Palomino Rogue

poorhouse

New member
I've been shopping for a used popup with a budget up to $10k or so. Not finding much of interest.

Saw an article for the new Palomino Rouge with a price of $12k-$13k. Aluminum frame, hinged roof, fully outfitted.
Checked my closest dealer. They only have loaded versions with a MSRP around $17k. Being an RV dealer they negotiate.
After some back and forth yesterday they came down to $11,900. Compelling at that price. A new FWC or ATC would be double that.
I'd be looking at something 10+ years old from either of those brands at this price.

I've found mixed reviews for Palominos. They are all based on the older wood framed models. Anyone have experience or thoughts on the new aluminum framed Palominos or Rouge in particular?
 

AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
Some Rouge info also here:

 

poorhouse

New member
Would you mind sharing your thoughts on the Rogue? They look like an excellent idea and I'm curious how they measure up in real life.

We've only had it out a few nights, so just have some preliminary thoughts.

MSRP was $17,250. Paid $10,900.

Our use is BLM/State forest/Fire roads. No really hardcore off roading.

So far so good. Everything works as intended. Solar setup is effective.
Heater is great. Beds are comfy. All our nights out have been around 30F, it is plenty warm. The heater only kicks on a couple times for a minute or so.

As to quality to early to tell. The dinette window blind cover fell off. It is just screwed into foam. All of the sealant that is visible is very sloppy.
The structure and interior components seem solid, less the blind.

I think the power top is annoying in it's slowness. The wife likes it. She's 5'0" and can raise/lower on her own which is great. The idea was for her and the kid (10) to go our on their own during the week.
I like the wedge roof. Great for water runoff. Plenty of headroom for the main cabin area. Ceiling height is about 8' at the door.

It is quite a bit taller than an ATC or FWC. Still lowish profile on our Tundra but I've scraped a few branches on narrow roads.
The Tundra handles this camper with no problems. Dry weight is listed at 1300lb. The rear sagged about 1" but it drove fine. I added Sumosprings which brought it back to stock height. I also run the TRD rear sway bar and have upgraded Bilstein 5100 shocks.

I'm not sure if the Rogue is a great value at $10,900 or the ATC/FWCs have become overpriced. I don't see an extra $10k-$15k in value for either of them.
Based on our limited use I don't have any regrets.
 
Last edited:

IChaseCoues

New member
We've only had it out a few nights, so just have some preliminary thoughts.

MSRP was $17,250. Paid $10,900.

Our use is BLM/State forest/Fire roads. No really hardcore off roading.

So far so good. Everything works as intended. Solar setup is effective.
Heater is great. Beds are comfy. All our nights out have been around 30F, it is plenty warm. The heater only kicks on a couple times for a minute or so.

As to quality to early to tell. The dinette window blind cover fell off. It is just screwed into foam. All of the sealant that is visible is very sloppy.
The structure and interior components seem solid, less the blind.

I think the power top is annoying in it's slowness. The wife likes it. She's 5'0" and can raise/lower on her own which is great. The idea was for her and the kid (10) to go our on their own during the week.
I like the wedge roof. Great for water runoff. Plenty of headroom for the main cabin area. Ceiling height is about 8' at the door.

It is quite a bit taller than an ATC or FWC. Still lowish profile on our Tundra but I've scraped a few branches on narrow roads.
The Tundra handles this camper with no problems. Dry weight is listed at 1300lb. The rear sagged about 1" but it drove fine. I added Sumosprings which brought it back to stock height. I also run the TRD rear sway bar and have upgraded Bilstein 5100 shocks.

I'm not sure if the Rogue is a great value at $10,900 or the ATC/FWCs have become overpriced. I don't see an extra $10k-$15k in value for either of them.
Based on our limited use I don't have any regrets.

Thanks for the info!
Wow it is tall! And heavier than I expected.
At that price though you get a new camper instead of a 15 year old FWC so it may be worth the little extra height to get a brand new camper.
 

ovrlnd lite

New member
I have a 2018 Palomino Soft Side 1240 Truck Camper and have had almost zero problems. Forest Roads, BLM, Dispersed Camping and moderate two track paths with no problems or stress to camper. Weighs about 1800lbs and sits on a F250. Paid around $11,000 new and could not be happier with the camper. Saw some negative reviews on earlier Palominos that had me worried but I have had nothing but positive experiences with it.
 

DirtWhiskey

Western Dirt Rat
I have a 2018 Palomino Soft Side 1240 Truck Camper and have had almost zero problems. Forest Roads, BLM, Dispersed Camping and moderate two track paths with no problems or stress to camper. Weighs about 1800lbs and sits on a F250. Paid around $11,000 new and could not be happier with the camper. Saw some negative reviews on earlier Palominos that had me worried but I have had nothing but positive experiences with it.

I've read that Forest River is doing a much better job on the builds for Palomino. TCM had an interview with the owners last year and they said all of the campers are now aluminum framed. Anecdote: I bought some rims from a guy for my Chevy and he had a 2014 model. It had held up pretty well but he said that when he picked it up, Palomino had installed the roof CROOKED. As in 6 or 8 degrees out of whack. Had to send it out to the factory for a new roof day 1. Ack. I do wish Palomino would bring some of their flatbed campers over from Australia.
 

bingo07

New member
Bump for any new reviews of this. In particular, I'm interested in build quality and how it might handle cold weather/snow.
 

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