2020 Forest River Arctic Wolf 285DRL4 5th Wheel Tour
The 2020 Forest River Arctic Wolf 285DRL4 5th Wheel is jam packed with luxurious elements that will make most RVers feel at home while on the road. This is also a lighter weight 5th wheel perfect for F250 or other brand equivalent trucks.
LAYOUT/DESIGN
THE GOOD
Although I’m not a huge fan of opposing slides due to lack of maneuverability when the slides are in, at least this model does allow you access to the fridge in case you are stopped at a Walmart or something along your journey.
This model really does have a good balance of storage and usability while maintaining an open layout so you don’t feel cramped inside the unit.
Although the island does take a bit more space, it is nice having all the extra available counter space in order to prepare food or just set things down when you aren’t using them.
THE BAD
Some of these are nitpick, but there are some things I didn’t really like about this RV as far as functionality and layout goes. One of the things I noticed is that the grey tank looks to be venting into the pass through itself. That may be fine depending on what you store in there, but I imagine some of that stench may hold on to whatever you store inside the pass through.
Another interesting thing is that one of the cabinet doors can’t even fully open due to some trim work around the slide itself. Seems like this particular corner of the RV was not exactly thought out well, but also not a deal breaker…until your kid slams it open and breaks it.
The bedroom would be interesting to get around the bed, but luckily there are two doors to get in and out. The bed is almost right up against the wall, so you may have to hop over the bed if someone is using the restroom at the time.
APPLIANCES
Just like many 5th wheels of this price range, the 2020 Forest River Arctic Wolf 285DRL4 has a lot of modern comforts to keep you satisfied while on the road.
Although not really an appliance, the auto leveling system is going to be a really nice helpful feature when setting up at a campsite. I know getting level can be quite the challenge in a 5th wheel, but this should help you out.
The porcelain toilet, back splashes, high quality appliances will make this feel like a home away from home.
Odd that this size of a 5th wheel only had the 20lb propane tanks rather than 30lb though I must say.
COMFORT
Comfort is always an opinion from person to person, but I honestly thought this RV was extremely comfortable. From the furniture, to just the overall feel, I felt like it could be my home. The construction quality (minus the missing faucet at this particular model in camping world) seems pretty good along with our Grand Design we currently own.
The arctic package with a bit of added insulation shouldn’t JUST be a sales gimmick, but should provide a bit more weather proofing and extending your stays and range in this RV a bit more. However, since all the hookups are still on the outside of the rig, you will probably still have to be very careful taking this out in colder temperatures.
BUILD QUALITY
The build quality in this 2020 Forest River Arctic Wolf 285DRL4 5th Wheel was pretty good for the price range I would say. I would put it on par with our Grand Design 5th wheel, although the price was still a bit steep.
The extra insulated I mentioned earlier, added features like auto-leveling, and an adjustable bed give this a little added benefit. However, other things about this RV didn’t seem well though out as far as placement. Things such as the grey tank venting into the pass through and a cabinet that could be broken due to someone not paying attention could be red flags for me.
STORAGE
The 2020 Forest River Arctic Wolf 285DRL4 5th Wheel has a decent amount of storage outside and within the rig itself. The pass through storage and front storage bay definitely aren’t the largest I’ve seen on similar rigs this size…but should still please most people’s situations.
The inside storage was more than plentiful with the added massive pantry and lots of nooks and crannies with places to stash different things for better organization.
I do like the wardrobe slide options, however it does add weight to a rig that is really marketed as a lighter 5th wheel. One thing to keep in mind when thinking about towing this with something other than a super duty truck. I’m guessing they didn’t add extra closet space on either side of the bed to keep the weight down with the already heavier pin weight on this lighter 5th wheel.
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Now all the other categories that I mentioned above were pretty opinionated, and this would probably be the most opinionated category. This will really depend what you want out of the fifth wheel you are purchasing and how much you plan on using it.
For me personally I actually live in our fifth wheel full-time, so my opinion may vary quite a bit from yours.
I rated this a 3/5 because our Grand Design was quite a bit cheaper and I feel like it packs just as many amenities (if not more) into it. I compare a lot to our rig so that might be unfair if we found a really good deal…but I would probably try to buy this unit used. Although the MSRP is around 55k, you can definitely get this down in the upper 30ks before taking it home new.
The red flags I mentioned previously probably would take this offer our particular list…and we really do need two different work areas with our jobs. Always depends what you are looking for in a rig and what you can live with and without. I think you could find similar layout rigs though that are quite a bit cheaper.
NOTE FROM WRITER
If you enjoyed this blog post or the video to go along with it, feel free to share it with your friends. You can find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our channel’s RSS feed via the subscribe button on the sidebar. If you have any questions or comments go ahead and leave them below and we will try our best to get back to you! Thanks for reading/watching!
Also be sure to check out Deanna’s food blog, The Harvest Skillet, when you get the chance! A lot of awesome and healthy recipes to use there!
Adventure On!
