Cougar 21 RBS

[pjinthedaks]

My husband and I are considering the purchase of a Cougar x - lite 21 RBS. Any information, pros/ cons in regard to this model would be greatly appreciated!

[Lee]

Hi,
I have this model, bought new in 2013.

We have had no major problems with the TT, just the small things.

It's a great 2-person TT, love the layout. I did have 4 Fellas in it during hunting season last year and it did get cramped ;-). For 2 it's perfect.

Lee

[340_Formula_S]

I had a 2013 28RBS and had great service from it. The build quality for the money was very acceptable and my trade in vale was exceptional.


Elko, Va.
2012 Ram 3500 DRW Cummins High Output
2012 Cedar Creek 36B2

[coop]

We aso have a 2013 modl and love it. It's mosty just the wife and i, just the right size for us. We've had o major issues with it. It pulls easy with my F150, although the height was a little concerning when we first pulled it. We traveled a lot miles with it and plan on a ot more.

[pjinthedaks]

Thank you all for your replies. We are still considering and every piece of information helps!

[Western Traveler]

We purchased a 2014 Cougar 21 RBSWE 18 months ago. We have traveled just over 4500 miles in it since new. Have towed it through SoCal mountains and Cajon Pass, Nevada, Arizona visiting Sedona, Flagstaff and Grand Canyon, Western Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Montana. We spent 2 1/2 months in it the first year and are going into our 4th month this year currently on the Rocky Mountain Front Montana. We love this trailer!
We tow with a Powerstroke diesel. Last fall traveling from Colorado to Utah on I-70 had crosswinds gusting 40/50 MPH with no problems. We fit in small campsites (which has saved us more than once with our unstructured travel plans). We have camped in temperatures below 20'f and as low as 5'F on many nights without water problems.
It is perfect for the two of us. We have a Carefree Add A Room that we used on an extended stay in California which was great but we do not use it in the Rockies. This trailer with the slide is big for its size.
We have had a few minor issues that others have mentioned on this site and all have been simple fixes. A few screws coming loose on the cabinet hinges and the end of the settees coming loose from the seats from sliding in and out were the two largest so far (and were remedied with larger screws).
A few of the upgrades we made; welded extra tabs to support the sliding rear storage rack/bumper, added a electric tongue jack, fabricated a locking battery storage for our 6v batteries in series (after a theft), changed lights to LED's, wired a detachable shore power cord (after theft) added a cable lock to our propane tanks (weren't stolen..yet) and changed out our china bomb tires for Maxxis at the start of this season. We have had larger trailers (many years ago) and the larger trailers of today are Darn nice! Just today we were talking about if we knew we were going to spend so many nights in it as we have would we have purchased bigger and both of us agreed, if we were to do it from scratch tomorrow knowing what we do today we would buy this trailer again.
We plan on another 1500/2000 miles this year in the Fall. Hope this helps..

[bill-e]

I liked the 21RBS when we were looking but I made the mistake of taking my wife with me. I had only two items on my list, under 5000 lbs and under 24' long......I got neither ;)

[flint1962]

I liked the 21RBS when we were looking but I made the mistake of taking my wife with me. I had only two items on my list, under 5000 lbs and under 24' long......I got neither ;)

How does your Eco diesel do for hauling. I have a 2014 ram with a hemi and was wondering if the Eco diesel was better.

[bill-e]

How does your Eco diesel do for hauling. I have a 2014 ram with a hemi and was wondering if the Eco diesel was better.I've only towed the Cougar home from the dealer though I head off on about an hour and a half trip today. With my 19' Shamrock I was getting about 17 mpg. I got 14 mpg home from the dealer but it was mostly city.

I found that the Ecodiesel tows fine but I stay within the vehicle specs. My 4x4 Crew Cab loaded only has a 7800lb towing capacity and a 1000 lb payload, the 26RBI fits those specs and tows fine with much power to spare (420pf torque). If you want more towing, it. about 9200lbs, you have to go with a regular cab, 4.92 gearing and 2x4.

I love my truck, I only tow a dozen times a year the rest of the time it's my commuter.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/towing_guide/pdf/2015_ram_1500_towing_charts.pdf

[Western Traveler]

Hopefully end of hijack as I would like to hear from other Cougar 21RBS owners as well...

[GrandBob]

We had selected a different model until while waiting for the sales guy we wandered into the 21RBSWE. We were moving from a bunkhouse to something Judy and I could full time in when we retire in 4 years. The floor plan was great for the two of us. The only thing we had the dealer add was an outlet by the fold out extension of the counter so we could use it without an extension cord. (two extensions, one counter and one electric, but you already knew that)

We have gone on several weekend trips and it tows very easily with our Expedition. We are taking the Grands in a couple weeks but they will be fine on the dinette or a tent.

This looks like the one.

[ColoradoSooner]

I just wanted to comment about a similar option. We own a Passport Elite 23RB. Same length, a little shorter height-wise and an almost identical floorplan. The only real difference is it has a couch instead of a dinette, which we actually prefer. We find it easier to relax on a couch and we hardly ever eat inside anyway. If we do, it comes with two barstools to sit at the counter. It's also a few hundred pounds lighter than the 21RBS, although it may have fewer bells and whistles.

Although I can't comment personally on the fit and finish of the 21RBS, I CAN tell you that we love, love, LOVE this floorplan. It's super roomy and absolutely perfect for two adults and two dogs. We looked at a lot of trailers before we made our decision and for us, this offered the perfect amount of space, storage space and overall function.

[slow]

Ditto on the 23RB. Sofa that turns into a comfortable bed for guests is another plus.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[joeystrum]

Me & my wife own a 2016 21RBS we love it. I did a lot of modification becauase it's just me, put extra (warm white) LED lights in three of the colsets, one in the bath room and two above your head for reading. Move the rear bumper back 3" and the spare tire under the camper, i went as far as to undercoat the whole underneath of the camper, plus [More]

[wbdvt]

My wife and I have a 2014 21 RBS and have used it for 2 seasons now. We previously had a Rockwood 2109S and find this one much more comfortable. Mods done:
Electric tongue jack
Replaced lights with LEDs
Added light over counter to the right of the stove
Shelving in the closet by the door to make it more of a pantry
Plastic drawers units in wardrobes
Replaced mattress with a temprapeditic type mattress.
Replaced the foam in the dinette seat cushions with a higher density foam
Removed the back portion of the dinette and installed a longer dinette table
Installed sewer hose tube underneath trailer
Replaced shower head with Oxygenics head
Miscellaneous hooks around inside of trailer
Vent covers so can leave vents open in rain
Installed Sirrius XM cradle and antenna so can move radio head in
Larger television and better arm so television is more viewable from dinette

And of course I am anal about maintenance and keeping it clean!

[linux3]

Mods done:
Shelving in the closet by the door to make it more of a pantry
Plastic drawers units in wardrobes


If it's bad manors to change the subject I apologize.
Could you explain what and how for these mods?
We are new to TT'ing.

[wbdvt]

I don't have a pic of the wardrobe one but basically it was a small 2 drawer plastic system. Good for socks, underwear, T Shirts etc.

I have a pic of the pantry one. Used conduit clamps to hold to wall, wood dowels and then plastic bins to hold all the stuff. Works well for us. The vertical dowel was made longer to make it easier to pull out.

[tanglemoose]

We bought a used 2015 21rbswe Cougar in Feb. 2016, used it all summer, loved it... made mistake of filling the propane bottle at dealership... saw the king bed, bigger tv, skylight add on, new colors inside... wham... we bought our first brand new RV... another 21rbswe, cougar...

Putting solar on this week and heading South!

[chuckster57]

We bought a used 2015 21rbswe Cougar in Feb. 2016, used it all summer, loved it... made mistake of filling the propane bottle at dealership... saw the king bed, bigger tv, skylight add on, new colors inside... wham... we bought our first brand new RV... another 21rbswe, cougar...

Putting solar on this week and heading South!

Try working on brand new stuff everyday and staying happy with what you have LOL.

[TG10894]

I recently bought a 2015 21RBS (used), and pull it with a 2017 F150 3.5 EcoBoost - HD tow package. The trailer is pretty stock, and we have had zero issues on two trips to date. I wasn't sure I would need a equalizing hitch with sway, but after the first pull decided to buy one. Love the truck with the 10 speed trans so far. Lots of low end torq and seems to be a good compromise for decent non-towing MPG and occasional use as a TV. The only brainless thing I have done so far is to freeze a battery by forgetting to turn off the battery disconnect in the winter. CO/Fire detectors ran battery down, and the coldest winter in SC in a long time did the rest. Other than trying to find things like wiring schematics for the trailer, I have found these forums to provide just about everything you will need to know. Folks that camp are good people and will help you out! Recently retired Dan in SC!

[tanglemoose]

Even turning off battery disconnect will not protect battery. We took oirs off this year in Nov after a storm but during really nice weather. Could not believe the water IN the battery black case. Only way to extend battery is to take off, charge and put in warm utility room... we check ours during the winter. So enjoy our 21rbs, put 6040 miles on it last yeae...

[TG10894]

I noted that someone mentioning replacing the dinette cushions with better foam. Sounds like a good idea as the existing seats are pretty soft. Where can you get the foam?

[JRTJH]

Anything with a "boating" or a "RV" tag on it will cost significantly more than the same item with a "household" tag on it. So, go to your local upholstery shop and discuss foam purchases. Usually they sell foam sheeting in various thicknesses, firmness, lengths and widths. Many upholstery shops sell "commercial grade" foam and most have it in stock or can get it within a few days. Beware of buying "craft foam" from WalMart or from Hobby Lobby. While it's good quality, it doesn't hold up well with a "heavy butt" on the foam seat......

Many seat cushions are actually two or three sheets of foam with different firmness levels. A 3" firm sheet with a 2" or 3" softer sheet on top. That way there is some comfortable give next to the user's butt but enough firmness under that so the cushion won't "bottom out" against the plywood base. Talk to your upholsterer, he/she deals with cushion comfort on a daily basis and is your best "local expert" for replacement foam.

[notanlines]

I noted that someone mentioning replacing the dinette cushions with better foam. Sounds like a good idea as the existing seats are pretty soft. Where can you get the foam?

Call Dynamic Upholstery at (803) 814-7557 and tell them what you need. They will point you in the right direction.

[66joej]

I noted that someone mentioning replacing the dinette cushions with better foam. Sounds like a good idea as the existing seats are pretty soft. Where can you get the foam?

Replaced the 3 1/2" booth cushions with high density foam from a chain called JOANNE'S. Went to a large RV dealer when we were camped in the St. George Utah area and asked the service manager where they buy foam. He said they buy all of the replacement foam from that store. The upgraded size is 4" thick but fits into the cushion covers.

[Leon54173]

We absolutely love our 21RBS. Perfect size for 2 people and able to access refridgerator, bathroom and most cabinets with slide in. Only major modification so far was adding a maxair fan, with cover, in the vent over the bed. A real help in keeping the unit cool without running the air conditioner.

[wbdvt]

I noted that someone mentioning replacing the dinette cushions with better foam. Sounds like a good idea as the existing seats are pretty soft. Where can you get the foam?

I had posted that was a mod on the dinette seat cushions. I bought them from www.thefoamfactory.com They have different foam densities available and give details on how to measure. I believe I went with the HD36 foam.

[kjohn]

My wife and I bought a new 2017 21RBS Cougar. Very nice layout, and seems well built. We traded a Jayco 197 w/slide. Only thing that is not really much good is the supposed "king" bed. It is too short, and wider than it needs to be. We are considering getting a queen mattress for it. We pulled it from southeastern Saskatchewan to Whitehorse last summer. We pull it with a 2015 F150 Supercrew, 6.5' box, 3.5 EcoBoost. I had to put an equalizer hitch on. We are quite satisfied with it. I have used it on a gopher shooting safari and a couple of gun shows as well. Plan to use it lots more this summer. :)

I will also add that I was impressed with the good sized tires, and with the dealer - Four seasons at Virden, MB.

[wbdvt]

I am glad that our 21RBS came with the queen mattress as it leaves room for side tables. We have been looking at new trailers but are not impressed that they all seem to be coming with a king size mattress with no queen option. That is a deal breaker for us.

[kjohn]

I am glad that our 21RBS came with the queen mattress as it leaves room for side tables. We have been looking at new trailers but are not impressed that they all seem to be coming with a king size mattress with no queen option. That is a deal breaker for us.

Yes, we have more or less decided we will put a queen mattress in.

[Bill Slayton]

Thanks coop, I have a 2006 F150 and about to purchase a 2016Cougar 21RBSWE. Been playing around with numbers to determine if the truck will pull appropriately. Good to hear yours is working for you.

[Emptynesters]

I had posted that was a mod on the dinette seat cushions. I bought them from www.thefoamfactory.com They have different foam densities available and give details on how to measure. I believe I went with the HD36 foam.

How did the HD36 compare to the super soft foam that the trailer came with? Thanks for the link by the way! I went with the LUX Foam High Quality with the dacron wrap, Just ordered them for the bottom cushions to see how it works out. I weigh a tad bit over 200 lbs and the stock cushions went right down to the wood and were uncomfortable.

[wbdvt]

The HD foam is much better to sit on as it is more supportive. With the softer foam it almost felt like you sank down and was actually on the luan underneath.