01 What makes the 2023 26RL different
The Jay Feather 26RL is one of Jayco's Jay Feather travel trailers, the lightweight step-up line positioned above the value Jay Flight SLX and below the premium Eagle HT. This page covers one model year of it — the 2023 26RL, 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. Jayco publishes it at 8' 0" wide closed and 10' 11" with the slide-outs run out for the 2023 model year, which is the measurement that matters for a site pitch as well as for the road.
For the 2023 model year Jayco published a 7,500-pound GVWR on a 6,115-pound dry weight, 1,385 pounds of published cargo capacity, a 690-pound dry tongue weight. That dry tongue is 11% of the dry weight, inside the 10–15% band conventionally quoted for a bumper-pull trailer. Tongue weight is not fixed — it moves with how the trailer is loaded, and weight added ahead of the axles raises it. A tongue load in that range wants a weight-distribution hitch, and the tow vehicle's tongue-weight limit is a separate number from its trailer-weight limit — check the loaded tongue against the hitch receiver's rating and the vehicle's payload, not against the tow rating alone. The 2023 trailer left the factory on ST205/75R14'D' tyres; the load range in that code is part of the axle rating and a replacement set has to match it.
This is the earliest 26RL 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 2023 trailer is 3 model years old as of 2026, which puts it squarely in used-buyer territory. Section 05 sets out what to inspect on a travel trailer 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 2023 specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 31' 11"
- Exterior width
- 8' 0"
- Width, slides out
- 10' 11"
- Exterior height
- 10' 0"
- Exterior height (w/ A/C)
- 10' 8"
- Interior height (main)
- 6' 6"
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 6,115 lbs
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 7,500 lbs
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 1,385 lbs
- Dry tongue weight
- 690 lbs
Running gear
- Tire size
- ST205/75R14'D'
- Hitch type
- Bumper pull (weight-distribution recommended)
- Model year of record
- 2023
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 55.0 gal
- Grey water
- 31.0 gal
- Black water
- 31.0 gal
- LP / propane
- 40 lbs
- LP / propane, optional
- 60 lbs
Galley & systems
- Water heater
- Tankless
- Furnace output
- 35000 BTU
- Furnace, auto-ignition
- 35000 BTU
- Outside storage compartments
- 3
Sleeping
- Sleeps
- up to 4
Verified specs, drawn to scale
Original graphics built from this floorplan’s own verified figures.
Loaded weight budget
Size, drawn to scale
Holding tanks
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.
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 tongue percentages are industry convention for travel trailers (10–15% 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.
03 What changed for the 2023 model year
2023 is the earliest model year of the 26RL 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 2023 to 2026; each one is linked below.
| Model year | Dry (UVW) | GVWR | Dry tongue | Sleeps | Tire size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6,115 | 7,500 | 690 | 4 | ST205/75R14'D' |
| 2024 | 6,120 | 7,500 | 665 | 4 | ST205/75R14'D' |
| 2025 | 6,300 | 7,600 | 700 | 4 | ST205/75R14'D' |
| 2026 | 5,930 | 7,600 | 630 | 3 | ST205/75R14'D' |
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 Jay Feather 26RL parent page.
No published field moved
Jayco's published record for the 2023 26RL matches the adjacent year field for field.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page is read from Jayco's own 2023 model page for the 26RL — 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.
04 Buying a 2023 26RL at 3 model years old
Tyres are the first thing to age out
RV tyres are usually replaced on age rather than tread, at roughly five to seven years from the DOT date code on the sidewall. On a 3-year-old trailer the originals (ST205/75R14'D') may still be fitted — read the four-digit date code, not the tread.
Roof and seam sealant is on a service interval
Travel trailers rely on sealant at every roof penetration, along the front cap and around every window and marker light. Inspection is typically annual and re-sealing every few years; ask for the service records rather than assuming.
Weigh it before you tow it
Every weight on this page is a DRY factory figure for the 2023 model year. A used trailer carries its previous owner's additions, and a travel trailer puts its tongue load on the tow vehicle's hitch and through its rear axle. Weigh the loaded rig at a public scale and check it against the tow vehicle's payload, rear-axle and hitch ratings.
05 How it compares — and to its other years
The same floorplan one model year later, with its own published weights.
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 55-gallon tank is about 33% of the 1,385-pound cargo capacity — enough that whether you tow with water aboard is a real decision on the 26RL rather than a detail.
| Weight budget | Figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo capacity as published (CCC) | 1,385 lb | Everything you add: gear, water, propane, batteries, food, people’s belongings. |
| Fresh tank filled (55 gal × 8.34 lb) | −459 lb | Water is the heaviest thing most owners add, and it is added first. |
| Cargo budget left with a full fresh tank | 926 lb | 33% of this plan’s capacity is spent before a single bag is loaded. |
| Per sleeping position, water aboard | 232 lb | A rough share of what is left across the 4 berths this plan sleeps. |
The published dry tongue weight of 690 pounds is 11% of the 6,115-pound dry weight, which sits inside the 10–15% band usually quoted for stable towing. It is still a dry figure: loading the front pass-through and the fresh tank both push it up.
Nothing above changes the ceiling. Loaded to its 7,500-pound GVWR the 26RL is towing 1,385 pounds more than its 6,115-pound dry figure, and that is the number your vehicle has to be rated for — not the brochure weight.
Tank balance is generous here: 55 gallons of fresh against 31 grey and 31 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 travel trailers | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26RL | 7,500 | 6,115 | 4 | 31 ft 11 in |
| Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 245RKS | 7,500 | 5,980 | 4 | 28 ft 5 in |
| Hideout 212RKS | 7,500 | 5,360 | 3 | 25 ft 6 in |
| Jay Flight 236TH | 7,500 | 5,060 | 4 | 28 ft 4 in |
| North Trail 250CK | 7,500 | 5,925 | 4 | 30 ft 1 in |
| Springdale 2120RKS | 7,500 | 5,450 | 5 | 25 ft 6 in |
| White Hawk 25MBH | 7,500 | 6,195 | 8 | 30 ft 8 in |
Against the 26RL: the Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 245RKS is 4 ft shorter; the Hideout 212RKS is 6 ft shorter and sleeps 1 fewer; the Jay Flight 236TH is 4 ft shorter. 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 travel trailers 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 Jay Feather floorplans profiled here run 2,515 to 8,010 pounds dry and 18 to 38 feet of exterior length across 43 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 Jay Feather line hub.
08 Common questions about the 26RL
How much does the 26RL weigh?
It leaves the factory at 6,115 pounds dry, and its manufacturer-set loaded ceiling (GVWR) is 7,500 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 26RL carry?
Cargo carrying capacity is 1,385 pounds. That is the whole budget: water, propane, batteries, gear and everything you bring. Filling the 55-gallon fresh tank uses about 459 pounds of that.
What is the tongue weight of the 26RL?
The published dry tongue weight is 690 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 26RL need?
Your vehicle needs a tow rating of at least 7,500 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 26RL sleep?
It is rated to sleep 4. 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 26RL?
Fresh 55 gallons, grey 31 gallons, black 31 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 26RL?
Exterior length is 31' 11". 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 13 of them for the 26RL. 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: slide count, axle count, 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 (100%) 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 Jay Feather line, and NHTSA holds 23 recall campaigns and 39 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 39 complaints filed on this line the most-reported components are structure (21%), equipment (15%) and tires (15%). That is where owners of this family have had trouble, so it is where an inspection is worth the time.
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 Jay Feather line page.