SITTING OUT ON THE ICE isn’t everyone’s cup of tea—but it’s a lot more comfortable inside a quality ice house camper. Now, Forest River is expanding its fastest-growing travel trailer lineup, Campsite Reserve, with a new selection of ice houses with Campsite Ice. Whether you’re shopping before it gets too cold, or you’re replacing an ice house trailer or shelter that’s no longer cutting it, let’s take a closer look at this all-new lineup.
Key Takeaways
- Forest River has launched the new Campsite Ice lineup, expanding its popular Campsite brand with four-season ice house RVs featuring insulated construction, manual or hydraulic crank-down systems, and a 400-watt solar package.
- Interiors are designed for comfort and functionality, featuring LED-lit fishing holes, heavy-duty rubber flooring, rod storage, cedar paneling, convertible dinettes and bunks, and thoughtful touches such as fish-cleaning surfaces and camera-to-TV wiring.
- Four distinct floor plans offer sleeping accommodations for up to seven, optional bathrooms featuring cassette or full RV toilets, and layouts suited for both ice fishing and warm-weather camping, making them versatile for families and fishing enthusiasts.
What Is an Ice House Camper?
An ice house trailer is a specialized RV built specifically for ice fishing and winter camping. They’re also known as fish house RVs and aren’t to be confused with “ice boxes”—they’re meant to keep you warm in cold temps and make it easy to enjoy ice fishing in comfort.
Most popular in regions where a hard freeze makes it possible to park an RV trailer out on the ice for weeks or months at a time, these come with unique features that set them up for ice fishing, like fishing holes built into the floor, and hydraulic or manual crank-down frames that allow the entire house to rest flush on the ice.
Introducing the Campsite Ice House RV Lineup
The Campsite Ice house trailers aren’t Forest River’s first foray into building fish house RVs. The Cherokee lineup has offered ice houses in the past, and they’ve applied lessons from previous model years to make these ice house Campsite models arguably their best yet.
4-Season Construction & Exterior Features
Images by Camping World
Of course, four-season capability is a must, achieved through features such as a fully insulated subfloor, dual-pane windows, thermofoil wrapping in the roof and sidewalls, and ducted heating powered by a robust 35,000-BTU furnace.
One notable improvement over previous years is the absence of electrical lift/lowering systems. Previous electric systems failed the important real-life test of lifting the fish house off the ice at the end of the season, so the Campsite Ice models all boast either a manual or hydraulic system.
They also bolstered the electrical systems with a standard 400-watt solar package mounted on the fully-walkable residential trussed roof. These features keep RV batteries charged, while offering the confidence to set up camp chairs on the roof to enjoy the views across the ice. A small, yet thoughtful, touch was the inclusion of an electrical outlet near the propane storage tray, making it easy to plug in a heated tank blanket.
Other exterior standouts include flashing lights to help friends find you on the ice, an extended diamond-plated base for added protection against the snowpack, extra-thick aluminum siding with a TuffCoat finish, and a V-shaped nose for aerodynamic towing.
Interior Features
Images by Camping World
Inside, all Campsite Ice houses include strategically placed standard-sized fishing hole placements, with the largest models offering up to eight places to drop a line. The heavy-duty rubber floor surrounding the fishing holes provides confidence when setting down the auger or coming in with slippery boots. Most fishing holes are also lit with dedicated LED lights for added visibility.
And speaking of visibility, these ice fishing RVs are pre-wired for connecting a fishing camera directly to the TV, so you can watch the fish when you’re not watching the game. When it comes to entertainment, all boast at least a TV mount in a centralized location, with some including a dedicated TV above an electric fireplace that supplements the furnace. You’ll also find cable and satellite connections for using the roof-mounted antenna to tune into weather or sports while you’re out.
Rod storage is included, with most featuring opposing cabinets that have flip-up tops concealing easy-to-access storage. Because those tops are made of aluminum, they’re perfect for cleaning fish and are easy to clean themselves once you’re done. Those cabinets are also built with 12” x 12” backers for rattle reels.
Other notable interior features include that iconic cedar paneling, a removable table that’s perfect for meals or card games, a U-shaped dinette that converts to a massive king bed, a roughly 7-foot interior ceiling height, and a second large bunk over the dinette.
Floor Plans
With four distinct floor plans announced so far, this Forest River RV ice house lineup offers layouts for families that want an ice house in the winter and a realistically usable camper during the rest of the year. They all boast great sleeping capacities, but some are better suited for families, while others scream the ideal “ice fishing mancave.” Let’s take a closer look:
Campsite Ice 16GT & 16RM
Specs
- Length: 25’4”
- Dry Weight: 4,219-4,359 pounds
- GVWR: 5,570-5,580 pounds
- Sleeping Capacity: Up to 7
The Campsite Ice 16GT and 16RM floor plans are close cousins, with both offering a rear dinette with a bunk above, along with a central fishing area featuring dual rod storage cabinets. Here are the differentiators:
- 16GT – Jackknife sofa and flip-up bunk across from the kitchen, with the entry door and a small room with a portable cassette toilet located in the nose.
- 16RM – Two-person dinette and a flip-up bunk across from the kitchen, with the entry door moved toward the rear—making room for a larger room in the nose with a portable cassette toilet and added closet space.
Campsite Ice 17VM
Specs
- Length: 26’8”
- Dry Weight: 4,714 pounds
- GVWR: 5,670 pounds
- Sleeping Capacity: Up to 5
The mid-sized Campsite Ice 17VM strikes a balance between lightness and ease of towing, while offering a slightly expanded interior compared to the 16 Series models. While the entry door, kitchen, and sofa placement are similar to the 16RM, there’s no longer a flip-up bunk over the sofa. Instead, you have expanded overhead cabinets that run all the way from the rear dinette to the 12V fridge.
The major change is in the nose, where an added wall and privacy door create an entirely separate bathroom with a cassette toilet and a shower—a rarity in an ice house. The added wall also allowed them to increase the kitchen counterspace compared to the 16RM, but the addition of the shower really makes this floor plan more versatile. In other words, it’ll be easier to convince the family that your ice house can double as the perfect family RV in warmer weather.
Campsite Ice 21DM
Specs
- Length: 31’9”
- Dry Weight: 6,374 pounds
- GVWR: 9,995 pounds
- Sleeping Capacity: Up to 7
Stepping up to nearly 32 feet, the Campsite Ice 21DM provides an oversized fish house RV for families or large fishing crews. Building on some of the non-fishing conveniences in the 17VM, this layout features a further expanded front bathroom, which includes an actual RV toilet connected to a holding tank, a shower, and two linen closets.
The entry door is placed further towards the rear, making room for the off-camp kitchen to sit across from a campside jackknife sofa with a flip-up bunk above it. However, the significant living area change is the addition of a true entertainment center with an electric fireplace below it—and they added a ton of functional cabinet and drawer storage here.
The Ultimate Fish-and-Camp Ice House?
With cold-weather capability and functionality for traditional RV camping once the ice melts, these Forest River RV ice houses offer unique versatility. They might be the best of both worlds for ice fishing enthusiasts trying to convince loved ones to let them buy a new ice shack, since they perfectly double as a family basecamp the rest of the year.
Enjoy these additional resources on fishing RVs and winter camping:
- What Makes a Great Fishing RV?
- Tips for Winter RV Camping
- Guide to Fishing Lake Erie
What do you think about these Campsite Ice fishing trailers? Let us know in the comments below!
