RV shoppers walking among acres of new travel trailers at a dealership, such as Bish’s RV, can be overwhelmed with all the brands and models available. Like going to the grocery store, you have to focus on a shopping list of what’s most important for your family’s camping needs
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If one of those priorities is finding a premium camper that can be towed by most mid-size pickups and smaller SUVs, the 2022 Cherokee Wolf Pup 18TO Black Label is hard to beat.
Not only do these trailers fill the bill when it comes to towability with smaller vehicles such as properly equipped GM Canyon/Colorado pickups, Ford Explorer and Rangers, and Jeep Grand Wagoneers, they feature special option packages well-suited to a wide range of shoppers in both price and features.
The latter is what attracted my attention to a Wolf Pup 18TO Black Label camper that stood out when visiting the Bish’s RV campus in Twin Falls, Idaho.
The 2022 18TO Black Label is the flagship of the Forest River Cherokee line of lighter-weight, single-axle travel trailers.
The graphics, automotive-style blackout frameless windows, high ground clearance, aggressive off-road tires, black glass entry door, and general overall appearance really make any Cherokee Black Label model stand out from the other models in the line and from competitors.
Black Label Campers Feature Laden
What makes the Wolf Pup 18TO special is not only does it have every feature you could want in a travel trailer as part of the standard Black Label package, it also has a full street-side slide-out where the dinette is located to maximize this premium camper’s interior space.
The flagship Wolf Pup Black Label model is actually a package that includes all the special options/features that Cherokee offers across the Wolf Pup line: The Advantage Package, the Limited Package, and the Camping Package. (This stacking of special option packages is the same as the automotive manufactures do to distinguish one trim level from the next, all the way to their top-tier model.)
A number of those combined features stuck out when I walked around the Cherokee Wolf Pup 18TO Black Label that I could appreciate being an outdoor lover and full-time RVer.
The entry door itself is something you don’t see on trailers: The 26-inch-wide fiberglass door is capped with a special blackout-tinted safety glass and the Wolf Pup Black Label etched into the lower portion. It’s both classy and eye-catching, and the glass goes perfect with this particular trailer’s high-gloss fiberglass finish and black diamond-plate lower edge and front cap trim.
It comes with a Cherokee-exclusive two-step Stable Step at the entry door that makes it easier and safer than the traditional hinged steps for young and old to go in and out of the camper.
The step can also be easily adjusted for both elevation and angle, which is really handy when setting up camp off-the-grid.
18TO Wolf Pup Exterior Highlights
A full-length Edge 12V Power Awning is also part of the Black Label standard features. This awning features full automatic deployment and retraction with the touch and release of a button.
It also has automatic rain dumping design so when rain water pools in the canopy, the awning arms automatically lift to dump the pooled water.
Another nice standard feature on the 18TO that’s not all that common on smaller campers are cargo storage doors with magnetic locks. It also comes with dual batteries, 55-amp converter, outside hot/cold shower, and it’s solar-prepped so you’re covered whether camping off-grid or at a site with full hookups.
Great Backcountry Camper
Speaking of off-grid camping, the Cherokee Wolf Pup 18TO Black Label literally stands above others in the “pack” because of the package’s extra ground clearance achieved with the longer shackles that connect the single axle’s leaf springs to the frame.
Additional ground clearance comes from upfitting the standard 13-inch trailer wheels with 15-inch wheels wrapped with aggressive-tread Westlake ST235/75R15 tires. The package also comes with tire pressure monitors in the valve stems.
The lifted suspension and taller tires provide several more inches of ground clearance under the axle, and even more important for those who venture to travel and camp off-pavement, a lot more clearance under the rear overhang of the trailer.
The taller stance also improves towability with 4×4 pickups and SUVs, especially those with aftermarket tires and suspension modifications.
Ready For Outdoor Cooking
I also noted the Wolf Pup 18TO has a convenient LP quick-connect up front on the street side, which is ideal for setting up an outside grill, cooker, heater or other external source that needs propane from the dual tanks mounted on the tongue.
Speaking of outside cooking, the 18TO has a neat little fridge and drop-down shelf on the curb side just rearward of the steps. Cherokee calls this the Wolf Pup kitchen. Very convenient when the entertaining and dining moves outside.
Spacious Interior Means A Lot
Inside the Wolf Pup 18TO Black Label model is just as sharp as the exterior. With nearly seven feet of headroom, full under bed storage, large dinette drawers, open galley area, and additional storage in the overhead cabinetry, it’s easy to get comfortable camping in this model.
This Cherokee Wolf Pup Black Label travel trailer has a large slide with a booth dinette sofa that quickly converts into a pseudo bunk bed if additional sleeping space is needed.
The brochures say it’ll sleep seven. But in reality it’s better suited for a couple or family of four.
A Unique Bunk Setup
What is interesting is how the bunk on this camper works. The bunk part stores behind the sofa, and when it’s time for bed, you lift it up and rotate it towards the middle of the camper so it rests on the built-in supports on each end above the sofa. (Watch our video to see how this is done.)
A separate mattress, stored elsewhere, is then laid on top to complete the bunk bed setup.
Up front is a more traditional, and much more comfortable pillowtop queen bed with cool reading lamps, convenient USB ports, abundant LED lighting, along with the natural light from the opposing side windows.
At the opposite end of the 18TO is an oversized dinette that also converts into a bed. The TV would be mounted to the rear wall so it’s viewable by all. Across from the dinette is what experienced RVers enjoy the most—a large bathroom with a flush toilet, and a residential-sized, fully accessorized shower. It’s one of the nicest showers we’ve seen in a travel trailer under 25 feet.
Special Black Label Touches
The Cherokee Wolf Pup 18TO Black Label galley is top-shelf, too. The fridge/freezer is Cannon 12V high-efficiency, residential 11-cubic-foot model. It’s huge, and perfect for keeping a pack of hungry campers well stocked for long camping outings away from the daily grind.
A solid-surface countertop makes it easy to prep meals, while an LG Chef Select Black Stainless Steel Kitchen Suite Package, which includes a high-output two-burner cooktop and large, high-output overhead microwave, provides the camp chef great tools to handle the cooking duties.
The black-and-white theme of the galley really adds to the rich ambiance of the Black Label model.
Clean-up is accommodated by the deep stainless steel sink and residential-style black high-rise faucet fed by a six-gallon water heater and either fresh water from the city water connection, or from the camper’s 26-gallon fresh water system.
A Four-Season Wolf Pup
Forest River’s Cherokee Wolf Pup Black Label 18TO travel trailers are lightweight and easy to tow, so it won’t be a burden to transport them to the campsite regardless of the time of year.
One of the many features that are unique to the Black Label line is these campers are built with Thermo-Foil Arctic Insulation that provides an added layer of warmth in the winter and cooling in the summer.
The 18TO Black Label is also equipped with a massive 20,000 BTU furnace and 13,5000 BTU roof-mounted A/C system, each more than capable of keeping the interior cozy regardless of whatever Mother Nature is doing outside. This is a true four-season camper.
One of the great things Wolf Pup has done is bridge the gap between affordability, functionality and eye appeal.
Coupled with the gourmet kitchen, multiple sleeping configurations, large fresh water and grey/blackwater holding tanks, roomy bath, plentiful storage, and enjoyable entertainment system, the Cherokee Wolf Pup 18TO I walked through has everything needed to enjoy years of RVing for both couples and families.
Stop in at one of the select Bish’s RV dealerships that carry the Cherokee Wolf Pup travel trailer to check one out today! — Bruce W. Smith
Specifications
- Make: 2022 Cherokee Wolf Pup
- Model: 18TO Black Label
- Length: 23′
- Width: 7′ 1″
- Cargo Capacity: 1,201 lbs.
- Dry Weight: 3,797 lbs.
- Tongue Weight: 437 lbs.
- Exterior Height: 10′ 6″
- Water Capacity (Fresh): 26 gals.
- Water Capacity (Black): 23 gals.
- Water Capacity (Grey): 23 gals.
- Air Conditioners1
- A/C: 13500 BTUs
- Sleeps: 7