01 What makes it unique
Northwood lists the Desert Fox 23T16 at 8,895 lb dry, a GVWR of 12,000 lb, a net carrying capacity of 3,105 lb and a hitch weight of 1,510 lb. Its dry weight plus its carrying capacity comes to exactly its GVWR.
It is 30’2″ long and 13’0″ high. Northwood prints its tanks as 90 gal fresh, 76 gal grey, 40 gal black.
Among the 4 Desert Fox floorplans Northwood’s Desert Fox model pages on northwoodmfg.com (no model year stated) lists with a published dry weight, it is number 2 from the lightest, in a range from 8,595 lb (Desert Fox 24AS) to 9,005 lb (Desert Fox 27F11). Every figure in that comparison is Northwood’s, read from the same set of model pages.
Every number on this page was read on 6 Nov 2026 from Northwood’s own Desert Fox model pages on northwoodmfg.com (no model year stated) for the Desert Fox 23T16, which names no model year; the figures are shown as the maker published them, and no year is claimed for them.
How the 23T16 differs from the other three Desert Fox floorplans. Most distinctive first. How these ranks are worked out.
- Grey tank, 76 gal: largest of four; next are the 24AS, 27F11 and 27FS (47 gal).
- Black tank, 40 gal: smallest of four; next are the 24AS, 27F11 and 27FS (50 gal).
- Sleeping capacity, 4: smallest of four; next are the 24AS, 27F11 and 27FS (6).
- Dry weight, 8,895 lb: second-lightest of four, between the 24AS (8,595 lb) and the 27FS (8,942 lb).
- Cargo capacity, 3,105 lb: second-largest of four, between the 27FS (3,058 lb) and the 24AS (3,405 lb).
- Cargo capacity as a share of GVWR, 25.9%: second-largest of four, between the 27FS (25.5%) and the 24AS (28.4%).
- Length, 30 ft 2 in: shortest of four, level with the 24AS; next are the 27F11 and 27FS (32 ft 7 in).
- Fresh tank, 90 gal: smallest of four, level with the 27F11; next are the 24AS and 27FS (100 gal).
Next to the 24AS, the nearest lighter floorplan by dry weight, the 23T16 is 300 lb heavier by dry weight, has 300 lb less cargo capacity, has a fresh tank 10 gal smaller, has a grey tank 29 gal larger, has a black tank 10 gal smaller and sleeps two fewer; the two publish the same GVWR, length and exterior height.
Next to the 27FS, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 23T16 is 47 lb lighter by dry weight, has 47 lb more cargo capacity, is 2 ft 5 in shorter, has a fresh tank 10 gal smaller, has a grey tank 29 gal larger, has a black tank 10 gal smaller and sleeps two fewer; the two publish the same GVWR and exterior height.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 30’2″
- Exterior height
- 13’0″
- Exterior width
- 8’6″
- Interior height
- Not published by Northwood
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 8,895 lb
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 12,000 lb
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 3,105 lb
- Hitch weight
- 1,510 lb
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 90 gal
- Grey water
- 76 gal
- Black water
- 40 gal
Running gear
- Hitch type
- Not stated per floorplan by Northwood
- Tire size
- LT235/85R16
Sleeping & layout
- Sleeps
- 4
- Model year
- Not stated by Northwood; figures as published on Northwood's site (https://northwoodmfg.com/desert-fox-23t16/), read 6 Nov 2026
- Body type basis (as printed)
- Desert Fox listed under Toy Haulers menu; hitch type not printed
- Dry Axle Weight (approx. Lbs.)
- 7385
- Load Range
- E
- LPG Capacity (approx. lbs)
- 60
- CSA – Canadian Dealers Only
- YES
- Tankless DSI Gas/Electric Water Heater
- YES
- Auto Ignition Furnace (1,000 BTUs)
- 30
- Weight basis (as printed)
- "Gross Dry Weight (approx. Lbs.)"; Northwood prints dry, hitch and dimension figures as approximate.
How these published figures sit against the rest of the catalogue: travel trailer tongue weight by size; fresh, grey and black tank sizes; camper trailer size chart.
Federal tire recalls naming this size. NHTSA’s recall file names LT235/85R16 in 14 tire recalls: 01T007000 (FALKEN TIRE CORPORATION, 2001; make FALKEN; models LT23585R16 10PR, LT24585R16 10PR); 02T016000 (COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO., 2002; make COOPER; model LT21585R16); 08T005000 (COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO., 2008; make COOPER / DEAN / GENERIC / MASTERCRAFT; models DISCOVERER ATR, MASTERCRAFT COURSER A/T 2, MENTOR ALL TERRAIN RADIAL SXT, WILDCAT RADIAL A/T); 11T006000 (ITR USA, INC. (DBA ITA), 2011; make SHANDONG YONGTAI; model NEGOTIATOR COMMERCIAL H/T); 12T006000 (PT. MULTISTRADA ARAH SARANA, TBK, 2012; make ACHILLES / RADAR; models DESERT HAWK A/P, RADIAL RLT-9); 12T010000 (COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO., 2012; make COOPER / DEL-NAT / PEP BOYS / TBC; models DEFINITY DAKOTA H/T, DELTA A/S SIERRADIAL, DISCOVERER H/T, DISCOVERER LSX, MASTERCRAFT COURSER HTR, NATIONAL A/S COMMANDO, SIGMA STAMPEDE RADIAL SUV); 12T019000 (MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA, INC., 2012; make BF GOODRICH / UNIROYAL; models COMMERCIAL T/A A/S, LAREDO HD/H); 13T002000 (Hercules Tire & Rubber Company, 2013; make HERCULES; model HERCULES ALL TRAC A/T); 14T014000 (Toyo Tire Holdings Of Americas Inc., 2014; make NITTO / TOYO; models DURA GRAPPLER HIGHWAY TERRAIN DURA-BELT, OPEN COUNTRY H/T/ TUFF DUTY); 20T016000 (Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group Rubber, 2020; make DURATURN; model TRAVIA A/T); 22T001000 (Vee Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., 2022; make TRI-ACE; model PIONEER A/T III); 23T010000 (Sumitomo Rubber USA, LLC, 2023; make FALKEN; models WILDPEAK AT3W, WILDPEAK HT02); 24T014000 (Prinx Chengshan Tire North America, Inc., 2024; make FORTUNE / PRINX; models HiCOUNTRY M/T HM1, HiCOUNTRY R/T HR1, TORMENTA M/T FSR310, TORMENTA R/T FSR309); 26T006000 (Vee Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., 2026; make VEE RUBBER; model TAIGA A/T). A tire recall covers only the brands, lines and DOT date codes it lists, and this page does not know which brand of tire this trailer was built with, so read the brand and DOT code on your own sidewalls before relying on this list. Only 242 of NHTSA’s 788 tire recalls name a size in their summary, so a size with no match is not a clean record (NHTSA recall file, read 12 Oct 2026).
Drawn to scale
Weight budget
Size, with end view
Holding tanks
Axles, wheels and nose shape are schematic; not a floorplan. Data: dataset.
03 The Desert Fox floorplan family
Northwood’s Desert Fox model pages on northwoodmfg.com (no model year stated) lists 4 Desert Fox floorplans; every one with a printed weight has a page here.
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Fox 24AS | 30’2″ | 6 | Profiled |
| Desert Fox 23T16 | 30’2″ | 4 | Profiled |
| Desert Fox 27FS | 32’7″ | 6 | Profiled |
| Desert Fox 27F11 | 32’7″ | 6 | Profiled |
Northwood’s Desert Fox model pages on northwoodmfg.com (no model year stated) lists 4 Desert Fox floorplans. Every one with a printed weight has a page here.
04 Notes on this floorplan
What Northwood does not publish for the Desert Fox 23T16
Northwood prints no interior height 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
8,595 lb dry and 12,000 lb GVWR, against this model’s 8,895 lb and 12,000 lb.
8,942 lb dry and 12,000 lb GVWR, against this model’s 8,895 lb and 12,000 lb.
06 Loading it for a trip
A full 90-gallon fresh tank is about 747 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 24% of the Desert Fox 23T16’s 3,105 lb cargo capacity, leaving 2,358 lb (590 lb per rated berth). Across 4 Desert Fox floorplans the water share runs 24% to 27%, and this plan’s is the lowest. Nearest on that share: Desert Fox 24AS at 24%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.3).
No source publishes a tongue weight for the Desert Fox 23T16, so its hitch load has to come from a scale ticket taken with the trailer hitched.
07 Where this floorplan sits
Closest sibling: the Desert Fox 27F11, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 6 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): length 30 ft 2 in vs 32 ft 7 in; sleeps 4 vs 6; dry weight 8,895 lb vs 9,005 lb; cargo capacity 3,105 lb vs 2,995 lb; grey tank 76 gal vs 47 gal; black tank 40 gal vs 50 gal. They match on GVWR and fresh tank.
| Desert Fox plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry weight (lb) | 8,895 | 2 of 4 | 8,595–9,005 |
| Cargo capacity (lb) | 3,105 | 3 of 4 | 2,995–3,405 |
| Length | 30 ft 2 in | 1–2 of 4 | 30 ft 2 in–32 ft 7 in |
| Fresh tank (gal) | 90 | 1–2 of 4 | 90–100 |
| Grey tank (gal) | 76 | 4 of 4 | 47–76 |
| Black tank (gal) | 40 | 1 of 4 | 40–50 |
| Sleeps | 4 | 1 of 4 | 4–6 |
Either side of it by GVWR: Desert Fox 24AS matches it at 12,000 lb GVWR.
| Nearest Desert Fox siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Fox 23T16 | 30 ft 2 in | 4 | 8,895 | 12,000 | 3,105 | — | 90 |
| Desert Fox 27F11 | 32 ft 7 in | 6 | 9,005 | 12,000 | 2,995 | — | 90 |
| Desert Fox 27FS | 32 ft 7 in | 6 | 8,942 | 12,000 | 3,058 | — | 100 |
| Desert Fox 24AS | 30 ft 2 in | 6 | 8,595 | 12,000 | 3,405 | — | 100 |
All 4 Desert Fox floorplans: Desert Fox line hub.
| Other lines, nearest by GVWR | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Fox 23T16 | 12,000 | 8,895 | 4 | 30 ft 2 in |
| Inferno SST FSL29 | 12,000 | 7,860 | — | — |
| Jay Flight 401FLTS | 12,000 | 10,355 | 4 | 40 ft 4 in |
| Momentum 30MAV | 12,000 | 8,400 | 6 | 36 ft 11 in |
| Puma Vista 39DBT | 12,000 | 10,162 | — | 42 ft 4 in |
| Sportster X 22X | 12,000 | 7,940 | 6 | 28 ft 5 in |
| Spyder 28SC | 12,000 | 8,860 | — | 34 ft 11 in |
Against the Desert Fox 23T16: the Jay Flight 401FLTS is 10 ft longer; the Momentum 30MAV is 7 ft longer and sleeps 2 more.
08 Common questions about the Desert Fox 23T16
How much does the Desert Fox 23T16 weigh?
8,895 lb dry; 12,000 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
How much can the Desert Fox 23T16 carry?
3,105 lb, 26% of its GVWR (median across 1,416 travel trailers here: 23%). A full fresh tank uses 747 lb of it.
What size tow vehicle does the Desert Fox 23T16 need?
A tow rating of at least 12,000 lb, plus payload for the loaded tongue weight, passengers and cargo.
How many people does the Desert Fox 23T16 sleep?
It is rated to sleep 4. 3 of the 4 Desert Fox floorplans that publish a count sleep more.
What are the tank capacities on the Desert Fox 23T16?
Fresh 90, grey 76, black 40 gallons. Off hookups, fresh water runs out first.
How long is the Desert Fox 23T16?
30’2″ 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 Desert Fox 23T16. Not published: hitch weight, interior height, slide count, axle count, awning, refrigerator, air conditioning.
Sourcing rules: methodology.
10 Manuals & documents
Sources: northwoodmfg.com (linked below); the full source note is at the foot of the page.
11 NHTSA safety record
NHTSA holds 2 recall campaigns and 1 owner complaint (model years 2005 on) against the Desert Fox line (a recall and a complaint are not the same thing).
Too few reports to show a pattern. 1 complaint has been filed on this line — not enough to say what fails most often. It covers tires.
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 Desert Fox line page.