# Outback Vs. Springdale



## SurferZ (Feb 18, 2006)

Hi everyone. Ok, just got back from the dealer where we basically spent a good 2.5 hours moving in and out of Outbacks and Springdales.
Being an Outback forum I know what the censensus will be but we really like both, what would be the pros and cons of each. Why did you choose an Outback
For reference, we are a family of 4 looking at the Outback 25rss, 26rs, 28rsds -
Springdale 267 & 268 BHL-GL.
Basically , we need some help from our indecision on the decision.
We mainly dry camp, some beach some mountains.
thanks,

SurferZ


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## nascarcamper (Jan 27, 2005)

I had the 245 Springdale until I found out it couldn't swim in Hurricane Alex.







We looked at other Springdales before deciding on the Outback. I liked the interior better on the Outback plus the fiberglass siding was a major plus. Of course the cost is more on the Outback but for me the extra features were worth it. I will say I have had more problems with the Outback than I did the Springdale though. Good luck with your decision.


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

I woul dsay go with the 28RSDS. It give you the room of a 34' unit but less towing length. THe quad bunkhouse can't be beat. It would even give you room for your long boards (I had a Dewey Weber 7'6" mini tank for years, great for East Coast ankle biters).

Finally.....The outside camp kitchen is great.

Happy Outbacking!

Tim


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

I don't know much on the Springdale so I can't help with that one
I like the outside it is easier to keep clean
And the cabinets inside wipe down nice and stay cleaner longer
As for the Outback I would look at the 26RS or the 28RSDS they both have the bunkhouse
The 26 doesn't have a side slide but still very nice with 6 of us
The 28RSDS has a side slide so you have alittle more room
The choice is yours

Don


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

Hang on, let me go to the Springdaler's Website and see what they have to say.

Oops. There is no Springdalers.com!

But there is a Keystone Camping website that I found with a section of forum dedicated to Springdales, as well as Outbacks. There were four members and 13 guests on the site. The last post in the Outback section was a week ago.

There was even a post in the Outback section by somebody asking, "Where are all the Outbacks?" LOL.

Not that this website was the reason for my purchase. In fact I didn't know of it's existence until a month or so after my purchase. But had I known about it in advance, it could have swayed my thinking. I like the OB for all the reasons everyone else listed, but then, I was looking for a shorter and lighter rig, anyway, which isn't much comparison to the Springdale.

Hope it works out for you.


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## SurferZ (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks everybody for your input!
Gonna, sleep on it, maybe i'll have a revelation.

hasta manana


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I looked at the Springdale's initially also. One of the advantages to the Outback is the all aluminum framing. If you get a leak, it shouldn't effect the coach frameing, but maybe just the floor sheathing, or wall sheathing, which is easier to replace. I think the Outbacks may have been a little ligther too. In the end, it was the interior more then anything. The DW really liked the Outback interieor. Good luck with your search.

Tim


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## Theycallusthebreeze (Jan 28, 2006)

Yeah, same here Tim! All my DH cared about was the 'man' stuff and all I cared about was the 'woman' stuff and we both liked 'our stuff'. He liked the all aluminum framing in the walls (or wherever it is), amongst other 'man' stuff. I loved the interior!







I am a morning person. The FIRST thing I do when I get up (besides putting on the coffee







) is open the blinds! sunny I like the scenery and the open feeling. The off-white decor makes it all the bigger and better. Let's face it, you can never get too much 'open-ness'. I'm not sure if the Spingdales have the back door or not but that was a very important feature to us also. We even looked at the Springdales but I don't remember whether they had 2 doors or not. And I'll be honest also...This forum here made one of the deciding factors in our picking the Outback over some others. We KNEW questions would come about and having instant assistance from others who know their business about the very same brand meant alot to us. Not having to wait for a salesperson to call us back (_if_ they even know the answer!), means alot. It seems like there's safety in numbers!














All in all, we feel like we did our homework, took our time and made our decision. Now that we've got it home, it sure looks mighty good sitting out there next to the house!









Just a few other things we noticed was that some of the campers we looked at did not have very large cubicles for the television. For us that was important because after the day is said and done, we look forward to going in at night and kicking back to a good movie. It also comes in handy for the kids after the swimming and eating and fishing and all is done for the day. So, we wanted to be able to get bigger than a 19" TV. Our Outback had a _little_ more countertop than some we looked at. Another thing that we looked at is re-sale. No matter how good things are now, there is always potential for something to happen down the road that may make us want/need to sell our units. We felt that the Outback 'showed' well and that we would always be able to get a fair price for it.









But those were just some of the factors in our decision SurferZ! We found that any little tips we could use to weigh the 'yays and nays' helped in the final decision. We went nuts for awhile too!







When you have finally made your decision based on input and your own gut-feelings, you will go on to be HAPPY CAMPERS! Good luck to you and your family SurferZ! Keep us posted!


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

I have to admit I don't know much about Springdales. I'm sure they are a good camper, but every one I've noticed has the aluminum siding. Looks "corrugated" and would show hail marks and dents a lot more than the fiberglass on the Outbacks. Besides, I like the "smooth" looks of the Outbacks much better.

But, to each his own. And, Outbackers.com is a big, big PLUS!

Good luck with your decision.

Mark


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## SurferZ (Feb 18, 2006)

Good note, I didnt really like the aluminum siding on the Spingdale, The Trail Cruiser I had was like the Outback and real easy to clean. 
So I think I am getting closer, I am pulling Spingdale off the list, slept on it, now I have to chose between the 3, wish my kids were'nt hammering me about that quad bunhouse.


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

I was in the same situation last year.

We looked at Springdales, the same models as you.

We ended up with the OB 28BHs, which is almost identical to the Springdale floor plan.

The biggest factor for us was the lighter weight, fiberglass exterior, enclosed underbelly, and the overall better fit and finish of the Outback.

One other factor was that I found this forum before we bought, and all the OB owners here had MUCH LESS complaints about their TT's than any of the Springdale owners on other forums.

We haven't regretted the choice at all.

Steve


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Hi SurferZ, I vote for the 25rss. For you and your crew it will work great. I think you said that you do alot of dry camping so lenght does come into the picture. Some of the national forest do have a lenght limit of around 26' and most are hard to get into with anything longer. On the 25rss when you open the side slide and pull out the rear you will have plenty of room for four. Also at rest stops if you open the slide you can do lunch and still have room to move around. So again go for the 25rss. Kirk


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## SurferZ (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks everybody! All great notes. After reading many other posts and looking at what kind of camping/driving I am doing it will most likely be the 25rss or 26rs.
Lots of knowledge on this board, keep it going.


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## stapless (Feb 20, 2005)

huntr70 said:


> I was in the same situation last year.
> 
> We looked at Springdales, the same models as you.
> 
> ...


we did exactly the same as steve. springdale was a bit cheaper, but the small increment price for the OB came with HUGE improvements in quality, fit/finish, etc. a good friend of mine got the springdale. it has been OK for him, but I know the aluminum siding has been a negative, and he has been very dissapointed with the interior quality. he spends a lot of time finishing monir fit/finish things, something i would be frustrated with given the $$ spent on either unit.

good luck with your decision







.

scott


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

SurferZ said:


> ...it will most likely be the 25rss or 26rs.
> [snapback]82928[/snapback]​


Both are nice units and it will come down to how much "permanent" sleeping space and storage space you want. If you will rarely be camping with more than 4 people, and you can give up the pass-though storage drawer, I think the 25 RS-S would be the best camper (the sofa slide out opens up the inside nicely). If you will be camping regularly with 5 or 6 people and don't want to build beds each night, and you want the convenience of the pass-through storage, go with the 26 RS. That bunk room is GREAT for giving the kids their own "room" with their own television and dresser. You will appreciate the privacy of the bunk room curtain door as well.

Our ideal Outback would be a 26 RS-S.







Same floor plan as 26 RS, with a sofa / pantry / refrigerator slide.

Randy


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

SurferZ said:


> Springdale 267 & 268 BHL-GL.
> 
> [snapback]82826[/snapback]​


 Are those 2006 Springdales, or 2005 leftovers?? I'm not even seeing those models on the website anymore.....I know we looked at the 268bhl-gl last year, but I think they are dropped for this year, replaced with a 298bhl-gl??









That may be an influence as well...it means they didn't sell as many as they thought they would
















Steve


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Makes you wonder Steve









Don


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## SurferZ (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks Randy, I agree the 26rs hsould be a 26RSS and have the couch slide out, maybe it will in the 2007, I cant wait that long though, it would kill me, besides have too many camp sites reerved this year :]
We are mainly family of 4, when the ocasional friend comes along with kids in the future the it will be a need.


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