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FLOOR-PLAN RECORD · 2027

Cougar Half-Ton 23MLE

Keystone's shortest Half-Ton Cougar at 27 ft 11 in, with the lowest GVWR of any Cougar RVUSA rates and a published cargo figure that matches that margin to the pound.

Source checked
Cougar Half-Ton 23MLE scale drawing: 27 ft 11 in long, 12 ft 7 in tall Side elevation drawn to scale from the published exterior length of 27 ft 11 in and exterior height of 12 ft 7 in. The outline is a generic fifth-wheel shape, not a profile of this unit. Roof sits 11 in under a 13 ft 6 in limit. Overall length is 12 ft 1 in shorter than a 40 ft pad. 13 FT 6 IN CLEARANCE 12 ft 7 in 27 ft 11 in overall 40 FT PAD Roof: 11 in under a 13 ft 6 in limit Length: 12 ft 1 in shorter than a 40 ft pad SCALE DRAWING FROM PUBLISHED DIMENSIONS

Drawn to scale from the published 27 ft 11 in length and 12 ft 7 in height, on a generic outline: 11 in under a 13 ft 6 in roof limit and 12 ft 1 in shorter than a 40 ft pad.

Short is the first word in Keystone's own tagline

Keystone describes the 23MLE in three words: "Short, Mid-living, Outdoor Kitchen". The length is 27 ft 11 in, 2 of 16 shortest in the family and behind only the 2100ML by 2 ft, which leaves 12 ft 1 in inside a 40 ft pad. Dry weight is 7,864 lb (3 of 16 lightest) and hitch weight 1,275 lb (2 of 16), a 16.2% share of dry weight that ranks 3 of 16 lowest. It is a Cougar Half-Ton, the middle of Keystone's three Cougar sublines.

RVUSA's 2027 guide lists a GVWR of 10,075 lb, the lowest of the eight Cougars it rates. Subtract Keystone's dry weight and the margin is 2,211 lb. Keystone's own carrying-capacity figure is also 2,211 lb. That subtraction is arithmetic on this page, not a weigh-in, and it lands on the same number the manufacturer publishes.

Keystone's 2027 Cougar Half-Ton 23MLE floor plan and figures →

Published figures

Length27 ft 11 in
Dry weight7,864 lb
GVWR10,075 lb
Hitch / pin weight1,275 lb
Sleeping capacityUp to 6
Slides1
Fresh water54 gal
Gray water60 gal
Black water30 gal
Exterior height151 in with A/C
Cargo carrying capacity2,211 lb

GVWR and slide count are from RVUSA's 2027 guide; every other figure is Keystone's.

Rank among the sixteen and among the eight with a GVWR

Length2 of 16 shortest27 ft 11 in
Dry weight3 of 16 lightest7,864 lb, which is 64 lb heavier than the 2700BH despite being 4 ft shorter
Hitch weight2 of 16 lightest1,275 lb
GVWR1 of 8 lowest10,075 lb per RVUSA; the margin over dry weight is 2,211 lb, 3 of 8
Cargo carrying capacity9 of 162,211 lb
Sleeping capacity9 of 16Up to 6 on one slide

Six seats named for one mid-living slide

The feature list names a booth dinette, a bench seat ottoman, two freestanding chairs, and a theater-style tri-fold sofa, all in a mid-living plan with one slide on the second-shortest floor in the family. That is the tradeoff: a long list of seating in a short middle section. Keystone names one bed, a 70 by 80 inch king with underbed storage, and publishes sleeping for 6, so the tri-fold sofa and the booth dinette are the pieces to ask about.

The outdoor kitchen is a second set of appliances on the exterior wall of the same short body. Anything carried for it, and for the electric four-point auto leveling, the 18K BTU air conditioner with heat pump, the 15K BTU bedroom unit, and the 30K BTU furnace that Keystone also lists, counts against 2,211 lb of carrying capacity, 9 of 16 in the family.

A walkthrough in the order the tagline lists things

  1. Short: retract the one slide and see which of the named seats (booth dinette, ottoman, two chairs, tri-fold sofa) stay usable, because that is the floor at a fuel stop.
  2. Mid-living: sit in the two freestanding chairs and on the ottoman, then find where each stows for travel. Freestanding pieces are the ones that move on a short plan.
  3. Outdoor kitchen: open it, note which appliances are installed on the unit in front of you, and weigh what you would carry for it against 2,211 lb.
  4. Roof: count the air conditioners against the feature list, which names an 18K BTU unit with heat pump, a 15K BTU bedroom unit, and a pre-wire for a second unit. Keystone publishes 12 ft 7 in as a single height with the A/C included, and that is 11 in under a 13 ft 6 in clearance.

Three directions out of the 23MLE

Shorter, longer with a second slide, or across into the Cougar subline. Differences are computed from the published figures on each record.

Two feet shorter, two fewer sleepersCougar Sport 2100ML

The other mid-living short plan: 2 ft shorter, 784 lb lighter, and 90 lb lighter on the pin. It sleeps 4 to this plan's 6, swaps the booth dinette for bar dining, drops the outdoor kitchen, and publishes 659 lb more carrying capacity at 2,870 lb.

Open record →Mid living with a second slide and outdoor entertainmentCougar Half-Ton 26RKE

2 ft 11 in longer and 1,198 lb heavier, with 440 lb more hitch weight and the same 6 sleepers on two slides. RVUSA's GVWR is 925 lb higher at 11,000 lb, but carrying capacity falls 273 lb to 1,938 lb.

Open record →Mid living with an outside kitchen in the Cougar sublineCougar 260MLE

3 ft longer, 1,810 lb heavier, and 620 lb more on the pin, with two slides and 4 sleepers rather than 6. Tanks grow from 144 gal to 189 gal, carrying capacity rises 115 lb to 2,326 lb, and Keystone adds a pull-out table.

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

Two sources, one model year

Keystone's 2027 Cougar Half-Ton 23MLE page supplied length, dry weight, hitch weight, carrying capacity, tanks, sleeping capacity, height, and the layout terms used here; the figures were read on 2026-08-15 and the tagline and feature list on 2026-09-12. The 10,075 lb GVWR and the slide count of 1 come from RVUSA's 2027 spec guide. Keystone's feature list also names a full wardrobe slide with drawers; the record's slide count is RVUSA's figure. Height is Keystone's 12 ft 7 in, published as one number with the air conditioner included rather than listed separately. Keystone's page gives two fresh-water figures: 54 gallons in the specification table and one gallon more in the standard-features text. This record uses the table's 54 gallons.