01 What Coachmen Apex Ultra-Lite is
Apex Ultra-Lite is Coachmen's premium-mainstream ultra-light travel-trailer family — a laminated-fiberglass, aluminum-framed line engineered to tow behind a mid-size SUV or any half-ton while delivering a level of construction and equipment a clear tier above the value bracket. It competes with the lightweight laminate trailers from Grand Design, Keystone and Jayco, and sits above Coachmen's own metal-sided Catalina in build quality. Within Coachmen's laminate ultra-lights it is the premium step above the value-priced Freedom Express, and across Forest River it cross-shops against the iconic r·pod.
The line markets five evaluation pillars — quality, lightweight engineering, innovation, eco-friendly materials and design. In practice that means vacuum-bonded laminated dual Azdel fiberglass sidewalls and rear wall, a laminated aluminum trussed roof, a laminated aluminum-framed floor and a corrosion-resistant powder-coated I-beam chassis, paired with a genuinely rich standard-equipment list: a 10-cubic-foot 12V refrigerator, a 3-burner stovetop with an air-fryer oven, a 15,000-BTU ducted air conditioner, standard 50-amp service, a 400-watt solar system with inverter prep, an on-demand tankless water heater, a premium Alpine Bluetooth speaker and Starlink prep. The Azdel composite walls resist water intrusion and add thermal and sound insulation, the eco-friendly angle the brand leans on.
Layouts run from compact bar-style entertainers through couples' rear-living coaches to private-bunkhouse family plans. The profiled plans here span that breadth: the bi-fold-bar 242BARV and the larger dual-entry 246BARV entertainers, the rear-living 244RBS couples coach, the private triple-bunk 291TBSS family plan and the kitchen-island, theater-seating 293RLDS flagship. Beyond the flagship Ultra-Lite, Coachmen also fields a value-priced metal-framed Apex Ultra-Lite X sub-line and the smaller Apex Nano, summarized in the line notes. Note that the Apex Ultra-Lite roster is mid-transition between the 2026 and 2027 model years and has been condensed; the figures here follow each plan's own factory record.
02 Floorplans profiled in depth
Five representative Apex Ultra-Lite floorplans — spanning the line from a sub-29-foot couples' entertainer to the 34-foot rear-living flagship — are profiled in full with factory-verified specifications. They cover the signature bi-fold-bar couples' coach, the open rear-living couples' plan, the dual-entry bar-style family bunkhouse, the private triple-bunk large-family plan and the kitchen-island rear-living flagship. The rest of the roster is catalogued below and profiled in demand order as the catalog expands.
| Floorplan | UVW | Length | Sleeps | Layout | Selling* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 242BARV | 5,772 lbs | 28' 10" | 4 | Front bed, rear bath, bi-fold bar door + outside kitchen | ~$42,000 |
| 244RBS | 6,224 lbs | 29' 8" | 3 | Rear-living couples, large slide, full bath | ~$40,000 |
| 246BARV | 6,532 lbs | 32' 3" | 6 | Dual-entry bunkhouse, 2 slides, bar-style outdoor entertainment | ~$43,000 |
| 291TBSS | 6,896 lbs | 33' 6" | 9 | Private triple-bunk family, U-dinette, outside kitchen | ~$41,000 |
| 293RLDS | 7,304 lbs | 34' 0" | 4 | Rear-living flagship, kitchen island, theater seating, 20' awning | ~$45,000 |
Unloaded vehicle weights (UVW), GVWR, cargo-carrying capacities, hitch weights, lengths and tanks for profiled plans are verified against the Coachmen factory floorplan records; GVWR is published directly by the manufacturer (no derivation). UVW is a factory estimate based on standard build, and option packages affect final weights. The selling price is a representative dealer-typical figure and is flagged (*) — Forest River publishes no single fixed MSRP, dealer MSRP placards run much higher (commonly the high-$50,000s to the high-$60,000s), and selling prices on these ultra-lights commonly run from the high-$30,000s to the mid-$40,000s. Always confirm against the unit's own weight sticker.
03 The rest of the Apex Ultra-Lite range
Below are additional Apex Ultra-Lite floorplans carried in the current build and dealer inventory, each profiled in demand order as the catalog grows. The line is condensing as it rolls to the 2027 model year, so several plans are sold primarily as dealer stock; weights are the factory-published values where available. One brand-new 2027 plan (239BARV) appears on the roster with weight not yet published — flagged TBD* and deferred from profiling on the no-fabrication rule.
| Floorplan | Length | UVW | Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 239BARV | -- | TBD* | Compact bar-style entertainer (2027 roster; weight not yet published) |
| 241BHS | 27' 7" | ~5,500 lbs | Private-bunkhouse family, front bedroom, outside kitchen (dealer-stock) |
| 243FKS | 29' 5" | 5,944 lbs | Front kitchen, rear bedroom, 2 slides (dealer-stock) |
| 245BHS | 27' 7" | 4,584 lbs | Bunkhouse, outside kitchen, light single-axle plan (dealer-stock) |
| 256BHS | 30' 1" | 5,472 lbs | Family bunkhouse, front bedroom, 16' awning (dealer-stock) |
A reference list of additional Apex Ultra-Lite floorplans; lengths and weights are factory-published values where available and configurations summarize the layout. The 239BARV appears on the 2027 factory roster with weight not yet published — flagged TBD* and deferred until a shipping weight is posted; it is not estimated. The 241BHS unloaded weight is shown as approximate pending a current factory record. The value-priced metal-framed Apex Ultra-Lite X sub-line and the smaller Apex Nano are summarized in the line notes below.
04 Line notes & data flags
Construction: laminated Azdel fiberglass — a tier above the value bracket
Apex Ultra-Lite uses Aluma-Cage construction: vacuum-bonded laminated dual Azdel fiberglass sidewalls and rear wall, a laminated aluminum trussed roof with a Dicor Crossflex membrane, a laminated aluminum-framed floor, a fiberglass front cap and a corrosion-resistant powder-coated I-beam chassis. This is a clear construction step above the metal-sided stick-and-tin of Coachmen's own Catalina value line, and is the reason Apex sits in the premium-mainstream ultra-light bracket. Construction figures on the model pages follow the factory feature lists.
GVWR is published directly — no derivation
Coachmen publishes GVWR directly on every Apex Ultra-Lite floorplan page alongside UVW, CCC and hitch weight. The published GVWR equals UVW plus CCC on every profiled plan, so the figures are internally consistent and shown without an asterisk. Unloaded vehicle weight is a factory estimate based on standard build, and option packages affect the final number.
Model-year transition: 2026 to 2027, roster condensed
The Apex Ultra-Lite line is mid-transition between the 2026 and 2027 model years, and the factory roster has been condensed to a smaller current lineup. The newer 2027 print roster lists slightly different unloaded weights for some plans than the per-plan detail pages (for example, the 242BARV reads 6,012 lb on the 2027 roster versus 5,772 lb on its own factory detail page). The profiled plans here follow each plan's own factory detail record, which carries the full block including GVWR and all three tanks; where the 2027 roster differs, that difference is noted on the plan page. Confirm against the unit's weight sticker.
Rich standard equipment for an ultra-light
Apex Ultra-Lite ships with a notably full 12-volt residential package: a 10-cubic-foot 12V refrigerator, a 3-burner stovetop with an air-fryer oven, a 15,000-BTU ducted air conditioner, a 55-amp power center with standard 50-amp service, a 400-watt solar system with a 30-amp controller and inverter prep, an on-demand 48,000-BTU tankless water heater, a premium Alpine Bluetooth speaker, a power tongue jack, a power awning, a backup-camera mount and Starlink prep. A 50-amp upgrade with a second 13,500-BTU air conditioner and theater seating are options on select plans.
Other Apex families: Ultra-Lite X and Nano
Beyond the flagship laminated Apex Ultra-Lite, Coachmen fields a value-priced, metal-framed Apex Ultra-Lite X sub-line (plans such as the 24RBX, 26BHX and 29BHX, at lower price points) and the smaller, lighter Apex Nano for the smallest tow vehicles. These are summarized here and profiled in demand order as the catalog grows.
Watch payload on the family and entertainer plans
Cargo-carrying capacity varies widely across the line. The rear-living 293RLDS carries a generous ~2,314-pound payload, but the family and entertainer plans run tighter — the 246BARV at ~1,318 pounds and the triple-bunk 291TBSS at ~1,084 pounds, the tightest profiled. A family that loads heavy should weigh the rig and confirm payload against the truck's door-jamb rating, not just the tow rating. The plan pages flag the tighter-payload coaches.
Selling price runs well below the placard — flagged
Forest River publishes no single fixed MSRP. Dealer MSRP placards on Apex Ultra-Lite plans run high — commonly the high-$50,000s to the high-$60,000s — while selling prices run far lower, often the high-$30,000s to the mid-$40,000s. The model pages show a representative dealer-typical selling figure with an asterisk; the value story is the gap between placard and street price.