Our Forest River Cherokee 264DBH Review – 10 Reasons We Love It

Going to Camping World with an interest in buying an RV but not being ready is like going to the grocery store hungry. It’s just not a good idea and it leads to spontaneous decisions – at least in our house. We instantly fell in love and felt it was important to share a 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH review of our travel trailer.

S and I have been talking about buying an RV for the last 15-20 years and have fond memories of European trips in a rented RV many years ago when we lived overseas. RVs have come a LONG way in the last few years, and there are more family-friendly layouts available now than there used to be.

We have looked at many floor plans over the last few years, including smaller and larger versions that often have a similar layout, and have always liked Forest River RVs. While there are many manufacturers out there, and every dealership you visit has different RV partners, we felt that the value we got for our money was pretty good at the local Camping World.

Note: We have heard about subpar autos, RVs, and more being produced during 2020-2023, and have already experienced some issues with our 2021 Dodge Ram 2500 that show a big drop in quality and the 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH. Perhaps all RVs have some bugs to be worked out and we know they’re not the same build quality as a house — but the A/C thermostat has not worked on auto since we brought it home, the blinds are a nightmare, and we’ve experienced an almost a total shutdown of use due to our OneControl shorting out (but that’s a whole other post).

Despite all that, we still really love our RV after the first few months of use, and here are a few reasons why the 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH was a great fit for our family!

 

10 Things We Like About the 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH

1. Spacious and Versatile Floor Plan – This model has two spacious sleeping areas that don’t require folding down a sofa. With a teen daughter along, we wanted to have a bit of space for those moments when you don’t want to hear each other snoring. Because of the owner’s suite on one end and the full-sized bed double bunk on the other, you’ve got plenty of opportunity for privacy when you want it in the 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH.
2. Dog-Friendly Living Space – There is lots of floor space in the main living area for the Great Dane to sprawl out as well as everyone else. The first RVs we looked at didn’t have a pop-out, and honestly, our first thoughts were, “How are we going to climb safely over the dog in the dark in the middle of the night?” For us, we just wanted a bit more floor space due to our long-legged furry friend and the layout of the 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH with a single popout offered the perfect combination of open space along with a big bench dinette. It is a bit tight if we cannot open the popout for a quick overnight stay in a random parking lot, but so far we haven’t had too many of those.
3. Compatible with our Ram 2500 3/4 Ton Truck – This is a nice-sized travel trailer that is easy to pull and maneuver for our Ram 2500. We already had the Ram 2500 pickup truck which definitely somewhat dictated our max weight decision, especially when looking for something close to a two-bedroom option. A few years ago, we looked at travel trailers and found that our Toyota Tundra didn’t have the greatest towing capacity, quickly putting the breaks on our interest. But with the Ram 2500, we had many options open to us including the 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH, and could even upgrade to a smaller fifth wheel at some point if we decided to go on the road for longer periods.
4. Outdoor Kitchen Space – This feature may not matter to some, but we really wanted an outdoor kitchen that allowed us to grill and maybe had a fridge. The 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH has a nice built-in option that we’ve already put to good use. We don’t use the fridge as much as we thought we might (currently) but we love the ice maker and the gas grill/griddle. The gas grill with griddle attachment is great for making bacon and eggs at breakfast or steaks in the evening, and you don’t need to worry about smelling up your RV. We also love that it taps into the system propane tanks so there is no additional setup.
   
5. Good “Garage” Storage for Essentials – Although we try to travel lightly, there are quite a few things you need when you travel in an RV. The 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH has several nice storage options outside, both in the front and the rear that allow for good access. We keep most of our RV essentials for setup and tear down in the back and longer items that are more secondary in the front hatch (which also extends under the primary bed).
6. Solar panel with the Possibility for Expansion – There have been no boondocking nights so far in our 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH but we do appreciate the solar refill option for those times when we’re not plugged into anything. It’s not strong enough to power the fridge but it will keep the lights burning and more which is important for quick overnight stops.
7. Mostly Full-Sized Beds – The primary bed is nearly a queen mattress and the bunks are almost full-sized, so the beds are very comfortable for all of us. We would eventually like to upgrade our mattress for something nicer but it’s ok for our weeklong travels and considerably better than an air mattress!
8. Great Windows and Skylights – We love the amount of natural light that streams into the 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH during the daytime. It has large windows along the sofa and dining area allowing you a great view of the outdoors as well as a nice skylight in the kitchen. The sleeping areas also have nice windows that can be closed off to reduce light and prevent visibility. We do wonder why the curtains on the doors were not standard though as having open windows on your doors when inside just feels creepy.
9. Lots of Storage Inside – This is probably relative because we are very selective about what we take, but we find the 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH has plenty of room for everything we want to bring along and more. Our family of 3 plus big dog travel for 2-4 day excursions throughout the year as well as a few 10+ day trips. So far we have not had to fill all of our storage nooks while traveling. We do utilize storage boxes in most closets to keep items easy to find and remove during winter months.
10. Good Lighting – Forest River provides lighting options that can be manually operated by touch as well as some that are part of your OneControl unit. We appreciated this flexibility when our OneControl unit was on the fritz. The blue lighting outside is also a nice option along with the fun little logo that is cast on the floor. There is no lighting in any of the cabinets which is a shame, but we’ll be installing some upgrades for those in 2024 courtesy of Amazon.

2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH Specs

• Hitch Weight – 884 lb.
• GVWR – 8,485 lb.
• UVW – 6,760 lb.
• CCC – 1,725 lb.
• Exterior Length – 33′ 2″
• Exterior Height – 11′ 1″
• Exterior Width – 96″
• Fresh Water – 40 gal.
• Gray Water – 38 gal.
• Black Water – 38 gal.
• Awning Size – 15′

Do you have a 2023 Forest River Cherokee 264DBH or have you taken a look at one recently? We’d love to hear what you think in the comment section below.