01 What makes it unique
Highland Ridge lists the 2023 Mesa Ridge 284RLS at 10,170 lb dry, a GVWR of 12,500 lb, a net carrying capacity of 2,330 lb and a pin weight of 1,780 lb. Its dry weight plus its carrying capacity comes to exactly its GVWR.
It is 34' 3" long and 12' 10" high. Highland Ridge prints its tanks as 85 gal fresh, 97 gal grey, 40 gal black.
Among the 7 Mesa Ridge floorplans Highland Ridge’s 2023 Mesa Ridge fifth-wheel brochure lists with a published dry weight, it is number 1 from the lightest, in a range from 10,170 lb (Mesa Ridge 284RLS) to 13,260 lb (Mesa Ridge 395BHS). Every figure in that comparison is Highland Ridge’s, for the same model year.
Every number on this page was read on 5 Nov 2026 from Highland Ridge’s 2023 Mesa Ridge fifth-wheel brochure, the maker’s own dated document for model year 2023.
How the 284RLS differs from the other six Mesa Ridge floorplans. Most distinctive first. How these ranks are worked out.
- Dry weight, 10,170 lb: lightest of seven; next is the 376FBH (12,240 lb).
- GVWR, 12,500 lb: lowest of seven; next is the 376FBH (15,000 lb).
- Cargo capacity, 2,330 lb: smallest of seven; next is the 373RBS (2,500 lb).
- Pin weight, 1,780 lb: lightest of seven; next is the 379FBS (2,245 lb).
- Pin weight as a share of dry weight, 17.5%: smallest of seven; next is the 379FBS (18%).
- Length, 34 ft 3 in: shortest of seven; next is the 374BHS (41 ft 1 in).
- Exterior height, 12 ft 10 in: lowest of seven; next is the 395BHS (13 ft).
- Cargo capacity as a share of GVWR, 18.6%: third-largest of six, between the 376FBH and 395BHS (18.4%) and the 374BHS (18.7%).
- Grey tank, 97 gal: third-largest of seven, between the 376FBH (82 gal) and the 379FBS (114 gal).
- Black tank, 40 gal: smallest of seven, level with the 371MBH; next are the 373RBS, 374BHS and two others (80 gal).
Next to the 376FBH, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 284RLS is 2,070 lb lighter by dry weight, has a GVWR 2,500 lb lower, has 430 lb less cargo capacity, has a pin weight 735 lb lighter, is 8 ft shorter, stands 4 in lower, has a grey tank 15 gal larger and has a black tank 42 gal smaller; the two publish the same interior height and fresh tank.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 34' 3"
- Exterior height
- 12' 10"
- Exterior width
- 8' 4"
- Interior height
- 8' 2" (lower deck); 6' 6" (upper deck)
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 10,170 lb
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 12,500 lb
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 2,330 lb
- Hitch / pin weight
- 1,780 lb
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 85 gal
- Grey water
- 97 gal
- Black water
- 40 gal
Running gear
- Hitch type
- Fifth wheel (pin box)
- Tire size
- 16"
Sleeping & layout
- Sleeps
- Not published by Highland Ridge
- Spec table heading
- Highland Ridge heads this table “May Include Estimated Values”
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, with end view
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 (12,500 lb) and the upper loaded pin estimate (3,125 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 Mesa Ridge floorplan family
Highland Ridge’s 2023 Mesa Ridge fifth-wheel brochure lists 7 Mesa Ridge floorplans; every one with a printed weight has a page here.
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa Ridge 284RLS | 34' 3\" | — | Profiled |
| Mesa Ridge 376FBH | 42' 3\" | — | Profiled |
| Mesa Ridge 379FBS | 43' 1\" | — | Profiled |
| Mesa Ridge 374BHS | 41' 1\" | — | Profiled |
| Mesa Ridge 371MBH | 42' 5\" | — | Profiled |
| Mesa Ridge 373RBS | 43' 0\" | — | Profiled |
| Mesa Ridge 395BHS | 43' 7\" | — | Profiled |
Highland Ridge’s 2023 Mesa Ridge fifth-wheel brochure lists 7 Mesa Ridge floorplans. Every one with a printed weight has a page here.
04 Notes on this floorplan
What Highland Ridge does not publish for the Mesa Ridge 284RLS
Highland Ridge 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
12,240 lb dry and 15,000 lb GVWR, against this model’s 10,170 lb and 12,500 lb.
06 Loading it for a trip
A full 85-gallon fresh tank is about 706 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 30% of the Mesa Ridge 284RLS’s 2,330 lb cargo capacity, leaving 1,624 lb. Across 7 Mesa Ridge floorplans the water share runs 23% to 30%, and this plan’s is the highest. Nearest on that share: Mesa Ridge 373RBS at 28%. 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 Mesa Ridge 371MBH, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 6 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): length 34 ft 3 in vs 42 ft 5 in; dry weight 10,170 lb vs 12,665 lb; GVWR 12,500 lb vs 15,500 lb; cargo capacity 2,330 lb vs 2,940 lb; hitch weight 1,780 lb vs 2,350 lb; grey tank 97 gal vs 80 gal. They match on fresh tank and black tank.
| Mesa Ridge plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVWR (lb) | 12,500 | 1 of 7 | 12,500–16,250 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 10,170 | 1 of 7 | 10,170–13,260 |
| Cargo capacity (lb) | 2,330 | 1 of 7 | 2,330–3,005 |
| Hitch weight (lb) | 1,780 | 1 of 7 | 1,780–2,575 |
| Length | 34 ft 3 in | 1 of 7 | 34 ft 3 in–43 ft 7 in |
| Grey tank (gal) | 97 | 5 of 7 | 80–132 |
| Black tank (gal) | 40 | 1–2 of 7 | 40–82 |
Either side of it by GVWR: Mesa Ridge 376FBH is 2,500 lb heavier (15,000 lb GVWR).
| Nearest Mesa Ridge siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa Ridge 284RLS | 34 ft 3 in | — | 10,170 | 12,500 | 2,330 | 1,780 | 85 |
| Mesa Ridge 371MBH | 42 ft 5 in | — | 12,665 | 15,500 | 2,940 | 2,350 | 85 |
| Mesa Ridge 376FBH | 42 ft 3 in | — | 12,240 | 15,000 | 2,760 | 2,515 | 85 |
| Mesa Ridge 373RBS | 43 ft 0 in | — | 13,000 | 15,500 | 2,500 | 2,495 | 85 |
| Mesa Ridge 379FBS | 43 ft 1 in | — | 12,495 | 15,500 | 3,005 | 2,245 | 85 |
| Mesa Ridge 374BHS | 41 ft 1 in | — | 12,595 | 15,500 | 2,905 | 2,315 | 85 |
All 7 Mesa Ridge floorplans: Mesa Ridge line hub.
| Other lines, nearest by GVWR | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa Ridge 284RLS | 12,500 | 10,170 | — | 34 ft 3 in |
| Chaparral Lite 368TBH | 12,500 | 9,850 | — | 42 ft 0 in |
| Shasta Phoenix 368TBH | 12,500 | 9,849 | — | 42 ft 0 in |
| Eagle 31MB | 12,750 | 10,690 | 7 | 37 ft 6 in |
| Cardinal 32CHILL | 12,188 | 9,688 | — | 35 ft 3 in |
| Columbus 340RG | 12,870 | 10,464 | — | 34 ft 8 in |
| Arctic Wolf 3250SUITE | 12,040 | 9,668 | — | 36 ft 1 in |
Against the Mesa Ridge 284RLS: the Chaparral Lite 368TBH is 8 ft longer; the Shasta Phoenix 368TBH is 8 ft longer; the Eagle 31MB is 250 lb heavier and 3 ft longer.
08 Common questions about the Mesa Ridge 284RLS
How much does the Mesa Ridge 284RLS weigh?
10,170 lb dry; 12,500 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
How much can the Mesa Ridge 284RLS carry?
2,330 lb, 19% of its GVWR (median across 334 fifth wheels here: 18%). A full fresh tank uses 706 lb of it.
What is the pin weight of the Mesa Ridge 284RLS?
1,780 lb as published, 18% of the dry weight (median across 540 fifth wheels here: 19%).
What size tow vehicle does the Mesa Ridge 284RLS need?
A tow rating of at least 12,500 lb, plus payload for the loaded pin weight, passengers and cargo.
What are the tank capacities on the Mesa Ridge 284RLS?
Fresh 85, grey 97, black 40 gallons. Off hookups, fresh water runs out first.
How long is the Mesa Ridge 284RLS?
34' 3" overall, tongue or pin box included.
From the figures above.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
11 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the Mesa Ridge 284RLS. Not published: sleeps, slide count, axle count, awning, refrigerator, air conditioning, tire size (a description is published, a size is not).
Sourcing rules: methodology.
10 Manuals & documents
Sources: library.rvusa.com (linked below); the full source note is at the foot of the page.