Contact
FLOOR-PLAN RECORD · 2027

Cardinal 36FUN

Two bedrooms at opposite ends, two full baths, and the heaviest dry weight in the family with the least published room to add to it.

Source checked
Cardinal 36FUN scale drawing: 42 ft 9 in long, 13 ft 5 in tall Side elevation drawn to scale from the published exterior length of 42 ft 9 in and exterior height of 13 ft 5 in. The outline is a generic fifth-wheel shape, not a profile of this unit. Roof sits 1 in under a 13 ft 6 in limit. Overall length is 2 ft 9 in longer than a 40 ft pad. 13 FT 6 IN CLEARANCE 13 ft 5 in 42 ft 9 in overall 40 FT PAD Roof: 1 in under a 13 ft 6 in limit Length: 2 ft 9 in longer than a 40 ft pad SCALE DRAWING FROM PUBLISHED DIMENSIONS

Drawn to scale from the published 42 ft 9 in length and 13 ft 5 in height, on a generic outline: 1 in under a 13 ft 6 in roof limit and 2 ft 9 in longer than a 40 ft pad.

The heaviest Cardinal, and the one with the smallest margin

Forest River publishes 12,033 lb of dry weight for the 36FUN, more than any other Cardinal, and 2,062 lb of cargo carrying capacity, less than any other Cardinal. Those two figures are one fact seen from both sides: the 14,095 lb GVWR sits only 2,062 lb above the empty trailer. Forest River labels both UVW and cargo capacity as estimated averages, so the exact unit's label may differ, but the published relationship is clear. This is the plan that ships closest to its rating.

What that weight buys is a second full bathroom and a second bedroom. The front cap is a bunk room: a 54 by 74 inch bed below, a 28 by 72 inch bed above it in the slide, a 28 by 65 inch bed above on the other side, a desk, and two wardrobes. The rear of the trailer is the master, with a 66 by 80 inch king in its own slide, a dresser with television prep, wardrobes, and a full bath of its own with shower, toilet, and linen closet. Between them, on the main level, sit an island kitchen with a 16 cubic foot refrigerator, pantry, microwave, coffee bar, fireplace, and entertainment center, a super sofa in the third slide, and the second full bath by the entry steps. Two awnings, 12 ft and 13 ft.

Forest River's 2027 36FUN drawing and figures →

Why the pin is the lightest share in the family on the heaviest trailer

The published hitch weight is 2,095 lb, which on 12,033 lb of dry weight is a 17.4% share, the lowest of the seven Cardinals. The 36FL, which puts its living room in the cap, is at 19.8%. On the 36FUN the master bedroom, its bath, and the king-bed slide all sit behind the axles, and the cap holds bunks rather than sofas and a fireplace. Weight at the back lowers the share on the pin. A buyer should read that two ways: the truck's payload sees less of this trailer than its dry weight suggests, and the rear axle of the trailer carries more of it.

The tanks are the large set: 60 gallons fresh, 76 gray, 76 black, 212 gallons in total, the same package as the 35CRIB and 37GALLEY. Two toilets drain to that 76-gallon black tank.

Walkthrough: one plan, two households

The 36FUN is drawn for two sleeping groups. Test it as both.

  • Go up the entry steps into the front bunk room and lie on the upper bunks. One is 28 by 72 inches, the other 28 by 65, and both are above the 54 by 74 lower bed. The 65-inch bunk is the shortest bed on any Cardinal drawing.
  • Walk from the rear master to the mid bath and then to the front bath. Each bedroom has a full bath at its own end, so confirm which one guests use and whether the master bath door closes off the master from the kitchen.
  • Retract the super sofa slide and the king-bed slide and walk the main level from the master to the refrigerator. The island kitchen is what remains in the aisle when the slides are in.
  • Ask for the certification label and put the published 2,062 lb of cargo capacity beside it. This is the family's lowest figure and the one a full water tank and two bathrooms of supplies consume fastest.

What Forest River publishes for the 36FUN

Length42 ft 9 in
Dry weight12,033 lb
GVWR14,095 lb
Hitch / pin weight2,095 lb
Sleeping capacityUp to 7
Slides3
Fresh water60 gal
Gray water76 gal
Black water76 gal
Exterior height161 in
Cargo carrying capacity2,062 lb

Ranked inside the Cardinal family

Dry weight7 of 712,033 lb, the heaviest Cardinal
Cargo capacity7 of 72,062 lb, the least, and the smallest margin over dry weight
Pin share1 of 7 lowest17.4%
SleepingUp to 7, 3 of 7RVUSA figure; the 35CRIB matches it, the 38DEN sleeps more
Length42 ft 9 in, 4 of 7the same length as the 37GALLEY, 2 ft 9 in past a 40 ft pad
Baths2 fullone at each end; the 35CRIB is the other two-bath plan

Two-bedroom alternatives and the one-bedroom escape

Bunks at the back, queen at the frontCardinal 35CRIB

The mirror of the 36FUN: bunk room and its bath at the rear, a 60 by 80 queen over the hitch. It is 1 in shorter and 80 lb lighter, sleeps the same seven with three slides, but carries 210 lb more pin weight, 210 lb more GVWR, and 290 lb more cargo capacity.

Open record →More sleepers, one bathCardinal 38DEN

Sleeps up to 9 with a loft den at the rear and the king up front, on one bath and the 38-gallon gray and black tanks. It is 1 ft 8 in longer, 395 lb lighter, adds a fourth slide, and publishes 535 lb more cargo capacity.

Open record →Same length without the second bedroomCardinal 37GALLEY

Also 42 ft 9 in, also a rear king bedroom with its own bath, but the front cap is a kitchen instead of a bunk room. It is 910 lb lighter, sleeps one fewer, and publishes 895 lb more cargo capacity; pin weight and GVWR are within 15 lb of the 36FUN.

Open record →
View every Cardinal floor plan →
Sources and model year

Sources

Every dimension, weight, rating, tank size, and bed size here, and the room arrangement, is from Forest River's 2027 Cardinal 36FUN page and drawing, read on 2026-08-15 and 2026-09-12. Sleeping capacity is from RVUSA's 2027 spec guide. The Wildcat 36FUN is published by Forest River with identical figures.