01 What makes it unique
Forest River lists the 2026 Work and Play 21LT at 6,098 lb dry, a GVWR of 9,735 lb and a net carrying capacity of 3,637 lb. It prints no tongue weight for it. Its dry weight plus its carrying capacity comes to exactly its GVWR.
It is 27' 5" long and 11' 5" (with A/C) high. Forest River prints its tanks as 98 gal fresh, 70 gal grey, 35 gal black.
Among the 6 Work and Play floorplans Forest River lists for 2026 with a published dry weight, it is number 2 from the lightest, in a range from 5,270 lb (Work and Play 18LT) to 9,033 lb (Work and Play 30GS). Every figure in that comparison is Forest River’s, for the same model year.
Every number on this page was read on 5 Nov 2026 from Forest River’s 2026 Work and Play brochure, the maker’s own dated document for model year 2026.
How the 21LT differs from the other five Work and Play floorplans. Most distinctive first. How these ranks are worked out.
- Cargo capacity as a share of GVWR, 37.4%: largest of four; next is the 27LT (35.3%).
- Grey tank, 70 gal: largest of six; next is the 30GS (65 gal).
- Dry weight, 6,098 lb: second-lightest of six, between the 18LT (5,270 lb) and the 27LT (6,790 lb).
- GVWR, 9,735 lb: second-lowest of six, between the 18LT (9,192 lb) and the 27LT (10,500 lb).
- Length, 27 ft 5 in: second-shortest of six, between the 18LT (24 ft 6 in) and the 27KB and 27LT (32 ft 11 in).
- Cargo capacity, 3,637 lb: third-smallest of six, between the 27KB (3,512 lb) and the 27LT (3,710 lb).
- Exterior height, 11 ft 5 in: third-lowest of six, between the 18LT and 27LT (11 ft 3 in) and the 27KB (12 ft).
- Interior height, 7 ft 1 in: lowest of six, level with the 18LT and 27LT; next are the 27KB, 29SS and 30GS (7 ft 7 in).
Next to the 18LT, the nearest lighter floorplan by dry weight, the 21LT is 828 lb heavier by dry weight, has a GVWR 543 lb higher, has 345 lb less cargo capacity, is 2 ft 11 in longer, stands 2 in taller and has a grey tank 35 gal larger; the two publish the same interior height, fresh tank and black tank.
Next to the 27LT, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 21LT is 692 lb lighter by dry weight, has a GVWR 765 lb lower, has 73 lb less cargo capacity, is 5 ft 6 in shorter, stands 2 in taller and has a grey tank 35 gal larger; the two publish the same interior height, fresh tank and black tank.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 27' 5"
- Exterior height
- 11' 5" (with A/C)
- Exterior width
- Not published by Forest River
- Interior height
- 85"
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 6,098 lb
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 9,735 lb
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 3,637 lb
- Hitch / tongue weight
- Not published by Forest River
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 98 gal
- Grey water
- 70 gal
- Black water
- 35 gal
Running gear
- Hitch type
- Bumper pull
- Tire size
- Not published by Forest River
Sleeping & layout
- Sleeps
- Not published by Forest River
- Shipping weight
- 6,038 lb
- Garage length
- 13'-8"
- Awning
- 19'
- Printed under “Hitch Height”
- 935 (as printed; no unit given)
How these published figures sit against the rest of the catalogue: travel trailer tongue weight by size; fresh, grey and black tank sizes; camper trailer size chart.
Drawn to scale
Weight budget
Size (no width published)
Holding tanks
Axles, wheels and nose shape are schematic; not a floorplan. Data: dataset.
03 The Work and Play floorplan family
Forest River lists 6 Work and Play floorplans for 2026; this site profiles every one with a printed weight, from Forest River’s own 2026 Work and Play brochure.
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work and Play 18LT | 24' 6" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 21LT | 27' 5" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 27LT | 32' 11" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 27KB | 32' 11" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 29SS | 36' 4" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 30GS | 37' 6" | — | Profiled |
Forest River lists 6 Work and Play floorplans for 2026. Every one with a printed weight has a page here.
04 Notes on this floorplan
What Forest River does not publish for the Work and Play 21LT
Forest River prints no tongue weight, tire size, sleeping capacity for this model, so none is given. Nothing is filled from a sibling model, a different model year or a dealer listing.
Read the label on the trailer
Federal rules put a load-carrying label inside every RV trailer: its unloaded weight with full propane, its cargo carrying capacity and its GVWR (49 CFR 571.110 and 571.120). Those figures come from the trailer itself and govern the towing decision.
05 How it compares
5,270 lb dry and 9,192 lb GVWR, against this model’s 6,098 lb and 9,735 lb.
6,790 lb dry and 10,500 lb GVWR, against this model’s 6,098 lb and 9,735 lb.
06 Loading it for a trip
A full 98-gallon fresh tank is about 813 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.110 S9.3.2), 22% of the Work and Play 21LT’s 3,637 lb cargo capacity, leaving 2,824 lb. Across 6 Work and Play floorplans the water share runs 20% to 23%, and 2 give up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Work and Play 27LT at 22% and Work and Play 27KB at 23%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.110 S9.3.3).
No source publishes a tongue weight for the Work and Play 21LT, so its hitch load has to come from a scale ticket taken with the trailer hitched.
07 Where this floorplan sits
Closest sibling: the Work and Play 27LT, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 5 of the 7 fields both publish (this plan first): length 27 ft 5 in vs 32 ft 11 in; dry weight 6,098 lb vs 6,790 lb; GVWR 9,735 lb vs 10,500 lb; cargo capacity 3,637 lb vs 3,710 lb; grey tank 70 gal vs 35 gal. They match on fresh tank and black tank.
| Work and Play plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVWR (lb) | 9,735 | 2 of 6 | 9,192–12,500 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 6,098 | 2 of 6 | 5,270–9,033 |
| Cargo capacity (lb) | 3,637 | 3 of 6 | 3,466–3,982 |
| Length | 27 ft 5 in | 2 of 6 | 24 ft 6 in–37 ft 6 in |
| Grey tank (gal) | 70 | 6 of 6 | 35–70 |
Either side of it by GVWR: Work and Play 18LT is 543 lb lighter (9,192 lb GVWR); Work and Play 27LT is 765 lb heavier (10,500 lb GVWR).
| Nearest Work and Play siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work and Play 21LT | 27 ft 5 in | — | 6,098 | 9,735 | 3,637 | — | 98 |
| Work and Play 27LT | 32 ft 11 in | — | 6,790 | 10,500 | 3,710 | — | 98 |
| Work and Play 18LT | 24 ft 6 in | — | 5,270 | 9,192 | 3,982 | — | 98 |
| Work and Play 30GS | 37 ft 6 in | — | 9,033 | 12,500 | 3,466 | — | 98 |
| Work and Play 27KB | 32 ft 11 in | — | 7,488 | 11,000 | 3,512 | — | 98 |
| Work and Play 29SS | 36 ft 4 in | — | 8,642 | 12,500 | 3,858 | — | 98 |
All 6 Work and Play floorplans: Work and Play line hub.
| Other lines, nearest by GVWR | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work and Play 21LT | 9,735 | 6,098 | — | 27 ft 5 in |
| Ozark 2500THK | 9,735 | 5,493 | — | 28 ft 11 in |
| Coachmen Catalina 303RKDS | 9,734 | 8,234 | 4 | 36 ft 5 in |
| Viking 282DORM | 9,730 | 7,208 | — | 36 ft 11 in |
| Transcend Xplor 27DBX | 9,724 | — | 6 | 31 ft 9 in |
| Alpha Wolf 26RL | 9,750 | 7,258 | — | 34 ft 6 in |
| White Hawk 32QBH | 9,750 | 8,200 | 10 | 38 ft 0 in |
Against the Work and Play 21LT: the Ozark 2500THK is 2 ft longer; the Coachmen Catalina 303RKDS is 1 lb lighter and 9 ft longer; the Viking 282DORM is 5 lb lighter and 10 ft longer.
08 Common questions about the Work and Play 21LT
How much does the Work and Play 21LT weigh?
6,098 lb dry; 9,735 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
How much can the Work and Play 21LT carry?
3,637 lb, 37% of its GVWR (median across 1,010 travel trailers here: 23%). A full fresh tank uses 813 lb of it.
What size tow vehicle does the Work and Play 21LT need?
A tow rating of at least 9,735 lb, plus payload for the loaded tongue weight, passengers and cargo.
What are the tank capacities on the Work and Play 21LT?
Fresh 98, grey 70, black 35 gallons. Off hookups, fresh water runs out first.
How long is the Work and Play 21LT?
27' 5" overall, tongue or pin box included.
From the figures above.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
10 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the Work and Play 21LT. Not published: hitch weight, exterior width, sleeps, slide count, axle count, tire specification, refrigerator, air conditioning.
Sourcing rules: methodology.
10 Manuals & documents
Sources: forestriverinc.com, library.rvusa.com (linked below); the full source note is at the foot of the page.
11 NHTSA safety record
NHTSA holds 14 recall campaigns and 7 owner complaints (model years 2005 on) against the Work and Play line (a recall and a complaint are not the same thing).
Too few reports to show a pattern. 7 complaints have been filed on this line — not enough to say what fails most often. They cover suspension, tires, latches/locks/linkages, unknown or other and wheels.
Recall coverage here is not complete, and complaints are owners’ unverified reports (how this record is built). Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy. Full tables are on the Work and Play line page.