CAMPERTRAILERS.COM

Travel Trailer · Four Sub-Families · Single-Source Profile

2026 Forest River EVO163RD

a 23-foot travel trailer that leaves the factory at 4,197 lbs dry and is rated to carry 1,323 lbs of cargo.

Tow-Critical Data — as built, MY2026

4,197lb
Dry Weight
5,520lb
GVWR
420lb
Tongue Weight
23ft
Length
1,323 lb cargo Travel Trailer · Evo Singles Built by · Forest River Model year · 2026

01 What makes it unique

The EVO 163RD leaves Forest River's factory at 4,197 lbs dry, with a published GVWR of 5,520 lbs and 1,323 lbs of cargo capacity between the two. Cargo capacity is 24% of the loaded rating, and Forest River's own definition is worth reading before you plan against it: cargo capacity is what remains for fresh water, gear, food, batteries and every dealer-installed accessory. Fresh water alone is 8.3 lb per gallon, so filling this trailer's 39-gallon fresh tank spends 324 lbs of that 1,323 lbs before anything else is loaded.

Dry tongue weight is 420 lbs, or 10% of the dry weight. Ten to fifteen percent is the conventional band for a bumper-pull trailer, and this plan sits inside it as published. Tongue weight is not fixed: it moves with how the trailer is loaded, and weight added ahead of the axles raises it. A weight-distribution hitch is the normal fitment at this tongue load, and the tow vehicle's tongue-weight limit is a separate number from its trailer-weight limit.

Tank capacities are 39 gallons fresh, 54 grey and 27 black, 81 gallons of waste capacity against 39 gallons of supply. The ratio is what governs how long the trailer can sit off hookups: waste capacity exceeds fresh, so the fresh tank is the binding constraint and refilling extends the stay. Forest River publishes these three figures per floorplan, and they are the factory's numbers rather than a segment average.

Against the rest of the EVO roster this is the 6th of 19 floorplans by dry weight, in a line that runs from 2,504 lbs to 7,433 lbs. It sits in the lighter third of the line. Comparing floorplans inside one line is more reliable than comparing across brands, because every figure here comes from the same factory channel on the same day.

A useful way to read the pair of weights is to stop planning against the dry figure. Nobody tows a trailer at 4,197 lbs: that is the weight before water, batteries, propane, bedding, food, tools and anything the dealer bolted on. Load half the published cargo capacity, which is modest for a family trip, and this plan is already near 4,859 lbs on the road. Compare that number against the tow vehicle, not the dry weight, and leave margin on top of it - the published GVWR of 5,520 lbs is a limit rather than a target.

Every number above was captured twice from Forest River and checked against itself before it was published. The line roster block and the individual floorplan page are two separate factory renderings of the same trailer, and this plan's 4 shared figures agree exactly on both. Dry weight plus cargo capacity also equals the published GVWR exactly, which is the arithmetic check this site runs on every profiled floorplan. Where a figure is missing from this page it is because Forest River does not publish it in this channel, not because it was hard to find - and the row says so rather than being quietly dropped.

Forest River publishes no floorplan description for this plan in the channel this page is built from - only the numeric specification block. Rather than describe a layout from the floorplan code, which would be a guess dressed as a fact, this page carries what the factory publishes and says where it stops. 163RD is a EVO designation and this site does not decode it into a layout claim.

02 Full specifications

Dimensions

Exterior length
23' 2"
Exterior height
10' 9"
Exterior width
90"

Weights

Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
4,197 lbs
GVWR (max loaded)
5,520 lbs
Net cargo / payload (CCC)
1,323 lbs
Dry tongue (hitch) weight
420 lbs

Capacities

Fresh water
39 gal
Grey water
54 gal
Black water
27 gal

Running gear

Hitch type
Bumper pull (weight-distribution recommended)
Axles
Not published by Forest River
Tires
Not published by Forest River

Sleeping & layout

Sleeps
Not published by Forest River
Awnings
15'

Verified specs, drawn to scale

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

Loaded weight budget

Loaded weight budget for the 163RDHorizontal bar. Dry weight 4,197 pounds, then cargo capacity 1,323 pounds, against a GVWR of 5,520 pounds. Dry tongue weight 420 pounds on the same scale.GVWR 5,520 lbsDry 4,197 lbsCargo capacity 1,323 lbsDry tongue weight 420 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.

Size, drawn to scale

Scale outline of the 163RDScale outline of the 163RD. Overall length 23' 2", overall height 10' 9", overall width 90' 0".end view90' 0"23' 2" overall length10' 9"
Overall length and height are drawn true to scale from the published figures, and the end view uses the same scale. Axle count is as published; axle position, wheel size and the nose profile are schematic. This is a size drawing, not a floorplan, and not a claim about body shape.

Holding tanks

Holding tank capacities for the 163RDHolding tank capacities: fresh 39 gallons, grey 54 gallons, black 27 gallons.Fresh39 galGrey54 galBlack27 gal
Published tank capacities on one scale. A full fresh tank is about 325 lbs of water — roughly 25% of this plan’s 1,323 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.

03 The EVO floorplan family

EVO is not one roster but four, and the factory publishes them under separate headings: EVO, EVO Lites, EVO Selects and EVO Singles. That matters for anyone shopping by weight, because the sub-family a plan belongs to predicts its weight class more reliably than its floorplan number does - the Singles run single-axle and light, the base EVO group runs tandem-axle and heavier, and a buyer comparing two EVO plans by number alone can be a full tow class out.

FloorplanNominalSleepsNotable
250ZENEvo · published specifications only
270ZENEvo · published specifications only
300ICEEvo · published specifications only
31KQBTSEvo · published specifications only
135ICE16' 0"2,5043,865Evo Selects
164FBLE20' 2"2,9883,865Evo Selects · published specifications only
174DBLE21' 8"3,2293,935Evo Selects
179DB22' 5"3,5154,892Evo Singles · published specifications only
178BHS22' 11"4,1825,670Evo Singles · published specifications only
163RD23' 2"4,1975,520Evo Singles
165VW23' 2"4,4375,650Evo Singles · published specifications only
233RBLE28' 3"4,7147,520Evo Selects
266BHLE29' 11"4,8537,550Catalogued only · published figures disagree
2700BHX31' 9"5,8547,682Evo Lites · published specifications only
2405BHX28' 11"5,8887,740Evo Lites · published specifications only
2290ER28' 5"5,9428,450Evo
2750QBX33' 3"5,9757,680Evo Lites · published specifications only
2480VBX29' 11"6,1598,575Evo Lites
25ICE29' 10"6,1787,700Evo Lites · published specifications only
26ICE32' 9"6,2887,785Evo Lites · published specifications only
2985VBX33' 10"6,3758,571Evo Lites
260ICE29' 11"6,6139,695Evo · published specifications only
2920VB34' 11"7,4339,615Evo

EVO is published by Forest River as four sub-families - EVO, EVO Lites, EVO Selects and EVO Singles - across twenty-three floorplans for 2027. The sub-family each plan belongs to is shown in the table below because it is the strongest single predictor of weight class in this line. Forest River publishes dry weight, cargo capacity, dry tongue weight and the exterior dimensions for all twenty-three, and a GVWR for nineteen. Sleeping capacity, axle count, tire size and MSRP are not published in this channel.

04 What owners & reviewers report

What Forest River does not publish for this line

Sleeping capacity, axle count, tire size and MSRP are absent from Forest River's specification channel for EVO, so they are absent here. They are not estimated from the segment, not carried over from a sibling floorplan, and not taken from a dealer listing quoting itself. A tire size in particular is a safety-relevant number that differs between two codes a digit apart, and this site does not guess one.

Weigh it before you tow it

Every figure on this page is a factory publication for a standard build. Forest River's own footnote on unloaded weight calls it an estimated average based on a standard build with optional equipment, and options, dealer-installed accessories and the previous owner's additions all move it. The only weight that governs your towing decision is the one under your own trailer on a scale, loaded the way you actually travel.

SOURCING — ownership notes to be expanded with cited threads from owner communities & forums per the data plan

05 How it compares

Lighter
EVO 174DBLE

3,229 lbs dry against this plan's 4,197 lbs, a difference of 968 lbs. Same line, same factory channel, same model year - so the gap is a real one rather than a difference in how two brands measure.

Heavier
EVO 233RBLE

4,714 lbs dry, 517 lbs more than this plan, and 2,806 lbs of cargo capacity against this one's 1,323 lbs. Stepping up a floorplan usually buys length before it buys payload.

Most cargo in the line
EVO 233RBLE

2,806 lbs of cargo capacity, the highest of the 8 EVO floorplans profiled here. If payload rather than length is the binding constraint, that is the plan to compare against.

06 Loading it for a trip

This floorplan carries its water comfortably. A full 39-gallon fresh tank is roughly 25% of the 1,323-pound cargo capacity, leaving the 163RD with a usable gear budget even when you tow full.

Weight budgetFigureWhat it means
Cargo capacity as published (CCC)1,323 lbEverything you add: gear, water, propane, batteries, food, people’s belongings.
Fresh tank filled (39 gal × 8.34 lb)−325 lbWater is the heaviest thing most owners add, and it is added first.
Cargo budget left with a full fresh tank998 lb25% of this plan’s capacity is spent before a single bag is loaded.

The published dry tongue weight of 420 pounds is 10% of the 4,197-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 5,520-pound GVWR the 163RD is towing 1,323 pounds more than its 4,197-pound dry figure, and that is the number your vehicle has to be rated for — not the brochure weight.

Tank balance is generous here: 39 gallons of fresh against 54 grey and 27 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

Ranked by GVWR, the 163RD sits 3 of 8 in the EVO line: 5,520 pounds against a line that runs from 3,865 to 9,615 pounds. That position is the useful thing to know, because the plans immediately either side of it are the real alternatives.

Either side of it in the same line: EVO 174DBLE is 1,585 pounds lighter at 3,935 lb GVWR; and EVO 233RBLE is 2,000 pounds heavier at 7,520 lb GVWR.

Comparable travel trailersGVWR (lb)Dry (lb)SleepsLength
163RD5,5204,19723 ft 2 in
IBEX 16MKD5,5234,02321 ft 8 in
Cascade 17SCC5,5404,28923 ft 11 in
Micro Minnie 1800BH5,5003,821521 ft 11 in
Flagstaff E-Pro E201SFK5,4984,213421 ft 2 in
Rockwood Geo Pro G20SFK5,4984,213421 ft 2 in
Cherokee Wolf Pup 16FQW5,5453,619321 ft 10 in

Against the 163RD: the IBEX 16MKD is 3 lb heavier and 2 ft shorter; the Cascade 17SCC is 20 lb heavier; the Micro Minnie 1800BH is 20 lb lighter and 1 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 EVO floorplans profiled here run 2,504 to 7,433 pounds dry and 16 to 35 feet of exterior length across 8 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 EVO line hub.

08 Common questions about the 163RD

How much does the 163RD weigh?

It leaves the factory at 4,197 pounds dry, and its manufacturer-set loaded ceiling (GVWR) is 5,520 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 163RD carry?

Cargo carrying capacity is 1,323 pounds. That is the whole budget: water, propane, batteries, gear and everything you bring. Filling the 39-gallon fresh tank uses about 325 pounds of that.

What is the tongue weight of the 163RD?

The published dry tongue weight is 420 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 163RD need?

Your vehicle needs a tow rating of at least 5,520 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.

What are the tank capacities on the 163RD?

Fresh 39 gallons, grey 54 gallons, black 27 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 163RD?

Exterior length is 23' 2". 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 163RD. 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: interior height, sleeps, slide count, axle count, tire specification, 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 (85%) 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 EVO line, and NHTSA holds 4 recall campaigns 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.

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 EVO line page.