01 What the Prowler line is
Prowler is the oldest nameplate Heartland carried into its fall-2025 relaunch under Jayco, and the brand's volume line: on the 10 July 2026 RVUSA probe it carried 388 active listings, more than the North Trail and Bighorn combined. The 2026 roster spans twenty-one floorplans — a micro bunk a compact SUV can move at one end, a triple-slide rear-living flagship at the other — and Heartland publishes a factory Base MSRP for every plan except the 2801RLD, running from $15,818 to $48,893.
The roster splits into two build classes. The single-axle compacts — the 1300-through-1800-series plus the 1802MBS, which is the only single-axle plan with a slide — run an 8,000-BTU wall air conditioner and one 20-lb LP bottle, and wear the Lynx Edition badge on dealer lots and in RVUSA's catalog, where several are filed twice (once as Prowler, once as Lynx — the same trailers). The tandem-axle plans carry 13,500-BTU roof air, two bottles, and the option sheet: a 15,000-BTU upgrade, a second bedroom air conditioner with 50-amp service, and 200-watt PowerUp solar. West-edition (WE) twins exist for many plans with their own weights; per this site's twin-handling rule they are excluded and their figures are not attributed to the base plans below.
The weight story is factory-clean with one exception. Heartland's per-plan pages print dry weight, cargo capacity and GVWR, and on every profiled plan but one the first two sum to the third exactly. The exception is the 2601RLS — the second-most-listed plan in the line — whose published set does not add up in any source; it is profiled with the flag rather than silently resolved. RVUSA's price records lag the factory by roughly $375 to $525 across the line (and by $9,525 on the 3301RLT flagship), and its record for the 1802MBS lists two axles where the factory page — and the plan's ST225/75R15E single-axle tire spec — say one. Factory figures are used throughout and every conflict is logged.
02 Floorplans profiled in depth
Eight of the twenty-one 2026 floorplans — the RVTrader demand leaders — are profiled in full: the single-axle 1700BH bunk and 1802MBS Murphy-slide, the queen-and-bunks 2100QB, the mid-kitchen 2103MKS, the dual-slide Murphy 2201MDS, the slide-free 2600BH bunkhouse, the rear-living 2601RLS and the ten-berth 2602BHS. The table is sorted by dry weight.
| Floorplan | Base MSRP | Dry wt | GVWR | Length | Sleeps | Layout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1700BH | $16,718 | 3,010 lbs | 3,950 lbs | 21' 3" | 5 | Lynx single-axle bunkhouse — the $16,718 price headline |
| 1802MBS | $24,368 | 4,045 lbs | 4,995 lbs | 23' 7" | 6 | Murphy-bed slide compact — the only single-axle slide |
| 2100QB | $26,093 | 4,430 lbs | 6,000 lbs | 25' 8" | 8 | No-slide eight-sleeper — tandem value without slide upkeep |
| 2600BH | $26,393 | 4,805 lbs | 6,500 lbs | 29' 5" | 8 | Big slide-free bunkhouse — eight berths, no slide upkeep |
| 2103MKS | $29,393 | 4,935 lbs | 6,500 lbs | 24' 7" | 4 | Mid-kitchen slide couples plan — the compact-tandem sweet spot |
| 2201MDS | $33,150 | 5,340 lbs | 6,900 lbs | 27' 1" | 4 | Tandem Murphy-bed slide plan — premium compact couples pick |
| 2602BHS | $32,393 | 5,815 lbs | 7,600 lbs | 30' 6" | 10 | Volume bunkhouse with outdoor kitchen — the most-listed Prowler |
| 2601RLS | $32,393 | 6,715 lbs | 7,900 lbs | 31' 1" | 6 | Rear-living slide, dual entry — published weights flagged |
Dry weight plus cargo capacity equals the printed GVWR exactly on seven of the eight plans above; the 2601RLS is the exception — its published set does not sum in any source and the conflict is flagged on its page. Sleeps counts are the factory's “up to” figures. The 1802MBS is a single-axle plan despite RVUSA's two-axle record (a logged conflict; the factory page and the plan's single-axle Load Range E tire spec agree). Always confirm against the unit's weight sticker before towing.
03 Catalogued plans — verified weights
The remaining thirteen plans carry factory-published figures below; their layouts are not asserted beyond the factory floorplan summary. Four carry data oddities, noted per row and logged rather than resolved.
| Floorplan | Base MSRP | Dry wt | GVWR | Length | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300BH | $15,818 | 2,230 lb | 3,500 lb | 16' 1" | Micro Lynx bunk — published set follows dry + CCC + hitch = GVWR (logged) |
| 1700RB | $16,718 | 3,065 lb | 3,995 lb | 21' 5" | Lynx single-axle rear-bath couples compact — catalogued on the hub |
| 1800QB | $23,093 | 3,250 lb | 4,500 lb | 22' 1" | Queen-bed compact — published CCC (2,830 lb) does not reconcile; logged as a factory typo candidate |
| 1700DB | $18,518 | 3,275 lb | 4,200 lb | 22' 5" | Lynx single-axle double-bed compact — catalogued on the hub |
| 1800BH | $23,093 | 3,295 lb | 4,600 lb | 22' 3" | Single-axle bunkhouse — catalogued on the hub |
| 1702DBS | $22,868 | 3,695 lb | 4,800 lb | 23' 7" | Lynx single-axle double-bed slide — catalogued on the hub |
| 2500BH | $22,643 | 4,225 lb | 6,000 lb | 27' 7" | Tandem bunkhouse — catalogued on the hub |
| 2000MB | $25,643 | 4,315 lb | 6,000 lb | 24' 7" | Wide-body Murphy compact — catalogued on the hub |
| 2702BHS | $33,143 | 6,270 lb | 7,900 lb | 32' 7" | Bunkhouse slide with outdoor kitchen — catalogued on the hub |
| 2802BHS | $35,325 | 6,270 lb | 8,200 lb | 33' 7" | Bunkhouse slide — catalogued on the hub |
| 2801RLD | Not published | 6,650 lb | 9,400 lb | 34' 9" | Rear-living dual-entry — no published MSRP; published weights do not sum (logged) |
| 3202DSB | $39,893 | 7,705 lb | 9,600 lb | 36' 4" | Dual-entry bunkhouse with outdoor kitchen — catalogued on the hub |
| 3301RLT | $48,893 | 8,705 lb | 10,600 lb | 37' 10" | Triple-slide rear-living flagship — RVUSA MSRP $9,525 stale vs factory $48,893 |
Three catalogue rows publish weight sets that do not reconcile: the 1300BH follows a dry-plus-cargo-plus-hitch pattern, the 1800QB cargo figure reads as a factory typo, and the 2801RLD — which also publishes no MSRP — does not sum in any source. All three are shown as published and logged; none are estimated through. The 2000MB is the line's one 8-foot-5 wide-body. Lynx-badged twins in RVUSA's catalog (1700BH, 1700DB, 1700RB, 1702DBS, 2500BH) are the same trailers as the base plans and are not double-counted.
04 How to choose & what to weigh
The bunk ladder runs the whole line
Bunk plans are the Prowler franchise: the 1700BH does it on a single axle at 3,010 lb dry, the slide-free 2600BH sleeps eight with an outdoor kitchen and no slide seals to maintain, and the 2602BHS — the most-listed Prowler on the probe day — adds the U-dinette slide and a factory rating of up to ten berths with the best profiled cargo margin (1,785 lb) to carry the crew's gear.
The Murphy pair
The 1802MBS is the only single-axle Prowler with a slide — a Murphy bed, a booth-dinette slide and a walk-through bath at 4,045 lb dry, one bottle and a wall air conditioner. The 2201MDS is the same idea grown up: dual opposing slides around the Murphy on tandem axles, a 30,000-BTU furnace and a 6-foot-9 interior.
The 2601RLS carries a flag, not an endorsement of its math
The rear-living 2601RLS is the second-most-listed plan in the line, and the one whose published weight set does not add up — the factory, RVUSA and the brochure all print the same non-summing figures. Its page shows the numbers as published with the conflict flagged; verify the yellow weight sticker on the actual unit before towing.
Tongue weight and payload are the real constraints
Dry tongues run 310 lb on the 1700BH to 1,130 on the 3301RLT, and cargo margins on the profiled tandems run 1,560 to 1,785 lb — a filled 52-gallon fresh tank alone claims about 430 lb. The single-axle plans carry less: the 1802MBS keeps just 950 lb of margin. Weigh the loaded rig; the tow vehicle's payload placard, not its brochure tow rating, decides.
05 What every Prowler has
06 Where Prowler sits in the value field
Inside Heartland, Prowler is the entry tier: the North Trail runs above it as the laminated half-ton line, and the Bighorn anchors the luxury fifth-wheel end of the relaunch. Across the value aisle its natural rivals are Dutchmen's Coleman, Forest River's Grey Wolf, Keystone's Springdale and Jayco's own Jay Flight SLX — the same sizes and prices, mostly without the tankless water heater, the lifetime roof membrane or the MORryde steps that Prowler ships standard. The Prowler counterargument in a value showdown is exactly that standard-content list, plus a published factory Base MSRP on nearly every plan to negotiate against.
08 Recalls
NHTSA lists 15 recall campaigns affecting this line. The earliest was reported 7 May 2013 and the most recent 27 Mar 2024.
| Reported | Campaign | Component | What can go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Mar 2024 | 24V236000 | Equipment | A circuit board that overheats increases the risk of a fire. |
| 8 Aug 2022 | 22V591000 | Equipment | An awning that drops or extends beyond normal operation can increase the risk of injury. |
| 17 Jun 2022 | 22V432000 | Equipment | A gas leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire. |
| 21 Mar 2022 | 22V170000 | Electrical system | Loose wiring can cause an electrical arc or short, increasing the risk of a fire. |
| 4 Jun 2021 | 21V428000 | Equipment | Increased propane pressure can enlarge the flames in gas appliances, increasing the risk of a fire. |
| 14 May 2020 | 20V275000 | Equipment | If both U-bolts break, the carrier and spare tire can detach from the unit, resulting in an increased risk of injury and increase the risk of a crash. |
| 12 Jul 2019 | 19V525000 | Electrical system | Overheating of the connection can increase the risk of a fire. |
| 18 Jan 2019 | 19V043000 | Equipment | Tires with an incorrect pressure may affect handling or may fail, increasing the risk of crash. |
| 17 Jan 2019 | 19V041000 | Tires | Tires with an insufficient Load Range may fail, increasing the risk of crash. |
| 20 Nov 2018 | 18V819000 | Suspension | If the bearings overheat, the hub may fail, affecting handling and increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 21 Sep 2018 | 18V634000 | Suspension | The missing bearing race may cause premature hub bearing failure, possibly resulting in a separation of the hub from the axle, thereby increasing the risk of a… |
| 1 Nov 2017 | 17V689000 | Service brakes, electric | A severed brake wire would reduce braking capability, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 30 Jul 2015 | 15V482000 | Equipment | An owner or operator could rely on the inaccurate information in inflating the tires which could cause under or over inflation which, in turn, could lead to a tire… |
| 3 Apr 2015 | 15V199000 | Equipment | If the room extends while vehicle is in motion, there is an increased risk of a crash. |
| 7 May 2013 | 13V181000 | Equipment | If motor damage has occurred, it is possible that the awning can unfurl unexpectedly, either while the trailer is at rest or while in transit, increasing the risk… |
Coverage is not complete, and this matters. These campaigns come from two passes over NHTSA’s public record: a query-by-query harvest of the recall API (1,556 queries, of which 0 failed and 242 returned an explicit zero), and a sweep of NHTSA’s complete recall flat file (325,650 rows), which added 46 campaigns the API harvest had missed. It missed them because the roster it worked from was built by a catalog endpoint that refuses most requests, so entire manufacturer names were never asked about — NHTSA files several Forest River sub-brands as makes of their own. Two limits remain: NHTSA sometimes files a roster under a parent name, and some matches below rest on the wording of the recall rather than its model field. Campaigns affecting only pre-2005 units fall outside this catalog’s range and are not listed. This page is a starting point, not a clearance. Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy, and again before you tow.
09 Owner-reported problems
Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about this line. The earliest was filed 12 Apr 2013 and the most recent 18 Jul 2014. The breakdown below is what those owners actually reported, grouped by the component NHTSA assigned.
What gets reported
| Component group | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | 1 | 50% |
| Structure | 1 | 50% |
Most recent reports
The 2 owner reports filed on this line, newest first. Wording is NHTSA’s summary of what the owner described.
| Filed | Component | Miles | What the owner reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jul 2014 | Structure › Frame and members | — | Tl* the contact owns A 2013 heartland prowler that was being towed on A 2004 gmc yukon. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle and trailer began to sway due to an unstable frame. The contact stated that the trailer was abnormally sitting on the right of the vehicle frame and the… |
| 12 Apr 2013 | Equipment › Recreational vehicle/trailer | — | HEALTH HAZARD IN RV FRESH WATER TANK I PURCHASED A 2012 PROWLER 26P BH TRAVEL TRAILER. THIS TRAILER IS MANUFACTURED BY HEARTLAND RECREATIONAL VEHICLES, LLC. THIS RV IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. HEARTLAND RECREATIONAL VEHICLES, LLC, (HEARTLAND RV) IS PUTTING DEFECTIVE FRESH WATER TANKS INTO THEIR RVS… |
How this count is drawn. A report is counted here only when NHTSA’s own model field names this line. What the owner typed in the description is never used to attribute a report: our line names are ordinary English words, and an owner writing “imagine my surprise when the axle went” or naming the state of Montana is not reporting a Grand Design Imagine or a Keystone Montana.
Read these as reports, not as findings. Complaints are submitted by owners and NHTSA does not verify them; no complaint here has been confirmed as a defect, and none of them is a recall. The sample is also self-selected — only owners motivated to file appear in it — so a high count tracks how many units a line sold at least as much as how well it was built. Use the pattern, not the total: a component that keeps recurring is worth inspecting on any used unit. File or search complaints at NHTSA.