What 5 more feet buy on the 361RL: a closet and bigger rooms
Laid side by side, Forest River's 2027 drawings for the 361RL and the 290RL carry the same labels in the same places. At the rear, a hide-a-bed sofa sits under overhead cabinets beside an angled swivel-mounted TV and fireplace and a Murphy pantry. The kitchen bump-out on the opposite wall holds a microwave between overhead cabinets and the fridge, a sink island stands in the aisle, and the awning-side bump-out carries recliners and a table with chairs. Forward of the steps and a sliding door is a bath with a seated shower, and the front bedroom has a king bed in a bump-out, a wardrobe, hamper and drawers, a dresser with a TV above, and washer and dryer prep. The one new label on the 361RL drawing is a closet beside the steps. The rest of the added length goes into the size of rooms both plans already have, and the slide count stays at three.
That puts the 361RL at 2 of 8 for shortest length, lightest dry weight (14,004 lb), and lowest GVWR (16,625 lb), and 3 of 8 for lightest pin weight at 2,625 lb. It clears a 40-foot pad by 5 in; the next plan up, the 385RK, runs 1 ft 9 in past one. For a campground or storage lot capped at 40 feet, that makes it the largest Cedar Creek floor plan still in play.
The cost lands on carrying capacity. Compared with the 290RL the dry weight rises 1,750 lb while GVWR rises only 530 lb, so published cargo capacity falls 1,220 lb to 2,621 lb, 5 of 8 in the family. Pin weight climbs to 18.7% of dry weight, 6 of 8 lowest share, against 17.1% on the shorter plan. The tanks do not grow to match: fresh, gray, and black are still 75, 82, and 41 gal. The extra payload goes into floor area and a closet, not water.
Forest River's 2027 361RL floor-plan drawing →361RL figures as Forest River lists them
Where the 361RL's extra length could go instead
Three plans that spend length differently. Every difference below is arithmetic from the published figures.
Gives up the closet label and 5 ft of length, and with them 1,750 lb of dry weight and 530 lb of pin weight. Cargo capacity rises 1,220 lb to 3,841 lb, the most in the family.
Open record →Rear living, bath moved to the frontCedar Creek 383FBKeeps the rear hide-a-bed, recliners, and swivel TV and fireplace, then puts the king bed ahead of the steps and a bath with a walk-in wardrobe at the front, on a fourth slide. It is 2 ft 6 in longer and 1,135 lb heavier, carries 390 lb more on the pin at 3,015 lb, and lists 240 lb more cargo capacity.
Open record →A loft room instead of rear livingCedar Creek 390RKBMoves the kitchen to the rear and adds a middle room with a tri-fold sofa, an entertainment center, and a loft above. It is 3 ft 8 in longer and 480 lb heavier, with a 123 gal gray tank, 235 lb more pin weight, and 245 lb less cargo capacity at 2,376 lb.
Open record →361RL questions about the closet, the roof, and the payload
- Open the closet by the steps and decide what goes in it. It is the one storage label the 290RL drawing lacks, so it is the concrete thing the extra length adds beyond room size.
- Measure the roof on the actual unit. The published exterior height is 161 in, 2 in taller than the 290RL and 1 in under a 13 ft 6 in clearance, so anything added to the roof can use up that margin.
- Put the unit's own cargo label next to your packing list. At 2,621 lb published, the 361RL carries 1,220 lb less than the shorter plan with the same tanks and slides.
- With the recliner and table bump-out closed, see whether the table and at least one chair are still usable for a roadside lunch.
361RL sources, read dates, and the estimated-average label
Every figure on this page comes from Forest River's 2027 Cedar Creek 361RL page, last checked on 2026-08-15, except the sleeping capacity in the table, which comes from RVUSA's 2027 spec guide. Room positions are read from the labels on Forest River's 2027 361RL floor-plan drawing on 2026-09-26. Forest River describes the dry weight and cargo capacity as averages estimated for a standard build, so options on the exact trailer change both; its label, not this page, is the number to tow by.