RV review: No Boundaries (NoBo) 18.2 with Beast Mode
RV review: No Boundaries (NoBo) 18.2 with Beast Mode
Today’s RV review is of the 2025 Forest River No Boundaries, or NoBo, 18.2. No Boundaries, or NoBo, and Ibex, are divisions of Forest River that are pretty closely aligned but were brought out to address the greater interest in smaller, adventure-oriented trailers.
While the overall RV market is definitely soft, one of the bright spots is in these types of smaller trailers. With the promise of being ready for adventure and also being smaller and more affordable, trailers like these are something that has the interest of some RV buyers and the RV industry as a whole.
You could say this was all started by the company Black Series which imported really rugged trailers from China that were inspired by the Australian Outback. From there companies like Rockwood/Flagstaff came out with more mainstream offerings in the GeoPro/ePro which sold like hotcakes. But both these brands are premium brands so it made sense for Forest River to come out with something a bit more affordable.
From the ground up with the NoBo 18.2
First thing to know is that there are really two variants of this model - the C-Series and the Beast Mode version. They are very different when you look underneath.
The C-Series features a traditional leaf spring suspension and rides on Westlake tires that have an aggressive off-road look to them.
The Beast Mode models use the Curt fully independent suspension system which will be called the Touring Edition suspension on fifth wheels but is the same suspension that debuted on Ember RV’s Overland series. This suspension also requires a significantly rigid chassis.
This plays out in the weights of these - the basic C-Series NoBo 19.2 has a dry weight of 4,028 pounds whereas the Beast Mode models come in at 4,143 pounds.
The underbellies on these NoBo models is both enclosed and heated with air ducted from the furnace. They also incorporate 12 volt tank heaters so I would imagine this trailer would do well even camping where overnight temperatures get below freezing.
I like that there is only one connection point for the sewer system. The slide room uses a Schwintek mechanism.
Lastly the wall build on these continues to use an Azdel substrate.
Highlights of the NoBo 18.2
This is a no-slide single-axle trailer and I bet I lost a bunch of you right there. I know there’s a lot of opposition to towing a single-axle trailer around but I can tell you I towed one for thousands of miles with zero issues. With the Beast Mode suspension package this should tow even better than the trailer I had and the single axle gives it a degree of nimbleness.
Another deal breaker for some people is the fact the bed is an east-west bed meaning that it lays across the width of this trailer. I understand why some people dislike these as the person against the wall has to cross over the person on the other side of the bed if they want to get out in the middle of the night. Although, depending on who this is, this might be an advantage. I don’t know you.
There are cabinets above and below this bed so storage is a strong suit here. There is also a hanging closet on the road side with a cubby behind it that features household and USB outlets.
Over on the road side of the trailer you have the choice of a jackknife sofa or theater seats.
On the camp side there is a dining bar of sorts with a very large window over it and this space is really useful. The window is hinged at the top and can flip up almost 90°. There is an integrated shade and bug screen here but you can also slide either into a pocket so now you have a very large pass-through window.
Directly below that window is a rail on the outside of the trailer and NoBo includes a flat-top propane griddle and metal table so this could be used to pass things back and forth between the inside chef and the outside chef. I love this.
Some buyers might be quite surprised by the interior of this trailer as some of the cabinets, such as the ones by the bed, are painted white whereas the kitchen is green. This carries over from the RVSuite line. I really like it but I also know I don’t always reflect the mainstream in terms of taste.
The inside chef is going to get a two-burner propane stove top and a convection air fryer microwave. All the chefs will share a 10.7 cubic foot Furrion 12 volt refrigerator. Cabinets and drawers abound in the kitchen and there’s a pantry as well. Storage shouldn’t be an issue.
What I really like in the kitchen is the multi-function sink which features drop-in pieces for drying, washing veggies and more. Further it incorporates a glass washer and pull-out faucet to boot along with a cutting board inside.
Another nifty piece is the built-in vacuum which has a kick on dust pan and includes hoses and tools to reach the whole camper. Nice.
Once it’s clean-up time the bathroom is certainly functional with a porcelain foot flush toilet, a decent little sink and a shower with a Nautilus-style retracting shower door. I like this type of shower door as they have a built-in squeegee to get the water off when they’re retracted and, not being tempered glass, you won’t wake up to a floor full of shattered glass on a day you’re otherwise in a big rush.
Boondocking and travel access
With no slides this trailer is fully accessible all the time. The Beast Mode package includes 400 watts of solar and a 2,000 watt inverter which can power some of the household outlets from the battery. This is why any RV dealer who installs a flooded battery on this should be encouraged to pick a switch and meet us all behind the woodshed.
Part of the appeal of these trailers is off-grid capability but this one is pretty mainstream in its capabilities. Features you’ll find in the GeoPro/ePro, for example, like the Shower Miser water saving system aren’t here though you could always get one of the Geyser System shower water saving devices.
My thoughts on the Forest River NoBo 20.1
This is interesting as audio system maker JBL seems to have visited the RV industry and sold them on central Bluetooth audio systems. I wish they would have continued just including a portable Bluetooth speaker but they didn’t.
On a bummer note, I saw a lot of what appeared to be PEX plumbing fittings on flexible lines and this is just a recipe for leaks. I wish the RVIA code that all trailers are supposed to be built to would forbid this type of connection - it’s almost a guaranteed source of leaks over time.
There’s a lot to like in this trailer and I’m really curious what your take on the appearance is with this. I do wish this had better tires and suspension as standard but at least there’s a path to better with the Beast Mode option.
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