CAMPERTRAILERS.COM

Fifth Wheel · Premium · 2021 Model Year

2021 Jayco Eagle355MBQS

A full-size Eagle fifth wheel, as built for the 2021 model year — that year's own published weights, dimensions, tank capacities and tire size, and what moved against the year before.

Tow-Critical Data — as built, MY2021

13,250lb
Dry Weight
14,995lb
GVWR
2,280lb
Pin Weight
42ft
Length
Sleeps 11 Fifth Wheel · Jayco Eagle Built by · Jayco, Inc. Model year · 2021

01 What makes the 2021 355MBQS different

The Eagle 355MBQS sits in the full-size tier of Jayco's Eagle fifth wheels, above the half-ton Eagle HT and below the luxury North Point and Pinnacle coaches. This page covers one model year of it — the 2021 355MBQS, exactly as Jayco published it — because the numbers that decide whether your truck can pull this trailer are not the same from one year to the next.

For the 2021 model year Jayco published a 14,995-pound GVWR on a 13,250-pound dry weight, 1,745 pounds of published cargo capacity, a 2,280-pound dry pin weight. A pin weight in that range lands well outside half-ton territory: plan on a three-quarter-ton or larger truck, and check the loaded pin against the truck's payload and rear-axle ratings rather than against the tow rating alone.

This is the earliest 355MBQS model year with a verified factory record in this catalogue. Later years are linked at the foot of the page, each with its own published figures.

A 2021 coach is 5 model years old as of 2026, which puts it squarely in used-buyer territory. Section 05 sets out what to inspect on a laminated-wall fifth wheel of this age — tyre date codes, roof and seam sealant, slide seals, and the soft-floor and delamination checks that separate a tidy coach from an expensive one.

02 Full 2021 specifications

Dimensions

Exterior length
42' 0"
Exterior width
8' 1"
Width, slides out
Not published
Exterior height
Not published
Exterior height (w/ A/C)
12' 11"
Interior height (main)
8' 7"

Weights

Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
13,250 lbs
GVWR (max loaded)
14,995 lbs
Net cargo / payload (CCC)
1,745 lbs
Dry pin weight
2,280 lbs

Running gear

Tire size
Not published
Hitch type
Fifth-wheel (in-bed)
Model year of record
2021

Capacities

Fresh water
81 gal
Grey water
87 gal
Black water
50 gal
LP / propane
Not published
LP / propane, optional
Not published

Galley & systems

Water heater
Not published
Furnace output
Not published
Furnace, auto-ignition
Not published
Outside storage compartments
Not published

Sleeping

Sleeps
8-11

Verified specs, drawn to scale

Original graphics built from this floorplan’s own verified figures.

Loaded weight budget

Loaded weight budget for the 355MBQSHorizontal bar. Dry weight 13,250 pounds, then cargo capacity 1,745 pounds, against a GVWR of 14,995 pounds. Dry pin weight 2,280 pounds on the same scale.GVWR 14,995 lbsDry 13,250 lbsCargo capacity 1,745 lbsDry pin weight 2,280 lbs — same scale
Drawn from this page’s published figures. The bar runs from empty to GVWR: the dark band is dry weight, the light band is everything you are allowed to add — water, propane, batteries and gear all come out of it.

Holding tanks

Holding tank capacities for the 355MBQSHolding tank capacities: fresh 81 gallons, grey 87 gallons, black 50 gallons.Fresh81 galGrey87 galBlack50 gal
Published tank capacities on one scale. A full fresh tank is about 676 lbs of water — roughly 39% of this plan’s 1,745 lb cargo capacity, before you load anything else.

These graphics are generated from the same verified record that builds the table above, and are published under this site’s own licence — nothing here is traced from, or derived from, a manufacturer drawing or photo. Where a figure is not published for this plan, the graphic that would need it is omitted rather than estimated. The full record is in the published dataset.

What it takes to tow this

Built from this floorplan’s verified weights. We publish the trailer side only.

Minimum tow rating your vehicle needs14,995 lb
Published dry pin weight2,280 lb
Loaded pin weight, typical range2,280–3,749 lb
Minimum in-bed fifth-wheel hitch capacity14,995 lb towed / 3,749 lb pin
The pin weight above is dry. It is the figure the manufacturer publishes for an empty trailer. Loaded — with water, propane, batteries and your gear — it runs higher, which is why the range row uses loaded weight. Sizing your truck off the dry number under-budgets your payload.
The arithmetic that actually binds. Open your driver’s door and read the payload figure on the yellow-and-white sticker — that number is specific to your truck as built. Subtract from it: loaded pin weight (use the range above), every passenger, everything in the bed and cab. What is left is your margin. Payload, not tow rating, is what most half-ton owners run out of first.

We do not publish tow ratings for specific trucks. A single model can vary by thousands of pounds depending on engine, axle ratio, cab, drivetrain and package — the only authoritative figure is the one on your own door jamb. Loaded pin percentages are industry convention for fifth wheels (15–25% of loaded weight), not a measurement of this unit. Hitch classes are not used here as a rating: SAE J684 covers trailers to 10,000 lb GVWR and does not define Class V, and capacity boundaries differ between manufacturers — read the rating stamped on your hitch. On this plan the convention band’s low end fell below the published dry figure, so the range starts at the published dry weight instead — loaded is never lighter than dry.

03 What changed for the 2021 model year

2021 is the earliest model year of the 355MBQS that this catalogue has a verified factory record for, so there is no earlier year here to compare it against. The years we do publish run 2021 to 2027; each one is linked below.

Model yearDry (UVW)GVWRDry pinSleepsTire size
202113,25014,9952,28011Not published
202213,25014,9952,0809Not published
202412,83015,2002,42010ST235/85R16'E'
202512,83015,2002,42010ST235/85R16'E'
202613,11515,4002,5808ST235/80R16'H'
202712,77515,4002,4558ST235/80R16'H'

Every row is that model year's own factory record. The all-years overview for this floorplan, with the family history and the full line, is on the Jayco Eagle 355MBQS parent page.

No published field moved

Jayco's published record for the 2021 355MBQS matches the adjacent year field for field.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure on this page is read from Jayco's own 2021 factory brochure for the 355MBQS — one source, one model year, no blending. The all-years parent page sets this year beside every other model year we hold, and where the record this catalogue originally profiled disagrees with Jayco's own model page, both figures are published there and neither is adjusted.

Fields Jayco does not publish for 2021

For this model year the factory record omits: Exterior Width (with slides out), Exterior Height, Tire Size, Propane Unit (lbs), Propane Unit (lbs) (Optional), Water Heater, Furnace BTU, Furnace, Auto-ignition (BTU output), # of outside storage compartments. Those rows read “Not published” on this page. They are deliberately not filled in from an adjacent model year — a neighbouring year's figure is an inference about this one, not a measurement of it.

04 Buying a 2021 355MBQS at 5 model years old

Tyres are almost certainly past their service age

At 5 years old, the original the factory tire size will be well beyond the five-to-seven-year age window RV tyres are normally replaced on, regardless of tread depth. Budget for a full set plus the spare unless there is a dated receipt.

Water is what kills these, and it is the cheapest thing to check

Press the walls and floor around the entry, the slide openings, the rear wall and under the front cap. Soft spots, a wavy or rippled sidewall, or a stained ceiling are delamination and water ingress, and they are structural rather than cosmetic.

Appliance and component life

Absorption fridges, water heaters and A/C units commonly need attention somewhere in the second decade. Run every appliance on both gas and mains before agreeing a price.

Weigh it before you tow it

Every weight on this page is a DRY factory figure for the 2021 model year. A used coach carries its previous owner's additions, and a fifth wheel puts roughly 15-25% of the load through the truck's rear axle. Weigh the loaded rig at a public scale and check it against the truck's payload, rear-axle and hitch ratings.

05 How it compares — and to its other years

→ Later year
2022 Eagle 355MBQS

The same floorplan one model year later, with its own published weights.

↕ All years
Eagle 355MBQS overview

The parent page for this floorplan: every model year we hold, side by side.

06 Loading it for a trip

Fresh water is the single biggest line in this floorplan’s load plan. A full 81-gallon tank is about 39% of the 1,745-pound cargo capacity — enough that whether you tow with water aboard is a real decision on the 355MBQS rather than a detail.

Weight budgetFigureWhat it means
Cargo capacity as published (CCC)1,745 lbEverything you add: gear, water, propane, batteries, food, people’s belongings.
Fresh tank filled (81 gal × 8.34 lb)−676 lbWater is the heaviest thing most owners add, and it is added first.
Cargo budget left with a full fresh tank1,069 lb39% of this plan’s capacity is spent before a single bag is loaded.
Per sleeping position, water aboard134 lbA rough share of what is left across the 8 berths this plan sleeps.

The published dry pin weight of 2,280 pounds is 17% of this floorplan’s 13,250-pound dry weight. Fifth-wheel pin weight rides in the bed of the truck, so it comes off payload rather than off tow rating — and it rises with the trailer as you load it, not in proportion to what you put over the axles.

Nothing above changes the ceiling. Loaded to its 14,995-pound GVWR the 355MBQS is towing 1,745 pounds more than its 13,250-pound dry figure, and that is the number your vehicle has to be rated for — not the brochure weight.

Tank balance is generous here: 81 gallons of fresh against 87 grey and 50 black, so waste capacity keeps pace with supply and the fresh tank is the constraint that ends a dry stay.

07 Where this floorplan sits

Comparable fifth wheelsGVWR (lb)Dry (lb)SleepsLength
355MBQS14,99513,250842 ft 0 in
Avenue 35RKS14,99511,300636 ft 10 in
Model Z 281014,99511,894634 ft 9 in
Reflection 360FLS14,99512,388639 ft 2 in
Influence 2903RL15,00011,800434 ft 5 in
Wildcat 402BEDS14,80012,353842 ft 3 in
Montana High Country 295RL15,20311,595634 ft 0 in

Against the 355MBQS: the Avenue 35RKS is 5 ft shorter and sleeps 2 fewer; the Model Z 2810 is 7 ft shorter and sleeps 2 fewer; the Reflection 360FLS is 3 ft shorter and sleeps 2 fewer. Those are differences in the published numbers only — what they cost, how they are built and how they live are separate questions each of those pages answers on its own terms.

Those are the nearest fifth wheels from other lines by weight — one per line, picked by proximity on that figure and nothing else. They are listed so the same tow vehicle can be checked against real alternatives, not because they are equivalent inside; layout, build and price diverge sharply across that group.

For scale, the Eagle floorplans profiled here run 6,560 to 12,830 pounds dry and 28 to 43 feet of exterior length across 37 plans. Where a floorplan falls in that spread usually says more about which vehicle can tow it, and which site it fits, than the layout name does.

Every profiled floorplan in this line, with the full weight table, is on the Eagle line hub.

08 Common questions about the 355MBQS

How much does the 355MBQS weigh?

It leaves the factory at 13,250 pounds dry, and its manufacturer-set loaded ceiling (GVWR) is 14,995 pounds. Real towing weight lands between the two and depends entirely on what you load. Use the GVWR when matching a tow vehicle; the dry figure is only useful for comparing floorplans against each other.

How much can the 355MBQS carry?

Cargo carrying capacity is 1,745 pounds. That is the whole budget: water, propane, batteries, gear and everything you bring. Filling the 81-gallon fresh tank uses about 676 pounds of that.

What is the pin weight of the 355MBQS?

The published dry pin weight is 2,280 pounds. It is measured empty; loaded, it runs higher, and it comes out of your tow vehicle’s payload rather than its tow rating.

What size tow vehicle does the 355MBQS need?

Your vehicle needs a tow rating of at least 14,995 pounds — this floorplan’s GVWR — and enough payload left over for the hitch load, passengers and anything in the bed. This site does not publish tow ratings for specific vehicles, because one truck model varies by thousands of pounds across engine, axle ratio, cab and package. The figure that governs is the payload sticker on your own door jamb.

How many people does the 355MBQS sleep?

It is rated to sleep 8. Rated sleeping positions include convertible furniture, so count the beds against how you actually travel rather than against the number.

What are the tank capacities on the 355MBQS?

Fresh 81 gallons, grey 87 gallons, black 50 gallons. Tank sizes set how long the floorplan can sit away from hookups, and the smallest of the three is what ends the stay.

How long is the 355MBQS?

Exterior length is 42' 0". Measure against your site length and your storage before committing — the exterior figure is the one that has to fit, and it includes the tongue or pin box.

Every figure in these answers is read from this page’s verified specification table. Where the manufacturer publishes nothing, the question is not answered rather than estimated.

09 What this page publishes, and what it does not

This catalog tracks 18 specification fields per floorplan. Named sources publish 11 of them for the 355MBQS. The rest are not shown, because the alternative is reading a figure across from a sibling floorplan or from what the segment usually does — and a number nobody published is worth less than an admitted gap.

Not published for this floorplan: exterior height, slide count, axle count, tire specification, awning, refrigerator, air conditioning. If you find one of these in a manufacturer document for this plan, it belongs on this page.

The completeness figure at the foot of this page (57%) measures the same thing on the full field set: it is a measurement of how much this floorplan’s manufacturer publishes, not of how much research went into the page.

How every figure here was sourced and checked is set out on the methodology page.

11 NHTSA safety record

This floorplan belongs to the Eagle line, and NHTSA holds 44 recall campaigns and 114 owner complaints against that line. They are separate records and are not added together — a recall is a manufacturer-confirmed defect with a remedy; a complaint is one owner’s account, which NHTSA does not verify.

What to look at on a used one. Across the 114 complaints filed on this line the most-reported components are tires (23%), structure (18%) and equipment (13%). That is where owners of this family have had trouble, so it is where an inspection is worth the time.

Reports that name the 355MBQS

1 of those record name this floorplan specifically rather than the line as a whole.

TypeDateReferenceWhat it says
Recall24 Oct 201616V772000If the axle is overloaded, excess tire wear may result, possibly causing tire failure and an increased risk of a crash.

Recall coverage is not complete — our harvest of NHTSA’s recall API ran 1,556 queries, of which 0 failed and 242 returned an explicit zero. A line can still be under-reported where NHTSA files a roster under a parent name, or where a match rests on the wording of the recall rather than its model field. Complaints come from the complete bulk file but are unverified and self-selected: a high count tracks how many units a line sold at least as much as how well it was built. Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy. Full tables are on the Eagle line page.