2025 Jayco Redhawk SE 22CF Review

A lot of people who want to get into van life seek out Class Bs. But here’s something they keep in mind: For the same money (or less), smaller Class Cs — like the 2025 Jayco Redhawk SE 22 CF — are often a much better choice. With more power, space and usable features, the Redhawk SE 22CF gives it owners a great RV for life’s adventures. All with larger, more usable interiors than vans.

So, with all that upside, you might be wondering if there’s any downsides. Read on for a balanced assessment of this Redhawk SE — and the type of buyer it suits best.

At a Glance: Redhawk SE 22 CF

I gave the Jayco Redhawk SE 22CF a rating of three and a half out of five. This model received strong marks for space utilization, Jayco’s warranty and inspection of their RVs, the value, and usability of this floorplan, along with cargo carrying capacity. Many of these smaller Class C RVs have very limited ability to carry cargo. That’s not true here. Unfortunately, the Ford chassis (or its Chevrolet counterpart should you go that route) are very long in the tooth. While that doesn’t mean it is poor, it does means that it lacks a lot of comfort and safety technologies buyers may find in newer builds.

Check the Specs

Sleeping capacity: 5
UVW: 16,132 pounds
CCC: 2,368 pounds
Exterior length: 24 feet 9 inches
Exterior height 11 feet 6 inches
Exterior width: 8 feet 4 inches
Fresh/Gray/Black: 44/40/31 gallons
Awning: 13 feet

Features We Love

J-Ride system
Seatbelts at every seating position
Jayco warranty
Jayco predelivery inspection (PDI) process
One-piece front cap
Maneuverable size

Benefits

J-Ride. Jayco’s J-Ride system improves ride and handling by upgrading suspension and handling pieces along with adding dampening in the steering system to improve both comfort and control in this RV. Handling is a common complaint in RVs, and Jayco’s improvements go a long way toward correcting this. The steering dampener, for example, reduces the amount of corrections you have to make while driving. This makes for a more relaxed journey.
Extra Lap Belts. While not mandated by federal motor vehicle safety standards Jayco goes the extra mile by putting lap belts at every seating position, including rear-facing seats such as in the booth dinette. Do know that most motorhome brands do not have a provision for child safety seat anchoring and that’s true here as well.
Warranty. Jayco has one of the best strong warranty packages in the industry with two years comprehensive and three years on the exterior build.
Predelivery Inspection. Something we saw when visiting Jayco was their PDI facilities. Every single Jayco product goes through these facilities with hundreds of points of inspection on motorized rigs. While no RV is perfect, having a thorough inspection of the finished rig before it ever leaves the property does help ensure that an RV will have fewer issues initially.
One-Piece Cap. While Ford (or Chevrolet depending on your choice) builds the van and cab, Jayco builds the RV portion of this rig. One of the highlights of the Jayco portion of this RV is the one-piece fiberglass nose cap. While some RV companies use a build that exposes seams to the direct force of the wind created as you drive down the road, this model’s one-piece cap is less susceptible to leaks and damage.
Maneuverable. At under 25 feet in length this RV is suitable for just about any camp site you can find. The size is not extraordinarily large so it’s reasonably maneuverable, yet it still provides decent interior space.

Challenges

Cooktop. A few things that I would change on this is the type of propane stove top. There are now two-burner models that are in line, as opposed to more of a splayed layout. These in-line burners allow for more counter space within a given size of cabinet.
Older Chassis Tech. The E-Series chassis from Ford and GM’s cutaway van chassis are both very long in the tooth so much of the modern safety technology wasn’t even invented when they were first on the scene. If you’re expecting a full suite of safety technologies, this is not the place you’ll find them.
No Child Seat Tethers. In some of the other Jayco motorhome we looked at, Jayco had provided tethers for child safety seats. But not here. I could see this RV appealing to campers who might want to include smaller children on the adventure. If that’s the case, they’ll have to figure out another way to get them to the fun.

Best For

Solo Adventurers. I have the privilege of working with a lot of people who are part of the Girl Camper fan base. And this almost exactly the type of motorhome many have told me they prefer. Many of these solo woman adventurers like the security of having the driving and camping portions of the RV lifestyle in one package.
RV Newbies. If I were going to choose an RV that was relatively simple for a rental fleet, this might be near the top of that list. It’s nice enough to have all the conveniences but isn’t burdened by technologies that would take a lot of explaining for a novice to use.

Key Areas of RV Trader Reviews

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 an 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 2025 Jayco Redhawk SE 22CF.

Sleeping Space

The floorplan of the Redhawk SE 22CF includes a single slide room that holds the bed. The bed itself is a short queen, measuring 60 inches by 70 inches. Further, the queen has a portion of the mattress that has to flip up to accommodate the slide room.

There’s also a bed above the cab with a 750-pound maximum rating. While you might not be bringing two friends or relatives whose collective mass achieves this number, the fact that the space is able to accommodate that much weight really speaks to the build of this Class C.

Lastly, there is a 42-inch by 70-inch bed that can be converted into a sleep space by folding down the four-place dinette. This might be tight for two people, unless of course they’re in grades that are represented by Ks or single digits.

This Class C has a true queen bed in a slide with a reasonably comfortable mattress. Note too the larger cabinets above the bed plus reading lights.

The dinette forms a 42-inch-by-70-inch bed.

Take a look at the very large over-cab bunk in the Jayco Redhawk SE 22CF.

Bathroom

The bathroom on the Redhawk SE 22CF is off on the camp side in the back. While some corner baths are tight (to be expected), I found this one to have ample space to accomplish all the things you would come here for. There’s even enough space to dry off after a shower and change your clothes. The shower itself is a rectangular unit measuring 24 inches by 36 inches. Not bad.

You can find one of those low-grade vent fans in the bathroom.

Living Area

When an RV is of this length, something has to give. And, in most cases, it’s the main living space. The same is true of the Redhawk SE 22CF. Essentially the only thing you have for seating is the four-place dinette, which is fine if you want to play a game or something. But it’s not the most comfortable place to kick back.

In some of the motorhomes with the more modern van chassis, such as those based on Ford’s own Transit or the Ram ProMaster, the seats often swivel to face the main living quarters, but that’s not the case here. That’s a bummer because that would provide another comfortable place to sit and face your friends and family.

Additionally, I suppose younger folks might love chilling in the overhead bunk. It happens to be where the 12-volt TV is.

This four-place dinette (with seatbelts!) and a table is pretty much it for your living area seating space.

Glimpse of the cabin, from the bedroom to the cockpit. Along the way, you’ll encounter some surprisingly good Class C storage.

A section of the overhead bed flips over to allow easier access to the cockpit, but it could also double as place for someone to lounge during the day. A TV is up there after all.

Kitchen

Once again, the smaller size of this Redhawk SE 22CF is also going to result in compromises. The kitchen space is one, but you still have everything you need. There is a two-burner propane cooktop and a convection microwave for meal prep. The single round-bowl sink is functional for your postmeal dishwashing process.

There’s a glass cover that can cover the propane cooktop and a cover for the sink as well, which exponentially increases counter space in this RV. It’s not bad for the overall size of the RV, but it is limited.

What could improve that somewhat is if Jayco used a two-burner in-line cooktop instead of this model. That in-line stove takes up much less counter space while still providing about as much cooking space.

As you can see, there’s decent kitchen storage plus a convection microwave. With covers for thew sink and stovetop, the counter space is also pretty good.

The two-burner propane cooktop is, I think, an area for improvement. Would rather see an inline cooktop here.

Here’s the 12-volt, 10-cubic-foot Furrion fridge between the cooktop and the bathroom.

Four-Season Capabilities

Surprisingly, the Redhawk SE 22CF isn’t bad for shoulder season camping, such as early spring or late fall. But I don’t know if I’d go when it’s subfreezing. There are 12-volt heating pads on the holding tanks to minimize freezing. However, all the water connections are right on the outside of the rig. So, you’ll want to be careful being hooked to shore water if the temps are getting pretty cold overnight. And you’ll definitely want not to be connected to shore water if it’s regularly below freezing.

Storage Space

For the size of the Redhawk SE 22CF, the storage is surprisingly good. Outside there are several compartments, which are made of a plastic material, that can easily accommodate all the things you’ll want to store outside that are camping necessities. I was also surprised to see the square bumper that many of us use to store the sewer hose (keeping it out of the other storage spots).

Inside, this Class C really shines. There’s storage over the dinette, a decent pantry and a large closet in the bedroom as well as several drawers. The kitchen, too, has overhead cabinets, a couple of drawers, and some cabinet storage. If you’re not bringing others along (who would sleep over the cab of this RV), the overhead cap, too, could add to your storage equation.

Here you can see a larger road-side cargo bay.

This model has plastic cargo bays on the road side.

A look at the tech compartment on the road side of the Redhawk SE 22CF.

Additional storage below the bed. Just one of many great storage surprises inside the Redhawk SE 22CF.

Closing Notes on the Redhawk SE 22CF

Every coin has two sides and that’s an apt description of the Ford E350 chassis that this model is based on. It is powered by a very large gasoline V8. It is a proven machine that has good cargo carrying capacity. While some Class Cs have very limited cargo carrying capacity, this one does not with over a ton of capability for bringing your stuff and your friends. The flip side of that is that it’s a platform that’s been in production for a long time so some of the newer conveniences and ergonomics are not here.

However, some Class B vans that I’ve seen are many tens of thousands of dollars more than this. And even at that price, they don’t offer the spaciousness, cargo carrying capacity, or storage you’ll find in the Redhawk SE 22SE. Further, that big hulking V8 won’t be challenged if you decide to tow a car along for your daily driving duty.

Overall, I think this is a great value that offers a very usable interior and surprising storage.

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