The Forest River Sabre 26BBR is a fifth wheel that contains a few really pleasant surprises. And while it would be accurate to define it as a bunkhouse, it’s definitely not the whole story. With an overall length under 30 feet and weighing fewer than 8,000 pounds, this model is intended to be compatible with a wider range of vehicles. The smallish nature of this fifth wheel not only makes it more manageable. It makes it more affordable. Even so, the versatility of the Forest River Sabre 26BBR may surprise you.
At a Glance: Sabre 26BBR
I gave the Sabre 26BBR a score of three, which is average. In looking at this, things like the unique bedroom earn bonus points, but the small oven and entry-level suspension bring the overall score down. There is a great bathroom with that pull-out storage though.
Check the Specs
- Sleeping capacity: 7
- Hitch weight: 1,565 pounds
- UVW: 7,823 pounds
- CCC: 2,177 pounds.
- Exterior length: 29 feet 10 inches
- Exterior height 13 feet 5 inches
- Exterior width: 8 feet
- Fresh/Gray/Black: 49/30/30 gallons
- Propane: 2 x 30 pounds
- Awning: 12 feet
Benefits
- Bunkhouse doubles as alternate sleep space and office
- Size and weight make it compatible with more tow vehicles
Challenges
- Suspension lacks additional absorption technology
- Single A/C unit comes standard; a second unit is optional
Best For
- Buyers looking for an affordable yet versatile fifth wheel that doesn’t sacrifice quality for size
- Young families who enjoy a separate space for the kids
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 Tony Barthel, RV expert and enthusiast. I provide an honest look at RVs from RV industry insider perspective. That way, you can learn the good, the bad, and the intriguing about any RVs I review. I inspect each RV with the buyer’s perspective at the forefront. And I always evaluate those six key areas that buyers have told us that they have in mind.
So, that said, let’s take a closer look at the 2024 Forest River Sabre 26BBR.
Sleeping Space
The master bedroom over the cap has a walkaround queen bed. The room itself connects with bathroom, which is also on the upper deck. But really, for sleeping space, one of the biggest surprises of this rig is the bunk room. It’s so much more than a bunkhouse model.
As you might expect the bunk room features a fold-down upper bunk which is rated for 300 pounds. Depending on how you have it all configured, there’s also a desk in here with a cubby on the sides which means you can use this as a private office as well.
There’s a cushion that is the mattress for the middle bunk, and that cushion can be folded so that you now have a couch or futon of sorts. But flip the top of the desk over, drop down the panel from the back wall and now you have a second bunk. That cushion that was a couch is now the mattress for this second bunk.
But wait, there’s more. Up on the top bunk are two cushions and you can lay one of those on the floor so now you have a third bed. To be honest this space would be tight with three people here, but it’s certainly possible — more so if your occupants are smaller, younger human beings. But make no mistake: The fact that this is a whole separate room that can be an office or a bedroom or just a den is really unusual in a fifth wheel of this length.
Bathroom
The bathroom, on the upper deck, has some nice surprises in it. There is a porcelain foot flush toilet (rather than plastic), and the cabinet on which the sink is placed leaves space for a small waste basket. A proper medicine cabinet is here as well.
Behind the toilet is a pull-out cabinet that really has a lot of shelf space and is quite a nice find here. There’s a high-performance vent fan overhead. and the shower in here is pretty large. It has a seat-step as well. There’s also an Oxygenics shower head, which is what many owners buy after realizing what comes with most RVs is lousy. No need to make that upgrade to this RV. The Sabre 26BBR did it already.
While we’re all in the bathroom, one more thing to note is that the controls for the tankless water heater are here, which seems convenient.
Living Area
There is still a lot of living space in the Sabre 26BBR. The only slide in this trailer, featuring a rack-and-pinion slide mechanism, is on the main deck on the camp side. With a bunkhouse model, this makes so much sense because there are huge windows on the camp side of this rig in the slide as well as in the hallway up to the upper deck and in the door. If you do have littles, this allows you to keep an eye on them more easily.
In the slide is a traditional booth-style dinette and a hide-a-bed sofa. The sofa faces a TV and fireplace. The dinette faces the kitchen.
Kitchen
The kitchen is a large L-shaped affair with a counter that spans the width of the bulkhead at the front of this space and extends down to the edge of the fridge. That fridge is a 12-volt DC model with 16 cubic feet of storage, including a two-drawer freezer and side-by-side refrigerator. It’s pretty fancy.
The stove and oven are a new item in the RV industry featuring a convection air fryer oven and three-burner propane cook top. The oven operates on 120-vac, so shore power or a generator are needed to make it work. That’s true of the microwave above it but that’s common. This oven is something new.
The sink here is also a new item and features a number of drop-in, stainless-steel accessories. Those drop-in items include a strainer for washing veggies, a dish rack, and cutting board. There’s even a device to allow you to wash cups and glasses by inverting them and pressing down. (That’s pretty nifty.) The faucet on the sink is also pretty nice with a restaurant-style sprayer faucet on a flexible mount.
Four-Season Capabilities
I was told that the Sabre 26BBR specifically provides space for 30-pound propane tanks in the compartments on the front of this rig. However, it includes 20-pound tanks. The reason is that 20-pound tanks are easier to deal with through exchanges all over. Those who wish to can upgrade to 30-pound tanks or remain with the convenience of these 20-pound models.
This trailer features a completely enclosed underbelly with heat provided by the furnace of the camper. Further, there are 12-volt heating pads on all the tanks. Another thing worth noting is that the gate valves for the holding tanks are all enclosed in that heated underbelly.
There is also a reflective material in the underbelly as well as on the ceiling and in the nose cap to keep outside temperatures outside. What this means is that more of the plumbing and holding tank system is protected in a heated space, so you have fewer issues with freezing. While there is no rating of temperature range for this fifth wheel, these features do stack the deck more in your favor in shoulder season (as things start to cool down).
Tinted Windows, Vacuum Lamination, and PVC Roofing
The windows have an amber tint to them from the outside which is a sun-reflecting coating on the glass to help keep the sun’s rays from heating things up inside. Another thing worth noting is that the walls of this fifth wheel including the walls of the slide boxes are all vacuum laminated. The significance of this is that vacuum lamination provides a more even and consistent glue distribution than being rolled through rollers as some companies do but is a costlier process, partially because the equipment is expensive.
They also use a PVC roof membrane which has the advantage of being repairable using simple PVC solvents available at local hardware stores. It also carries a lifetime guarantee, but it’s important to note that the seals around breaches in the roof for things like vents, antennas and the like are all things that should be inspected quarterly and are not covered under this guarantee.
Storage Space
Like many fifth wheels, the Sabre 26BBR offers a commodious cargo bay at the front. But storage surprises are on the inside. There, you’ll find a slide-out set of shelves in the bathroom — a space where storage is often neglected. There is also decent storage in the kitchen area with plenty of cabinets and drawers. Lastly, the upstairs bedroom features a space for totes under the bed and good-sized closets plus drawers on either side of the bed, which lifts up to reveal more storage.
Closing Notes on the Sabre 26BBR
Outside and Underside
While the nifty office/bedroom/bunk is certainly a distinguishing feature in this trailer, other things worth noting. And important ones start at the bottom. I often recommend shopping for an RV by starting at the underside and seeing how it’s made before ever stepping inside. In this case, the Sabre 26BBR uses a Norco frame. The significance of this is that it’s huck bolted together rather than welded. While I have no proof of this fact, the frame company claims that this is stronger and more consistent than welds.
While I’m a fan of Goodyear Endurance tires and suspensions with additional absorption technologies, this model has neither. There is a rudimentary tire pressure system where the valve stems on the tires actually change the displayed color based on tire pressure, so you can easily see if they are properly inflated. (I’ll take it!)
Something you often find optional on RVs that is a standard feature here is a back-up camera which uses Bluetooth and the Lippert OneControl app. This is certainly an unexpected feature since it’s optional on most other RVs.
Extra Features and Value of the Sabre 26BBR
This fifth wheel packs a lot of value and features into a relatively small and affordable package. It would be worth noting that this unit does come with a single 15,000 BTU air conditioner but a second unit is available.
There’s also 100 watts of solar and Sabre has wired the trailer with a 30-amp charge controller so you could add more solar if you wanted. There is also wiring in place so that you could power some of the outlets through an inverter. Speaking of wiring there is a household outlet in the pass-through storage on the camp side with a port to run an extension cord to the outside. This would also be an ideal place for a Starlink router with that port being used for the cable to the dish.
This rig is also relatively light with the model I saw weighing 7,966 pounds dry. RV and truck makers might advertise certain types of trucks this would be compatible with, but I urge you to know how much cargo carrying capacity your truck has and be aware of pin weights on any fifth wheel. This is still a large trailer and controlling such a vehicle is paramount, especially since this is a model intended for families.
If the Sabre 26BBR is not on your radar, and you’re looking for an affordable fifth wheel with an innovative bunk space, this model certainly merits consideration. It has a lot of features and a unique design along with a strong value proposition that should put it on more shopping lists.
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