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RV review: the revolutionary Forest River Teleos

RV review: the revolutionary Forest River Teleos

Tony Barthel
RV Review, Travel Trailer Review

What if an RV company told their engineers, and specifically the engineers, that they had free reign to design an RV that explored lots of “what ifs” in build materials, build quality, design, components and ideas. Rather than being another familiar variant of another familiar floor plan, what if that RV were truly different?

Well that RV company is Forest River and what they’re finalizing the details on is the new Teleos. This is almost a complete departure from a normal travel trailer in a lot of ways and is intended to be the crown jewel for Forest River. So what’s so different?

It’s how it’s built

First of all the whole build methodology is different. The walls, floor and ceiling are all made with a three pound foam poly fiber composite which is 100% waterproof. It doesn’t rot, mold, nor does it permit animal intrusion. It’s a non-porous surface so water just doesn’t get in. Period.

There are no aluminum or wood ribs in the wall and the interior is padded, all in an effort to keep interior and exterior temperatures separated. Then they added frameless dual-pane windows with integrated blinds and shades for extra measure.

The floor, too, is the same material and Forest River said it provides 3-4 times the insulation of a normal RV floor.

The frame is still being finalized but the suspension is dialed-in and will be a B-A-L independent suspension with shocks at each wheel. This will reduce vibration and harshness coming into the RV. There will also be a B-A-L five-point auto level system standard.

Front and rear exterior caps will be a fiberglass molded design specific to Teleos and there is a full-wide LED on the front that doubles as a turn signal indicator. Nice.

The roof is a big deal

I’ve shared how the trailer is built but know that there are only two holes in the roof and those are the required vent holes for the holding tanks. That’s it. No AC, no fans. Nothing. The roof, too, uses that same three pound foam product.

The idea is to minimize water intrusion wherever possible but also to not enable water intrusion to cause damage.

What about the AC?

If there’s no AC on the roof, where is it? In the prototype I’m sharing with you it was under the refrigerator and was a Truma-supplied product. You might be surprised that that AC was only 8,000 BTU until you realize this wall, ceiling and floor build are so exceptional you don’t need a huge air conditioner even on hotter days.

Now they hadn’t put this into a climate chamber yet but do intend to. The same company that will supply the AC and heat just so happens to have a climate testing facility for their customers. Those clever Germans.

That AC is also a heat pump so it would provide the warmth in here, too.

You’ve got the power

Because of the lower demand of the air conditioner the battery system, which is an 800 amp hour system, can operate the AC for about 12 hours. That’s pretty good.

Since there isn’t intended to be any holes in the roof the Teleos will have provisions for ground-deployed solar panels so you can place them to optimize sun exposure. Imagine being able to park in the shade but still get the full power of the sun.

Water system

Another area that’s very unusual is the water system. While PEX plumbing is good, this is better and consists of woven plumbing with specific part numbers. The plumbing is intended to be able to expand if you don’t winterize well but, if you do damage a fixture, you just call Teleos and you can order that specific piece of the plumbing system. It’s all categorized.

As for heating the water this uses the Truma AquaGo Plus. To my point of view this is the only tankless water heater that’s worth a damn but it’s also much more expensive than the cheap tankless units most RV builders are installing nowadays. It’s also literally the only thing in this trailer that uses the propane system.

No propane? How do I cook?

Two induction cook tops are integrated into the quartz counter top so you basically can put a pan down on the counter top and activate that induction burner. Pretty slick, eh? My only issue with this is that you’d have to replace the whole counter top if you fry a burner but that’s the price of being beautiful, I guess.

Of course there’s also a microwave with air frying and all of that.

The kitchen has decent counter space and drawers and cabinets and I really like that all of these drawers and cabinets feature mechanical latches. Very nice.

Bedroom in the Teleos

The prototype I saw had an east-west bed but the intent is to give these a north-south bed instead. Otherwise I can say that this was a decently roomy space wth good cabinets and drawers and cubbies with household and USB power outlets.

Final thoughts on the Teleos concept

I’m going to be super blunt here - I absolutely love this thing. I like the idea, I like the way they implemented it, I like the way it’s constructed but how it’s also repairable with the plumbing. I think they nailed it and nailed it hard.

It didn’t feel like it was missing a slide nor anything else. It was sufficiently spacious and very nicely designed.

One thing that wasn’t in place on the prototype I saw were steps. Yes, they are looking at not using the stupid solid steps that have plagued the RV industry like a cancer (not that I don’t like them or anything) and they want to employ power-operated steps like in a motorhome but they haven’t found any that fit between the frame rails and the outside wall.

Also know that the wet bay was over on the camp side of the prototype I saw but it will move over to the road side where it belongs.

I have seen a lot of companies make claims that they’ve got an exciting new RV or that they’re “breaking the mold” or otherwise promising that they’ve got something unique.

Truthfully, this is the first totally unique and ground breaking new RV I have seen since the Entegra Endeavor, which seems to have fallen on its face. I really like what I see here and the tech isn’t just for technology’s sake, it’s real usable advancements that will make a difference long-term. That means the resale value will likely be high and these models will continue to serve their owners for a long time.

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