Forest River Salem reviews

My husband had the idea of us living in an RV while building our house. Honestly I was not crazy about the idea. Then I saw this RV and my response, "That I could do!" This RV is so very nice and spacious. The refrigerator is huge compared to others I've seen. Plus it has a large freezer space too. The shower is full size and we installed a washer/dryer. The TV is so nice and large and the seats are very comfy. We lived in this RV for over a year. Whether you are wanting something for fun weekend trips, or something more long term, you've got it right here! Show less

Love the floor plan the most The Queen size murphy bed is both comfortable and versatile. The 11 cu ft refrigerator freezer works great and runs on 12volt as well as 120vac . The outside mini fridge is perfect for cold drinks qnd snacks. you can even keep a few popsicles in the freezer compartment too. The rear bathroom is large and has its own vanity with sink and medicine caninet. The dinette folds into a bed to sleep an adult or two kids. There is an outside shower with hot and cold water, Also a hookup for an lp gas grill. Also a black tank flush. The holding tanks are ample fir this camper. The AC is powerful, and each roof vent has a small fan. The camper is easy to tow. Dry weight is only 3,100 lbs. It has a rechargeable portable bluetooth speaker to listen to music wherever you want. The cabinet doors over the dinette needed two dampers installed to stay up, but those were less than ten dollars. Show less

If I could leave 1/2 a star I would. This camper is just like a stereotypical trophy wife in the movies. Pretty, but doesn't work. In 2022, we purchased a brand new Salem 26DBUD, that was delivered to our home. It has been nothing but problems from day 1. If the service department completed the "mandatory" 8 hour walk through, prior to delivery, they would've seen broken latches, blinds not installed, wood cracked, wall wasn't attached to frame, slide out leaked, and the water tank hooked up wrong. We had to turn it in for repairs, before it was even used! Since then, something has broken every time we used it. Indoor and outdoor kitchen fridge's didn't cool, master bed support beam snapped, underbelly tore off, kitchen sink collapsed, main door won't lock, trim/molding separating, slide out roof leaked, shore power inlet caught on FIRE TWICE while on vacation, developed hot foot, which shocked my dog every time he touched the steps. Poor guy is scared of the camper now and won't enter or exit. We had to carry him in and out, and he's 70+ lbs. All of the issues we've had are manufacturer defects due to poor workmanship and while most were covered under the initial warranty, it shouldn't be happening to a brand new camper! This is a complete lemon, and not worth the hassle to use! It's in the shop more than we've used it! We've spent a lot of money on something that falls apart every time we take it out of our yard! We even had to find a new dealer to complete the repairs, as our nearest one doesn't get paid in full from Forest River, and they refuse to work on them anymore. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone! Do not waste your money! Show less

Run! Do not buy this brand at all! We loved the floor plan which is why we bought it to begin with but had I read reviews I would have ran. We spent $40,000 on a brand new camper that we have had 0 successful trips in where something wasn’t Broken. To start, NONE of the electric worked. The pocket door has fallen off 6 times, thankfully my husband is a custom home builder and could fix it. The shower leaked all over the bathroom floor our very first time using it. Again he fixed that. The belly pans to make the camper a “ 4 seasons camper” all flew off on the highway putting us at risk to cause an accident. We winterized our camper for the first time, and a month later we went inside only to find the faucet sink was completely broken in half! ( HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?!) the master bedroom crossmember boards for the bed completely broke in half the very first time even laying on the bed, ( I am 120 lbs and my husband is 160 lbs so that should have not happened at all. So on top of the 40,000 we have spent we have spent a ton of time and more money fixing the thing that we can’t even enjoy. It’s a piece a junk. Do not buy this camper. Find another brand that hopefully is put together better than this. Show less

We purchased new with extended warranty. Great for a couple, or family with young kids. Easy to tow, and comfortable. I did many simple upgrades myself to make it more homely. We sis have an issue with the slide out the second year but was repaired under warranty. They also did a couple of recalls, so it feels really solid (ours is 170SSX Platinum with fiberglass walls). Wish it had more outdoor compartments, but it is very practical. Show less

This trailer was a disaster from day one I would never get another forest river salem never after delivering the driver slide out came loose and to dealership the fix 300 mile no vacation july 29th November through smokies mountain 27 Drgree stop to sleep close hot water tank Lp gas leak under bed we almost die. Fitting lose . Fix fitting on to NC and t still here still here setting here looking at sealing tile bubble making notes for lawyer when we return to Michigan in spring Show less

This is the worst mistake I've ever made. Build quality is a joke to say because there is no quality involved. This is a kick in the crotch to say the least. Did you Build this on December 24th at 9 PM? Not 1 plumbing connection at P traps connected correctly or any other position of the plumbing, so water damage is profound. Cable TV connections are all crossed and have never worked, Thank goodness for Roku TV`s I bought because the one installed didn't work. This thing is a disaster. No way I would ever buy another product Forest River produced. Or any other product they have any influence over which from my understanding is vast. Forest River is a group I wish I would have never met!!!!!! Show less

After owning my forest river salem cruise lite for 2 and 1/2 years my slideout failed and would not go back out. It was also digging into the floor. After talking to lippert and forest river on parts and manufacturing both sides blamed each other. No one would take responsibility and just blamed me for failed systems. I had nothing to do with the assembly or parts of camper but Dean Blylee of forest river said it was my fault cause I used my camper too much. I would not recommend buying a forest river camper because it has cost me 4500.00 to fix just the slide after going camping 8 times in it. They will prob respond to this but they really do not care. As the owner of my own business I am glad that I do not treat people this way. All they care about is money not people they deal with. Sad sad business to be in. I will be putting a different slide system on my unit and will never deal with any of these companies again and I suggest you do not either. Show less

We purchased the 2024 grand villa 42 view. My husband and want to love it! It’s beautiful to look at. Which is why we ordered one without looking at one in person. It came from Ohio and delivered to Utah. We have lived in it about 3 weeks, now. BUT… here is the list of things which would lead me to not recommend buying this RV. When the wind blows, you can feel it come through the windows. The cold as well. Not insulated well. The fireplace in the bedroom rarely works. There is no heat vents in the lofts. Walls in the shower are coming away from the wall. Sound bar is not hooked up, electrically. Island countertop scratches so easy. The couch is vey, very thin material, will not last long and is very uncomfortable. Will most likely replace. A few of the blinds already stopped working. The furnace and pump are in the bedroom. It’s so loud when heater turns on. Very bad placing of the furnace. Plan on getting a new mattress. The bathroom door does not shut correctly, we have to wiggle it to shut. The frame around the door is very crooked. The curtain rods are secure on the top but have already pulled out of the wall on the bottoms of 3 windows. It is very sloppily put together if you look closely. Now we’ll see if we can get the nearest dealership of these RVs to come to us to fix these problems. I’ve noticed there is a Hampton brand of this exact floor plan, I wish I’d seen that one first. It has 3 tip outs. If I could return this RV I definitely would. Make sure you see this RV in person. Not worth the money, sadly. Show less

Tons of space for a lightweight, easy to tow RV. We camped multiple times with 2 adults and 3 kids under 4 with plenty of space. Outdoor shower, awning, and storage is perfect. Tons of fridge space. Enough shower space for people who are 5’9 and 5’11. Show less