If you’re looking for an amenity-packed fifth wheel — that you can tow with a half-ton — you owe it to yourself to check out the 2025 Highland Ridge Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS. Even though it’s incredibly light, this RV doesn’t skimp on amenities or quality construction. The Roamer Light Duty is built on a rugged chassis with a great suspension system that is built to last for its lifetime. The roof is protected with durable, low maintenance PVC. Inside, it has all the luxurious features you expect to find in a fifth wheel.
So, let’s get rolling with this review of the lightweight, amenity-loaded Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS.
At a Glance: Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS
The Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS is one of four available floorplans in the Open Range Roamer lineup. All of the floorplans are designed to make practical use of space in a shorter fifth wheel. But the Roamer Light Duty 244RLS achieves this by combining a kitchen island into the living area. The island provides separation for the kitchen area, but its counter seating invites interaction with the camp chef too. It all works together to provide a functional and enjoyable space.
The biggest tradeoff here is in a loss of potential sleeping spaces for kids or grandkids. S, this 244RLS floorplan lost some points on versatility. Even so, it’s still a great fifth wheel that packs a surprising number of features into an lightweight fifth wheel.
Overall, this easy-towing 2025 Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS is an outstanding value. It has a comfortable, intelligently designed floorplan that includes plenty of storage space and comfortable furniture. It’s well worth its $61,230 MSRP.
Check the Specs
- Sleeping capacity: 4
- UVW: 7,750 pounds
- Dry hitch weight: 1,390 pounds
- GVWR: 9,600 pounds
- CCC: 1,850 pounds
- Exterior length: 28 feet 7 inches
- Exterior height: 13 feet 2 inches
- Exterior width: 8 feet 4 inches
- Fresh/Gray/Black: 55/60/30 gallons
- Propane: 60 pounds (3 x 20-pound bottles)
- Awning: 13 feet
Features We Love
- PVC roofing membrane
- Automatic leveling with JT’s Strong Arms
- Expandable 200-watt solar package
- Power theater seats with central armrest with beverage holders and big removable snack trays
- Easy-to-deploy sofa bed
- Tough, easy-to-clean upholstery and floors
- 40-inch LED smart TV and entertainment center
- Open underbed storage area
- 10-cubic-foot, 12-volt refrigerator
- Three-burner gas stove
- TravelLINK® Bluetooth® RV control system that lets you control awning, lighting, slide-outs, and climate control from a smartphone
- 2-inch, 3,000-pound receiver hitch at back
- Basement storage
- Efficient 30,000 Btu furnace
- Tuffshell vacuum bond laminated walls
- 6 foot 4 inch shower
- Pantry
- Lots of kitchen storage
- Hidden storage behind TV
- Huge farmhouse-style sink with pull down faucet
- Heated basement compartments
- Backup camera prepped
- Prepped for a second TV in master bedroom
- Exterior speakers
- Two 15,000 Btu Air conditioners
- Screen door guard to keep pets safe
- Towel bars and toilet tissue holder are included in the bathroom
- Solid step entry stairs
Benefits
- Half-ton towable
- Enough basement storage area to stow a generator for more power options
- Basement storage could easily stow camping necessities like camping chairs, a screenhouse, golf clubs, and fishing gear
- Exterior locks that are keyed alike means no more fumbling to find the right key
- Compact but efficient floorplan
- Fridge can be opened from either side
- Pet friendly!
- A great place for dog beds under the queen bed
- Tall cabinet under TV would be a great place to store bigger items like a cordless vacuum cleaner or bag of dog food
- High capacity underbed storage area saves weight
- Having 20-pound propane bottles on slide-out trays in the basement makes propane refills easier
- Pull-out trash under the kitchen sink keeps it handy yet out of the way
- Sofa is long enough for most people to relax comfortably on while watching TV
- Strong Arm Jack supports provide stability and reduce bounce/rocking when someone walks in the trailer
Challenges
- Half-ton towability will depend on both the payload capacity and the towing capacity of your pickup truck
- Sleeping space is limited
- Floorplan doesn’t lend itself to big family camping getaways
- In order to cut back on weight, toilet is plastic instead of ceramic
Best For
- Empty nesters who want the stable towing experience added space, and extensive amenities of a fifth wheel without having to upgrade their pickup to a larger one
- Two- to three-person families that want to go camping while enjoying lots of creature comforts without having to upgrade their pickup truck to a larger one
Key Areas That 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 Lynne Fedorick, 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 Highland Ridge Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS.
Sleeping Space
The master bedroom of the Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS holds a residential-size queen bed with a two-drawer nightstand on either side. Both nightstands are big enough to hold a CPAP machine with room to spare. Aside from the 110-volt plugin on each of them, there’s a very cool pop-up USB charger that also doubles as a wireless charging pad. The bed itself is so comfortable that I could have easily fallen asleep on it. A duo of overhead tap-style reading lights over the bed invite it to be used as a presleep reading lounge. Beneath the bed is a big open area that’s perfect for either dog beds or storage totes.
The master bedroom has loads of handy storage options. To start with, easy-to-access, over-the-bed cabinets make a great place to stash books, extra blankets and bed linens. (Or anything else you want to bring with you.) Each nightstand has two decent sized drawers too — a great place to stow TV remotes, magazines or other items you want to keep handy. The wall at the foot of the bed holds a mirrored wardrobe cabinet with drawers underneath. The same wall is prepped to add an additional TV too.
Bathroom
The spacious bathroom of the Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244 RLS has a wood-look vanity countertop and a step-in, plastic shower. The latter has enough room that bigger people will be able to enjoy a shower without feeling cramped. The plastic toilet here is tucked into a corner of the bathroom to save space, while still providing enough elbow room to sit comfortably. I love that Highland Ridge includes a towel bar, towel ring, and toilet paper dispenser. Little touches like these add up in this value-packed RV.
Living Area
The Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS has an open plan with shared space for the living room and the kitchen areas. With that being said, the living room gets twin power theater seats. Both with in-arm cup holders and a shared power station across from the entertainment center. Each theater seat also has a removable snack tray. But the snack tray doesn’t have to be just a snack tray. It could also easily hold a laptop to blend digital work or other activities. All with extreme comfort.
A supremely comfortable sofa bed stretches along the rear wall of the fifth wheel — a spot that’s perfect for taking naps or watching TV. Both the theater seats and the sofa bed are upholstered in soft, stainproof fabric that’s ideal for camping. Conveniently, it is also pet-friendly, since it won’t attract pet hair or odors.
The entertainment center consists of a well-placed 40-inch LED smart TV with a built-in soundbar. Beneath the TV is a cabinet that could easily house a portable, electric fireplace. It could store tall items, like a stick vacuum cleaner, a bag of dog food, or dog toys. (If you haven’t figured it out, I have dogs.)
Outside, a 13-foot power awning creates additional living space outdoors.
Kitchen
Highland Ridge has done a great job of utilizing every possible space to maximize storage space in the kitchen. Cabinets and drawers throughout the kitchen area help to ensure you don’t need to store the food processor in some weird location (like basement storage). Aside from oodles of cabinet and drawer storage, there’s a big pantry with spill protected shelves. But storage isn’t everything this RV kitchen offers.
White, marble-style laminate counters compliment a designer backsplash that stretches across the wall behind the three-burner gas cooktop. This area has plugins for appliances like a coffee maker or electric skillet to make it efficient for cooking. Beneath the stovetop is a gas oven that’s perfect for baking pizza or cookies. Above the stove a small microwave can be called into service when you need to reheat food.
The Galley’s Efficient Geometry
The work triangle in this kitchen is very well-thought-out. That means minimal steps have to be taken to distribute food. Movement from the pantry or fridge to the sink or food prep area, and then to the stove, is all easy. The kitchen island with its big farmhouse-style sink helps to keep everything central. In addition, a neat feature is the sink cover/cutting board that fits over half the sink, creating more counter space in close proximity to the pull-out waste bin.
I also love that the 10-cubic-foot refrigerator opens from either side. This both helps maximize kitchen efficiency and keeps beverages within easy reach of couch occupants.
Four-Season Capabilities
The Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS has a number of features that allow it to be enjoyed throughout the year. Four-season capability starts with construction. The Roamer Light Duty gets a respectable insulation package, ranging from R-9 in the side walls to R-38 in the ceiling and floors. The 30,000 Btu furnace is ducted into basement areas, which are double-insulated. This creates heated space that helps to keep the enclosed gate valves and freshwater system protected from freezing.
Storage Space
There’s no shortage of storage space in the Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS. Outside, two passthrough basement storage bays provide loads of storage space for sports and camping gear. Under the front section of this RV, another basement cabinet between the propane cylinder cabinets would be a perfect place to stash a smaller generator, perhaps especially one that operates on propane. A 2-inch, 3,000-pound hitch receiver complete with a four-pin connector could be used to haul a trailer full of toys or a boat.
Inside the Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS, there’s oodles of storage space in cabinets and drawers throughout the RV. In addition to the storage mentioned earlier in this article, there’s storage space beneath the sofa bed that could be used for bedding, and there’s also lots of storage in the bathroom inside the two-door medicine cabinet and in the cabinet and single shelf beneath the vanity.
Closing Notes on the Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS
Let me admit something. When I found out how light the Open Range Roamer Light Duty 244RLS was, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed with the fit and finish of this model. With 16-inch wheels and an above average suspension system, a great floorplan, and lots of storage space, this RV is a great choice for either camping getaways or extended road trips.
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