# New To Tt's And Looking At The Outback



## Alegria

Good morning everyone!

My husband and I are beginning the process of purchasing an RV, definitely a truck/trailer combo and likely a TT and not a fifth-wheel. Our primary use for the trailer will be dry camping in parking lots for a weekend at a time at dog tournaments, as we have four dogs that compete in the sport of flyball at least once per month. Two of our teammates have purchased trailers in the last few weeks (a Spree and a Trailblazer), with one more teammate looking to buy soon and myself and a fifth teammate looking to buy later this winter for usage starting next spring. So by this time next year, we'll have quite the little camp between us!

I went out with friends on our first RV shopping expedition last weekend, and the one I like the most so far is the Outback 250RSS. The main feature that I think will be great for us are the two doors, with one opening directly into the bunk area which we will turn into a dog pen to be used when they're wet/mucky, when we're cooking, or if we leave them in the trailer for some reason. My husband is pleased with the idea of a king bed, and the bathroom is large enough for him to be comfortable using it as well. The main downside I see to this model is lack of storage space, especially for clothing and external storage, but since we'll be weekend travelers this should not pose much of a problem. I figure we'll use the top bunk to hold stuff and I can probably rig up straps to hold plastic bins up there if need be.









We're still a long ways off from purchase, as we need to determine if we can arrange parking/storage on our property or if we'll have to store it somewhere else, and we need a truck. However, I am looking forward to talking to you kind folks to determine the positives and negatives of the Outback, especially with regards to the king slideout on the back and usage with dogs, so I hope I will be welcome!

Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!


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## PDX_Doug

Hi Alegria,

Welcome to Outbackers!









It sounds like a fun group you have there, and we are very partial to our four legged friends around here as well. The 250RS is a nice trailer and I think you would find it a good choice for your needs. Any questions you have, please do not hesitate to ask. There are a lot of very experienced folks around here, and we love to help people out.

She's out on the road at the moment, but be sure to look up Judi (wolfwood). She and her dogs have competed in agility trials extensively, and I'm sure she can really help out on mixing your dog show and trailer needs into a successful blend.

Happy Tails







,
Doug


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## Airboss

Hi Alegria!

Welcome to Outbackers! How big are your dogs? We have a 25RSS and although we really like it, I wish we had gone with the 23 or 28KRS. Reason being, that garage would have made a very nice place for the dogs. Now, if we're talking about small dogs, the 250RS will probably be just fine.


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## Alegria

We have three border collies - two 35lb or under girls, one 40-45lb boy - and one jack russell terrier (10lb girl). Upon occasion we have other teammate's dogs with us, most often another pair of border collies (30lb girl and 45lb boy). They all happily fit together into one 4'x4' e-pen, and my four plus one can fit in my Subaru hatch, but it's a little too squished to put all five BC's and the terrier in there together, lol.

We'll be getting an extended cab truck and putting the seats down or removing them entirely for transporting the dogs.


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## TwoElkhounds

Hello Alegria and welcome to Outbackers!!

We have a 25RSS, which is the predecssor to the 250RSS. We have two Elkhounds that we bring everywhere with us. They weigh in at about 45 lbs each. Prior to this we had two Shelties and one Elkhound that we traveled with in the 25RSS. This is similar to your situation.

The 25RSS has worked out very well for us. We use the area under the bunk to keep our dogs at times. It is actually quite nice because you can use child gates to make two rather nice pens for the dogs. We put one gate across between the bathroom wall and the front wall of the trailer (attached to teh retracted bunk). A second gate goes across the opening where the bunks closes. Add a couple of nice soft dog beds and you have two portable dog pens!!!

We do not use the bike door to bring the dogs in an out. The drop is too big and our dogs are a bit of a handfull to manage. They use the same door we do with the steps.

You are correct on the outdoor storage, our 25RSS is a bit light in this regard. Indoor storage is has not been a problem for us. There is more storage inside than most other trailers of this size.

Hope this helps.

DAN


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## BlueWedge

Welcome to Outbarkers - I mean Outbackers.

Our 21RS has the same configuration from the kitchen forward. We use the front top and bottom bunk for storage on most trips. Using long plastic storage containers helps to keep things organized on the bunks. We don't use the front door for dog access although we did try it initially. I am thinking the 250rs with the side slide could be fine for you size wise. It might be a bit comfy for you with 2 extra guest dogs.

As someone said you may find that the 230rs or 280rs models with the ramp access to be helpful for dog access and storage. At least look a one of them before making a final decision.

In our 21RS our 2-55+lbs dogs pretty much use the floor and under the dinnette. They generally want to be closer to us than the front bunk. We don't use the bunk area for the dogs other than storing food, folding crates and of course treats.


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## tdvffjohn

Welcome

Have you looked at the Outback Roo at all. Wolfwood and some others like the cargo area and its possibilities with dogs and storage.


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## CA-NYCamper

Welcme!

Dogs and Outbacks mix really well. Here are a few pics of our retired racing greyhounds, each 80 lbs. One sleeps with a DD in the lower bunk (still plenty of space) and the other either on the floor or in our bed. We have an older 28 BHS, so, different trailer, but that wouldn't make a difference as far as having/not having dogs with us. We use 2 X-pens together to make a "fence" around the outdoor carpet and with the awning up, they sleep nicely in the shade. Not that you want agility houndies to be sleeping all day!!




























If you are considering leaving them in the trailer during the day without a hookup, you will need to run a 4000 W generator (or 2 x 2000 W linked) to power the A/C. When we are camping, we're plugged in and run the A/C whenever needed and leave the dogs in the trailer for 2-3 hours if needed. As you can see, they sleep a lot so this is perfect for them.

Can't tell you how much we love our OB!


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## ALASKA PFLOCK

We have a 26 RS and 3 dogs. It is a great combo. The dogs use the two bottom bunks and the children use the top two.







Lots of room for everybody. The 28RSDS may also be an option. The side slide would offer more room. Hind site!


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## Alegria

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!









I did take a look at one of the Kargaroo versions last weekend, but I don't think I liked the layout as much. It is something to consider for sure, however, as we do both ride motorcycles and might want to take them with us on a vacation at some point. Although, to be honest, neither of our bikes are good candidates for taking in a trailer - mine is an F800ST and weighs about 500lbs, and his is an ST1300 that weighs close to 900lbs!

If y'all don't mind me asking some specific questions, I do have a few...
-Is the king slideout manual or electric? I know I have to manually put the support bars on, but I am unclear on whether the slide itself is electric or not.
-How much of the carpet can be pulled out? Can I de-carpet the dinette?
-Has anyone had problems with condensation inside the slideout bed?
-Would a Dodge Ram 1500 be suitable for towing a 250RS? By weights it should be - rated for 9100, Trailer Life guide says up to 8800 depending on configuration - and the 250RS is 5800 dry and probably no more than 7300 wet and loaded.
-Can you bake a pan of brownies in the oven?









That's enough for now. I'm going shopping again this weekend to look at other dealers and other trailers, but I keep coming back to the 250RS due to the dual-door and bunk/dogpen design.


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## BlueWedge

- The king is a manual slide out - very easy to pull out when the trailer is level 
- I am not sure how difficult it would be to remove/replace the carpeted areas - it may be easier to cover/protect the carpet
- Normal condensation only - nothing excessive or out of the ordinary compared to other areas - the king is a different design than ours which has a queen. 
- I will let someone else answer definitively but I believe the 250rs would work with a 1500, should be plenty of others OBs with this config.
- YES - good results can be achieved using a baking stone


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## Airboss

Looks like Dave got most of your questions. Now all we need to know is what year is your 1500 and what engine does it have? Carey (Colorado~Dirtbikers) should be along shortly with an answer for you - he tows his OB with a Ram 1500.


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## Alegria

I don't have a truck yet.







I am partial to the Dodge line, especially since it looks like we can get a nice tow capacity with the 1500, whereas with other brands you have to go up a level to get similar capacity. We're not sure if we're buying new or used, as that will depend on what sort of inventory and deals are available when we purchase late this year. I know to check the tow capacity of different years before we buy, of course, and I'm going to try and get a copy of Trailer Life's tow guide to help me do so. The bigger question is whether the 8400lbs tow rating (most conservative 2009 model number in tow guide) is sufficient for the new 250RS.







Assuming 1500lbs load in the trailer (a lot, I know), that gives about 1200lbs of "extra" tow capacity, but I don't know if that's enough of a buffer or not.

As for the king bed slide, can it be set up by one person? It's almost at my head height so I'm a little worried about how I would manage it if I take the rig to a tournament without my husband...


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## clarkely

Welcome to outbackers, and good luck in going through the process, I am sure you will get the right one for you!!


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## rdvholtwood

Alegria said:


> Thanks for the welcome, everyone!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did take a look at one of the Kargaroo versions last weekend, *but I don't think I liked the lay*out as much.


*I agree - we have a 250RS and we LOVE it.







Granted, there could be more storage, but with a few mods you could change one of the wardrobes into more drawers - something we are considering. 
*


> If y'all don't mind me asking some specific questions, I do have a few...
> -Is the king slide-out manual or electric? I know I have to manually put the support bars on, but I am unclear on whether the slide itself is electric or not.


*The KING slide out is manual - just make sure you have a door open and it helps if someone is inside helping your push it out - its not necessary, but, it helps.

*


> -How much of the carpet can be pulled out? Can I de-carpet the dinette?


*Never considered doing that? Why do you want to pull the carpet out?

*


> -Has anyone had problems with condensation inside the slide-out bed?


*We haven't had any problems with condensation inside the slide-out bed - it seals pretty good.

*


> -Would a Dodge Ram 1500 be suitable for towing a 250RS? By weights it should be - rated for 9100, Trailer Life guide says up to 8800 depending on configuration - and the 250RS is 5800 dry and probably no more than 7300 wet and loaded.


*We have a RAM 2500 and its rated to tow 8800lbs. The RAM does fine and slows down on hills - especially from a stop. We have a very steep hill right outside our house and I usually drive up the hill in low 2 - it does fine. Once you get going, the hills aren't an issue. Also depends on where you live...we live in PA - and have alot of "hills"*



> -Can you bake a pan of brownies in the oven?


*Last weekend we used our oven for the first time - and it worked great. We made english muffin pizzas. The oven was easy to light and cooked our pizza's fine.
*


> That's enough for now. I'm going shopping again this weekend to look at other dealers and other trailers, but I keep coming back to the 250RS due to the dual-door and bunk/dogpen design.


*We use or front area mainly for storage - as its just DW and myself camping. If Bruno, goes with us, he sleeps under the bunk on his bed. Otherwise that area has our chairs, and other items we bring along. We also like the dual door design. Recently, we went on vacation and our site was flooded out - good thing we had the both doors - as it was flooded at our back door!
*
*Best of luck on your decision!*


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## BlueWedge

I know my DW sets up our pullout by herself. I think several others have mentioned their kids are able to do this. If you set the trailer a bit nose up before you pull out the bed it will be much easier. Afterwards level and set the stabilizers jacks. Packing up, lift the stabilizers and then set trailer a bit nose down before pushing it back in. Keeping the seals clean and the pull out waxed, helps.

You may want a power tongue jack. Manual is not bad but having one that is powered helps with the setup and tear down time.


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## Nathan

My wife is 4'10" and was too short to be able to pull out the bed on our 28rsds. All 1/2 tons are within a couple hundred lbs of each other in tow capacity(Dodge was the lowest but just found an extra thousand lbs of capacity). You're probably at about the max length you want for a 1/2 ton truck.


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## mountainlady56

Hi.
I can definitely address the issue about the carpet. I had an 06 27RSDS and an 07 31RQS. I have asthma, for one, and the carpet had been messed up from a leak, as well, in the bedroom of the 27RSDS. 
The carpet around an island bed can be removed completely, with the exception of that beneath the side wardrobes. The dealership did a great job, and you could not tell where the carpet stripping was at all.
The carpet in the living area is another story. The slide operates (according to the dealership and Keystone, who the dealer checked with) by gliding over the surface of the carpet. 
There is vinyl flooring from one end to the other, just like in a mobile home. They put the vinyl down, the appliances, plumbing fixtures, etc., in place, then put the sidewalls up.
I THINK there was one person who had ALL the carpet removed in their unit and had hardwood or laminate flooring installed, but I can't remember who, off-hand.
Keep shopping around, and look at different brands, different floorplans. A good tool to do that with is right in front of you.....the computer! That's how I narrowed down what I wanted after I had done some preliminary windowshopping.
Good luck, and welcome to OBers!!
Darlene


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## Sparrow & Joe

I can open & close the slide myself. As mentioned before, make sure the door is open - I remembered that one the hard way! We travel w/ a beagle & 75 # greyhound in our 210RS. They sleep on the sofa and spend the most of the day in the x-pens. Of course, retired greyhounds are a pretty lazy bunch. Your dogs will likely have no trouble jumping into/out of the bike door, as long as they are fit & healthy. Our 25# beagle is 14 and has bit of arthritis and some times needs help getting into the TV or even the steps on the TT if he is having a bad day. Have fun shopping!


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## Nathan

mountainlady56 said:


> Hi.
> I can definitely address the issue about the carpet. I had an 06 27RSDS and an 07 31RQS. I have asthma, for one, and the carpet had been messed up from a leak, as well, in the bedroom of the 27RSDS.
> The carpet around an island bed can be removed completely, with the exception of that beneath the side wardrobes. The dealership did a great job, and you could not tell where the carpet stripping was at all.
> The carpet in the living area is another story. The slide operates (according to the dealership and Keystone, who the dealer checked with) by gliding over the surface of the carpet.
> There is vinyl flooring from one end to the other, just like in a mobile home. They put the vinyl down, the appliances, plumbing fixtures, etc., in place, then put the sidewalls up.
> I THINK there was one person who had ALL the carpet removed in their unit and had hardwood or laminate flooring installed, but I can't remember who, off-hand.
> Keep shopping around, and look at different brands, different floorplans. A good tool to do that with is right in front of you.....the computer! That's how I narrowed down what I wanted after I had done some preliminary windowshopping.
> Good luck, and welcome to OBers!!
> Darlene


The flush floor slides (like in the Sydney's) slide on the carpet. The raised floor slides like in the OB's I don't think touch it (or 28RSDS didn't). I don't know which type of slide the new OB's have.


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## TwoElkhounds

Alegria said:


> I don't have a truck yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am partial to the Dodge line, especially since it looks like we can get a nice tow capacity with the 1500, whereas with other brands you have to go up a level to get similar capacity. We're not sure if we're buying new or used, as that will depend on what sort of inventory and deals are available when we purchase late this year. I know to check the tow capacity of different years before we buy, of course, and I'm going to try and get a copy of Trailer Life's tow guide to help me do so. The bigger question is whether the 8400lbs tow rating (most conservative 2009 model number in tow guide) is sufficient for the new 250RS.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Assuming 1500lbs load in the trailer (a lot, I know), that gives about 1200lbs of "extra" tow capacity, but I don't know if that's enough of a buffer or not.
> 
> As for the king bed slide, can it be set up by one person? It's almost at my head height so I'm a little worried about how I would manage it if I take the rig to a tournament without my husband...


I would get at least a 3/4 ton truck right from the start. It will give you a more stable towing platform, more margin, and an ability to upgrade in the future. The biggest, most expensive mistake made by people who are new to RVing is the trading of TV's and trailers. I myself did it three times before I learned my lesson.

Trading in TV's is a very expensive hobby you should avoid at all costs. A 3/4 ton will not cost much more up front and will give you added safety and room to grow.

You can also get a diesel!!









DAN


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## Alegria

TwoElkhounds said:


> I don't have a truck yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am partial to the Dodge line, especially since it looks like we can get a nice tow capacity with the 1500, whereas with other brands you have to go up a level to get similar capacity. We're not sure if we're buying new or used, as that will depend on what sort of inventory and deals are available when we purchase late this year. I know to check the tow capacity of different years before we buy, of course, and I'm going to try and get a copy of Trailer Life's tow guide to help me do so. The bigger question is whether the 8400lbs tow rating (most conservative 2009 model number in tow guide) is sufficient for the new 250RS.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Assuming 1500lbs load in the trailer (a lot, I know), that gives about 1200lbs of "extra" tow capacity, but I don't know if that's enough of a buffer or not.
> 
> As for the king bed slide, can it be set up by one person? It's almost at my head height so I'm a little worried about how I would manage it if I take the rig to a tournament without my husband...


I would get at least a 3/4 ton truck right from the start. It will give you a more stable towing platform, more margin, and an ability to upgrade in the future. The biggest, most expensive mistake made by people who are new to RVing is the trading of TV's and trailers. I myself did it three times before I learned my lesson.

Trading in TV's is a very expensive hobby you should avoid at all costs. A 3/4 ton will not cost much more up front and will give you added safety and room to grow.

You can also get a diesel!!









DAN
[/quote]

Yep, my husband is definitely partial to a diesel.







One of my teammates wound up with a 3500 diesel two years ago that she just got a Trailblazer trailer for. She's only got two dogs and has a kid, though, so slightly different personal setup.

Thank you all for the information.







I'm doing lots of research online, have found two shows to go to this fall, and am going shopping again this weekend!


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## GarethsDad

We have the older version of the trailer your looking at the 25rss. We bought the TT for taking our dogs with us everywhere we go. We have gone from conformation shows to herding. I keep two X pens in the front with the lower bunk raised and the two ez-ups one for the dogs and one for our guests. Last year I bought a f350 diesel crewcab and pulled out the back seat and replaced it with a platform for the dogs. James


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