Tony & Peggy Barthel - StressLess Campers

Greetings!

We’re Tony & Peggy Barthel and we’re working to help you be a StressLess Camper.

Honest review of the 2026 Rockwood Signature 402SFL fifth wheel

Honest review of the 2026 Rockwood Signature 402SFL fifth wheel

Tony Barthel
RV Review, Fifth Wheel Review

A bigger Rockwood fifth wheel - Signature 402SFL front living review

Alpha ply roofing and three ACs in the Rockwood Signature 402SFL

Today’s RV review is the new-for-2026 Rockwood Signature 402SFL fifth wheel. If you know Rockwood’s fifth wheel lineup you might be surprised by this big, beautiful front-living model. Rockwood has built smaller fifth wheels traditionally and this is something that follows on the company’s strengths while adhering to the way they’ve traditionally done things.

Rockwood is known for mid-profile fifth wheels and smaller travel trailers and has really established itself as a quality builder of towable RVs. So it comes as no surprise that the company is stepping into larger models with several new offerings including this one.

This is a model with a front living space over the pin box and a kitchen in the middle with a large rear bedroom and single bathroom. This is absolutely a couple’s camper although you could fold out the couches on the upper deck and accommodate up to four more people for sleeping.

Start at the road

I always recommend that you start at the road when shopping for any towable RV - any RV company is able to make pretty cabinets but where most shoppers don’t look is what will really make a difference over time.

In this case I like what I see with this RV. Where the rubber meets the road you have Goodyear Endurance tires with built-in tire pressure monitoring.

You also have a Dexter Tow Assist system which includes an anti-lock braking function as well as some anti-sway technology. You wouldn’t buy any vehicle nowadays without anti-lock brakes and modern vehicles also come with anti-sway technology - it’s fantastic that Rockwood incorporates this as a standard feature in this fifth wheel. Know that this is not common.

Dexter’s Tow Assist also has a provision where you can track maintenance and mileage with a smart phone app.

I did get to go try a competing system last year on a closed course. Honestly, I wouldn’t buy any big fifth wheel without this feature and you can see our video and story here about our experiences on the track with anti-lock brakes and advanced fifth wheel suspensions.

Another feature you might not notice is that this is one of the only fifth wheels on the market with what is called a slipper roller suspension. Almost all fifth wheel trailers have a simple and cheap leaf spring suspension - this is better in that shocks and jolts are directed away from the chassis - sort of.

Many owners of fifth wheels spend thousands of dollars upgrading their trailer’s suspensions after they realize how poorly a simple leaf spring system performs on the road - Rockwood’s owners are set from day one.

Vibration can actually shorten the life of your RV with the vibration and shaking working to loosen screws and joints. Another thing Rockwood is doing to minimize vibration is putting balancing beads in the tires of their trailers.

Now I don’t understand how this works because, to me, the beads would just fly out against the tire but gravity makes no sense to me either. I guess magnets are also some sort of magic. But these balancing beads supposedly minimize vibration and help the tires remain in balance and that’s a good thing that’s also included here.

While we’re looking at things note that the slide rooms use a through-frame mechanism which is my favorite. However the slide rooms on the upper deck use a Schwintek mechanism and some people don’t like these. I think they’re fine as long as you maintain them properly but they have not the best reputation.

Lastly plumbing. Rockwood has upgraded some of the plumbing fixtures in their RVs recently and I want to thank Jacob Rigor and his RV reviews for really motivating the RV industry to do better. You can find his reviews here - he does a good job.

I was also pleased with how thick the baggage doors are on this rig.

The roof on this RV is also unusual in that it’s actually vacuum laminated. Most RV roofs are old-fashioned wooden trusses but Rockwood uses a vacuum laminated structure and then tops it off with an Alpha Ply roofing system. The roof membrane is warranted for life but, more importantly, the sealants used tend to require much less attention than most. You still want to regularly inspect any RV roof but you may find that these sealants require less touch ups.

Okay, be honest. When’s the last time you inspected your RV’s roof and seals? I have a great trick to do so from the ground that also will help if there’s ever a question about the warranty. I use a long pole with a camera to check out the seals and also clean off the solar panels - I have the full story here. If you ever are looking for the laziest way to do a job, I’m your man!

Also know that there is an auto level system and a whole-house water filtration system that filters both incoming campground water and water in your holding tank if you’re camping off the grid.

Inside some of the outside cabinets you can also see the welded aluminum structure that Rockwood uses to build things like dinettes or bed bases. It’s stronger and lighter but also a more expensive way of doing things.

Bathroom inside the Rockwood Signature 402SFL

Opposite the main entry door is the bathroom door and this is a big spacious bathroom. The shower enclosure is a molded model with a seat molded in. You get a porcelain foot flush toilet and a decent amount of counter space and medicine cabinet space. The headroom in this bathroom is really good so you basketball players can get clean and head back to the court.

Know that this still uses a traditional gas-electric water heater rather than the tankless water heaters so many companies are using. I actually like this arrangement much better, especially if you’re camping off the grid. But it allows you to heat the water with either propane or electric.

This is double the size of water heater in most RVs at 12 gallons so you do have more hot water.

Kitchen in the Rockwood Signature 402SFL

This is a really nice kitchen to me with the center island and a three-burner stove with a residential-sized oven. There’s also a 12 volt refrigerator and we found these fridges are remarkably efficient now - I actually did an article about how long a new 12 volt fridge can run on solar here.

Peggy and I used to own a bed & breakfast where I got to cook plenty of meals for plenty of guests and this kitchen absolutely passes the chef test. Chef’s kiss!

There’s also a lot of counter space and storage in pantries and drawers. There’s a nice cabinet at the front of the kitchen with lots of drawers and wouldn’t this be a great place for a Margaritaville Frozen Concoction maker? Just sayin’!

I also like the multi-function drawer in the island with a cutting board and silverware drawer and that cutting board is directly above another drawer with a trash can. Like I said, chef’s kiss.

Upstairs there are opposing couches, each in a slide room. At the very front of the space is a couch where each end features a recliner. This rig is so fancy inside that this seat would be for some kind of RV royalty.

That supreme camper would have a great view of a gigantic TV on a televator at the back of this space. Below that is an electric fireplace. Honestly this space is nicer than my house.

I also like that there are cabinets over the couch whose hinges hold the doors up.

Bedroom in the Rockwood Signature 402SFL

The bedroom in here features a king-sized bed in a slide. Something Rockwood does is a cabinet build where the bed sort of slide under a cabinet. There are a lot of cabinets here but if you replace this mattress with something thicker don’t forget to bring your tape measure as it would have to go under the cabinet.

Speaking of that cabinet it is plumbed for a washer dryer.

But there are a lot of places for your stuff in here so that’s a good thing, especially if you’re full timing.

Know that I was a bit concerned when I saw the fuse box in the bedroom here. I’ve seen where some fifth wheels have the fuse box where you can’t get to them with the slides in and that’s just stupid. So I purposely brought the bedroom slide in and the fuse box is still accessible even if you displace a lot of water in the pool as I do.

Why does this matter? If you blow a fuse and the slide is in you’re basically SOL - er, uh, that’s simply out of luck. Ahem.

Rockwood 402SFL report card

A few notes about the Rockwood Signature 402SFL

This is a big fifth wheel at 40 feet long but there are certainly others that are bigger. But it’s also a standard width instead of being a wide body which surprised me. It felt very spacious inside so I don’t think that the standard width was a bad thing at all.

Also know that you can get this with what Rockwood calls their Power Package which is a lot of solar panels plus a high-performance battery and power system. Mastervolt makes this whole system so you have one point of contact if you have questions. I have this system in my own trailer and it’s been incredible. If you’re considering camping without hook-ups, this is a great way to go.

This was one of the highest-scoring fifth wheels I’ve ever looked at earning 4 1/2 out of five stars in the RV report card. Where it really shines is in the build, chassis and suspension - all of which are pretty typical of how Rockwood does things quite honestly. Quite honestly with other brands facing issues with chassis build quality it makes this one even more relevant.

Speaking of which I’m coming to you from Indiana where I’ve spent the past couple of weeks looking at new 2026 RVs. There are some great models coming your way but seeing how some of the are built gives me a greater appreciation for these Rockwood and Flagstaff models. They really are a good RV. Nothing’s perfect, of course, but there is a big difference between how brands make decisions.

The one challenge here is that the underbelly does have 12 volt heat pads on the tanks but it’s not heated so if you’re camping in severe cold, you might take advantage of those wheels and head to warmer climates.

Also know that this is the same as the Flagstaff Classic 402CFL - Rockwood and Flagstaff are the same products sold through different dealerships. Why - we have an article that explains that here.

More RV reviews

We have more RV reviews that you can see including specific categories for your reference.

RV Shopping Tips

If you’re shopping for an RV we have some great resources for you.

Visit an RV show

Want to check out RVs for yourself in person? We have a complete list of RV shows across the US.

Jayco Embark proves viability of an EV RV

Jayco Embark proves viability of an EV RV

Related Posts

0