01 What makes it unique
Coachmen lists the 2025 Chaparral 381DBL at 12,186 lb dry, a GVWR of 14,500 lb, a net carrying capacity of 2,314 lb and a pin weight of 2,040 lb. Its dry weight plus its carrying capacity comes to exactly its GVWR.
It is 42' 6" long and 13' high. Coachmen prints its tanks as 48 gal fresh, 112 gal grey, 75 gal black.
Among the 19 Chaparral floorplans Coachmen’s 2025 fifth-wheel brochure lists with a published dry weight, it is number 13 from the lightest, in a range from 6,950 lb (Chaparral Lite 235RK) to 13,080 lb (Chaparral 393MBX). Every figure in that comparison is Coachmen’s, for the same model year.
Every number on this page was read on 5 Nov 2026 from Coachmen’s 2025 fifth-wheel brochure, the maker’s own dated document for model year 2025.
How the 381DBL differs from the other eighteen Chaparral floorplans. Most distinctive first. How these ranks are worked out.
- Cargo capacity as a share of GVWR, 16%: fifth-smallest of eighteen, between the 393MBX (15.6%) and the 30BHS (17.1%).
- Pin weight as a share of dry weight, 16.7%: sixth-smallest of nineteen, between the 274BH and 30BHS (16.3%) and the 373MBRB (17%).
- Black tank, 75 gal: shared with the 373MBRB; of nineteen, sixteen smaller and one larger, nearest the 367BH and 375BAF (72 gal) and the 355FBX (90 gal).
- Dry weight, 12,186 lb: seventh-heaviest of nineteen, between the 355FBX (11,542 lb) and the 367BH (12,328 lb).
- Pin weight, 2,040 lb: eighth-heaviest of nineteen, between the 355FBX (2,008 lb) and the 360IBL (2,100 lb).
- Cargo capacity, 2,314 lb: ninth-smallest of nineteen, between the 274BH (2,308 lb) and the 393MBX (2,420 lb).
- Grey tank, 112 gal: shared with the 367BH and 375BAF; of nineteen, thirteen smaller and three larger, nearest the 368TBH (99 gal) and the 373MBRB (120 gal).
- Length, 42 ft 6 in: shared with the 334FL, 367BH and three others; of nineteen, twelve shorter and one longer, nearest the 389DEK (42 ft 4 in) and the 355FBX (42 ft 7 in).
- GVWR, 14,500 lb: shared with the 355FBX, 375BAF and 389DEK; of nineteen, eleven lower and four higher, nearest the 360IBL (14,000 lb) and the 334FL and 373MBRB (15,000 lb).
- Exterior height, 13 ft: tallest of nineteen, level with the 334FL, 355FBX and five others; next are the 298RLS, 336TSIK and 360IBL (12 ft 10 in).
Next to the 355FBX, the nearest lighter floorplan by dry weight, the 381DBL is 644 lb heavier by dry weight, has 644 lb less cargo capacity, has a pin weight 32 lb heavier, is 1 in shorter, has a grey tank 23 gal smaller and has a black tank 15 gal smaller; the two publish the same GVWR, exterior height and fresh tank.
Next to the 367BH, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 381DBL is 142 lb lighter by dry weight, has a GVWR 1,000 lb lower, has 858 lb less cargo capacity, has a pin weight 154 lb lighter and has a black tank 3 gal larger; the two publish the same length, exterior height, fresh tank and grey tank.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 42' 6"
- Exterior height
- 13'
- Exterior width
- Not published by Coachmen
- Interior height
- Printed in the brochure, not transcribed here
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 12,186 lb
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 14,500 lb
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 2,314 lb
- Hitch / pin weight
- 2,040 lb
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 48 gal
- Grey water
- 112 gal
- Black water
- 75 gal
Running gear
- Hitch type
- Fifth wheel (pin box)
- Tire size
- 16" G
Sleeping & layout
- Sleeps
- Not published by Coachmen
- Awning
- 24'
- Wheel size
- 16"
How these published figures sit against the rest of the catalogue: fifth wheel pin weight and payload; fresh, grey and black tank sizes; camper trailer size chart.
Drawn to scale
Weight budget
Size (no width published)
Holding tanks
Axles, wheels and nose shape are schematic; not a floorplan. Data: dataset.
Towing it
Check your vehicle. Enter the ratings from your owner’s manual and the door-pillar placard.
Compares your figures with this page’s published GVWR (14,500 lb) and the upper loaded pin estimate (3,625 lb, a rule of thumb). Your vehicle’s placard and the trailer’s own weight label govern.
Loaded range: 15–25% of GVWR on the pin, a rule of thumb, not a measurement of this unit. No truck ratings or hitch classes (why; NHTSA, DOT HS 809 433).
03 The Chaparral floorplan family
Coachmen’s 2025 fifth-wheel brochure lists 19 Chaparral floorplans; every one with a printed weight has a page here.
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaparral Lite 235RK | 27' 3\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral Lite 25RE | 29' 10\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral Lite 254RLS | 30' 9\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral Lite 274BH | 35' 11\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral Lite 284RL | 34' 2\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral Lite 30RLS | 34' 2\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral Lite 30BHS | 37' | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 298RLS | 34' 8\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral Lite 368TBH | 42' | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 336TSIK | 37' | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 360IBL | 39' 9\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 355FBX | 42' 7\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 381DBL | 42' 6\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 367BH | 42' 6\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 334FL | 42' 6\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 375BAF | 42' 6\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 389DEK | 42' 4\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 373MBRB | 42' 6\" | — | Profiled |
| Chaparral 393MBX | 42' 6\" | — | Profiled |
Coachmen’s 2025 fifth-wheel brochure lists 19 Chaparral floorplans. Every one with a printed weight has a page here.
04 Notes on this floorplan
What Coachmen does not publish for the Chaparral 381DBL
Coachmen prints no sleeping capacity for this model, so none is given. Nothing is filled from a sibling model, a different model year or a dealer listing.
Read the label on the trailer
Federal rules put a load-carrying label inside every RV trailer: its unloaded weight with full propane, its cargo carrying capacity and its GVWR (49 CFR 571.110 and 571.120). Those figures come from the trailer itself and govern the towing decision.
05 How it compares
11,542 lb dry and 14,500 lb GVWR, against this model’s 12,186 lb and 14,500 lb.
12,328 lb dry and 15,500 lb GVWR, against this model’s 12,186 lb and 14,500 lb.
06 Loading it for a trip
A full 48-gallon fresh tank is about 398 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 17% of the Chaparral 381DBL’s 2,314 lb cargo capacity, leaving 1,916 lb. Across 19 Chaparral floorplans the water share runs 13% to 22%, and 4 give up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Chaparral Lite 30BHS at 17% and Chaparral Lite 235RK at 18%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.3).
07 Where this floorplan sits
Closest sibling: the Chaparral 375BAF, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 4 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): dry weight 12,186 lb vs 12,422 lb; cargo capacity 2,314 lb vs 2,078 lb; hitch weight 2,040 lb vs 2,152 lb; black tank 75 gal vs 72 gal. They match on length, GVWR, fresh tank and grey tank.
| Chaparral plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVWR (lb) | 14,500 | 12–15 of 19 | 8,900–15,500 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 12,186 | 13 of 19 | 6,950–13,080 |
| Cargo capacity (lb) | 2,314 | 9 of 19 | 1,779–3,172 |
| Hitch weight (lb) | 2,040 | 12 of 19 | 1,115–2,708 |
| Length | 42 ft 6 in | 13–18 of 19 | 27 ft 3 in–42 ft 7 in |
| Fresh tank (gal) | 48 | 9–19 of 19 | 40–48 |
| Grey tank (gal) | 112 | 14–16 of 19 | 33–135 |
| Black tank (gal) | 75 | 17–18 of 19 | 33–90 |
Either side of it by GVWR: Chaparral 375BAF matches it at 14,500 lb GVWR; Chaparral 389DEK matches it at 14,500 lb GVWR.
| Nearest Chaparral siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaparral 381DBL | 42 ft 6 in | — | 12,186 | 14,500 | 2,314 | 2,040 | 48 |
| Chaparral 375BAF | 42 ft 6 in | — | 12,422 | 14,500 | 2,078 | 2,152 | 48 |
| Chaparral 373MBRB | 42 ft 6 in | — | 13,031 | 15,000 | 1,969 | 2,219 | 48 |
| Chaparral 367BH | 42 ft 6 in | — | 12,328 | 15,500 | 3,172 | 2,194 | 48 |
| Chaparral 355FBX | 42 ft 7 in | — | 11,542 | 14,500 | 2,958 | 2,008 | 48 |
| Chaparral 360IBL | 39 ft 9 in | — | 11,450 | 14,000 | 2,550 | 2,100 | 48 |
All 19 Chaparral floorplans: Chaparral line hub.
| Other lines, nearest by GVWR | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaparral 381DBL | 14,500 | 12,186 | — | 42 ft 6 in |
| Brookstone 290RL | 14,500 | 11,472 | — | 36 ft 4 in |
| Shasta Phoenix 370BAF | 14,500 | 12,421 | — | 42 ft 6 in |
| Ridgeway 36MBL | 14,495 | 12,200 | 8 | 41 ft 0 in |
| Wolf Pack 290PACK13 | 14,470 | 11,173 | — | 39 ft 5 in |
| Cedar Creek 311RL | 14,435 | 11,244 | — | 37 ft 0 in |
| Sierra 3480RL | 14,609 | 11,509 | — | 38 ft 6 in |
Against the Chaparral 381DBL: the Brookstone 290RL is 6 ft shorter; the Ridgeway 36MBL is 5 lb lighter and 2 ft shorter.
08 Common questions about the Chaparral 381DBL
How much does the Chaparral 381DBL weigh?
12,186 lb dry; 14,500 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
How much can the Chaparral 381DBL carry?
2,314 lb, 16% of its GVWR (median across 334 fifth wheels here: 18%). A full fresh tank uses 398 lb of it.
What is the pin weight of the Chaparral 381DBL?
2,040 lb as published, 17% of the dry weight (median across 540 fifth wheels here: 19%).
What size tow vehicle does the Chaparral 381DBL need?
A tow rating of at least 14,500 lb, plus payload for the loaded pin weight, passengers and cargo.
What are the tank capacities on the Chaparral 381DBL?
Fresh 48, grey 112, black 75 gallons. Off hookups, fresh water runs out first.
How long is the Chaparral 381DBL?
42' 6" overall, tongue or pin box included.
From the figures above.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
10 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the Chaparral 381DBL. Not published: exterior width, interior height, sleeps, slide count, axle count, refrigerator, air conditioning, tire size (a description is published, a size is not).
Sourcing rules: methodology.
10 Manuals & documents
Sources: forestriverinc.com, library.rvusa.com (linked below); the full source note is at the foot of the page.