My wife and I are looking into a fifth wheel to replace our Lance camper. We started to look at keystones web site and we saw the 245RKS and liked it. It is just the two of us and I want to keep it small. So, the first question is, does anyone have a Cougar 245RKS? If you do, how do you like it? One other question for now is, with a long bed Ford do I need a slider type hitch?
Thanks for any info.
Charles
2001 F350 PSD CC, Rancho 9000x's, Torklift tie downs, 57 gal transfer flow replacment tank, 2004 Lance 1130, Rickson 19.5 Elimiators with goodyear G124 245/70's G rating and a Jody Tipton 4 pos chip.
I don't have a Cougar but they are very nice. My first choice was a Cougar but I couldnt pass the deal up I got on the Copper Canyon. As for the hitch, you DO NOT need a slider with a long bed.
You might want to look at the Cougar 244RLS too. For 2 people these would both be a good option.....
We had a slightly larger Cougar, the 278RKS, and liked it a lot. Good solid rig, excellent value for the dollar. We used it a lot, owned it two years, and had no problems of any kind. Would still own it, but it got too small for the two of us, and we traded up to a larger trailer with more "comforts of home".
You won't need a slider hitch with a long bed truck.
Hans, KØHB & Colleen, KØCKB Master Chief Radioman, US Navy -
'04 Prairie Schooner 34FBR Platinum XL
'08 3500HD Silverado Big Dooley LTZ Go-power by Max & Allie
We have the Cougar 310srx and love it. Best bang for the buck. If the 245RKS tows anything like mine you will be very, very happy.
You won't have any issues with the hitch since you have a long bed.
The cougar 276RLS was high on our list when we were shopping for a smaller 5er. They are a good trailer for the money. It looks like you are in CA - you do know the 245RKS is an eastern US model? Your local dealer may not be able to get it. The western US gets the 244RLS model (which the eastern half doesn't get). If you are set on the 245RKS, you can get it from one of the wholesale places, like Lakeshore RV or Terrytown in MI.
We just purchased a 245rks a few months ago, my wife and I had a Northstar Laredo truck camper for 4 years before getting the Cougar.
For us it's a perfect camper, nice and small, easy to tow (NOT by a 1/2 ton), with slide out plenty of room for the two of us. Of course storage space is almost unlimited compared to the Laredo. Remember too with the 245 the chassis/suspension and tires are the same as their much bigger models so there is some safety margin built into those components.
Will have to keep an eye out on the the Mission tires though, some people have had issues with Chinese tires.
We have a manual slider hitch because of the shortbed, we use that feature on just about every camping trip, as others have said a long bed won't need that option.
The quality of the Keystone is very good, for a mid/low priced unit it has very good quality and bang for the buck. It's not a 4 season trailer by any stretch of the imagination. We really miss the double pane plexi windows on the Northstar though.
Again coming from a truck camper we were surprised at the what we got for the money compared to the truck camper.
We bought a 245RKS in 2005 to replace our Lance for the same reason. I don't think the quality is as good as the Lance but we have been happy. It is just for the two of us too, but my son and I did take a trip to the Smokies when he was home for spring break. He's 6' and 200lbs. and slept OK in the couch.
We like the floor plan once we are in, but the rear entrance makes it hard to position on some campsites. The one thing it is missing is a coat closet.
I raised up the suspension to match my truck, so we can get into some pretty rough areas. The short wheelbase makes it bouncy, but a Mor-ryde king pin box helped.
I rarely use the slide on my hitch with a short bed - it definately wouldn't be needed with a long bed.
We originally were interested in the Cougar 245RKS but ended up getting the Courgar 276RLS. Glad we did it allows us a little more room plus we can access everything with the slide in. Also the price was nearly the same. I was also concerned about the rear kitchen. The rear of a fiver can really bounce around while going down the road. I know lots of folks have rear kitchens and love them, most find ways to keep all the dishes in place.
Just Me & DW
2008 GMC 3500 SLT DRW Diesel
Pioneer AVIC D3 GPS Nav/Stereo/backup camera
2007 276RLS Cougar 5th wheel by Keystone
Scooter Buddy 125
17.5 Crestliner Boat
For those of us who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
We considered the 245RKS. The main thing that pushed us away from that model was that when we looked at it in person, the dinette being the only thing in the slide, makes the slide quite small. When you are sitting at the table, you are inside a small booth.
We greatly preferred the open feel of models that have both the dinette and couch in the single LR slide. Of course, when you get a small trailer, you have to compromise tho ... We really like the rear kitchen layouts and settled on the 292RKS ... but it's a lot larger rig.
You need to see it in person to know for sure how it will suite you ...
Dennis
* This post was
edited 05/07/08 09:36am by Dennis Bham *
Same deal this year--Lance to a Cougar. We chose the 276 over the 244 for similar reasons. It is two feet longer but the entire side slides out. With a freestanding table and chairs there is a lot of room. We swapped out the two swivel rockers for two small recliners from Wallyworld. They are a little tight, but they are way more comfortable. The weight is almost exactly the same. The quality of the build is fine. No issues. It fits most National Forest campgrounds, if you like that sort of thing.
John and Nina
2005 F-350, 4x4, V-10, Crew Cab
2008 Cougar 276 RL
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