01 What makes it unique
The 398FL inverts the usual fifth-wheel layout. Instead of a rear living room, the lounge moves to the front, up in the raised section over the pin, where five slide-outs and a front-cap windshield open a separate upper front living room anchored by a 65-inch television — the largest screen and the most living space in the line. Behind it sit a full central kitchen with an island and a private rear bedroom with a king bed. The full Cedar Creek build carries through: the 101-inch widebody Z-frame, 3M-bonded fiberglass sidewalls, the Rhino Box hitch and Road Armor suspension.
Five slide-outs is the most of any Cedar Creek, and the front fresh tank is sized to match at 82 gallons. Forest River lists a published 18,000-pound GVWR against the 15,059-pound dry weight, leaving a 2,941-pound payload and a 2,670-pound dry pin, on 8,000-pound axles. Dual Coleman MACH 8 15,000-BTU air conditioners, a 20-cubic-foot stainless refrigerator, a four-burner gas oven, a Suburban 60,000-BTU tankless water heater and a 200-watt solar package with a 1,000-watt inverter are standard, under a 21-foot awning.
At a starting MSRP around $145,000 it sits among the upper plans in the line. For a couple or a pair of couples who want the biggest, brightest front living space, the line’s largest television and five slides — and who tow with a one-ton truck — the front-living 398FL is the entertainer’s Cedar Creek.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 43' 1"
- Exterior width
- 8' 5"
- Exterior height
- 13' 3"
- Interior height
- 8' 0"
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 15,059 lbs
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 18,000 lbs
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 2,941 lbs
- Dry pin (hitch) weight
- 2,670 lbs
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 82 gal
- Grey water
- 82 gal
- Black water
- 41 gal
- Refrigerator
- 20 cu ft
Construction
- Frame
- Z-frame · 101" widebody
- Walls
- All-aluminum superstructure on 16" centers · 3M bonded fiberglass
- Roof
- AlphaPly™ TPO · limited-lifetime warranty
- Underbelly
- Heated front storage · 12V tank pads · ABS panels
Running gear
- Axles
- 2 (8,000 lb tandem)
- Hitch
- Fifth-wheel (in-bed) · 21,000-lb Rhino Box
- Suspension
- Road Armor™ · wet bolts · ABS brakes
- Tires
- Uniroyal™ on 8K axles
Galley & bath
- Cooktop
- 4-burner gas oven · pull-out pan drawer
- Refrigerator
- 20 cu ft
- A/C
- 30,000 BTU (dual Coleman MACH 8 15K)
- Water heater
- Suburban ST-60 · 60,000 BTU tankless
Sleeping & layout
- Sleeps
- 4
- Slides
- 5
- Entries
- 1
- Awnings
- 1 (21')
- Primary bed
- King
03 The Cedar Creek floorplan family
Cedar Creek is Forest River's flagship full-size luxury fifth wheel and the first Forest River fifth wheel in this catalog — a direct rival to Keystone's Montana and Grand Design's Solitude. The 2027 fifth-wheel line runs to eight floorplans, and all eight are profiled here in full. The 398FL on this page is highlighted; each other plan links to its own page.
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 290RL | 35 ft | 4 | Rear-living entry, lightest, biggest payload |
| 361RL | 40 ft | 4 | Rear-living couples, swivel recliners |
| 385RK | 42 ft | 4 | Rear kitchen, bath-and-a-half, outside TV |
| 383FB | 42 ft | 4 | Rear living + front bath suite |
| 390RKB | 43 ft | 8 | Rear kitchen + loft/bunk, family |
| 398FL | 43 ft | 4 | Front living, 5 slides, 65" TV |
| 380DB | 43 ft | 10 | Double bunk, dual entry, two full baths |
| 381MUD | 43 ft | 8 | Murphy bed + loft, bath-and-a-half |
Cedar Creek is Forest River's flagship full-size luxury fifth wheel and the natural Montana and Solitude cross-shop. The 2027 line runs to eight floorplans, all profiled here. Every plan rides on the same 101-inch widebody Z-frame chassis with an all-aluminum superstructure on 16-inch centers, 3M bonded fiberglass sidewalls, a 21,000-pound Rhino Box hitch, Road Armor suspension and a heated, enclosed front storage compartment, and ships with two 15,000-BTU Coleman MACH 8 air conditioners, a 20-cubic-foot stainless refrigerator, a 60,000-BTU tankless water heater, a residential kitchen island, 200-watt solar with a 1,000-watt inverter and a 72-by-80-inch king bed as standard. The lighter, sub-17,000-pound-GVWR plans run 7,000-pound axles; the four 18,000-pound-GVWR plans run 8,000-pound axles. Hitch weight, GVWR, UVW and CCC are published per plan on the Forest River factory pages, and each plan's UVW plus CCC equals its GVWR exactly. Real loaded pin weights run higher — always weigh the loaded coach and confirm against your truck's payload and rear-axle ratings.
04 What owners & reviewers report
Front living, five slides
A separate upper front lounge with a windshield and five slide-outs — the most living space of any plan in the line.
65-inch television
The largest screen in the line anchors the front living room — a true entertainer’s layout.
Most slides in the line
Five slide-outs — more than any other Cedar Creek — with an 82-gallon front fresh tank scaled to match.
Wants a one-ton truck
At 43 feet on an 18,000-lb GVWR with 8K axles, confirm a properly rated one-ton truck’s payload and rear axle.
05 How it compares
The rear-living, front-bath-suite plan — a private front master instead of a front living room.
The rear-kitchen flagship — a rear galley and a bigger grey tank instead of a front lounge.
Keystone’s front-living plan — the direct full-size-luxury-FW cross-shop.