01 What the Cherokee Wolf Pup is
The Cherokee Wolf Pup is Forest River's entry-lightweight travel trailer — the small, SUV-towable line that sits a step below the Cherokee Grey Wolf in the same Cherokee division. Where Grey Wolf is the volume value-mid line built on a wood-frame body with bonded aluminum sidewalls, Wolf Pup is the lighter, cheaper rung beneath it: a stick-and-tin trailer with metal sidewalls, built to the lowest weight and price in the family. It competes with Keystone's Hideout Mini and Passport SL, Coleman's lightweight plans and the other sub-4,500-pound entry trailers that first-time buyers and small-vehicle owners shop. (The similarly named Wolf Den is a separate, much larger Cherokee line of full-size coaches — not to be confused with the entry-lightweight Wolf Pup.)
For 2026 the line runs to roughly fifteen-plus floorplans across three families: full-feature wood-frame travel trailers (the "W" plans), a lightweight single-axle "LP" sub-line on Forest River's T-9 chassis that drops the powered options for the lowest weight, and a small toy hauler. Dry weights start under 2,000 pounds for the smallest LP teardrop and top out around 4,500 pounds for the largest wood-frame plan, with most of the popular bunkhouse and couples' plans landing between 3,500 and 4,300 pounds — squarely in mid-size-SUV and half-ton territory.
Construction is the entry-tier recipe: Power Gear frame technology with a Space Saver Rail design, high-impact front metal in place of corrugated metal sidewalls, a Tufflex PVC seamless walk-on roof with a lifetime limited warranty and a five-eighths-inch tongue-and-groove plywood floor, all riding on the Cherokee Stable Step. An 8,000-BTU air conditioner, a 20,000-BTU furnace, a 200-watt solar panel and a tankless water heater are standard on the wood-frame plans, and the optional Black Label package adds frameless tinted automotive glass, gel-coat sidewalls, solid-surface countertops and Thermo-Foil Arctic insulation. This is a lighter, more affordable, metal-sided trailer than the bonded-aluminum Grey Wolf or the laminate Salem/Wildwood lines — built to a price, for buyers who put low weight and low cost first.
02 Floorplans profiled in depth
Four representative Wolf Pup floorplans — spanning a single-axle front-queen couples' camper, the volume tandem-axle family bunkhouse, the line's only slide-equipped family bunkhouse, and the compact toy hauler — are profiled in full with factory-verified specifications. Together they cover the line's core: couples, family and toy-hauler use, across the popular 3,600-to-4,300-pound weight band. The remaining 2026 floorplans, including the lightweight single-axle LP sub-line, are catalogued below for reference and will be profiled in demand order as the catalog expands.
| Floorplan | Dry wt | Length | Sleeps | Layout | Starting MSRP* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16FQW | 3,619 lbs | 21' 10" | 3 | Single-axle front-queen couples, rear bath, no slide | ~$22,000 |
| 16BHSW | 3,594 lbs | 21' 9" | 5 | Tandem-axle family bunkhouse, rear bunks, outside kitchen | ~$23,000 |
| 18RJBW | 3,879 lbs | 22' 8" | 4 | Toy hauler, queen + overhead bunk, rear garage ramp | ~$25,500 |
| 17JW | 4,311 lbs | 23' 11" | 8 | Slide-equipped family bunkhouse, U-dinette | ~$25,000 |
Dry weights, lengths, capacities and GVWR for profiled plans are verified directly against the Forest River factory floorplan records (2026 model year) — GVWR is published on each plan's factory page, not derived. Starting MSRP is a representative dealer-typical figure and is flagged (*) — Forest River publishes no single fixed MSRP, dealer-quoted 2026 MSRPs for the same plan vary widely (the 16BHSW alone is listed from roughly $35,000 to $39,000), and selling prices typically run many thousands below MSRP, commonly in the low-to-mid $20,000s. Options affect final weights — always confirm against the unit's own weight sticker.
03 The rest of the 2026 range
The Wolf Pup line is broad for an entry lineup. Beyond the four profiled plans, these are additional 2026 floorplans by family, length and weight — the remaining full-feature wood-frame travel trailers and the lightweight single-axle "LP" sub-line on the T-9 chassis. Each will be profiled in demand order as the catalog grows.
| Floorplan | Family | Length | Dry wt | Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14CCW | Wood-frame TT | 19' 3" | 3,314 lb | Compact couples, single-axle, no slide |
| 16CM | Wood-frame TT | 23' 10" | 3,820 lb | Walk-through bath couples |
| 16KHW | Wood-frame TT | 23' 9" | 3,989 lb | Front-bed couples, larger galley |
| 17SC | Wood-frame TT | 23' 10" | 4,164 lb | Sofa/dinette couples |
| 18PB | Wood-frame TT | 23' 10" | 4,459 lb | Heaviest standard TT plan |
| 9CELP | LP single-axle | 12' 5" | 1,944 lb | T-9 teardrop, lightest in line |
| 12SBLP | LP single-axle | 14' 6" | 2,309 lb | Lightweight sofa-bed |
| 14BHLP | LP single-axle | 17' 2" | 2,654 lb | Lightweight bunk, queen + storage |
| 14RKLP | LP single-axle | 17' 4" | 2,654 lb | Lightweight rear-kitchen |
| 16LP | LP single-axle | 21' 7" | 3,039 lb | Lightweight bunkhouse |
| 17LP | LP single-axle | 23' 11" | 3,104 lb | Double-size bunks + queen |
A reference list of additional 2026 Wolf Pup floorplans; weights, lengths and hitch figures are verified against the Forest River factory brand page, and configurations summarize the layout. The "LP" plans are lightweight single-axle units on the T-9 chassis that drop the powered options (solar, backup camera, power awning, tankless water heater) for the lowest weight and price. Black Label trim variants (such as 17JWBL and 18RJBWBL) add equipment over the base plans and are not listed separately.
04 The Black Label trim roster
The factory's Cherokee Black Label index lists 8 Wolf Pup Black Label plans under its own grouping headers (7 travel trailers, 1 toy hauler), each with its own factory-published figures. Black Label is not just an equipment package: on the sibling Wolf Den line, every published Black Label weight differs from its base plan's, including the GVWR — so compare the trim's own numbers, not the base plan's, before buying. One quirk of the factory page itself: the card for the 16BHSWBLW titles it 16BHSBLW while its URL, index entry and floorplan assets all say 16BHSWBLW — the figures shown are that card's. Rows marked TBD are the factory's own TBD.
| Black Label plan | Body | Hitch wt | Unloaded wt | Cargo cap. | Length | Base plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18RJBWBL | TH | 754 lb | 4,080 lb | 1,774 lb | 22'8" | 18RJBW |
| 14CCWBL | TT | 437 lb | 3,594 lb | 1,405 lb | 19'3" | — |
| 16BHSWBLW | TT | 485 lb | 3,829 lb | 1,756 lb | 21'9" | 16BHSW |
| 16CMBL | TT | 478 lb | 4,056 lb | 1,522 lb | 23'10" | — |
| 16FQBLW | TT | 404 lb | 3,861 lb | 1,643 lb | 21'10" | — |
| 16KHWBLW | TT | 548 lb | 4,357 lb | 1,291 lb | 23'9" | — |
| 17JWBL | TT | 602 lb | 4,174 lb | 1,528 lb | 23'11" | 17JW |
| 17SCBL | TT | 492 lb | 4,457 lb | 1,135 lb | 23'10" | — |
Captured 31 July 2026 from the Forest River Cherokee Black Label floorplan index (hitch weight, unloaded vehicle weight, cargo carrying capacity and exterior length are the factory's own card figures; the index cards publish no GVWR — GVWR appears on each Black Label plan's own factory detail page). Base-plan links go to this site's profiled base floorplan pages where one exists; a dash means the base plan is not yet profiled here. Body type follows the factory's own grouping header. The "Cherokee" name itself now denotes the Wolf Den Black Label roster — the mapping lives on the Wolf Den hub.
05 Line notes & data flags
Construction: stick-and-tin, a tier below Grey Wolf
Wolf Pup trailers are built with high-impact front metal and metal sidewalls over a Power Gear frame with a Space Saver Rail design, a Tufflex PVC walk-on roof and a plywood floor — a true entry-tier "stick-and-tin" build. This is deliberately lighter and cheaper than the Cherokee Grey Wolf's wood-frame body with bonded aluminum sidewalls, and lighter than the laminate Salem/Wildwood lines. The optional Black Label package upgrades the glass, sidewall finish, countertops and insulation. Construction figures on the model pages follow the Forest River factory feature lists.
GVWR is published, not derived
Unlike the Grey Wolf and Salem/Wildwood value lines, each Wolf Pup factory floorplan page publishes a plan-specific GVWR directly. Those published figures are used here, and they reconcile exactly with unloaded weight plus cargo carrying capacity on every plan checked — so the cargo numbers are plan-specific rather than a shared axle ceiling.
MSRP is dealer-dependent — flagged throughout
Forest River publishes no single fixed MSRP for Wolf Pup, and dealer-quoted 2026 MSRPs for the same floorplan vary widely — the 16BHSW alone is listed from roughly $35,000 to $39,000 — with selling prices commonly in the low-to-mid $20,000s. Starting prices here are representative dealer-typical figures, flagged with an asterisk.
Single axle on the lighter plans
Several Wolf Pup plans — the 16FQW and the entire LP sub-line — ride on a single axle to keep weight and tire cost down. A single axle tows fine for a small trailer but leaves no spare axle if a tire fails; the tandem-axle plans (16BHSW, 17JW, 18RJBW) add stability and a second axle. The axle count is noted on each model page.
Some fields not published per plan
Refrigerator cubic footage is published on the wood-frame bunkhouse and front-queen plans (a 10.3-cubic-foot double-door unit) but is left unlisted on the toy hauler and the 17JW, and the 17JW's factory page lists its exterior height as TBD. Those fields are shown unverified on the affected model pages and excluded from each plan's completeness figure.
06 What every Cherokee Wolf Pup has
08 Recalls
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns affecting this line. The earliest was reported 20 Apr 2015 and the most recent 30 Jul 2018.
| Reported | Campaign | Component | What can go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Jul 2018 | 18V500000 | Equipment | If the LP bracket ring bracket breaks, the propane cylinder may detach from the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash. |
| 20 Apr 2015 | 15V231000 | Suspension | If the wheel studs break, the wheel could detach from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. |
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 3 complaints with NHTSA about this line. The earliest was filed 11 Jun 2018 and the most recent 27 Aug 2024. The breakdown below is what those owners actually reported, grouped by the component NHTSA assigned.
What gets reported
| Component group | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 2 | 67% |
| Service brakes | 1 | 33% |
Most recent reports
The 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Aug 2024 | Electrical system | — | After a camping trip through the mountains of Wyoming, I discovered my campers trailer brakes were not working. I found the u-bolts that hold the axles to the leaf springs had contacted the frame of the trailer and cut the electric trailer brake wires in half making the trailer brakes inoperable… |
| 7 Aug 2023 | Service brakes | — | The contact owns a 2024 Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pup RV. The contact stated that while at the dealer purchasing the trailer, the trailer was hitched to a 2018 Toyota Tundra during a test drive however, the brakes failed to stop the RV. The contact stated that four other 2024 Forest River Wolf Pup… |
| 11 Jun 2018 | Electrical system | — | Tl* the contact owns A 2012 toyota 4RUNNER hauling A 2019 (na) cherokee wolf pup RV trailer. The contact stated that he would get shocked when touching any metal part of the trailer frame. The RV trailer would send shock waves to the contact even when it was not attached to the vehicle. While… |
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.