Forest River Salem 290ZEN
Still in production. A used 2023 would run roughly $30,400.
dry weight 8,001 lb + fresh water (41 gal, full) 342 lb + propane + battery 200 lb + gear for 2 600 lb. Brochure dry weight omits water, propane, batteries and your gear; this estimate doesn't.
Judged the way the app judges: estimated loaded weight against each vehicle's rating less a 10% margin, per model year, because the 290ZEN's published weights held steady.
The 60it doesn't fit
- Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon (2.7 Turbo HO, tow pkg) '23-26: over by ~2,213 lb loaded
- Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon (2.8 Duramax) '15-22: over by ~2,213 lb loaded
- Chevrolet Suburban (5.3 V8, max tow) '21-26: over by ~1,673 lb loaded
- Chevrolet Tahoe (5.3 V8, max tow) '21-26: over by ~1,583 lb loaded
- Chevrolet Traverse (tow pkg) '18-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Chrysler Pacifica '17-26: over by ~5,903 lb loaded
- Dodge Durango (5.7 / 6.4 Hemi, tow pkg) '14-26: over by ~1,313 lb loaded
- Ford Bronco 4-dr (2.7 EcoBoost, tow pkg) '21-26: over by ~5,093 lb loaded
- Ford Expedition (3.5 EcoBoost, tow pkg) '25-26: over by ~503 lb loaded
- Ford Expedition (3.5 EcoBoost, tow pkg) '18-24: over by ~773 lb loaded
- Ford Explorer (3.0 EcoBoost, tow pkg) '20-26: over by ~4,103 lb loaded
- Ford F-150 Lightning (max trailer tow) '22-26: over by ~143 lb loaded
- Ford Maverick (2.0 EcoBoost, 4K tow pkg) '22-26: over by ~5,543 lb loaded
- Ford Ranger (2.3 EcoBoost, tow pkg) '19-23: over by ~2,393 lb loaded
- Ford Ranger (2.7 EcoBoost, tow pkg) '24-26: over by ~2,393 lb loaded
- Ford Transit (HD tow pkg) '15-26: over by ~2,933 lb loaded
- GMC Acadia (tow pkg) '20-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- GMC Hummer EV Pickup '22-26: over by ~2,393 lb loaded
- GMC Yukon / Yukon XL (5.3 V8, max tow) '21-26: over by ~1,583 lb loaded
- Honda Odyssey '18-26: over by ~5,993 lb loaded
- Honda Passport (AWD) '19-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Honda Pilot (AWD, tow pkg) '16-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Honda Ridgeline (AWD) '17-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Hyundai Palisade (tow pkg) '20-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Hyundai Santa Cruz (2.5T AWD) '22-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Jeep Gladiator (3.6 V6, max tow) '20-26: over by ~2,213 lb loaded
- Jeep Grand Cherokee (5.7 Hemi) '11-21: over by ~2,663 lb loaded
- Jeep Grand Cherokee (WL, tow pkg) '22-26: over by ~3,563 lb loaded
- Jeep Grand Cherokee L (5.7 Hemi) '21-26: over by ~2,663 lb loaded
- Jeep Grand Wagoneer (Hurricane, max tow) '22-26: over by ~278 lb loaded
- Jeep Wagoneer (Hurricane, max tow) '22-26: over by ~143 lb loaded
- Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4-dr (tow pkg) '18-26: over by ~5,993 lb loaded
- Kia Telluride (tow pkg) '20-26: over by ~4,193 lb loaded
- Land Rover Defender '20-26: over by ~1,763 lb loaded
- Land Rover Discovery '17-26: over by ~1,763 lb loaded
- Lexus GX 550 (tow pkg) '24-26: over by ~958 lb loaded
- Lexus LX 600 '22-26: over by ~1,943 lb loaded
- Mazda CX-90 (3.3 turbo, tow pkg) '24-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter '19-26: over by ~2,393 lb loaded
- Nissan Armada (3.5 twin-turbo, tow pkg) '25-26: over by ~1,493 lb loaded
- Nissan Armada (tow pkg) '17-24: over by ~1,493 lb loaded
- Nissan Frontier (3.8 V6, tow pkg) '22-26: over by ~2,708 lb loaded
- Nissan Pathfinder (tow pkg) '22-26: over by ~3,743 lb loaded
- Nissan Titan (5.6 V8, tow pkg) '17-24: over by ~358 lb loaded
- Ram ProMaster '14-26: over by ~2,923 lb loaded
- Rivian R1S '22-26: over by ~2,213 lb loaded
- Subaru Ascent '19-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Subaru Outback (XT / Wilderness) '20-26: over by ~5,993 lb loaded
- Tesla Model X (tow pkg) '16-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Tesla Model Y (tow pkg) '21-26: over by ~5,993 lb loaded
- Toyota 4Runner (4.0 V6) '11-24: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Toyota 4Runner (i-Force Max) '25-26: over by ~3,743 lb loaded
- Toyota Grand Highlander (i-Force Max) '24-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Toyota Highlander (tow pkg) '20-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
- Toyota Land Cruiser (i-Force Max) '24-26: over by ~3,743 lb loaded
- Toyota Sequoia (i-Force Max, tow pkg) '23-26: over by ~573 lb loaded
- Toyota Sienna '21-26: over by ~5,993 lb loaded
- Toyota Tacoma (i-Force Max, tow pkg) '24-26: over by ~3,293 lb loaded
- Toyota Tacoma (V6, tow pkg) '16-23: over by ~3,023 lb loaded
- Volkswagen Atlas (tow pkg) '18-26: over by ~4,643 lb loaded
These verdicts assume 2 people aboard with typical gear. See the margin for your truck and your crew →
A missing row means the maker never published that figure: unknown, not zero.
- 1× Front bedroom king(Permanent)—
- 2× Versa-Slide bunks(Permanent)—
- 1× Sofa converts(Convertible)—
Forest River (Mixed tier): Forest River's volume full-size travel trailer - wood-framed and cheap to buy, but with a heated enclosed underbelly, a walk-on roof and the genuinely clever Versa furniture system.
- 2026Introduced
Findable: a few listed nationwide most weeks. Why: Forest River is a volume manufacturer; only one model year; still in production. Estimated from build volume and production span, not a count of live listings.
ZEN with the Versa-Slide - bunks, storage or an office, and no traditional dinette. No published MSRP found.
Live listings for the 290ZEN on the big marketplaces. Each search opens pre-filled with this exact floorplan:
Inventory varies by site and day. Slim pickings? search the whole Salem line ↗
These are the facts. Whether it beats the other six thousand rigs for you depends on what you care about. Set your priorities as sliders, switch on your hard limits, and watch the whole market re-rank around them. Every exclusion explained, every margin shown.
See where it ranks for you →Data low-confidence record: figures are inferred and should be independently verified, retrieved 2026-07.