01 What makes it unique
The Freedom Express Ultra Lite 326BHDS packs the most sleeping power in the line — three bunk beds plus a front queen, with a rear bunk room that has its own half bath. A foot-facing front queen with vaulted under-bed storage and side wardrobes anchors the front, with an off-door full bathroom beside it; the kitchen wraps from the inner wall to the off-door side with a sink, microwave, cooktop and refrigerator; an entertainment center with a fireplace lines the inner wall; a door-side slide carries a dinette and a hide-a-bed sofa (standard on this plan, with an optional theater seat) plus a pantry; and a rear bunk room holds an off-door half bathroom and a slide with a roll-over sofa under a flip-up bunk, a door-side upper bunk, and rear wardrobes with a TV. That second half bath is the convenience story — kids and guests in the bunk room don’t cross the whole coach at night. Nominal capacity reaches nine.
At 8,396 pounds unloaded and 36 feet 10 inches, the 326BHDS is a half-ton-plus tow, but it carries a useful payload: a 10,500-pound GVWR over an 8,396-pound unloaded weight leaves about 2,104 pounds of cargo capacity, real room for a big family’s gear. 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 42,000-BTU tankless water heater, a 200-watt solar package and 3,000-watt inverter prep. The tanks are sized for the crowd: a 50-gallon fresh, a 70-gallon grey and a 70-gallon black to feed the bath and a half. Dual awnings (11-foot and 8-foot) shade the door side. A 50-amp upgrade with a second air conditioner is optional.
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 big family that wants three bunks, a bunk-room half bath, a fireplace and the line’s most sleeping power in a laminate ultra-light, the 326BHDS is the top bunkhouse of the Freedom Express Ultra Lite range.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 36' 10"
- Exterior width
- 8' 0"
- Exterior height
- 11' 3"
- Slide-outs
- 2
Weights
- Unloaded vehicle weight
- 8,396 lbs*
- GVWR (published)
- 10,500 lbs
- Cargo carrying capacity
- 2,104 lbs
- Hitch / tongue weight
- 1,156 lbs
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 50 gal
- Grey water
- 70 gal
- Black water
- 70 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
- 9
- Primary bed
- Front queen
- Layout
- Front queen + full bath, mid-galley, fireplace, door-side dinette/hide-a-bed slide, rear bunk room (three bunk beds) with half bath, two slides, outside camp kitchen
- Awnings
- 2 (11' + 8' power, LED)
Drawn to scale
Weight budget
Size, with end view
Holding tanks
Axles, wheels and nose shape are schematic; not a floorplan. Data: dataset.
Towing it
Loaded range: 10–15% of GVWR on the tongue, a rule of thumb, not a measurement of this unit. No truck ratings or hitch classes (why; NHTSA, DOT HS 809 433). The range starts at the published dry figure, because loaded is never lighter than dry.
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 326BHDS 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 Notes on this floorplan
The line’s most sleeping power — three bunks plus a queen
Three bunk beds in the rear room plus a front queen and the dinette/sofa berths reach nine — the highest nominal capacity in the Freedom Express Ultra Lite line.
A bath and a half
A rear bunk-room half bathroom in addition to the front full bath means kids and guests don’t cross the whole coach at night — a real convenience in a family trailer.
Tanks sized for the crowd
A 70-gallon grey and a 70-gallon black tank (versus 35 on most plans) feed the bath and a half and stretch the time between dumps for a full load of people.
A half-ton-plus tow
At 8,396 lb UVW, a 10,500-lb GVWR and a 1,156-lb tongue, the 326BHDS needs a capable half-ton or larger and a proper weight-distributing hitch — confirm your truck’s rating and payload.
05 How it compares
A shorter single-slide bunkhouse — a rear bunk room and a U-dinette slide, lighter with a slightly lower GVWR but a similar big payload, sleeping eight.
The triple-slide flagship — trio bunks, a kitchen island and a fireplace across three slides, longer and heavier with the line’s biggest payload.
A large-family triple-slide bunk-room plan one construction tier down — metal-sided value build.
06 Loading it for a trip
A full 50-gallon fresh tank is about 417 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 20% of the 326BHDS’s 2,104 lb cargo capacity, leaving 1,687 lb (187 lb per rated berth). Across 12 Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite floorplans the water share runs 15% to 29%, and 6 give up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 259FKDS at 20% and Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 271BHE at 21%. 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 Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 320BHDS, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 5 of the 9 fields both publish (this plan first): sleeps 9 vs 8; dry weight 8,396 lb vs 7,734 lb; cargo capacity 2,104 lb vs 2,766 lb; dry hitch weight 1,156 lb vs 820 lb; black tank 70 gal vs 35 gal. They match on length, GVWR, fresh tank and grey tank.
| Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVWR (lb) | 10,500 | 11–12 of 12 | 6,094–10,500 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 8,396 | 12 of 12 | 4,538–8,396 |
| Cargo capacity (lb) | 2,104 | 7 of 12 | 1,492–2,766 |
| Dry hitch weight (lb) | 1,156 | 12 of 12 | 494–1,156 |
| Length | 36 ft 10 in | 11–12 of 12 | 22 ft 5 in–36 ft 10 in |
| Fresh tank (gal) | 50 | 1–7 of 12 | 50–52 |
| Grey tank (gal) | 70 | 8–12 of 12 | 35–70 |
| Black tank (gal) | 70 | 12 of 12 | 35–70 |
| Sleeps | 9 | 12 of 12 | 3–9 |
Either side of it by GVWR: Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 320BHDS matches it at 10,500 lb GVWR.
| Nearest Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 326BHDS | 36 ft 10 in | 9 | 8,396 | 10,500 | 2,104 | 1,156 | 50 |
| Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 320BHDS | 36 ft 10 in | 8 | 7,734 | 10,500 | 2,766 | 820 | 50 |
| Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 274RKS | 31 ft 10 in | 4 | 6,866 | 9,000 | 2,134 | 870 | 50 |
| Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 271BHE | 29 ft 11 in | 4 | 6,952 | 9,000 | 2,048 | 808 | 52 |
| Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 259FKDS | 29 ft 11 in | 4 | 6,790 | 9,000 | 2,210 | 752 | 52 |
| Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 288BHDS | 32 ft 9 in | 8 | 6,730 | 9,000 | 2,270 | 680 | 50 |
All 12 Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite floorplans: Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite line hub.
| Other lines, nearest by GVWR | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 326BHDS | 10,500 | 8,396 | 9 | 36 ft 10 in |
| Jay Flight 333BTS | 10,500 | 8,375 | 11 | 37 ft 10 in |
| Seismic 265 | 10,500 | 6,550 | — | 31 ft 6 in |
| Outback 328RL | 10,500 | 8,791 | 6 | 37 ft 7 in |
| Puma 31RLQS | 10,500 | 8,808 | 4 | 36 ft 1 in |
| Delta 321BH | 10,450 | 8,330 | 7 | 36 ft 11 in |
| Coachmen Catalina 343BHTS | 10,436 | 8,936 | 10 | 38 ft 1 in |
Against the 326BHDS: the Jay Flight 333BTS is 1 ft longer and sleeps 2 more; the Seismic 265 is 5 ft shorter; the Outback 328RL sleeps 3 fewer.
08 Common questions about the 326BHDS
How much does the 326BHDS weigh?
8,396 lb dry; 10,500 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
How much can the 326BHDS carry?
2,104 lb, 20% of its GVWR (median across 958 travel trailers here: 23%). A full fresh tank uses 417 lb of it.
What is the tongue weight of the 326BHDS?
1,156 lb dry, 14% of the dry weight (median across 1,156 travel trailers here: 12%).
What size tow vehicle does the 326BHDS need?
A tow rating of at least 10,500 lb, plus payload for the loaded tongue weight, passengers and cargo.
How many people does the 326BHDS sleep?
It is rated to sleep 9. No other Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite floorplan here is rated for more.
What are the tank capacities on the 326BHDS?
Fresh 50, grey 70, black 70 gallons. Off hookups, fresh water runs out first.
How long is the 326BHDS?
36' 10" overall, tongue or pin box included.
From the figures above.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
16 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the 326BHDS. Not published: interior height, tire specification.
Values marked with an asterisk are arithmetic on published figures or come from a single source; the flag travels into the downloadable spec sheet.
Sourcing rules: methodology.
10 Manuals & documents
Sources: forestriverinc.com, coachmenrv.com (linked below); the full source note is at the foot of the page.
11 NHTSA safety record
NHTSA holds 13 recall campaigns and 45 owner complaints against the Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite line. They are counted separately: a recall is a confirmed defect with a remedy, a complaint one owner’s unverified account.
What to look at on a used one. Across the 45 complaints filed on this line the most-reported components are structure (24%), suspension (24%) and tires (18%).
Recall coverage here is not complete, and complaints are owners’ unverified reports (how this record is built). Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy. Full tables are on the Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite line page.