2023 Forest River FR3 (Class A), El Monte RV hire
Hired from El Monte RV for the 2023 North America road trip, a big Class A Forest River FR3 with a slide-out. Palm-tree California sun on the US leg, then snowy Canadian campgrounds on the Canada leg. Same fleet, very different weather.
At a glance
- Layout
- Class A front-engine with slide-out
- Notable upgrade
- Hydraulic levelling jacks · on-board generator
Honest review
El Monte over Cruise America this time, partly because El Monte allow you to cross into Mexico with the right paperwork, Cruise America do not.
El Monte over Cruise America this time, partly because El Monte allow you to cross into Mexico with the right paperwork, Cruise America do not. The FR3 is a proper Class A: front engine up front (very noisy, the engine is literally just below you, which is why American diesel-pusher fans will tell you it's worth paying extra), slide-out that dramatically opens the living area, hydraulic levelling jacks, and a generator on board.
One incident worth knowing about: the hydraulic jacks stopped working at a campsite mid-trip. Turned out the main power kill-switch by the door had been knocked off. Carlos at El Monte roadside walked us through finding and resetting the breaker in the external electrical compartment and we were back up in minutes. Their roadside process is calm and thorough.
The heating was a genuine highlight, warms up faster than our own van. What didn't work as well: the engine noise in the cab on a long drive.
For a family US road trip, the El Monte FR3 is a good shout. Big enough to live in properly, and the slide-out makes the difference on a multi-week trip.