2026 Palomino Puma31RLQS

The 31RLQS is the Puma that turns up on dealer lots more than any other, and it is a couples plan rather than a family one. The Forest River factory describes the floorplan as one entry and three slide outs, with a metal exterior and a 13-foot awning, and an interior of a kitchen island, a front bedroom and a rear living area — sleeping four in about 36 feet. Three slides on a single-entry rear-living plan buys an unusually open main room for the money, and the kitchen island is the piece that separates it from the rear-living plans in the value bracket that make do with a galley along one wall. It carries the standard Puma build: a powder-coated steel I-beam frame with steel crossmembers under .024/.030-gauge aluminum skin, an AlphaPly roof membrane under a limited lifetime warranty, R-7 fiberglass insulation cut and glued between sidewall studs on 16-inch centres, a 5/8-inch Araucoply plywood floor under a 25-year limited warranty, an enclosed Darco-wrapped underbelly with enclosed water tanks, a tankless water heater and an 11 cu ft 12-volt refrigerator. Solar is roof and side-mount prep only — no panel is installed from the factory.

Palomino publishes a 10,500-pound GVWR against the 8,808-pound dry weight, leaving a 1,692-pound cargo capacity and a 975-pound dry tongue. The tank set is 43/35/35 gallons fresh/grey/black — the smaller grey tank of the two Puma patterns, which suits a couple better than a crowd. One quirk worth knowing before you plan a patio: the factory lists a 13-foot awning, the shortest on the roster and eight feet shorter than most of the 30-foot-plus Pumas, on a body that is among the longest. Palomino and Forest River publish no MSRP for the Puma line, so confirm street pricing with a dealer. The 31RLQS is the Puma for a couple who wants an open rear lounge and an island galley, and it needs a well-rated half-ton or better.

Forest River lists all four Puma packages as required, but the Value Shopper Package specifies a 13,500 BTU ducted air conditioner and the Limited Edition Package specifies a 15,000 BTU unit in place of it — the two required packages contradict each other, so confirm the air conditioner on the actual unit.

Puma is Palomino's metal-sided value travel trailer — bumper-pull towables on a powder-coated steel I-beam frame, and a cross-shop against Forest River's own Salem / Wildwood and Aurora, Prime Time's Avenger, Keystone's Springdale and Jayco's Jay Flight SLX. Eight floorplans are profiled in full and linked below; the remaining plans are catalogued and shown muted. The 31RLQS on this page is highlighted.

A full 43-gallon fresh tank is about 359 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 21% of the 31RLQS’s 1,692 lb cargo capacity, leaving 1,333 lb (333 lb per rated berth). Across 24 Puma travel-trailer floorplans the water share runs 11% to 28%, and 6 give up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Puma 32BHFS at 21% and Puma 30RKQS at 22%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.3).

Closest sibling: the Puma Vista 37PFL, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 5 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): length 36 ft 1 in vs 40 ft 0 in; dry weight 8,808 lb vs 9,749 lb; GVWR 10,500 lb vs 11,749 lb; cargo capacity 1,692 lb vs 2,000 lb; dry hitch weight 975 lb vs 1,335 lb. They match on fresh tank, grey tank and black tank.

Either side of it by GVWR: Puma Ambush 27TH is 505 lb lighter (9,995 lb GVWR); Puma 32BHQS is 300 lb heavier (10,800 lb GVWR).

All 33 Puma floorplans: Puma line hub.

Against the 31RLQS: the Coachmen Freedom Express Ultra Lite 320BHDS sleeps 4 more; the Jay Flight 333BTS is 2 ft longer and sleeps 7 more; the Seismic 265 is 5 ft shorter.

16 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the 31RLQS. 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.