I am always thrilled to bring you new RV floor plans, and here we are today with this option for a couple’s RV working remotely. The Forest River RiverStone 425FO Fifth Wheel is a brand-new floor plan for 2024. Let’s quickly review this fantastic new RiverStone Legacy floor plan. It has a lovely layout, with a hidden front office space with three desks. It is entirely private, which is excellent as so many couples work remotely nowadays. However, there may be some potential disadvantages that I found in this floor plan during my review that I would like to share with you in this post. Let’s start with walking inside and around the premium luxury RiverStone Legacy 425FO. Don’t forget to check out our video for a first look at this new fifth-wheel floor plan.
As you may know, RiverStone Legacy is one of the premium luxury lines of fifth wheels created by Forest River. Previously, there was a less premium line called RiverStone Reserve (although luxury), and that is the main difference between RiverStone Legacy and RiverStone Reserve.
Table of Contents
Floor Plan, Brief Specifications, and Tentative Starting Price
- Dry Weight: 19,157 Pounds
- Cargo Carrying Capacity: 4,582 Pounds
- Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 23,815 Pounds (10,802 kg)
- Length: 45 Feet 2 Inches
- Slides-Out: 6
- Sleeping Capacity: up to 4
- Awning size: 12 feet and 16 feet
- Price starts at $210,030 (MSRP) (USD)
- Discounts are about $50,000 (USD)
- Sale Price: $159,999 (MSRP) (USD)
The RiverStone 425FO is definitely a really nice product for a couple of full-timers who work from the road. I will point out some nice things I found in this new floor layout as we go around to give you a good sense. Overall, there is a rear master king bedroom with a washer and dryer, one full bathroom, a mid-kitchen area, and a front living room with a hidden private office for two. Let’s take a first peek.
A Must-See Office for Two Inside the RV
The most striking feature of the new 2024 RiverStone 425FO floor plan that I am going to highlight in this review is undoubtedly the office of this fifth wheel, which is designed so that two people can work simultaneously. It is an enclosed, private, windowed office located at the front of the RV. To enter the office, you must slide the TV into the entertainment center. Once inside, you will find U-shaped desks, under-counter cabinets, and small pass-through boxes.
RiverStone 425FO Review: The Office Pros and Cons
Office Pros
Office Pros: It is nice to see an RV manufacturer updating floor plans to the new real life when remote work is more important every day in American lives. The desks would be perfect for a couple that works remotely and lives full time in this RV (or at least spends enough hours on the road to have a dedicated working space area).
I love the idea of having the office hidden behind a piece of furniture. I pictured myself having all your papers spread out and being able to close the door so you don’t see the mess. If children or nosy guests around won’t be in your business, you can easily work while on the road.
Office Cons
Office Cons: Although the first impression is excellent, it is easy to see the office has rudimentary desks not prepared for desk computers or peripheral devices for computers such as a printer. The U-shape desk consists of three desks. However, the desk heights are different. The side desks are not flush with the front desk, which considerably reduces space when using dual monitors or a large monitor. The corners of the desks cannot be used because they are not flush.
There are no cable pass-through holes in the desks and few outlets without surge protection, nor bottom mounting trays on the back for cables, power adapters, etc. The configuration of shelves and drawers is not helpful for an office and looks like something out of a kitchen. There is no dedicated size for peripheral devices such as a printer, scanner, or even keyboard. I wonder if the designer thinks that people working remotely only use laptops. It doesn’t look like a layout designed to secure monitors and other equipment during travel, etc.
Privacy, yes, but quiet may not be. How quiet would the office be for a meeting or a call if someone is watching TV in the living room while trying to work inside? I guess it may be a disadvantage, depending on whether you are going to be on calls all day or have kids watching TV all day while you are working in the office.
In short, there is a dedicated space for an office. Still, it doesn’t have finishes like you would expect to have in an office inside a luxury RV of about $210,000 MSRP. It’s a pity because it would have been effortless to have the perfect office in an RV… apparently, those who want that will have to set it up on their own.
Overall, Riverstone Legacy floor plans are incredible, and there are tons of amazing things in this floor plan. Let’s continue walking inside of the RiverStone Legacy 425FO for this review.
Inside the New RiverStone 425FO
Let’s continue inside the New Forest River RiverStone Legacy 425FO fifth wheel.
The Kitchen
As soon as you cross the entry door, you will find the kitchen area in the middle of this fifth wheel. The 2024 RiverStone 425FO kitchen features high-quality residential-size appliances, including a residential-style stove oven with a 4-burner range (Insignia), an 18 cu. ft. French door refrigerator with ice maker, a 30″ stainless steel microwave (Samsung), and an under-the-counter dishwasher (Fischer Paykel). It is equipped with a large stainless steel dual bowl sink with a residential faucet, an upgraded solid surface countertop, a butcher block that flips up and down and extends the meal prep area, several solid wood cabinets, soft closing drawers and pantries with soft-close system as well.
The 2024 RiverStone furniture is made of wood that looks like yellowish-wood colors, condo style. I am not a fan of this style, and my wife is neither. I like the white wood, combined with not-too-dark floors, to bring brightness and, above all, spaciousness to the interior of the RV. The colors seem to want to revalue the wood furniture and give it a more expensive look, but I’m not sure if they achieve it. But I guess this is just my opinion and it’s more a matter of taste than a disadvantage.
The extendable table with chairs for four people located in a slide-out completes the kitchen area.
RiverStone 425FO Kitchen Pros and Cons
Kitchen Pros: Lots of storage space for everything you need to prepare meals. Nice pantries and appliances. Good quality appliances and adequate size to live in this RV full time.
Kitchen Cons: Very little space to prepare meals, even if only a couple lives in this RV. Once you plug in the coffee maker, forget about having any room left on the countertops. I spend a fair amount of time in my kitchen, so for me, there is a lack of counter space in the kitchen. Although the kitchen area is spacious, there is no center island. Including the butcher block is a nice touch but does not solve the lack of counter space. It would be nice to include a small central island (tiny, with no sink) only dedicated to the preparation of meals, especially considering this may be a full-time living floor plan.
The Front Living Room
Walking to the front of the RiverStone 425FO, you will find a cozy front living room with an entertainment center, a 5,200 BTU fireplace, and plenty of extra sleeping space for guests. On every side of the LED Smart TV, there is an E-Z glide sofa bed on each slide-out, and one theater sofa with two seats is in front of the TV. There is also more space for storage, such as cabinets, bookshelves, large windows, and roller shades. Behind the TV is the hidden office that I mentioned at the beginning of this review.
The Bedroom and Bathroom
The bedroom is lovely, private, and similar to other RiverStone floor plans. It is a 72″ x80″ king-size 10″ thick memory foam mattress (queen optional) with plenty of space to walk around, large closets, and a nice dresser. It features a washer and dryer and a 39″ Smart TV wall-mounted in front of the bed.
Next to the bedroom, there is one bathroom, spacious and fully equipped. It features a large shower with a tub, a teak seat, excellent black mate shower fittings, a hand basin, a foot-flushable toilet with a porcelain bowl, a large mirror with a medicine cabinet, towel holders, and linen cabinets.
RiverStone 425FO Bed and Bath Pros and Cons
Bed and Bath Pros: The bedroom is gorgeous, the bath is spacious, and the design looks great. Everything looks luxurious, as it should be.
Overall, there are no cons in both areas. However, the bathroom is not ensuite, and it is only one. If you plan to use this RV to live in, and it is more than two people, I would suggest considering floor plans with at least one and a half bathrooms.
The Exterior of the RiverStone 425FO Floor Plan
Overall, there are no new things to highlight on the exterior of the Riverstone Legacy in 2024. It continues with full-body paint, insulation inside walls, slide rooms, roof, and flooring. This floor plan features two electric awnings with LED Lights (12 and 16 feet, back and front, respectively), a grill with quick connections, several exterior storage compartments, a bike rack in the back, a huge slide-out tray for storage, a ladder for the roof inspection, a 12V powered 50 Amp cord reel and one entry door.
RiverStone 425FO Exterior Pros and Cons
Outside Pros: Lovely exterior lines. There are lots of storage compartments, and thumbs up for the giant tray that you roll out, load up with everything you need in the back, and then slide into this storage place. It saves you from multiple trips inside of the fifth wheel and then back out to your vehicle or back out to your home. It is not only for bikes because it is huge.
Outside Cons: For a luxury (and expensive) fifth wheel, I would expect a luxury outside kitchen with a refrigerator and a sink for washing hands while cooking on the grill. I believe it would be lovely to have a small refrigerator and a little sink plumbed to water in the outside kitchen on this floor plan.
Closing Thoughts After Reviewing the 2024 RiverStone 425FO
The 2024 RiverStone 425FO is a new floor plan by Forest River, a RiverStone Legacy fifth-wheel trailer under 20,000 pounds of dry weight, and it is now on the market! This triple axle unit is heavy even when empty. Let me remark on a few things worth seeing in this RV and what I like (and do not) the most after reviewing the 425FO floor plan.
The RiverStone 425FO is a tremendous 45-foot-long couple’s luxury RV specially designed for remote workers. It has one of the biggest dedicated workspaces on the market today. So, if you are looking for something with a dedicated office space, it is definitely worth to see it.
During the review, I try to include both positives and potential drawbacks (in my humble opinion). If buyers are full-timers, I am sure you will find this floor plan lacks a kitchen countertop for meal preparation. However, some may not care and prefer to sacrifice space because they like other great features that the 425FO has.
The private (hidden) front office looks great and is one of the best workspaces you’ll find in an RV today. Is it perfect? No, it is far from perfect. In this post, I’ve pointed out some design issues, such as the lack of cable trays, desks that are not flush with each other, the lack of spaces designed for peripheral devices, etc. Also, I’m curious how much sound deadening is inside the office, given the TV is mounted on the back side of the door. I think Forest River could have designed a slightly better two-person office, considering that the 2024 RiverStone 425FO has a starting retail price of around $210,000 (MSRP). Applying the dealer’s discount, the sale price is $159,999 (USD). But surely there will be plenty of buyers who wouldn’t mind upgrading the office.
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Overall
Overall, it is one of the nicest new RVs for 2024, and mostly everything looks luxurious, as it should be. It is nice to see how RV manufacturers acknowledge a shift in the audience of RV and 5th wheel buyers to the remote worker who may expend a lot of time on the road or working remotely while living in the RV full-time. The bedroom is lovely. The bathroom looks great. And I love the outside giant tray for storage. It is always pleasant to see new designs.
