01 What makes it unique
The Freedom Express Ultra Lite 288BHDS is a dual-entry family bunkhouse — a sub-33-foot coach that pairs a private front bedroom with a rear bunk room, the two ends linked by a combined kitchen-and-living area. The rear bunks are double-size (good for kids or guests) with an exterior storage door beneath them; a front private bedroom carries a queen bed with vaulted under-bed storage; and a full bath sits between, with one of the two entry doors opening into it for convenience while the other opens into the living area. A large slide carries a booth dinette and a sofa across from an entertainment center with a hidden pantry behind a swivel TV; a full interior kitchen with a flip-up countertop runs the galley; and an exterior pull-out camp kitchen with a refrigerator extends the cooking outside. Nominal capacity reaches eight.
At 6,730 pounds unloaded and 32 feet 9 inches, the 288BHDS is a half-ton-plus tow, but it carries one of the more usable payloads in the line: a 9,000-pound GVWR over a 6,730-pound unloaded weight leaves about 2,270 pounds of cargo capacity, real headroom for a family loading gear and full water. Standard equipment is full 12-volt residential: a Magic Chef 10-cubic-foot 12V refrigerator, a 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, a Freedom Solar Ready 200-watt panel with a 30-amp controller and 3,000-watt inverter prep. A 50-amp upgrade with a second 15,000-BTU air conditioner, a hide-a-bed sofa and theater seats are options. The grey and black tanks are 35 gallons each behind a 50-gallon fresh tank, and a 20-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. For a family that wants double bunks, a private front bedroom, dual entry doors and a generous payload in a still-half-ton-towable laminate coach, the 288BHDS is one of the line’s most practical family plans.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 32' 9"
- Exterior width
- 8' 0"
- Exterior height
- 11' 1"
- Slide-outs
- 1
Weights
- Unloaded vehicle weight
- 6,730 lbs*
- GVWR (published)
- 9,000 lbs
- Cargo carrying capacity
- 2,270 lbs
- Hitch / tongue weight
- 680 lbs
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 50 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
- 8
- Primary bed
- Front queen
- Layout
- Front private bedroom, dual-entry full bath, combined kitchen + living on a large slide (booth dinette + sofa + entertainment center), rear double-size bunks with storage door beneath, outside camp kitchen
- Awnings
- 1 (20' 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 288BHDS 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
Double bunks plus a private front bedroom
Rear double-size bunks (with an exterior storage door beneath) and a separate front queen bedroom give a family real separation — kids in the back, adults up front.
Dual entry doors and a big payload
Two entry doors (one into the full bath, one into the living area) ease the morning rush, and a 9,000-lb GVWR over a 6,730-lb unloaded weight leaves about 2,270 lb of cargo capacity — generous for a bunkhouse this size.
Combined kitchen-living on a large slide + outside kitchen
A booth dinette and sofa face an entertainment center with a hidden pantry on the slide, and an exterior pull-out camp kitchen with a refrigerator extends the cooking outdoors.
Sleeps eight on the factory record
The factory and dealer spec tables list a sleeping capacity of eight; some dealer marketing copy says up to ten — the factory figure of eight is used here.
A half-ton-plus tow
At 6,730 lb UVW and a 9,000-lb GVWR, the 288BHDS wants a capable half-ton or larger — the higher GVWR is what creates the generous payload, so confirm your truck’s rating.
Selling price runs well below the placard
Dealer MSRP placards run high while selling prices commonly land near $36,000–$38,000; the figure shown is dealer-typical selling and is flagged.
05 How it compares
A compact dual-entry family bunkhouse under 30 feet — a private bunk room in a shorter, lighter body with a lower GVWR.
A slightly longer single-slide bunkhouse — a rear bunk room with a double plus an upper bunk and a higher GVWR, for a bigger family.
A dual-entry double-bunk family plan one construction tier down — metal-sided value build, heavier, at a lower price.