Pop-up trailers have a special place in my heart. For me, they bring childhood memories of camping with the family in our pop-up trailer to mind. Like most tent trailers back then, ours was pretty basic. It was a manually deployed shelter on wheels, but it did its job. With its canvas walls and windows that were zipped up at night, it felt like a real camping experience. The Flagstaff 228SE gives me all those same feelings.
But the reality is that it is also different — in a good way. Forest River’s Flagstaff 228SE pop-up trailer is stashed with nice surprises that make it a far cry from the tent trailer of my youth. It has all the amenities you need for a fun-filled weekend family getaway. And it all comes in the lightweight, easy-to-tow, easy-to-deploy package you’d expect of a pop-up.
At a Glance: Flagstaff 228SE
Check the Specs
- Sleeping capacity: 7
- Hitch weight: 375 pounds
- UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight) 2868 pounds
- CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity) 1260 pounds
- Box size: 12 feet
- Extended open length: 23 feet 11 inches
- Extended closed length: 18 feet 7 inches
- Extended closed height: 6 feet 2 inches
- Exterior width: 7 feet
- Water tank: 20 gallons
- Propane: 2 x 20 pounds
Features We Love
- Power roof lift
- 30-amp power
- 20,000 Btu Furnace
- Heated bunks
- Three-burner range (propane)
- 12-volt refrigerator 1.7 CU
- Residential style Autumnwood cabinets give a cozy feeling
- Outdoor kitchen
- Outdoor shower
- Fire safety fire extinguisher, smoke detector, CO2 monitor
- Available 200-watt roof mount solar panel with 1000-watt inverter
- Lots of storage in kitchen and living areas
- Pull out exterior storage drawer with dual access points
- Cassette toilet
- Shower
- Create-A-Breeze fan
- Lots of seating at booth and bench (with storage underneath)
- Thule awning with awning lights
- Front bunk overhead storage net
- Prewired for TV
- Privacy curtains
Benefits
- Towable by most SUVs and smaller pickups
- Sleeping area for seven, including a convertible dinette and separate bench seat
- Lots of comfortable dining and relaxing space
- Generous cargo carrying capacity
- Lifted suspension allows access to remote areas
- Power roof lift makes it easy to set up
- Hitch takes standard 2-inch hitch
- EZ lube axles makes this maintenance chore a lot easier
- Electric brakes mean less wear and tear on your tow vehicle brakes
- Antifreeze bypass for simple winterization
- Quick Connect for outdoor shower
- Available air conditioner
- Surprising amount of storage for a pop-up (under bench seats, two outdoor storage areas, generous kitchen storage)
- Privacy curtains create separate sleeping areas at night
- Propane Quick Connect for outdoor cooktop
Challenges
- Sleeps seven but there isn’t enough refrigerator/food storage for a weekend’s worth of food for this many people.
- There’s no counter next to the sink, stove, or fridge areas
- With an unloaded weight of 2,868 pounds, the Flagstaff 228SE is on the heavy side for some smaller tow vehicles a pop up (weight distribution hitch may be necessary).
- Loaded to its CCC, it might be a challenge for smaller SUVs to tow.
Best For
- Families who want to enjoy connecting with nature in a lightweight, easy-to-tow (and park!) RV that has all the basic necessities.
- Younger campers who want to boondock in nature with a few good friends.
- Anyone that wants a more rustic camping experience while still having access to amenities in an RV that’s lightweight and easy-to-store in a garage or carport.
The RV Trader Process
RV Trader asked RV shoppers what was most important to them in their RV buying process. Potential buyers — like you — helped us to identify a list of six key areas that camping and travel enthusiasts always look at when they’re searching for the perfect RV: sleeping space, bathroom, living area, four-season capabilities, and storage space.
The RV Trader team then got to work providing you with an honest and unbiased evaluations. And that’s where I come in. I’m Lynne Fedorick, RV expert and enthusiast. Whenever I review any RV, my goal is always to perform the review objectively. I evaluate everything on the RV from top to bottom. All without any undue influence from manufacturers or retailers.
RV Trader sent me to the Forest River showroom in Elkhart, Indiana to look at 2024 RVs from the diverse brands included in the Forest River family. I inspected each RV with the buyer’s perspective at the forefront. How well would each RV meet the needs and requirements of its intended buyer? Above all, I wanted to seek out answers to this question, so I looked at the six key areas with this in mind.
According to RV dealers I’ve spoken to, Forest River Flagstaff RVs are known for quality finishes in a lightweight RV. How true was this? I was about to discover the answer to that, and a lot of other questions I. In the hours to come, I would investigate every inch of the exterior and interior of this quintessential tent trailer.
Here’s what I found out about the Forest River Flagstaff 228SE pop-up trailer.
Sleeping Space
The Flagstaff 228SE has enough sleeping space for seven campers.
Its three slide-out wings help. Each of the beds at the front and back of the trailer sleep two adults comfortably. The mattresses are designed to be light, so they aren’t very thick. However, they were surprisingly comfortable when I tried them out. The sliding wing on the driver’s side of this RV has a dinette that transforms into a relatively comfortable sleeping space for another two sleepers. Opposite the dinette is a bench seat that quickly transforms into a bed for another camper.
Also, it’s worth noting that there is additional storage above the bed at the front of the RV in the form of a hanging net.
Bathroom
It was a nice surprise to find a bathroom in a pop-up trailer. The Flagstaff SE228 is complete with a shower and a small cassette toilet. While it has a low wall that folds up, there is an intriguing, circular shower curtain rod attached to the ceiling. This is where you can hang the shower curtain either for use with the hand held shower or for privacy when nature calls. There isn’t a sink in this bathroom, but the kitchen sink is nearby.
Living Area
The living area of the Flagstaff 228SE is generous for a tent trailer. It has a table that’s big enough to play board games or cards after dinner. Additionally, there’s a bench seat that could easily be augmented with throw cushions for a reading nook. There’s also a place to hook up a TV on the rearmost slide bed. Kids would love the fort-like feel of the slide-out bed areas for play on rainy days.
A generous Thule awning spans the side of this trailer. Nicely, it blurs the line between indoors and outdoors to give you even more living space.
Kitchen
The kitchen in the Flagstaff 228SE is functional, with a fridge, three- burner stove, and generous sink. There are also cabinets and drawers that could be used to store cooking utensils, dishes, or food. However, there is absolutely no counter space. One feels the deficiency could have been solved with a strategically placed pull-out or flip-up counter.
Four-Season Capabilities
As a tent-style pop-up trailer, the Flagstaff 228SE is definitely not a four-season RV. However, with its heated mattresses and propane heat, it would be entirely possible for hardy people to camp for three seasons in this camper.
Storage Space
There’s an impressive amount of storage space in the Flagstaff 228SE. Outside, a passthrough storage cabinet at the front end of the RV holds a heavy-duty plastic drawer that helps keep items accessible. This cabinet would be ideal for storing long items like fishing rods. On the driver’s side, you’ll find another respectably sized cabinet. It can hold items such as the two-burner propane cooktop that’s included with this rig.
Inside, cabinets and drawers in the kitchen area provide storage for kitchen gear and food. Cabinets under the bench seats provide storage for clothing and other gear.
Other Niceties of the Flagstaff 228SE
SE stands for Sporting Enthusiast. (Maybe I should’ve mentioned that earlier.) Therefore, the 228SE has been built to take you camping on roads less traveled. Whether it’s a fishing adventure in the mountains, or a lakeside retreat, that’s up to you. The Flagstaff 228SE could be the ideal rig for weekend family getaways. It’s an especially nice option if you have a smaller tow vehicle and don’t want to upgrade. Stepping inside, it feels like luxury safari accommodation. LED lighting helps minimize power consumption when this RV isn’t plugged in. For entertainment options, there’s a built in Bluetooth stereo and ports near the rear of the RV for a TV.
All in all, I liked this rig. Aside from the nostalgia factor, it feels like a solid build, with quality materials and workmanship throughout. If you’re looking buy a great pop-up camper, it’s a nice place to start — and finish.
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