# New Member In Pittsburgh



## PghOutback (Feb 7, 2005)

Well, I finally joined this wonderful site after reading posts as a guest for several months.

My family lives in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. We got into camping so that we could spend more time with our daughters, teaching them to enjoy the outdoors as we do.

We got our first camper two years ago. It was a 1977 Apache hard-sided pop-up, for which we paid a miserly sum of $500. We camped the entire summer and loved it. My brother-in-law still has it!

My wife realized that she wanted some of the comforts of home, like a bathroom and a decent kitchen. What I wanted was something that would require less work to set up and tear down. We searched every brand and every dealer in the area. Finally, we decided upon the Outback, because the Outback models seemed to be far superior to anything else we saw.

We ordered our 2005 23RS from Clem's Trailer Sales in Ellwood City, PA. (Great Service - Excellent prices). We received our camper with ZERO defects in June of 2004. We camped all but one weekend of the summer of 2004 until September. It performed flawlessly until the end... That was when we had the remnants of the second major hurricaine in two weeks.

Record rainfalls for two consecutive weeks caused extensive flooding in our area. The storage area where we kept our 23rs was flooded by about five to six feet of water. Needless to say, our almost brand new camper was totalled. On a positive note, we had a check for the camper and contents (replacement value) from Progressive in four days!

Instead of replacing the camper in the Fall only to place it in storage, we decided to wait until Spring to order a replacement. We were pretty sure that we wanted to get a 28 RSS - the quad bunks and the side slide really seem to open up the interior. Then, we saw the 28 RSDS in the Outback brochure while attending the Pittsburgh RV Show.

What sold us on the 28 RSDS was the relocation of the dinette to the slide and the sofa to the old dinette location. It made perfect sense! Now, we wouldn't have to break down the dinette to put the rear slide in, as we had to do with the 23RS.

We placed our order for the camper the very next week. Our salesman called from the dealer the other day to inform us that the unit is scheduled to roll off the line on February 14th (how appropriate), which should have it arriving in Pittsburgh by the end of the month.

The campgrounds in Pennsylvania typically don't open until April, so I will have some time to perform a few modifications on the new camper. At this point, here are my plans:
1) Accumulator tank and sound insulation for water pump
2) Ladders and railings for upper bunks
3) Labels for light switches
4) MaxxAir Vent Covers (being installed by dealer)
5) Skid Wheels (the 28's seem to have a long rear overhang)
6) Battery Cut-off switch
7) Cut out and grommet for cables in tv/dvd/vcr cabinet
8) Vinyl roll down shades to replace metal blinds in rear slide and bunk areas

I'm sure that I'll think of a few more things to do before camping season kicks in!


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Welcome!!!! action 

Congrats on the new machine, sounds like you are getting ready to MOD er up.

I am still waiting for the piles of snow to melt, 60 degrees here today.

I haven't done the battery switch yet, let me know how that goes.

Good Luck,

Kevin


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## PghOutback (Feb 7, 2005)

I had the simple battery disconnect that mounts on the battery itself on the 23rs. Just a quick 1/4 turn counter-clockwise and the battery was disconnected. It was simple and the cost was approx. $9.

We never had a problem with a drained battery because of the LP detector.


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## Parker Outbacker (Dec 17, 2004)

Congrats!!

We did the same thing. Once we saw the 28rs-ds we were sold. The trailer should role off the factory today!!!, Dealership said we might see it by the end of the week.









I agree with the skid wheels!! I am also looking at moving the axle below the leaf spring to give me another 4 - 5" of clearance. Dealer want $550







Guess I'll do it myself and save the cash









With the kids, I am going to add a ladder & railing to the upper bunks as well. Not a top priority yet, but sometime this year it'll get done...unless one falls off









Again welcome!!


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## PghOutback (Feb 7, 2005)

Oh, I forgot my truck mod that is happening this week.

Got one of those nifty FrameCam rear view cameras off of Ebay for $399. The camera is color and low light (1 lux), mounted in a license plate frame. The monitor is the windshield mounted color LCD screen.

Now, I won't have to get in an out of the truck to hitch up.









The install is supposed to be really easy. We'll see.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Welcome to the group
Congrats on your new 28RSDS, come on spring!!!!!!
Don


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

What a story and it sounds like a happy ending. I am very happy for you. I would love to see what kind of figures Keystone has for REPEAT sales. I really think they are on to something using their "Lightweight/High Quality/Light Interior/Smooth Exterior" combination. When Mrs. Reverie and the little Reveries visited the Camper show last month we didn't see a single TT we would have bought over our 28 BHS. I'm not just saying that to sound like a genius for buying this unit, it's just been very comfortable and well put together and an absolute joy to own.

Reverie


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## Not Yet (Dec 13, 2004)

PghOutback said:


> 5) Skid Wheels (the 28's seem to have a long rear overhang)
> [snapback]23122[/snapback]​


I was looking at a few different sets at Tractor Supply Company today, looks like they have some HD 5in sets for about $20 each. That is quite a bit cheaper than what the camping places want. The question is to swivel or not?

Jared

My 28RSDS should be off the line tomorrow and in the area within a week.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Glad to hear Progressive was quick with a check. I know it's alittle off topic, but I also use Progressive for my Outback. How was the entire claim process?

Tim


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

PghOutback,

Welcome! Sounds like you've got everyting planned out well. Enjoy your rig!

Mark


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## PghOutback (Feb 7, 2005)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> Glad to hear Progressive was quick with a check. I know it's alittle off topic, but I also use Progressive for my Outback. How was the entire claim process?
> 
> Tim
> [snapback]23175[/snapback]​


The Progressive RV Insurance (marketed as RV America Insurance)claim was so easy.

I called them, and they had a claims inspector check out the unit within hours. Keep in mind that the camper was still surrounded by water. The water at its highest point came up to the microwave.

We had a check for the camper and contents within four days. The only other thing that I had to do was to complete an itemized list of contents up to the $2000 contents limit. You can't beat full replacement value, plus contents.

The danger in all of this was upgrade fever. When the 23RS was lost, we decided to upgrade the tow vehicle and the camper!


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Welcome to OUTBACKERS!

Great story! I know all too well about flooding! Glad it worked out for you.

Let us know what brand the back up cam is, and how the install goes. I'm looking at cams myself for the TITAN.


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## polygraphpat (Mar 4, 2004)

Welcome! Good luck with the mods. I've done some myself and have enjoyed it. I camp a good bit in PA. Maybe we'll see each other. Enjoy!


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Welcome and congrats on your 2nd Outback









Mod list - A good one to add is a Flush King.

Thor


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## PghOutback (Feb 7, 2005)

Thor said:


> Welcome and congrats on your 2nd Outback
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tip, Thor.

I checked out the reviews of the Flush King on Campers World's website, and it is now a definite must-have for me. I had to fuss way too much with that flexible wand, just trying to keep the sensors clear on the tanks. This looks like just the ticket to keep things runnin' clean!

Thanks!


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

The flush king is ok, I use it myself, but a quickie flush is on my short list of upcoming mods. Put's the nozzle right in the tank. A couple of former flush king users here have made the mod, and claim they'll never have a camper without it again.

Tim


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