Coleman Fleetwood Cheyenne vs Forest River Rockwood Freedom

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Hi Everyone,

Just looking to get some perspectives. We are going to be looking at downsizing from our 2008 Coleman Fleetwood Cheyenne (10') to a 2009 Forest River Rockwood Freedom 1640 LTD (8'). We want something a bit smaller in order to lighten our load when towing. We also don't feel like we need the two massive beds in our Cheyenne as we are just camping as a couple. When we got the Cheyenne we got completely spoiled. The more I read about different campers, I realize how many fantastic features ours has that aren't necessarily a given. It's going to be hard to say goodbye. I have a few questions and I was also wondering if people would be willing to their share pros and cons of Forest River Rockwood campers.

Are we going to notice the size difference in the floor plan?

Do you know if Forest River campers have the plugs for fan/lights that clip above the beds?

How easy is it to purchase an additional camper stove? (We are in Canada) I really love having two stoves (ours has an interior one and one that slides out on the outside). I love this for making tea indoors before I'm ready to reveal myself to the world each morning. I told you we got spoiled!

I also have a very strange question. I love love love the smell of our camper. It smells like tents from when I was a kid. It is possibly my favourite thing about the camper. Does anyone know what I mean? Do all pop ups smell like this? Is this a Coleman thing?

I know I have more questions, just can't think of them at the moment. I may add them later. Any info you can send my way would be great!

Thanks!

 

[Mytime]

I have a 1640 Ltd . There are fan plugs . The smell? I can’t answer that as it is my 1st pup. It’s an 8ft box so there is a small footprint. Twin bunk at one end , full on the other. No water heater. My ac unit gets very cold a plus for Missouri summers. Small dining table area. It’s small but it’s just me and my son. You will have to get creative with storage, again it’s a small pup. The propane furnace kept us warm at 23f (-5c).

 

[Mytime]

Here are some interior pics if that helps.

 

[jmkay1]

Are we going to notice the size difference in the floor plan?

Yes, however This is where the floor plan is more critical in the smaller popup a poor floor plan and your going to notice the size difference more then something more open. Every family is different Though You may enjoy the more personal feeling of a smaller camper than my family. The biggest difference between the two campers I know about is the outside stove. Many Coleman/Fleetwoods have a high pressure outside stove and most other campers use low pressure. When I jumped from my Jayco to Fleetwood I never noticed much difference in smell, but a lot of that has to do with tenting material. When I was touring an all vinyl popup I noticed a drastic difference in smell.

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Here are some interior pics if that helps.

Thanks so much for sending! Very helpful!

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Yes, however This is where the floor plan is more critical in the smaller popup a poor floor plan and your going to notice the size difference more then something more open. Every family is different Though You may enjoy the more personal feeling of a smaller camper than my family. The biggest difference between the two campers I know about is the outside stove. Many Coleman/Fleetwoods have a high pressure outside stove and most other campers use low pressure. When I jumped from my Jayco to Fleetwood I never noticed much difference in smell, but a lot of that has to do with tenting material. When I was touring an all vinyl popup I noticed a drastic difference in smell.

The Freedom has the floor plan we like (similar to ours) aka not climbing over anything to get into either bed. It does look like the storage is actually better laid out in the Rockwood, but I'll need to see it in person (hopefully soon) to verify. Does the lower pressure in the outside stove mean slower heating/cooking?

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

I have a 1640 Ltd . There are fan plugs . The smell? I can’t answer that as it is my 1st pup. It’s an 8ft box so there is a small footprint. Twin bunk at one end , full on the other. No water heater. My ac unit gets very cold a plus for Missouri summers. Small dining table area. It’s small but it’s just me and my son. You will have to get creative with storage, again it’s a small pup. The propane furnace kept us warm at 23f (-5c).

Yay for fan plugs! I have seen this model with a few different bed sizes. I'm not sure which the one we are looking at has. Good to know about yours, though. Thankfully it is just two of us so I'm not hugely concerned about small dinette, but helpful to know. Thanks!

 

[jmkay1]

Does the lower pressure in the outside stove mean slower heating/cooking?

I’m not 100% versed in the difference of high vrs low I can say low pressure stove means not as much propane is sent to the stove. So for an outside setting where wind, humidity come into play the flame can be more sensitive to elements so longer cooking time or the burner blowing out all together. high pressure more propane is burned but because of that the flame is a little less sensitive. You could always buy a regular camp stove with A separate propane tank. Just not as convenient as using The gas on your camper.

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Okay that's really good to know. Thank you! We do already have a regular outdoor stove, so we would probably just use that, then.

 

[Sharpie]

Hi Everyone,

Just looking to get some perspectives. We are going to be looking at downsizing from our 2008 Coleman Fleetwood Cheyenne (10') to a 2009 Forest River Rockwood Freedom 1640 LTD (8'). We want something a bit smaller in order to lighten our load when towing. We also don't feel like we need the two massive beds in our Cheyenne as we are just camping as a couple. When we got the Cheyenne we got completely spoiled. The more I read about different campers, I realize how many fantastic features ours has that aren't necessarily a given. It's going to be hard to say goodbye. I have a few questions and I was also wondering if people would be willing to their share pros and cons of Forest River Rockwood campers.

Are we going to notice the size difference in the floor plan?

Do you know if Forest River campers have the plugs for fan/lights that clip above the beds?

How easy is it to purchase an additional camper stove? (We are in Canada) I really love having two stoves (ours has an interior one and one that slides out on the outside). I love this for making tea indoors before I'm ready to reveal myself to the world each morning. I told you we got spoiled!

I also have a very strange question. I love love love the smell of our camper. It smells like tents from when I was a kid. It is possibly my favourite thing about the camper. Does anyone know what I mean? Do all pop ups smell like this? Is this a Coleman thing?

I know I have more questions, just can't think of them at the moment. I may add them later. Any info you can send my way would be great!

Thanks!

Hello there are many Forest River dealers in Canada depending on the province. In Niagara Falls Ontario. There a 1 just 5 minutes away from my house.

 

[firepit]

Me and my wife do just fine in our Coachmen with 2 big dogs....We each take a bunk and a dog.
We eat outside as much as possible and basically sleep in it.
Not much floor space but works for us

 

[TSS]

Hi Everyone,

Just looking to get some perspectives. We are going to be looking at downsizing from our 2008 Coleman Fleetwood Cheyenne (10') to a 2009 Forest River Rockwood Freedom 1640 LTD (8'). We want something a bit smaller in order to lighten our load when towing. We also don't feel like we need the two massive beds in our Cheyenne as we are just camping as a couple. When we got the Cheyenne we got completely spoiled. The more I read about different campers, I realize how many fantastic features ours has that aren't necessarily a given. It's going to be hard to say goodbye. I have a few questions and I was also wondering if people would be willing to their share pros and cons of Forest River Rockwood campers.

Are we going to notice the size difference in the floor plan?

Do you know if Forest River campers have the plugs for fan/lights that clip above the beds?

How easy is it to purchase an additional camper stove? (We are in Canada) I really love having two stoves (ours has an interior one and one that slides out on the outside). I love this for making tea indoors before I'm ready to reveal myself to the world each morning. I told you we got spoiled!

I also have a very strange question. I love love love the smell of our camper. It smells like tents from when I was a kid. It is possibly my favourite thing about the camper. Does anyone know what I mean? Do all pop ups smell like this? Is this a Coleman thing?

I know I have more questions, just can't think of them at the moment. I may add them later. Any info you can send my way would be great!

Thanks!

We

Hi Everyone,

Just looking to get some perspectives. We are going to be looking at downsizing from our 2008 Coleman Fleetwood Cheyenne (10') to a 2009 Forest River Rockwood Freedom 1640 LTD (8'). We want something a bit smaller in order to lighten our load when towing. We also don't feel like we need the two massive beds in our Cheyenne as we are just camping as a couple. When we got the Cheyenne we got completely spoiled. The more I read about different campers, I realize how many fantastic features ours has that aren't necessarily a given. It's going to be hard to say goodbye. I have a few questions and I was also wondering if people would be willing to their share pros and cons of Forest River Rockwood campers.

Are we going to notice the size difference in the floor plan?

Do you know if Forest River campers have the plugs for fan/lights that clip above the beds?

How easy is it to purchase an additional camper stove? (We are in Canada) I really love having two stoves (ours has an interior one and one that slides out on the outside). I love this for making tea indoors before I'm ready to reveal myself to the world each morning. I told you we got spoiled!

I also have a very strange question. I love love love the smell of our camper. It smells like tents from when I was a kid. It is possibly my favourite thing about the camper. Does anyone know what I mean? Do all pop ups smell like this? Is this a Coleman thing?

I know I have more questions, just can't think of them at the moment. I may add them later. Any info you can send my way would be great!

Thanks!

We have 2020 Rkwd 1640 bought 1 year old. Had in the early 90's a Starcraft that pulled out to 24'. We pull ours with a Subaru Outback because it only weights 1500lbs. and get 19-20mpg (I don't drive slow, 65mph.) I did upgrade the tires to 81mph rated.
Great questions:Yes, floor plan loosing 2 ft will be small at times. The table is small, as I am 6'4" 240lbs it is tight but usable. Sure you can contact Rkwd dealer and see about second stove but remember it is a small living and storage space. one stove fits under the turned over sink. There are plenty of outlets. As for storage, we only use city water hook up. Removed the water tank for additional storage. Had to install a 1/4" ply wood partition to keep things away from power converter. Works great. We love ours and your right the furnace is powerful. Even here in GA camping in the cold 45F...

Good Camping!

 

[annie mac]

Me and my wife do just fine in our Coachmen with 2 big dogs....We each take a bunk and a dog.
We eat outside as much as possible and basically sleep in it.
Not much floor space but works for us

My husband and I are very similar! The exception is that we use the second bed area for storage since, as you say, there isn’t much floor space (we have the 2007). Then at night we convert the table into the twin size bed, put a sheet on it, and it becomes the dog bed for our lab and golden! They sleep right next to us but we still have our own room on the bed
We do not, however, have plugs above the beds - just next to them. It hasn’t been a problem, though, as we set up a fan on the small shelf next to the bed and it works like a charm.
Lastly, we don’t have the indoor cooktop but instead we have a hot plate for cooking or boiling water, and we bring the instant pot which works for a wide variety of meals.
Quick snap of part of the setup:

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Me and my wife do just fine in our Coachmen with 2 big dogs....We each take a bunk and a dog.
We eat outside as much as possible and basically sleep in it.
Not much floor space but works for us

I love that! We don't have any dogs to contend with in our current situation. We originally got a pop up in order to have a dinette for playing cards at night. We love having it set up like our little cottage on wheels. I'm curious to see if the dinette is smaller in a smaller camper.

Me and my wife do just fine in our Coachmen with 2 big dogs....We each take a bunk and a dog.
We eat outside as much as possible and basically sleep in it.
Not much floor space but works for us

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

We

We have 2020 Rkwd 1640 bought 1 year old. Had in the early 90's a Starcraft that pulled out to 24'. We pull ours with a Subaru Outback because it only weights 1500lbs. and get 19-20mpg (I don't drive slow, 65mph.) I did upgrade the tires to 81mph rated.
Great questions:Yes, floor plan loosing 2 ft will be small at times. The table is small, as I am 6'4" 240lbs it is tight but usable. Sure you can contact Rkwd dealer and see about second stove but remember it is a small living and storage space. one stove fits under the turned over sink. There are plenty of outlets. As for storage, we only use city water hook up. Removed the water tank for additional storage. Had to install a 1/4" ply wood partition to keep things away from power converter. Works great. We love ours and your right the furnace is powerful. Even here in GA camping in the cold 45F...

Good Camping!

Okay - about the same size as my husband, then! I'm glad the table should be usable. This is key! I think his size is my main concern in the switch - dinette, bed, etc. We always camp without services so we will need to keep the water tank, but I know we are sacrificing space. Noted about the stove, too. We have never needed both at the same time, I just love knowing I don't have to move a stove in and out. Once we set up we leave everything in its place for the duration. We will probably just bring our Coleman stove up to set up outside. Glad to hear the furnace is powerful. We are in Canada and love camping in October!

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

My husband and I are very similar! The exception is that we use the second bed area for storage since, as you say, there isn’t much floor space (we have the 2007). Then at night we convert the table into the twin size bed, put a sheet on it, and it becomes the dog bed for our lab and golden! They sleep right next to us but we still have our own room on the bed
We do not, however, have plugs above the beds - just next to them. It hasn’t been a problem, though, as we set up a fan on the small shelf next to the bed and it works like a charm.
Lastly, we don’t have the indoor cooktop but instead we have a hot plate for cooking or boiling water, and we bring the instant pot which works for a wide variety of meals.
Quick snap of part of the setup:

Great setup! Love the visual.

 

[firepit]

I love that! We don't have any dogs to contend with in our current situation. We originally got a pop up in order to have a dinette for playing cards at night. We love having it set up like our little cottage on wheels. I'm curious to see if the dinette is smaller in a smaller camper.

My dinette is pretty small....The fold down legs get in the way as your trying to get seated....We leave ours down into the bed unless its raining
and we have to eat inside or are avoiding the insects outside...We leave it folded down so our older dog can jump on it and then into the bunk.

 

[Mytime]

Since we came from tent camping my son has an obsession with the dinette . If the pup is up the table must be too. Lol As I said it’s just me and him so I do it to make him happy.

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

My dinette is pretty small....The fold down legs get in the way as your trying to get seated....We leave ours down into the bed unless its raining
and we have to eat inside or are avoiding the insects outside...We leave it folded down so our older dog can jump on it and then into the bunk.

A difference between our current camper and the one we are going to look at is that ours has the fold down legs and the new one will have the pole legs. Any idea which is easier to maneuver setting up/sit beside?

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Since we came from tent camping my son has an obsession with the dinette . If the pup is up the table must be too. Lol As I said it’s just me and him so I do it to make him happy.

Last night we opened the camper just to air it out a bit (and for me to just be in because I love it) and I immediately put the table up! I get it! I'm also obsessed with the dinette. I'm also trying to figure out if I'll be okay with having more (low) counter space instead of the little sofa. That is another feature of the Rockwood. We usually store things on the extra bed but with two smaller beds I'll probably be happier with the counter. However, I really like sitting on the sofa (using that term loosely) in our Cheyenne and propping my feet on the dinette seat while I read. So many things to consider!