01 What makes it unique
The Freedom Express Ultra Lite 22MLS is the line’s compact single-slide couples’ coach — at 26 feet 10 inches it is one of the shortest plans in the lineup, yet it still gets a slide-out living area rather than the no-slide layout of the smaller 192RBS. A front foot-facing queen bed (60-by-80) with Freedom Vaulted under-bed storage anchors the front; an off-door full bath sits behind it; and the door side opens onto a U-dinette with standard theater seats and a mid-coach galley. There are no bunks — this is a two-person trailer with room for occasional guests on the dinette and theater seats. Nominal capacity is four, though many dealers list it as a sleeps-three couples’ coach.
At 5,602 pounds unloaded and a published 7,600-pound GVWR, the 22MLS carries an unusually healthy 1,998 pounds of cargo capacity — more payload than several longer plans in the line — and tows comfortably behind any half-ton with about 738 pounds of hitch weight. Standard equipment is full 12-volt residential: a Magic Chef 10-cubic-foot 12V refrigerator, a Magic Chef three-burner gas cooktop with a microwave, a GE 15,000-BTU ducted air conditioner with a ducted furnace, a Suburban 42,000-BTU tankless water heater and a Freedom Solar Ready 200-watt panel with a 30-amp controller. A 50-amp upgrade with a second air conditioner is optional. The grey and black tanks are 35 gallons each behind a 52-gallon fresh tank, and an 18-foot power awning shades the door side.
Construction is the Freedom Express Alumicage recipe — two-step pinch-rolled, vacuum-bonded walls with dual-sided Azdel composite under a LAMILUX 1000 fiberglass exterior, a 3/4 gel-coated fiberglass cap, a full walk-on roof with Dicor Tufflex PVC and a heated, enclosed underbelly, all over a spread-axle chassis — a clear tier above the metal-sided Catalina value line. One quirk worth knowing: theater seats are a required build item on the 22MLS (Coachmen lists them as mandatory rather than optional on this plan), so every unit comes with the theater-seat lounge on the slide. For a couple who wants a short, light, easy-towing coach with a big payload cushion and a real slide-out living room, the 22MLS is the line’s most practical compact plan.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 26' 10"
- Exterior width
- 8' 0"
- Exterior height
- 11' 1"
- Slide-outs
- 1
Weights
- Unloaded vehicle weight
- 5,602 lbs*
- GVWR (published)
- 7,600 lbs
- Cargo carrying capacity
- 1,998 lbs
- Hitch / tongue weight
- 738 lbs
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 52 gal
- Grey water
- 35 gal
- Black water
- 35 gal
- Refrigerator
- 10 cu ft 12V
Construction
- Frame
- Alumicage aluminum cage
- Walls
- Vac-bonded dual Azdel · LAMILUX 1000
- Roof
- Full walk-on · Dicor Tufflex PVC
- Floor
- 3" aluminum-framed · 5/8" ply
Running gear
- Axles
- 2 (tandem) (spread)
- Hitch
- Bumper Pull
- Suspension
- Dexter E-Z Lube axles
- Rock guard
- Front rock guard
Galley & bath
- Refrigerator
- 10 cu ft 12V (Magic Chef)
- Cooktop
- 3-burner gas + microwave
- A/C
- 15,000 BTU (ducted)
- Water heater
- 42K tankless on-demand
- Solar
- 200W + 30A controller
Sleeping & layout
- Sleeps
- 4
- Primary bed
- Front queen (60" x 80")
- Layout
- Front bedroom, off-door full bath, mid-galley, U-dinette + standard theater seats, single slide
- Awnings
- 1 (18' power, LED)
03 Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite floorplan family
Coachmen's Freedom Express Ultra Lite is the brand's value-oriented ultra-light travel trailer — a laminated-fiberglass, aluminum-caged line built to tow behind a mid-size SUV or any half-ton. The 22MLS on this page is highlighted; the other profiled plans link to their own pages. Profiled here are breadth-spanning floorplans — a compact couples' rear-bath, a mid couples' coach, a dual-entry family bunkhouse, a dual-slide bunkhouse and the triple-bunk flagship — with the rest of the roster catalogued on the line hub and profiled in demand order. (Coachmen also fields an entry-trim Freedom Express Select sub-line, summarized on the hub.)
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 192RBS | 22' 5" | 3 | Front bed, rear bath, sofa slide, single-axle-class couples |
| 22MLS | 26' 10" | 4 | Front bed, U-dinette, mid-galley, standard theater seats, single slide |
| 245RKS | 28' 5" | 4 | Rear kitchen, front bed, walk-through bath, theater seating |
| 258BHS | 29' 6" | 8 | Front bed, rear double-size bunks, U-dinette slide, camp kitchen |
| 252RBS | 29' 8" | 4 | Front bed, rear bath, outside kitchen, fireplace |
| 259FKDS | 29' 11" | 4 | Front kitchen, rear KING bed, two slides, fireplace |
| 271BHE | 29' 11" | 4 | Dual-entry private bunk room + front bed, outdoor griddle |
| 274RKS | 31' 10" | 4 | Rear kitchen, front bedroom, fireplace slide, hide-a-bed, outside kitchen |
| 288BHDS | 32' 9" | 8 | Dual-entry family bunkhouse, double bunks, front bedroom, outside kitchen |
| 292BHDS | 33' 4" | 8 | Rear bunk room, U-dinette slide, island entertainment |
| 320BHDS | 36' 10" | 8 | Triple bunks, 3 slides, kitchen island, fireplace, 20' awning |
| 326BHDS | 36' 10" | 9 | Three bunks, rear bunk-room half bath, fireplace, dual awnings |
Every Freedom Express Ultra Lite uses Alumicage construction: two-step pinch-rolled and vacuum-bonded walls with dual-sided Azdel composite under a LAMILUX 1000 fiberglass exterior, a 3/4 gel-coated fiberglass cap with an automotive-glass windshield, a full walk-on roof with Dicor Tufflex PVC roofing, a 3-inch aluminum-framed floor with 5/8-inch plywood decking and a heated, enclosed underbelly — a clear construction tier above the metal-sided Catalina value line, alongside Coachmen's premium Apex Ultra-Lite. Standard equipment is full 12-volt residential: a Magic Chef 10-cubic-foot 12V double-door refrigerator, a 3-burner gas cooktop with a microwave, a Suburban 42,000-BTU tankless water heater, a GE 15,000-BTU roof air conditioner (with ducted furnace and A/C on all plans except the 192), a Freedom Solar Ready 200-watt panel with a 30-amp controller and 3,000-watt inverter prep, a central vacuum, a porcelain toilet, a power tongue jack, a power awning and backup-camera prep. A 50-amp upgrade with a second 15,000-BTU air conditioner, a hide-a-bed sofa, theater seats and power stabilizer jacks are options on select plans. Lengths, weights and equipment change with options and model year — always confirm against the unit's own weight sticker. Additional Freedom Express Ultra Lite and Select floorplans are catalogued on the line hub.
04 What owners & reviewers report
A big payload cushion in a short body
The 22MLS carries a published 1,998-lb cargo capacity on a 5,602-lb coach — more usable payload than several longer Freedom Express plans — so loading gear, water and two adults rarely strains the GVWR.
Theater seats are standard — in fact required
Coachmen lists theater seats as a required build item on the 22MLS (not an option), so every unit opens to a theater-seat lounge on the slide; there is no delete option.
A short, easy half-ton tow
At 26' 10" and 738 lb of hitch weight, the 22MLS is one of the shortest plans in the line and tows behind any half-ton; confirm your truck’s payload covers the tongue load.
A couples’ coach, not a family plan
There are no bunks — sleeping is the front queen plus the convertible U-dinette and theater seats. Dealers split between listing it as sleeps three and sleeps four depending on whether the convertibles are counted.
Selling price runs well below the placard
Dealer MSRP placards run into the high-$40,000s while selling prices commonly land near $30,000; the figure shown is dealer-typical selling and is flagged.
05 How it compares
The lightest, shortest couples’ plan — a front bed and rear bath with no slide, single-axle-class, easier still to tow with an SUV.
A rear-kitchen couples’ coach — a full-width rear galley, a pass-through bath and an outside camp kitchen in a slightly longer body.
A no-slide family bunkhouse one construction tier down — metal-sided value build with rear bunks, at a lower price.