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Old 08-20-2017, 12:43 PM   #1
Flyguy66
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Cougar vs RockWood Signature Series

We have been steadily looking at travel trailers and have narrowed our search to the Cougar 32FLS and the Rockwood 8324 Signature Series Ultra Lite.
Would love to get your feedback. Things we noticed and opinions we formed are that the Rockwood seems to have better fit and finish and the Courgar definitely has better floor plans. Can anyone offer their perspective, particularly if you, too, debated between these two brands before you bought the Keystone brand.

THanks so much.
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Old 08-20-2017, 01:45 PM   #2
bill-e
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I can only comment on my Cougar 26RBI quality and that is that in the 2 years that I have had it I have found nothing wrong with it with the exception of needing a free, out of warranty replacement for the awning motor. Other than that there has been nothing that I've had to fix.

One disappointment that I have, which may also apply to the Rockwood, is that they did not install an extended length awning on it. The extended length awnings provide extra length (1-2') to partially account for the space you loose because of the slide on the awning side. It appears that the Rockwood suffers from the same issue. I feel that this is a big deal especially on the Rockwood where you have two slides eating up a significant part of your under awning space.
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Old 08-20-2017, 02:58 PM   #3
madmaxmutt
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I just sold my FR and and waiting for my Keystone to arrive. I also saw your post of FRForums We had our options narrowed to 3. Cougar 26RBI, Rockwood 2604WS and the Outback we finally decided on. The Cougar and Rockwood were both higher quality that the Outback we chose. We saw differences in the Cougar based on what must have been options. Some were simply better quality materials than others. The Rockwood seemed to depend more on if it was a 2017 or 2018. They had different exterior doors and a better plan for water and dump. The Cougar had a lot of king bed options that tilted in our favor. The Cougar was heavier and came with an external rack. The Rockwood layout was better (to me) except it had no/0 pantry.

In either case, I don't think you can go far wrong. They both had things we really liked about them. They both had things we could do without. That is why we ended up with the Outback. YMMV


Happy Camping!
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Old 08-20-2017, 03:47 PM   #4
Flyguy66
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thanks so much. we are so discouraged. we just ran numbers on my Ram1500 bighorn 2015 and used an online calculator and with 20% safety margin, our truck won't pull either of the ones we want,,,,,,,,such a bummer.
having to downsize I suppose. the dealers said we'd be ok with the Ram but the calculators say differently. appreciate it
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Old 08-20-2017, 03:51 PM   #5
madmaxmutt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyguy66 View Post
thanks so much. we are so discouraged. we just ran numbers on my Ram1500 bighorn 2015 and used an online calculator and with 20% safety margin, our truck won't pull either of the ones we want such a bummer.
having to downside I suppose. the dealers said we'd be ok with the Ram but the calculators say differently. appreciate it
FWIW, I have never seen ANY manufacturer state that you need a safety margin beyond their stated ratings. They don't get sued left and right by people who had an accident towing, because the ratings are the ratings.
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Old 08-20-2017, 04:35 PM   #6
bill-e
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyguy66 View Post
thanks so much. we are so discouraged. we just ran numbers on my Ram1500 bighorn 2015 and used an online calculator and with 20% safety margin, our truck won't pull either of the ones we want such a bummer.
having to downside I suppose. the dealers said we'd be ok with the Ram but the calculators say differently. appreciate it
Absolutely, I checked the numbers on both models and those are heavy campers, both in hauling weight and tongue weight.

I tow my Cougar 26RBI with my '15 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel and it tow's fine. My dry weight is just over 6Klbs but loaded and with what I put in the truck I'm guessing I'm in the low 7Klbs...under the truck's weight limits.

One thing that helps with the RAM 1500 is air bags....not to increase weight capacity but to stiffen up the rear coil springs. I feel that it helps with drivability and I usually run about 10-15lbs when towing...empty when not.
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Old 08-20-2017, 04:44 PM   #7
bill-e
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Not sure on the cab or drive of your Big Horn but personally if it's a 4x4 Crew Cab I would be looking for under 6500lb dry weight and under 800lb tongue weight for a camper....or get a different tow vehicle.
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Old 08-20-2017, 06:17 PM   #8
Flyguy66
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Thank you Bill. I may go a little bigger than 6100
We are at least down from 8800 dry to 7035 dry
according to the calculator, my ram with Hemi can handle it.

thanks again
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Old 08-20-2017, 06:52 PM   #9
bill-e
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What are you considering now?
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Old 08-20-2017, 07:23 PM   #10
Flyguy66
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2906ws Rockwood ultra light Bill
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Old 08-20-2017, 07:25 PM   #11
Flyguy66
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Here's the calculation with 20% safety margin

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-...ue_percentage=
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Old 08-20-2017, 07:37 PM   #12
JRTJH
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Your calculations don't have any allowance for people. You might want to consider the 6 (that's how many beds you said you needed) that are going to be sitting in the truck when towing.
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Old 08-21-2017, 04:44 AM   #13
bill-e
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Nice!

According to the calculator I'm just within my limits. My diesel seems like it has plenty of power to haul more, not sure why the 2200lb capacity difference between it and the Hemi.

To me what's more important than power is how the truck actually handles the size and weight. I don't feel that I get pushed around at all with my setup. With my last, smaller camper I towed it with a Honda Ridgeline. Power wise it was fine but that 19' camper gave me some white knuckle moments for sure
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