit and dine at
4) I could comfortably stand in it (I’m 6’ 2”)
5) Convenient Cooking Capabilities
6) Air Conditioning
7) The smaller the better (5th wheels no need to apply)


When we saw the Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pup 16FQ it met all those requirements and so much more! After weeks online and looking at trailers, we realized that this was the most feature packed, thoughtfully set up and organized trailer for our two person travel needs. For rainy days, the walk around queen sized Murphy bed folds up to become a two seat couch which faces the TV (I moved over the TV bracket to accommodate a 32” HD Smart TV (Amazon Fire TV edition)). The trailer also has a two burner stove with microwave, cooking hood and 10 cubic foot 12volt refrigerator/freezer (that keeps cold when you’re driving and even runs off of the battery when not plugged in to shore power). There is even a small college sized electric only refrigerator that is accessible from outside the trailer (campside). It’s just amazing how much Forest River was able to design into this 16’ x 7’camper including more storage space than you will need. 110 and USB outlets everywhere. Plenty of space to store your electric coffeepot, toaster, and blender/food processor. This travel trailer was not designed for camping, it was put together for GLAMPING! Google: 2021 Wolf Pup 16FQ for pics and details.

The Deal: In my life, I have never paid retail for any large purchase. I’m the guy who friends and relatives reach out to when they are considering large purchases (Cars, Appliances, HVAC, Solar Systems, computers, etc. ). Now that we decided that we wanted a Wolf Pup 16FQ, I needed to find a deal! These campers are hard to come by. Not only are they feature packed, there is a pandemic going on. This has caused a mini run on campers and trailers. Preppers are going wild. The manufactures and supply chain vendors to the trailer manufacturing industry are closing due to Covid19. Some venders are only offering to sell their stock at list! Unheard of in this industry. The Wolf Pup 16FQ is manufactured in Indiana just off of Route 80. The Northeast dealers that I called were only slightly discounting the trailer, and then included huge fees for delivery (I.E. $1,800 shipping), prep, and wanted to sell you many other options and installation services (I.E. Weight Distribution Hitches, Brake Controllers, Sewer hookups, hoses, chemicals, Vent Covers, out of state temp. registration fees, etc.). Then I was lucky enough to come up on Cheyenne Camping Center’s website https://cheyennecampingcenter.com/ and their page for the Wolf Pup 16FQ https://cheyennecampingcenter.com/in...el-trailer-114. Was their price right? Could this be true? Did this price include the Juice Pack (a 50watt manufacturer installed solar panel charging system with an upgraded group 27 battery - $579 option)? Did this include the optional flip-up rear bumper rack with spare tire that is also manufacturer installed ($419 option)? So I called and reached salesman John Watkins. His replies: “Yes, Yes, Yes, No. But we can add Forest Rivers flip up rack for $275.” “We have a bunch coming in in 3 weeks. They are all accounted for, as people have asked for these, from before Covid19. If any have changed their mind, I’ll let you know. Otherwise my next batch are coming in in late July. I can put your name on one of them!” Deal! Who do I write out the deposit to and where do I send it? John: “No need for that, I have your name and number (we even exchanged texts). Call me when the next batch comes in and I’ll let you know if one freed up. Our / Iowa’s temporary trailer registration is only good for two weeks, but we don’t charge you for it. You can bring your own weigh distribution hitch and brake controller and we’ll put in on for you, or you can buy them from us. We have them here.” A few weeks later: The next batch of trailers were all taken, but now I have one with my name on it coming in late July!
Did I mention that Cheyenne Camping Center is in Iowa, over 1000 miles away from my home on Long Island? Guess I’m going on a road trip during Covid19.

Happy Birthday! My 26 year old son has agreed to take off from work and accompany me to Iowa on a 2077 mile round trip to pick up the Wolf Pup 16FQ Trailer. We leave my home 1:30pm on a Monday, my birthday. 20+MPG going, we stopped at a hotel for 5 hours of sleep on the way there.

Cheyenne Camping Center: We easily made our scheduled pick up time (Tuesday 1:00pm). We were greeted by two pleasant receptionists. Once they saw we had our masks on, they put theirs on too. Roger ran me through the operation of the Wolf Pup 16FQ Travel Trailer. Explaining in detail how I can winterize it, and even check on and service the brakes and wheel bearings. He and a tech installed the weight distribution anti-sway hitch and explained its’ operation to me. Demonstrating how to engage and disengage the springs. They answered all of my questions, even ones I didn’t ask, they just wanted to be sure that I could operate everything on that camper.


Time for the paperwork. Into John’s office to hand over the check. He had a stack of manuals, brochures, information cards, and more in a Cheyenne Camping Center bag. Along with two sets of keys. John had all of the paperwork filled out, and even a few of the important warrantee related cards. “We’ll send these out for you and I have included copies in your bag”. He explained what I needed to bring to DMV in NY to register the Trailer and include that in the bag. There was one small glitch, the flip-up bumper rack was not installed as they didn’t realize that they were out of them, but John would have that drop-shipped to my home (I write this one day after UPS Shipping has called me to confirm a delivery in two days, coming directly from Forest River in Indiana).

We get home Wednesday for lunch: 10+MPG returning. We slept in the trailer in Pennsylvania for about 3 hours to miss the NJ and NY morning rush hour traffic. We pulled the trailer back through the Pennsylvania Mountains without incident (3,031lbs) unknowing that we had a full tank of water (+256lbs), that’s like one extra big person on board (total round trip costs including: Gas, Tolls, Lodging, Food $598.55). Enjoyed my son’s company for the 47hour 2077mile road trip….. Priceless!.

Recommendation: I wholeheartedly recommend Cheyenne Camping Center and especially John Watkins (Salesman) and Rodger (Customer Service Rep and Technician) for their professionalism, truthfulness and great customer service! They have made this important transaction simple, easy, enjoyable and well worth the 2077 mile round trip! At no time did John try to sell me any extras. He was able to answer all of my questions and any time I called or texted him, he got back to me quickly and professionally. John and Cheyenne Camping Center have saved me THOUSANDS of dollars on this purchase and I fully appreciate it.


Thanks again John, Roger and Cheyenne Camping Center!


SetauketJeff
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Old 08-12-2020, 07:21 AM   #2
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Welcome from SW Ohio . Have a safe trip to Iowa and enjoy your Cherokee Wolf Pup 16FQ TT !
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Old 08-12-2020, 11:18 AM   #3
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Wow! Sounds like a great, productive road trip.
Congrats on the camper. It would be my choice today.
I searched using RVtrader.com and got mine 180 miles away in the next state but was prepared to go 400 miles to a particular dealer if I had not found this one. This was with plenty in stock at the time.
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Old 05-24-2021, 05:17 AM   #4
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Following Your Footsteps for a Wolf Pup 16FQ

SetauketJeff just wanted to follow up to mention I saw your entry here on the Forum and followed in your footsteps to purchase a Wolf Pup 16FQ from John out at Cheyanne Camping Center in Iowa. Just as you mentioned in your journey John and the fellas were great to work with and we now have had 2 trips in our unit and are completely satisfied. Thank you for your post sharing your experience.
Keith
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Old 05-24-2021, 06:31 AM   #5
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Welcome to the forum. Enjoy your new camper and Later RJD
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Old 05-24-2021, 08:43 AM   #6
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Great story, thanks for sharing! I’ve always recommended doing a road trip to pick up an RV. We had a great adventure with our daughter when we picked up our RV also.
Welcome to the forum from south Jersey!
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Old 05-24-2021, 06:12 PM   #7
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nice deal from Iowa

I just picked up a 2021 16FQ from Nebraska and it has all of the same options and features, it is a Patriot Package.

Did you get or buy a generator?

Does anyone know if a 2000 Watt is enough to power this 2021 model? The AC in the Summer is the main concern.

Mine came with the solar panel, small one, to charge the battery, and the extra battery I added already.

But since the fridge is elec 12v only, and the ac is electric, concern is if the 2000w is enough.

Other question is the WiFi adapter in the ceiling, it mentions a Lippert option, but wont other types also work?

What are the least expensive????

And does anyone know about cell extenders? If we get an extender, would we still need a WiFi option? OR is WiFi the better option?

THANK YOU
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Old 05-24-2021, 06:43 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SoUtahSTG View Post
I just picked up a 2021 16FQ from Nebraska and it has all of the same options and features, it is a Patriot Package.

Did you get or buy a generator?

Does anyone know if a 2000 Watt is enough to power this 2021 model? The AC in the Summer is the main concern.

Mine came with the solar panel, small one, to charge the battery, and the extra battery I added already.

But since the fridge is elec 12v only, and the ac is electric, concern is if the 2000w is enough.

Other question is the WiFi adapter in the ceiling, it mentions a Lippert option, but wont other types also work?

What are the least expensive????

And does anyone know about cell extenders? If we get an extender, would we still need a WiFi option? OR is WiFi the better option?

THANK YOU
A 2000w inverter generator isn't enough to run 13.5k a/c unless you install a soft start kit. If it's a 15k a/c, you'll need a bigger inverter generator. Especially if you also have a 12v fridge.
Suggest that you get more information about what the power demands of your TT are and research more about inverter generators.
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Old 05-24-2021, 09:39 PM   #9
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Thank you, you seem knowledgeable.

Any info on the Cell or WiFi question?
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Old 05-24-2021, 10:06 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SoUtahSTG View Post
Thank you, you seem knowledgeable.

Any info on the Cell or WiFi question?
We don't have any Wi-Fi equipment in our TT. And we rarely use campground Wi-Fi, since it is usually bad.
We use our cellphones as hotspots. I do bring our home cell booster with us.
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Old 05-25-2021, 10:18 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mhzmanmiller View Post
SetauketJeff just wanted to follow up to mention I saw your entry here on the Forum and followed in your footsteps to purchase a Wolf Pup 16FQ from John out at Cheyanne Camping Center in Iowa. Just as you mentioned in your journey John and the fellas were great to work with and we now have had 2 trips in our unit and are completely satisfied. Thank you for your post sharing your experience.
Keith
Thanks Keith,

Glad to know that some of my posts are assisting others. If you're so inclined, look at my registry and you can see what alterations I made and accoutrements I added to the TT to make it more enjoyable.

Congratulations on the new TT and I hope you enjoy yours as much a I do mine!

Jeff
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Old 05-25-2021, 11:45 AM   #12
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How did I miss this thread? I usually hone in on the words WOLF PUP.
MODERATORS, Wolf Pups deserve their own sub forum.

Congrats to both purchasers. The FQ wasn’t available when I bought my TT.

With a generator running into the primary AC inlet, it is running the onboard DC converter to run all control circuits, lighting, & battery powered items including keeping the battery charged. An overhead Air Conditioning unit eats a LOT of power. IF you were able to isolate and only supply the the AC unit (not configured that way), a 2000 watt inverter generator might have a chance. Soft Start (I.e., magic box) units are available to cut the compressor start amperage down that do allow use with a 2000 watt generator. Bought one, still need to install it ;(
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Old 09-18-2021, 12:15 PM   #13
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SetauketJeff

We did just like you and bought our wolf pup from Cheyenne Camping Center only we drove from San Francisco California <GRIN> service was exceptional

As for the battery and the air conditioner, Solar panels will keep the battery charged but then run low after a couple of days. Good for a weekend.
Bought a Westinghouse 2500 generator and it keeps everything going except the air conditioner in hot weather (When You Really Need it) added a Micro Air Easy Start to the air conditioner and it now works well.
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