RVing can be a family affair … but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes it’s nice to take a
trip with your significant other and explore the countryside, arm in arm, without the
hustle and bustle of the little ones. Northwood Manufacturing’s Arctic Fox 26X Silver Fox
edition is clearly designed for the all-season RVer that doesn’t necessarily always want to
host the kids and grandkids for extended stays.
That’s not to say Fox can’t accommodate
more than two RVers; with an optional sofa bed and booth dinette, there’s plenty of
sleeping room. But after spending some time in the unit, it’s obvious that the high-quality
appointments, top-grade construction and private floorplan were all designed primarily with
two occupants in mind.
All Arctic Fox trailers begin with aluminum wall framing, plywood decking,
fiberglass siding and a one-piece heavy-gauge roof membrane. The Silver Fox throws in
molded fiberglass front and rear caps, and offers optional thermal pane windows ($1,840)
and optional heated holding tanks ($880), making four-season RVing possible – and
enjoyable.
Inside, the front-kitchen arrangement is very conducive to more advanced
meal-prep, with plenty of counter space to do your chopping, dicing and mixing before
baking in the oven or microwave, or sautéing on the three-burner stove. The exterior
hard-side shade on the trailer’s front cap can be lifted up to let in lots of light, not to
mention a great view of your surrounding area. The 8-cubic-foot fridge is part of the
Silver Fox edition and holds more than enough vittles for two.
The dining area consists of
a freestanding table with four chairs, and offers plenty of room for four diners. Should a
guest or two arrive, the ottoman from the leather Euro recliner in the living area can
serve double-duty as a makeshift seat. The unit we tested featured the optional sofa-bed
air mattress ($535), meaning the kids or grandkids could come along if you choose. The
dining table and sofa bed are housed in the Fox’s single slide, which opens up the living
area quite nicely when deployed.
The practicality of the recliner in the living room is
questionable; the recliner seems a bit out of place, and was constantly shoved into the
corner against the wall. I’ll admit it was pretty comfortable, but I would have appreciated
the extra floorspace to be had by not including the chair at all. The LCD TV with a
surround-sound system is situated on a cabinet near the entry, and can be easily viewed
from all seats in the living/dining area.
The bathroom is quite roomy, and the impressive
amount of elbow room around the toilet meant we never felt like the walls were closing in.
The bathroom is accessible from two interior doors – one in the living area and one in the
bedroom. This is a nice feature that ensures you don’t have to expose yourself to other
occupants while dashing from the shower to the master bedroom to get dressed.
Once you make
your way through the bathroom, you enter the smallish bedroom area. A comfortable queen bed
and minimal cabinetry occupy most of the space, leaving little room for lingering or
walk-around space for making the bed.
Living in the 26X felt like living in a small
apartment; there was plenty of room for two, and enough space for a couple more. The
top-quality appointments and the ability to inhabit separate areas should be much
appreciated by buyers looking to camp in quiet comfort.
Northwood Manufacturing
Inc., (541) 962-6274, www.northwoodmfg.com.
Quick Info
ext length: 28′ 5″
ext width: 8′
ext height: 11′ 2″
int
height: 6′ 8″
freshwater cap: 67 gal
black-/gray-water
cap: 45 gal/30 gal/25 gal (2 gray tanks)
lp-gas cap: 14 gal
hitch weight: 1,020 lb
gvwr: 10,800 lb
msrp, as
tested:$40,495
