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Old 05-13-2019, 08:06 PM   #1
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New from Temecula, CA - thinking about a Flagstaff 25FKS

HI Everyone,

I've been lurking on this great forum for some time as I've been gathering intel on the Flagstaff / Rockwood trailers. I'm retired and my wife is a year or so behind me. We've been frequent campers for along time, tents initially and then small trailers. I also enjoy "moto-camping" with my motorcycle. We went from tents to a small Chalet A-Frame trailer, and then a Trailmanor 2720SL trailer, but sold it some months back as we're going in the direction of something more comfortable.

The first order of business was to get a better tow vehicle than our V6 powered Dodge Durango, so we recently purchased a 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie with the 5.7 liter Hemi V8. Plenty of power to tow with.

We enjoy camping outdoors so the idea of a very large trailer is unappealing to us. We were initially looking at the 24-foot Lance 1995 trailer, but I don't like the idea of the bed in the living / kitchen area. We then considered the 27-foot 2285, but they're just too pricey.

We then looked closely at the Coachmen Freedom Express 231RBDS, in large part due to the fact that FR uses Azdel in the wall construction.

Initially fixated solely on trailers with Azdel, we eventually started to research other "non-Azdel" trailers. We learned about the vacuum bonding that Forest River uses in their Flagstaff / Rockwood walls (and likely others) and think it's a reliable, quality product.

The Flagstaff 25FKS (which is the same as the Rockwood 2506S) is at the top of our list right now, and a likely purchase in the near future.

Best,
Rick
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Old 05-13-2019, 08:23 PM   #2
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Love our Mini Lite!!! Love Temecula CA too!! Welcome to the forum. GREAT FOLKS HERE!
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Old 05-13-2019, 10:34 PM   #3
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welcome rick
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Old 05-13-2019, 11:20 PM   #4
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We liked the Surveyor 251rks for a number of reasons; it is meant for two people and the DW liked walking directly from the bedroom to the bathroom. And of course I liked the metal frame and the 15" wheels (never again a 14" wheeled TT), and the single slide.
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Old 05-14-2019, 12:52 AM   #5
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I also looked at a lot of tt’s before we chose our FR Coachmen 248RBS. I, like you, wanted an Azdel trailer. We wanted something 1/2 towable because we didn’t want truck payment. There are several reasons we chose the Coachmen 248RBS. Aluminum frame. Full queen master bed in separate bedroom (important to my wife if we have others with us). Larger U-dinette that converts to a normal full bed. Rear bath so if a guest needs to use the john the aroma of the night’s chili dinner doesn’t seep into the bedroom under the door. Besides, my wife is a fairly light sleeper so she’d hear anybody and everything that went on in the bathroom. Decent sized shower. Furnace has cabinet venting instead of floor vents so when the furnace goes on after not being used dust and dander don’t get blown all over the trailer. Love the outdoor kitchen because we spend most of the time outside. The couch is comfortable and positioned well when we watch tv inside. Tank sizes are decent. We did opt for the bigger fridge and bigger ac though.
I liked the way the Lance trailers were built but the ceiling height was only 75”s. I’m 6’1” so that only left 2”s of head room. The Coachmen is like 80”s.
This video gives a lot of info on this trailer if you’re interested



Good luck
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Old 05-14-2019, 06:53 AM   #6
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Welcome to the forum. Good luck with your search for a new camper. Lots of knowledgeable folks here to answer your questions. Later RJD
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Old 05-14-2019, 07:10 AM   #7
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A Hearty welcome from Eastern Nebraska / Northeast Missouri. Happy Camper Hunting.
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Old 05-14-2019, 12:34 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simiHal View Post
I also looked at a lot of tt’s before we chose our FR Coachmen 248RBS. I, like you, wanted an Azdel trailer. We wanted something 1/2 towable because we didn’t want truck payment. There are several reasons we chose the Coachmen 248RBS. Aluminum frame. Full queen master bed in separate bedroom (important to my wife if we have others with us). Larger U-dinette that converts to a normal full bed. Rear bath so if a guest needs to use the john the aroma of the night’s chili dinner doesn’t seep into the bedroom under the door. Besides, my wife is a fairly light sleeper so she’d hear anybody and everything that went on in the bathroom. Decent sized shower. Furnace has cabinet venting instead of floor vents so when the furnace goes on after not being used dust and dander don’t get blown all over the trailer. Love the outdoor kitchen because we spend most of the time outside. The couch is comfortable and positioned well when we watch tv inside. Tank sizes are decent. We did opt for the bigger fridge and bigger ac though.
I liked the way the Lance trailers were built but the ceiling height was only 75”s. I’m 6’1” so that only left 2”s of head room. The Coachmen is like 80”s.
This video gives a lot of info on this trailer if you’re interested



Good luck
Thanks for the link. I'm a big fan of the freedom Express trailers. In fact, the 248RBS was the first one that we looked at and decided that it was perfect. It was just a bit longer than we wanted, which is why we really like the 231 RBDS. The 231 is still in the race, but the Flagstaff 25FKS is the front runner. Price and availability will be factors now.

Thanks to all for the warm welcome messages!

Rick
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Old 05-14-2019, 12:52 PM   #9
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Welcome! We are just a little north if you up the 79. As you prepare to buy, please do not buy more than your truck can handle. We made that mistake and it was darned expensive to fix.

Apologies if I'm stating the obvious to you. Know your truck's payload (from the door sticker) and how much is left after you, your wife and ear get loaded into the truck. Compare that remaining number to 15% of the trailer's GVWR (also on a door sticker.)
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Old 05-14-2019, 06:43 PM   #10
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Welcome! We are just a little north if you up the 79. As you prepare to buy, please do not buy more than your truck can handle. We made that mistake and it was darned expensive to fix.

Apologies if I'm stating the obvious to you. Know your truck's payload (from the door sticker) and how much is left after you, your wife and ear get loaded into the truck. Compare that remaining number to 15% of the trailer's GVWR (also on a door sticker.)
Thanks, Curt. I'm certainly a noob when it comes to trucks as this is my first one!

According to the Fiat / Chrysler website (and my VIN) the truck has a max payload capacity of 1840 lbs and max towing of 11,340 lbs. According to the sticker, the GVWR is 7100 lbs. and the payload is 1278 lbs.

I haven't had the truck weighed, but I have read that the curb weight for a Laramie is 4891 - 5233 lbs. Ours is pretty heavily optioned, so I'll assume 5233 lbs. According to that, my payload should be 1867 lbs, so that's pretty close to what the FCA website said.

I suppose the discrepancy is due to the gas, oil, etc. that the truck also has to carry which can amount to 562 lbs? It can carry 33 gallons of gas which is 264 lbs right there. At any rate, I've been using the 1278 number and I'm pretty sure we're within safe limits. No kids or passengers when camping - just me, Marilyn, and our small dog Frodo.

The trailer's tongue weight is 720 lbs. so I've been assuming that we have 558 lbs of payload to work with (1278 - 720) which admittedly isn't that much. We will be getting a WDH too, but I'm actually not clear if that factors in.

In terms of towing, the trailer is about 5300 lbs empty, so I'm well away from its 11,340 lb. capacity.

Unfortunately, a 2500 wasn't an option as my wife said that she'd never drive it. After driving around in the 1500, she's now reluctant to drive it as well! Ugh...

Thanks,
Rick
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Old 05-14-2019, 08:29 PM   #11
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The sticker on your truck's doorframe is what is accurate for your truck and if I understand correctly that number is 1278. You need to know the TT's GVWR. To be safe, figure the maximum tongue weight at 15% of the TT's GVWR. So everything that goes in or on the truck gets subtracted from that number; gas, you, wife, dog, wood, cameras, tools, etc. Figure your hitch at 100 lbs unless you get an Andersen. So it appears that you will be tight up on or over. Think it over and be sure of your numbers. Good Luck
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Old 05-14-2019, 08:51 PM   #12
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Love the Flagstaff

We have the Flagstaff 26FKWS. New equivalent is the Rockwood 2608BS. Wish we would have waited a year as the newer version has the bedroom slide giving you room at the foot of the bed. Having said that, we've found that the Flagstaff/Rockwood (same trailer) models appear to have upper end finishes and options. Love the front kitchen models as we have windows and light at both ends of the trailer. We recently upgraded to a GMC Denali 2500 from a Sierra 1500 but it was only because I wanted one! The 1500 was enough to handle this trailer and I know because I went through the whole process with CAT scales, spreadsheets, etc, Unless you're packing a lot of passengers and/or a huge amount of cargo, you will be close to payload but within limits. And it towed fine. Welcome and good luck!
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Old 05-15-2019, 07:46 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CurtPutnam View Post
The sticker on your truck's doorframe is what is accurate for your truck and if I understand correctly that number is 1278. You need to know the TT's GVWR. To be safe, figure the maximum tongue weight at 15% of the TT's GVWR. So everything that goes in or on the truck gets subtracted from that number; gas, you, wife, dog, wood, cameras, tools, etc. Figure your hitch at 100 lbs unless you get an Andersen. So it appears that you will be tight up on or over. Think it over and be sure of your numbers. Good Luck
Thanks for your comment, Curt. Very thought provoking.

I've been reading up on this issue and am now not so sure that we can get the Flagstaff 25FKS. Using its UVW and 1000 lbs of added weight we'd be at 6289 lbs. At 15% we'd have a tongue weight of 943 lbs, and 754 lbs at 12%. That would only leave us 335 - 524 lbs for ourselves and stuff in the truck! We also plan on adding 2 extra batteries since we mostly dry-camp, which would further aggravate the problem. Not good.

The Coachmen 231RBDS has a claimed tongue weight that is 135 lbs less than the Flagstaff 25FKS (585), so a little but more margin. Using 1000 lbs added to the trailer we'd end up with 368 - 549 lbs for ourselves and stuff in the truck.

I'm using 1000 lbs added to the empty weight of the trailer (UVW) as that is probably real world. The claimed GVW (empty weight + max cargo) of the trailers is dramatically different and perhaps more a function of how much the trailer is actually capable of carrying based on a variety of factors.

I may go back to looking at the third one on our short list, which is the Shadow Cruiser 225RBS from Cruiser RV, which is much lighter.

Sorry! I didn't intend to start a thread on tongue weights and such, as there are already many of those. I do appreciate the gentle reminder though.

Cheers,
Rick
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Old 05-15-2019, 08:14 PM   #14
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HI Everyone,
The Flagstaff 25FKS (which is the same as the Rockwood 2506S) is at the top of our list right now, and a likely purchase in the near future.

Best,
Rick
Welcome to the forum.
My only advice would be that if you are not currently camping... wait until you're close to getting ready to camp to make your purchase. Features and colors change yearly and having a newer updated rig is always better.
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Old 05-15-2019, 08:35 PM   #15
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Thanks for the link. I'm a big fan of the freedom Express trailers. In fact, the 248RBS was the first one that we looked at and decided that it was perfect. It was just a bit longer than we wanted, which is why we really like the 231 RBDS. The 231 is still in the race, but the Flagstaff 25FKS is the front runner. Price and availability will be factors now.

Thanks to all for the warm welcome messages!

Rick

Looking at the Flagstaff 25FKS and see it makes good use of the floor plan. The U dinette will sleep two comfortably since it’s 85”s long. For me, the one negative would be the rv queen bedroom mattress. At only 74”s (6’2”) long I wouldn’t be able to use a pillow comfortably since I’m 6’ tall. If you like being outside you’ll enjoy the outdoor grill and fridge. Enjoy.
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Old 05-16-2019, 08:00 AM   #16
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Old 07-05-2019, 07:28 PM   #17
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We bought a Flagstaff 25FBLS

Well, we ended up settling on a 2019 Flagstaff 25FBLS. "Settling" is actually not the right word here, as this is a great trailer! Marilyn loves the layout and I think the layout will serve us better than the 25FKS that we initially considered.

We bought it from Cheyenne Camping Center in Iowa at a great price, and our salesperson (John Watkins) has been a pleasure to work with. We're getting the Reese Steadi-Flex Weight Distribution hitch that also has sway control. Options we selected beyond what it was built with are a Maxxair vent in the bedroom, and the power tongue jack.

You can see the trailer at this link:
https://cheyennecampingcenter.com/rv...y-forest-river

We're having them deliver to Idaho Springs, which is just west of Denver, and we'll take the long way back home while we get the know the trailer. We leave next Saturday (7/13) and will spend two days getting there and 5 days getting back with the trailer in tow.

Very excited...
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Old 07-05-2019, 07:40 PM   #18
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Congratulations! Enjoy your trip and stay safe.
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Old 07-05-2019, 07:49 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by rickj514 View Post
Well, we ended up settling on a 2019 Flagstaff 25FBLS. "Settling" is actually not the right word here, as this is a great trailer! Marilyn loves the layout and I think the layout will serve us better than the 25FKS that we initially considered.

We bought it from Cheyenne Camping Center in Iowa at a great price, and our salesperson (John Watkins) has been a pleasure to work with. We're getting the Reese Steadi-Flex Weight Distribution hitch that also has sway control. Options we selected beyond what it was built with are a Maxxair vent in the bedroom, and the power tongue jack.

You can see the trailer at this link:
https://cheyennecampingcenter.com/rv...y-forest-river

We're having them deliver to Idaho Springs, which is just west of Denver, and we'll take the long way back home while we get the know the trailer. We leave next Saturday (7/13) and will spend two days getting there and 5 days getting back with the trailer in tow.

Very excited...
Congrats on the new TT! We also bought our new HTT, back in 2006, from a Chicago dealer. California dealers were way overpriced and refused to deal. In fact, one dared us to go to the Midwest, if we wanted a better price, so we did. They also told us no California dealer would do any warranty work, if we did. Well, they were wrong.
We will have no reservations about doing it again.
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