RV review: 2025 Flagstaff Classic F301RKS fifth wheel - wow
Today’s RV review is of the 2025 Flagstaff Classic 301RKS fifth wheel. This is a fifth wheel floor plan with a rear kitchen that may be a great choice if you like entertaining and cooking. This also has an option that you might want to consider if you’re someone who loves camping off the grid. But first, let’s start underneath.
It’s also good to know that the Flagstaff brand is identical to the Rockwood brand so if your local dealership is a Rockwood dealership, it’s the same product.
From the road up in the Flagstaff Classic 301RKS fifth wheel
One of the reasons I really like Flagstaff are a lot of the hidden things the company does. Lots of RV builders will advertise enclosed underbellies and might even include Goodyear tires but, if you really drill down into how a Flagstaff is built, the differences will be more evident.
For example these trailers do incorporate Goodyear Endurance tires but Flagstaff also incorporates tire pressure monitoring inside the tire. Something new that they do is incorporate balancing beads inside the tires so they create less vibration.
Really, when you think about it, the less vibration and harshness transmitted to the RV the better it will survive over time. It’s a simple equation.
To that end, Flagstaff began using what is called a slipper roller suspension for 2025. They had been using a torsion axle suspension and still do in their travel trailers, but I was informed that these heavier fifth wheels required more rigid variants of the torsion axle suspension so it was transmitting more harshness than the company liked.
Enter the slipper roller suspension which is a leaf spring unit but with a big difference in how the springs are mounted so that there is greater adaptability to weight variations and still a smooth ride.
Fifth wheels can have a lot of cargo carrying so a softer suspension would improve ride quality but a firmer suspension would improve cargo carrying. From what Lippert and Rockwood told me, this slipper roller set-up is sort of the compromise that works best here.
Something else they added for 2025 is anti-lock trailer braking standard. Honestly, this is a major step forward in towing safety and I applaud them. We got to experience anti-lock trailer braking first-hand in this video. In addition to the anti-lock braking, this system also has a bit of sway control plus trailer management. It’s a good system.
Flagstaff also laminates their own walls in their own plant and uses man-made substrates in the process to reduce the chance of water damage.
The slide mechanism in this is a rack-and-pinion slide which is a good system.
One thing I didn’t like under here, there are two sewer dump connections and one of those is right under the slide room. This is great for contortionists but not so great for chubby old writers.
Something else the company does is make their dinettes and bed frames out of welded alumni instead of wood. This is both stronger and lighter, but not cheaper.
What’s inside the Flagstaff Classic 301RKS
If you caught our article about what RV model numbers mean, you’ll likely guess that “RKS” means Rear Kitchen. You’d be right.
The kitchen in this model extends the full width of the rear and then up the camp side of the rig. This results in a lot of counter space and, in typical fifth wheel fashion, that means that there’s a corresponding volume of drawers and overhead cabinets. While this model doesn’t really have a pantry, per se, it does have enough storage that that really won’t be a problem even if you’re running a restaurant part-time in here. Well, okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration.
Other things I like about how Flagstaff does things is that they use appliances that are actually usable. They use larger ovens with their three-burner propane cook tops and this model, in particular, has a residential-sized microwave.
The only glitch in this is the refrigerator, which is a Magic Chef model with a swinging latch on it. We had this fridge, I didn’t like it simply because of the swinging latch. That latch can let loose and what a surprise to find last night’s broccoli casserole has now become decor. Bleh. It functions just fine as a fridge, this latch is just suspect.
There’s a u-shaped dinette here with a free-standing table and then a couch on the bulkhead wall with even more cabinets overhead.
Bedroom and bathroom in the Flagstaff Classic 301RKS
If you’ve looked at this model in the past you’ll notice there has been a significant change. While there’s still a slide on the main deck, the one upstairs is gone. This means you get a walk-around queen bed with storage at the rear of the bedroom along with hanging storage and overhead storage above the bed.
Losing this slide does simplify things a bit and Flagstaff has implemented some interesting storage beside the bed. I also like that there’s not the step of death that you’ll find in some fifth wheels.
For 2025 Flagstaff has also upgraded the hinges over the bed such that the doors stay up (hooray!) making that space much more convenient.
The other change that the elimination of the slide gained was that the shower is now much larger and is no longer the radius-style shower. There’s also linen storage in the bathroom and it’s a spacious place. So I think the removal of the slide actually has resulted in a better upper deck.
Boondocking and travel access in the Flagstaff Classic 301RKS
Typically smaller fifth wheels aren’t the greatest boondocking rigs out there, but that’s not true here at all.
Even in the base form this trailer has 200 watts of solar and an 1800 watt inverter. You can also opt on a second 200 watt panel.
But if you truly love boondocking, you can option the Power Package which is a complete solar and lithium system that has 1,000 watts of solar on the roof and a 460 amp-hour battery along with a 3,000 watt inverter. We had this in our last trailer and, since it wasn’t offered as a factory option, we had a similar system added to our new trailer.
It’s a great system. But you can even add a second 460 amp-hour battery to the system which would keep you off the grid for a very long time. These newer systems also come with what is called a DC-DC charger so you can use your pickup as a 50 amp (12 volt) DC power source. This works out great for those cloudy days.
Something else that’s really unusual in a fifth wheel is that you can access the entire lower deck, with the exception of a few cabinets and drawers, even with the slide in. It does block the couch, too, but you could easily go in and make lunch or use the restroom or any of that.
Also, without the upper deck slide, you can fully utilize the bedroom at a travel stop as well.
A word about us
If you don’t know we’re brand ambassadors for the Rockwood Mini Lite line which is essentially identical to the Flagstaff Micro Lite line. With that in mind, I was talking to someone who said I’m biased by our relationship with Rockwood/Flagstaff.
Actually, that’s not true. We bought our first Rockwood in 2016 and I started the Facebook Group which blew up. The more I learned about the brand and their decision making process the more I got to like them. Ultimately we did form a working relationship but that’s because I really like what and how they do things.
We have had a number of RV companies reach out to us and want to work with us and, quite honestly, we’ve remained very pleased with the product quality with Rockwood/Flagstaff. I do truly feel they are among the better brands in the industry.
Conclusions about the Flagstaff Classic 301RKS
There is a lot of noise being made by some of the newer kids on the block about how their roofs don’t require as much maintenance and how the sealants they’re using are best-in-class. I recently asked Flagstaff about this and, low and behold, they’re using the same stuff.
There’s a lot to like in this fifth wheel. While it’s not as big as some, it would do well for those who like to entertain and really well if cooking on the road is your thing.
Other than the latch on the fridge I suppose that, if you’re big into watching TV, there are better situations although you could swap the dinette for either free-standing table and chairs or even a 67” theater seat.
There are also a good number of outside cabinets on this RV. Also, like many Flagstaff and Rockwood products, this includes an outside flat-top propane griddle and table which slot into a rail on the side of the rig.
If you’re looking for a fifth wheel that offers a good combination of storage, quality and interior space this is a tough unit to beat. That might be evident by the score in our RV report card.
More RV reviews
We have more RV reviews that you can see including specific categories for your reference.
Our complete collection of travel trailer reviews
Our complete collection of fifth wheel RV reviews
Our complete collection overlanding RV reviews
Our complete collection of motorhomes and motorized RV reviews
Our complete collection of toy hauler RV reviews
Our complete collection of bunkhouse RV reviews
Our complete collection of Class B/Van Life reviews
RV Shopping Tips
If you’re shopping for an RV we have some great resources for you.
Our complete guide with Tips for buying and selling an RV
Planning on purchasing a towable RV? Visit our RV towing guide first.
Is the mattress in your RV terrible? Check out the GhostBed RV Mattress - we love ours.
Visit an RV show
Want to check out RVs for yourself in person? We have a complete list of RV shows across the US.
