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
Verified specs, drawn to scale
Original graphics built from this floorplan’s own verified figures.
Loaded weight budget
Size, drawn to scale
Holding tanks
These graphics are generated from the same verified record that builds the table above, and are published under this site’s own licence — nothing here is traced from, or derived from, a manufacturer drawing or photo. Where a figure is not published for this plan, the graphic that would need it is omitted rather than estimated. The full record is in the published dataset.
What it takes to tow this
Built from this floorplan’s verified weights. We publish the trailer side only.
We do not publish tow ratings for specific trucks. A single model can vary by thousands of pounds depending on engine, axle ratio, cab, drivetrain and package — the only authoritative figure is the one on your own door jamb. Loaded pin percentages are industry convention for fifth wheels (15–25% of loaded weight), not a measurement of this unit. Hitch classes are not used here as a rating: SAE J684 covers trailers to 10,000 lb GVWR and does not define Class V, and capacity boundaries differ between manufacturers — read the rating stamped on your hitch. On this plan the convention band’s low end fell below the published dry figure, so the range starts at the published dry weight instead — loaded is never lighter than dry.
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.
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32LIVE | 36 ft | 4 | Rear living + kitchen island + front bedroom, lightest and shortest, lowest GVWR |
| 33CHEF | 38 ft | 4 | Rear kitchen + front bedroom, couples who cook and work remote, lowest pin |
| 402BEDS | 42 ft | 8 | Two queen bedrooms + two full baths, dual entry, unique family plan |
| 36MB | 43 ft | 10 | Mid-bunk + loft family plan, fireplace, longest awning, highest pin |
| 35CRIB | 43 ft | 8 | Rear bunkhouse + front queen + two full baths, tallest in the line |
| 36FUN | 43 ft | 8 | Rear king master + front bunkhouse suite + two full baths, dual entry |
| 37GALLEY | 43 ft | 6 | Front kitchen + king suite + bath-and-a-half, galley-and-entertainment |
| 37PUB | 43 ft | 4 | Front living + kitchen island + bath-and-a-half, the front-living sibling |
| 35FL | 43 ft | 6 | Front entertainment/living + rear bedroom, biggest cargo capacity, four slides |
| 37BEST | 44 ft | 10 | Bunk 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.
05 How it compares
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.
The bunkhouse flagship — a front king bedroom, a bath-and-a-half and dual entry, the heaviest and longest coach in the line.
Forest River’s premium-mainstream full-size fifth wheel a tier above — a richer construction and equipment package at a higher price.
06 Loading it for a trip
This floorplan carries its water comfortably. A full 60-gallon fresh tank is roughly 21% of the 2,352-pound cargo capacity, leaving the 35CRIB with a usable gear budget even when you tow full.
| Weight budget | Figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo capacity as published (CCC) | 2,352 lb | Everything you add: gear, water, propane, batteries, food, people’s belongings. |
| Fresh tank filled (60 gal × 8.34 lb) | −500 lb | Water is the heaviest thing most owners add, and it is added first. |
| Cargo budget left with a full fresh tank | 1,852 lb | 21% of this plan’s capacity is spent before a single bag is loaded. |
| Per sleeping position, water aboard | 231 lb | A rough share of what is left across the 8 berths this plan sleeps. |
The published dry pin weight of 2,305 pounds is 19% of this floorplan’s 11,953-pound dry weight. Fifth-wheel pin weight rides in the bed of the truck, so it comes off payload rather than off tow rating — and it rises with the trailer as you load it, not in proportion to what you put over the axles.
Nothing above changes the ceiling. Loaded to its 14,305-pound GVWR the 35CRIB is towing 2,352 pounds more than its 11,953-pound dry figure, and that is the number your vehicle has to be rated for — not the brochure weight.
Tank balance is generous here: 60 gallons of fresh against 76 grey and 76 black, so waste capacity keeps pace with supply and the fresh tank is the constraint that ends a dry stay.
07 Where this floorplan sits
Ranked by GVWR, the 35CRIB sits 7 of 10 in the Wildcat line: 14,305 pounds against a line that runs from 13,500 to 15,498 pounds. That position is the useful thing to know, because the plans immediately either side of it are the real alternatives.
Either side of it in the same line: Wildcat 35FL is 190 pounds lighter at 14,115 lb GVWR; and Wildcat 36MB is 30 pounds heavier at 14,335 lb GVWR.
| Comparable fifth wheels | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35CRIB | 14,305 | 11,953 | 8 | 42 ft 8 in |
| Cardinal 35CRIB | 14,305 | 11,953 | — | 42 ft 8 in |
| Eagle 370FBTS | 14,300 | 12,020 | 4 | 40 ft 10 in |
| Wolf Pack 275PACK15 | 14,260 | 9,313 | — | 32 ft 0 in |
| Blackthorn 2990MK | 14,180 | 10,864 | — | 35 ft 0 in |
| Cougar 364BHL | 14,000 | 11,625 | 10 | 39 ft 0 in |
| Avenue 32RLS | 13,995 | 10,500 | 4 | 34 ft 11 in |
Against the 35CRIB: the Eagle 370FBTS is 5 lb lighter and 2 ft shorter and sleeps 4 fewer; the Wolf Pack 275PACK15 is 45 lb lighter and 11 ft shorter. Those are differences in the published numbers only — what they cost, how they are built and how they live are separate questions each of those pages answers on its own terms.
Those are the nearest fifth wheels from other lines by weight — one per line, picked by proximity on that figure and nothing else. They are listed so the same tow vehicle can be checked against real alternatives, not because they are equivalent inside; layout, build and price diverge sharply across that group.
For scale, the Wildcat floorplans profiled here run 10,363 to 12,698 pounds dry and 36 to 44 feet of exterior length across 10 plans. Where a floorplan falls in that spread usually says more about which vehicle can tow it, and which site it fits, than the layout name does.
Every profiled floorplan in this line, with the full weight table, is on the Wildcat line hub.
08 Common questions about the 35CRIB
How much does the 35CRIB weigh?
It leaves the factory at 11,953 pounds dry, and its manufacturer-set loaded ceiling (GVWR) is 14,305 pounds. Real towing weight lands between the two and depends entirely on what you load. Use the GVWR when matching a tow vehicle; the dry figure is only useful for comparing floorplans against each other.
How much can the 35CRIB carry?
Cargo carrying capacity is 2,352 pounds. That is the whole budget: water, propane, batteries, gear and everything you bring. Filling the 60-gallon fresh tank uses about 500 pounds of that.
What is the pin weight of the 35CRIB?
The published dry pin weight is 2,305 pounds. It is measured empty; loaded, it runs higher, and it comes out of your tow vehicle’s payload rather than its tow rating.
What size tow vehicle does the 35CRIB need?
Your vehicle needs a tow rating of at least 14,305 pounds — this floorplan’s GVWR — and enough payload left over for the hitch load, passengers and anything in the bed. This site does not publish tow ratings for specific vehicles, because one truck model varies by thousands of pounds across engine, axle ratio, cab and package. The figure that governs is the payload sticker on your own door jamb.
How many people does the 35CRIB sleep?
It is rated to sleep 8. Rated sleeping positions include convertible furniture, so count the beds against how you actually travel rather than against the number.
What are the tank capacities on the 35CRIB?
Fresh 60 gallons, grey 76 gallons, black 76 gallons. Tank sizes set how long the floorplan can sit away from hookups, and the smallest of the three is what ends the stay.
How long is the 35CRIB?
Exterior length is 42' 8". Measure against your site length and your storage before committing — the exterior figure is the one that has to fit, and it includes the tongue or pin box.
Every figure in these answers is read from this page’s verified specification table. Where the manufacturer publishes nothing, the question is not answered rather than estimated.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
This catalog tracks 18 specification fields per floorplan. Named sources publish 17 of them for the 35CRIB. The rest are not shown, because the alternative is reading a figure across from a sibling floorplan or from what the segment usually does — and a number nobody published is worth less than an admitted gap.
Not published for this floorplan: awning, tire size (a tire description is published, a size is not). If you find one of these in a manufacturer document for this plan, it belongs on this page.
The completeness figure at the foot of this page (93%) measures the same thing on the full field set: it is a measurement of how much this floorplan’s manufacturer publishes, not of how much research went into the page.
Values on this page carrying an asterisk were derived by arithmetic from published figures, or come from a single source, rather than being printed directly by the manufacturer. The flag travels with the number into the downloadable spec sheet.
How every figure here was sourced and checked is set out on the methodology page.
11 NHTSA safety record
This floorplan belongs to the Wildcat line, and NHTSA holds 20 recall campaigns and 56 owner complaints against that line. They are separate records and are not added together — a recall is a manufacturer-confirmed defect with a remedy; a complaint is one owner’s account, which NHTSA does not verify.
What to look at on a used one. Across the 56 complaints filed on this line the most-reported components are tires (27%), structure (18%) and wheels (18%). That is where owners of this family have had trouble, so it is where an inspection is worth the time.
Recall coverage is not complete — our harvest of NHTSA’s recall API ran 1,556 queries, of which 0 failed and 242 returned an explicit zero. A line can still be under-reported where NHTSA files a roster under a parent name, or where a match rests on the wording of the recall rather than its model field. Complaints come from the complete bulk file but are unverified and self-selected: a high count tracks how many units a line sold at least as much as how well it was built. Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy. Full tables are on the Wildcat line page.