Usually I prefer to travel with a full water tank. The Fresh Water tank on the Cougar 327RES is located in the very back of the trailer. Too me it seems to balance the trailer out better for traveling with a full tank.
Now that said, the last trip of the season Oct 19, I failed to fill the tank before going to Ocean City Maryland. I thought there was water hookup at the site for Assateague State Park. Bad memory! The sites had electric and not water!
Pita - rather than hook back up and go over to the water faucet (at the dump area), I purchased a couple jugs and filled the jugs and trailer tank manually!
I do not plan to do that again.
I understand the concern about support of a full water tank. The strapping on the bottom of the Cougar fresh water tank does not appear to be that great. I am not an RV engineer so maybe it is adequate.
I sold the rig a few days ago so that issue is something I need not worry about any more! Moving to a Class C!
On this same subject see Love Your RV on YouTube.
RV Fresh Water Tank was Falling out!
https://youtu.be/R9abzEgrs04