Forest River 38el 5th Wheel reviews

We traveled full time for 6 months twice around the country. It was the perfect rig for me. I am 69 years old with a bad back. The hydraulic leveling worked great also had the large plastic pads so I didn't have to put out boards or plastic pads. Electric cord is on a powered winch so no heavy lifting. Connect water and drain and you are relaxing in 10 minutes. Turn on the roof top satellite dish that automatically finds a satellite. Pull a bottle of wine out of the wine cooler hit the fireplace on and turn on some tunes or the game. This unit has 3 ac's with duct that are quiet, a dishwasher, full fridge, 4 burner stove with a oven that you can cook a turkey in. It has a metal frame walls which are more sturdier than the wood. Can't rot either. Insulated glass windows. Show less

This is our second CK Fifth wheel. Only had our 2020 for a year before we ordered a bigger version. First with what we like. 1. Floorplan spacious, lots of storage, roomy everywhere it counts. 2. Options. We were able to get carpet in the living room, and bedroom. Everyone brags about no carpet. But our dogs can actually stand up, and jump up and down from the bed etc. We had to put carpet samples in the last one. The dogs just slip on the plastic floors. 3. Our dealer in who they no longer allow to be one because he wouldnt stock many units when the RV market crashed. They dont want smart dealers apparently. Even if customers love them. Now for the problems. 1. The underbelly. Sections of the underbelly have fallen off twice on the road. Dragging wires and insulation on the hwy. We are talking 10 - 12 feet gone! Last time I had to buy a plastic tarp, cut it to size and Duck tape the thing for hours, after stuffing the stuff back in. Terrible design underneath. The dealer tried brackets secured the first time. A strong crosswind ripped it all out. 2. Westlake tires- AKA China bombs Replace them Nuff said. Blowout at 10,000 miles Blew a chunk out of the side of the rig. 3. Auto level works 2/3 of the time. Slide doesnt come in when unlevel. Have to manually level it. 4.Screws come loose from all over. But I blame some States roads. Colorado? Would we buy another one? Yes But we would duck tape the entire underbelly. Replace the tires. Tighten every screw down and bring extra. 3. Show less

Our second new CC Fifth Wheel. Actually upsized from our 2020 34ik. Love the floor plan. Like the fact that we could get carpet in living room and bedroom for our dogs. ( They slip otherwise). Like the dealer we got both from. Or should say former dealer. (He wouldn’t stock 4 new ones per factory , because he is smart) Now the bad. Underbelly has fallen down on the highway twice! Wiring, insulation..etc dragging…Buy some serious amount of 4 inch wide Gorilla tape. My dealer even riveted a brace all the way across. Lasted 2 trips. Works great until wind grabs one of those 4x6 panels. Almost stranded twice. Full size Refrigerator broke loose from its cheesy spot. Had to be properly secured. Auto level works about 50/50. Big slide won’t come in unless level. Constantly fixing level.And calibrating. Would like to buy another if they would let us order from dealer. Would stress Refrigerator security. Underbelly security. And auto level warranties. Otherwise we like it. Going to fix the siding that was blown apart by a tire explosion. H rated tire, not blaming them on that one. But it damaged the rig. Also a note. Our 2024 GMC 3500 diesel stopped communicating with the trailer brakes because the solar panel charged the Fifth wheel batteries to more voltage than the truck. Had to remove inline fuse for solar panel to get trailer brakes to work. A 2024 issue for GM HDs. They are working on a fix. Show less

Before I bought the trailer I researched it and thought it was a good unit . All aluminum construction , even the roof trusses are aluminum. When I first seen it I was excited but that soon wore off . For the cost of the rv I would have thought the attention to detail would have been there . Main awning was not aligned correctly, the door is really hard to open and close , the fridge is not freezing molding on outside of trailer is falling off and every where you look around the inside of the rv you can see imperfections like marks on the walls and have dabs of silicone to cover the marks . Paneling joints are not smooth and even but the ac does work well and the trailer stays cool even though it is 35 degree Celsius outside Show less

This unit has only been used 9 times, mostly on weekends with in a 50 mile radius. It has many added features like : solar panels, on demand hot water, dishwasher, wine cooler, king bed, residential refrigerator, large inverter, power awnings, an extra power awning on the slide out, slide toppers on all the slideouts.The axles are 8000 lb rated and H rated nitrogen filled tires. The camper tows great and has a trailair hitch. It's just too big for our week end trips. Show less

We love the storage and the aesthetics. It’s a beautiful RV. The craftsmanship , not so great. They forgot to do some major things. The residential refrigerator was never fastened in. The king bed never bolted down. We had a crack in the exterior which we had to have repaired. It wasn’t covered under our warranty because we’re the second owners. There were several other things that were not right. It cost us thousands to get all things repaired. So look them over very very carefully. Show less

My unit had a few issues but were worked out. I think the factory relies on their dealers to do support so calling them directly can be frustrating. I just don't think the factory has a real customer support culture. I think this is the case with all RV factories. I worked my entire career in a customer facing position in a different industry that was also a manufacturing facility. I have researched all mid to upper price range 5th wheels. In my opinion the Cedar Creek Champagne 38EL is the best value and best built in that space. Your best option is to take your Cedar Creek to Amish Family RV in Topeka, IN for Service every couple years. They are usually booked 6 months out but well worth the wait. Show less

The support from the company itself, forest river, is terrible. You can tell they are super corporate, and more worried about the bottom line, then the customer. Local dealer was able to help. I would not buy another Forest River related product. Show less

I have owned several RV’s over my lifetime and this one is built like a tank. I tows well behind my 2017 F-350 Lariat 6.2L 4WD SRW. This is the only coach that my wife and I have both enjoyed. We have had NO regrets - we love it! Show less

I love everything about this RV. After living in another one first I found out what I needed to live comfortable. You dont know till you get in one. I looked for a while driving even 5 hours away. There are lots of RV's out there. But this one met all my wants..(Things I love most) 1. The beauty for sure. 2. The quality it which it is made. 3. The room. I knew I wanted a bathroom that I could move around in, get dressed in that my arms and legs weren't hitting the walls. Bedroom that could walk around my bed(a must) 4. Storage. I have so much storage (another must) 5. Hot water on demand (a MUST ) hot water for as long as I want it 6. Keyless entry (love) 7. Beautiful wood cabinetry with drawer (no trying to reach back of cabinet) 8. Large double sink 9. Residential Refrigerator 10. Residential size porcelain toilet. So easy to pull and rides so smoothly. Its GREAT !! Show less