Forest River’s diminutive toy-hauler trailer offers basic shelter for outdoor enthusiasts
The Forest River Wolf Pup 17RP is a rugged, compact, easy-to-tow toy hauler. It’s just a tad longer than 20 feet and stands only 9½ feet tall. Riding on a single axle, the 17RP has a simple design but is loaded with modern amenities. The exterior is common aluminum adorned with what looks like swaying grass blade decals. The interior comes with a dark chocolate wood decor with a golden hue, which makes a good accent off the dark interior.
Compact but cozy living quarters contain a sofa sleeper, removable table and bunk beds up front. Storage space is limited, however, so plan on keeping some stuff inside the tow vehicle.
The floorplan is simple, with the bunks occupying the front of the trailer, and the compact kitchen on the right side butting up against the beds. Capable of sleeping one person on the 28-inch-wide upper berth and two below cuddling in 44 inches of side-to-side space, the 17RP is pretty tight come bedtime. A fourth person can sleep on the rollover sofa in the “garage” area.
In the galley, there’s minimal counter space, a single sink with a high-rise faucet, a three-burner cooktop, microwave and 3-cubic-foot, 120-volt AC refrigerator. An RV refrigerator can be ordered as an option, which makes sense for anyone thinking of camping off the grid.
The petite “wet” bathroom is directly across from the galley. It has a foot-flush toilet, and the space can be used as a small shower. Support systems for the bathroom are limited to 21 gallons of freshwater and 13 gallons each of black and gray water. The 6-gallon water heater is plenty big for this Pup.
In the back of the trailer, embellished with Wolf Pup graphics, is a 59- x 71- door used to load the toys. The interior living quarters share space with what is considered the garage area. To make the most room, the sofa can be positioned against the wall, and the table can be removed and stored up front.
When the ramp is open, a diamond-plate hinge guard connects the gap between the linoleum flooring inside the trailer and the slip-resistant surface of the ramp door. This prevents tires and feet from getting hung up in the gap and makes the trailer safer to load and more child-friendly. Cabinetry in the garage area, as well as in the rest of the trailer, is kind of sparse, so careful loading is necessary.
This trailer is not designed to be fancy, but there is a fairly long list of options that can doll it up somewhat. On that list are a furnace, air conditioner, TV and antenna, power A-frame jack and upgraded exterior effects. Some dealers will offer a limited package, which adds another layer of optional items, including solar prep and wiring.
Construction is standard trailer fare, and the roof is touted as being one piece and walkable, although there was no ladder to get on the roof. Outside, there is a full-length awning, and a place to mount a TV and speakers. There’s no exterior storage, so plan
on storing gear inside.
This little trailer is good for weekend getaways and can easily fit in most small campgrounds. At 3,000 pounds unloaded, the trailer is towable by a wide range of vehicles, but there’s a limitation of the type of toys that can be hauled. The 5,430-pound gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr) and single axle will limit toys to those that are lightweight and on the smaller side.
