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Fifth Wheel · Mid-Profile Affordable-Luxury · Single-Source Profile

2026 Forest River Wildcat35CRIB

The two-bath bunkhouse-and-crib plan and the tallest Wildcat — a three-slide coach with a rear bunkhouse (bunk, upper bunk, loft and desk), a mid living room with a super sofa, kitchen island and coffee bar, a private front queen bedroom and two full bathrooms, sleeping eight.

Tow-Critical Data — as built, MY2026

11,953lb
Dry Weight
14,305lb
GVWR
2,305lb
Pin Weight
42ft
Length
Sleeps 8 Mid-Profile Fifth Wheel · Rear bunkhouse + front queen + two full baths, tallest in the line Built by · Forest River Construction · 2" vacuum-bonded aluminum · 16 cu ft 12V fridge

01 What makes it unique

The 35CRIB is Wildcat’s bunkhouse-and-crib family plan and the tallest coach in the line. It pairs a rear bunkhouse (a 54-by-74 bunk, an upper bunk, a loft and a desk) with a mid living room (a super sofa, a kitchen island, two pantries and a coffee bar) and a private front queen bedroom with a walk-in closet, served by two full bathrooms and opened by three slide-outs, sleeping eight. At 13 feet 6 inches it is the tallest plan in the profiled line, two inches above the 37BEST. It rides the full Wildcat build: a 2-inch vacuum-bonded aluminum-framed sidewall structure, a one-piece molded fiberglass front cap, a PVC roof membrane with a lifetime warranty, a heated and enclosed underbelly with 12-volt tank heat pads and sectioned ABS armor, and 4-point automatic leveling.

Forest River publishes an 11,953-pound UVW, a 2,352-pound CCC and a 14,305-pound GVWR (the published GVWR equals UVW plus CCC exactly), against a 2,305-pound dry pin. It carries the line’s larger 76-gallon grey and black tanks (matched to its two full bathrooms). A 45,000-BTU three-air-conditioner system, a 35,000-BTU furnace, a 5,000-BTU electric fireplace, a 60,000-BTU tankless water heater, a 16-cubic-foot 12-volt refrigerator, a 21-inch 2-in-1 oven range, a 30-inch over-the-range microwave and a 60-gallon fresh tank are standard, with a 200-watt rooftop solar prep; Forest River does not yet publish an awning size for this plan on the factory floorplan record.

US street pricing has commonly run in the low-to-mid $60,000s. It is the two-bath, crib-and-bunkhouse Wildcat. For a family that wants a rear bunkhouse with a loft and desk, a private front queen bedroom and two full bathrooms on the tallest plan in the line — towed behind a properly rated three-quarter-ton or larger truck — the 35CRIB is the line’s bunkhouse-and-crib plan. It is sold as the Cardinal 35CRIB under a sister badge.

02 Full specifications

Dimensions

Exterior length
42' 8"
Exterior width
8' 0"
Exterior height
13' 6"
Interior height
6' 5"

Weights

Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
11,953 lbs
GVWR (max loaded)
14,305 lbs
Net cargo / payload (CCC)
2,352 lbs
Dry pin (hitch) weight
2,305 lbs

Capacities

Fresh water
60 gal
Grey water
76 gal
Black water
76 gal
Refrigerator
16 cu ft 12V

Construction

Frame
2" vacuum-bonded aluminum-framed sidewalls · high-density block-foam insulation · welded aluminum structure
Walls
Laminated aluminum-framed walls · one-piece molded fiberglass front cap · residential fiberglass roof & floor insulation
Roof
PVC roof membrane (lifetime warranty) · 5" arched roof rafters · 6′ 5" upper-deck height
Underbelly
Heated & enclosed underbelly · 12V tank heat pads · sectioned ABS underbelly armor · 5/8" T&G plywood floor

Running gear

Axles
2 (tandem) · per-axle GAWR not separately published *
Hitch
Fifth-wheel (in-bed) · 4-point automatic leveling · 200W rooftop solar prep
Brakes
Electric · self-adjusting · 50-amp service
Tires
Aluminum wheels · outside shower · dual 20-lb LP

Galley & bath

Cooktop
21" 2-in-1 oven range · 30" OTR microwave · 60K tankless water heater
Refrigerator
16 cu ft 12V
A/C
45,000 BTU 3-A/C system
Water heater
60,000-BTU tankless · on-demand

Sleeping & layout

Sleeps
8
Slides
3
Entries
1
Awnings
Not published *
Primary bed
Queen 60×80

03 The Wildcat floorplan family

Wildcat is Forest River's mid-profile affordable-luxury fifth wheel — a step above the brand's own value-mid Arctic Wolf and a step below its premium-mainstream Sandpiper. Six of the most distinct 2026 floorplans are profiled here in full. The 35CRIB on this page is highlighted; each other plan links to its own page.

FloorplanNominalSleepsNotable
32LIVE36 ft4Rear living + kitchen island + front bedroom, lightest and shortest, lowest GVWR
33CHEF38 ft4Rear kitchen + front bedroom, couples who cook and work remote, lowest pin
402BEDS42 ft8Two queen bedrooms + two full baths, dual entry, unique family plan
36MB43 ft10Mid-bunk + loft family plan, fireplace, longest awning, highest pin
35CRIB43 ft8Rear bunkhouse + front queen + two full baths, tallest in the line
36FUN43 ft8Rear king master + front bunkhouse suite + two full baths, dual entry
37GALLEY43 ft6Front kitchen + king suite + bath-and-a-half, galley-and-entertainment
37PUB43 ft4Front living + kitchen island + bath-and-a-half, the front-living sibling
35FL43 ft6Front entertainment/living + rear bedroom, biggest cargo capacity, four slides
37BEST44 ft10Bunk beds + bath-and-a-half + dual entry, heaviest, longest, highest GVWR

Wildcat is Forest River's mid-profile affordable-luxury fifth wheel — a step above the brand's own value-mid Arctic Wolf and a step below its premium-mainstream Sandpiper. Ten of the most distinct 2026 retail floorplans are profiled here in full; only two Dealer Stock Only plans (34CRIB, 35FUN) are listed on the hub but not profiled. Every plan is built on a 2-inch vacuum-bonded aluminum-framed sidewall structure with a one-piece molded fiberglass front cap, a PVC roof membrane with a lifetime warranty, residential fiberglass roof and floor insulation, a heated and enclosed underbelly with 12-volt tank heat pads and sectioned ABS armor, seamless roto-cast holding tanks, 4-point automatic leveling, a 50-amp service, a 35,000-BTU furnace, an 18,000-BTU ducted air conditioner (a 45,000-BTU three-A/C system is standard on most plans), a 60,000-BTU tankless water heater, a 16-cubic-foot 12-volt refrigerator, a 5,000-BTU electric fireplace, a 60-gallon fresh tank line-wide and a 200-watt rooftop solar prep. Hitch weight, UVW, CCC and GVWR are published per plan; the published GVWR equals UVW plus CCC exactly on every profiled plan. The numeric per-axle GAWR is not separately published for Wildcat. UVW is a factory estimated average; real loaded pin weights run higher — always weigh the loaded coach and confirm against your truck's payload and rear-axle ratings. Wildcat is badge-engineered as the Cardinal under a sister badge.

04 What owners & reviewers report

Tallest plan in the line

At 13 feet 6 inches it is the tallest coach in the profiled line (two inches above the 37BEST) — confirm garage-door and covered-site clearance before buying.

Rear bunkhouse + private front queen + two full baths

A rear bunkhouse (a 54-by-74 bunk, an upper bunk, a loft and a desk) plus a private front queen bedroom and two full bathrooms — a real two-zone family layout.

Front bed is a queen, not a king

The front bedroom carries a 60-by-80 queen (dealer-confirmed) rather than the line-standard king; if a king is a must-have, the galley and pub plans keep one.

Awning size not yet published

Forest River has not yet published an awning size for the 35CRIB on the factory floorplan record; it is flagged here and should be confirmed on the specific unit.

SOURCING — ownership notes to be expanded with cited threads from owner communities & forums per the data plan

05 How it compares

↔ Cross-shop
Wildcat 36FUN

The other two-bath family plan — a rear king master and a front bunkhouse suite with dual entry instead of a front queen and a rear bunkhouse.

↔ Cross-shop
Wildcat 37BEST

The bunkhouse flagship — a front king bedroom, a bath-and-a-half and dual entry, the heaviest and longest coach in the line.

↑ Step up
Sandpiper (Forest River)

Forest River’s premium-mainstream full-size fifth wheel a tier above — a richer construction and equipment package at a higher price.