# Young Family Trying To Decide Between 210Rs/230Rs/250Rs



## mommy2boyz (Feb 3, 2010)

We are new (but have been reading this forum for a long time now - partly why we've decided to go with an Outback!) We're sold on the smaller Outback trailers, but cannot seem to be able to make a final decision on which model to get. Here's our info:

-Dad 6'3+Mom+son (3)+son (6 months)+active dog
-Plan on taking a long trip around the U.S. before kids are in school - then after they're in school we'd use for shorter camping trips

We *really* like the idea of the 210rs because of its compact size, lower weight and maneuverability. However because we do plan to take it on one long trip, I'm nervous that we'd feel really tight if we run into an entire week of rainy weather. The 250rs has a very cool floorplan, but we're a bit nervous about the extra weight, even with a 3/4 ton truck. We checked out the 230rs at a show last weekend, and were intrigued by the concept of a "room" at the front, but were concerned about warmth/leaking issues with the large side door, as well as the tradeoff of extra length to get the extra space (total length is almost the same as 250rs).

In all honesty, especially as a newcomer, the idea of a compact 210rs is most appealing to me, but folks here have trips under their belts with all these models, and we'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on our situation and what you would do over again or differently









Thank you!!!


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## Ridgway-Rangers (Apr 18, 2008)

OK here is my 2 cents. 250rs! The side slide makes a huge differance. The added room is huge. You are able to walk past each other, use the kitchen and have active children around you. Have no fear with your 3/4 ton truck. We have a larger TT 27rsds and have towed across the rockies from CA and never had a problem. We took a 2 week trip last year and some thunder storms/ snow kept us inside more than usual and had plenty of room. The 210rs is more manuverable but you will find you will be able to whip the 250rs into places you never dreamed of.
Enjoy and welcome to the cite,








Brain


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

250RS for SURE!!!

Kids are only going to get bigger...dog will have a place to lay down out of the way and you get the 2 bunks for the kids. The 250 had a KING bed..which is AWESOME.

It will only seem big for towing the first couple of times you take it out. Learn to go slow...get some great mirrors and a nice pair of walkie-talkies to use when backing up. You will come back after your first long trip and thank us for talking you into the 250RS.

Enjoy...


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

...oh, you also get a 2nd door with the 250RS. Great for packing and getting into the trailer at night if the kids are already asleep.


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Not knowing specifics about your 3/4 ton truck, you will be fine with any one of those.....

None of those will really have any effect on a 3/4 ton. Just get a good quality weight distribution hitch, brake controller, and sway control and you will have a great combo. You really will wish you had more room if you go smaller to start with.

Steve


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## The Teke's (Oct 11, 2009)

Take it from someone who owns a 210RS, get the 250RS. We just got ours in Oct. thinking that it was plenty big enough for the three of us. First trip out the wife agreed that we should have got the slide dinette. It would be nice to make breakfast without climbing over each other. The added door is a big plus as well. 
Now don't get me wrong, I love our "cute little trailer" (you'll hear that A LOT). I can park in spots were larger campers dream of squeezing into. A big bonus if you head to any national park. The best part is, I can back it into anywhere. Leaving the "cute little trailer" sayers scratching their heads.

Whatever you get, enjoy.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Wit a 3/4 ton truck, definetly get the 250RS. The floorspace in there is incredibly. Regardless of your exact floorplan, I strongly recommend a new one with the rear bed rotated. The old sideways beds didn't work with those of us that are tall.









We have 2 kids and find the bunks the best solution.


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## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

Considering Dad's height you won't fit well into the "older" (2008 and earlier) 21/23/25 Outbacks with the queen bed (sideways). With the king you should be okay (longways). I considered those same three trailers, but I tow with a half-ton. If I had a three-quarter like you, it would have been a no brainer...the 250 RS. The 2010 model has the king bed, but it also has a side slide that is three feet deep ("older" models were 18 inches deep slide) and it has a u-shaped dinette in the slide instead of the standard booth. I think this is a nice feature, because you have seating at the larger table for 6.

I have heard some people buy an RV without a slide-out (see previous post above) and then immediately say "we should have gotten the slide out..." Considering that, if you have the capability to tow and the $$ to buy, go with the 250RS. It's really a great size = not too small, not too large. You could use it for years with your boys growing up. Now if you have another child...upgrade to one of the four bunks models.

What a great idea you have taking the kids out for a grand tour while they are young before they start school. Kids love camping. Enjoy the shopping. Look at different Outbacks before making a decision. Follow this forum to learn.


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## mike (Dec 17, 2006)

Most people will say go bigger and the lenght of the 21 vs the 25 is not bad. We did some 2000 mile trips with our 23rs. We really loved the two queen beds. However we started planning a 9500 mile trip and felt that we would need the extra space. We went with a 27rsds and love it. We towed threw some pretty big hills and our 3/4 ton performed great. Btw I believe that there is an outbacker on this site trying to sell his 28bhs. (outbackmac).Good luck and welcome to outbackers.


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

As other have said your 3/4 ton will be plenty of truck for the job. My two cents, The first unit we have was exactly what we needed, until used it for a summer. So look at everything really carefully. You can't make what you buy any bigger, you can only BUY again.

Good Luck, Kevin


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## mommy2boyz (Feb 3, 2010)

This is really great info! Another question then for those of you with experience...are there trailer length limits at most national parks? When we Google this, it sounds like the average limit is 27 ft. The 250RS is JUST over that in total length. Has anyone found that to be an issue? We also notice there are some campsites in Yosemite that have a total length limit of 24ft (the 210RS falls into this). But, we do notice with Yosemite that they have campgrounds to fit all sizes of trailers, so as long as we would have somewhere we could fit, then we could park and explore the other areas with our truck....

Thanks again!!!


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

We found that the limits at Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier were the total length of the TV and the TT. We're at 50 feet, so were not permitted in one area of Yellowstone. We camped at the big campground on the Rockefeller Parkway south of Yellowstone and north of Teton. No problems at all.

After we parked where allowed, the next day we drove by the other place and they were right. The turning radius for a 50 foot long assembly was really tight. Most sites were drive-thru and the site itself was only 40 - 45 feet long.

If we'd lied and parked it anyway, we would have stuck out at the rear, a prescription for getting whacked in the night by someone driving by. Maybe we could have parked and immediately unhitched and put the TV adjacent to the TT but that starts to be a PITA.

So length of the TV plus TT is what we found counted, not the length of the TT alone.


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

I echo what everyone else has said...... 250RS. You will only need more room as time goes on, and that 3/4 ton will haul it like a champ. Welcome aboard!


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

mommy2boyz said:


> This is really great info! Another question then for those of you with experience...are there trailer length limits at most national parks? When we Google this, it sounds like the average limit is 27 ft. The 250RS is JUST over that in total length. Has anyone found that to be an issue? We also notice there are some campsites in Yosemite that have a total length limit of 24ft (the 210RS falls into this). But, we do notice with Yosemite that they have campgrounds to fit all sizes of trailers, so as long as we would have somewhere we could fit, then we could park and explore the other areas with our truck....
> 
> Thanks again!!!


Ahh, someone else has run into what we have. After 2 years with a 28RSDS (31') and one year with a 35'er, we're going to downsize in the future. Why? Well, because of the National Parks and Forest campgrounds. IMO, you can go about anywhere with a reservation and a 30' TT (Yosemite may be the exception, but don't get me started on their reservation "process"







) We did that with the 28RSDS, and when necessary reported it at 28' to get a reservation even though it was 35' when setup.









Well, now for the future, I've personally said that I want to be under 30' because of the National Park options. The next big threshold is 25' and that really opens things up, but then again, that's a pretty short trailer. WE'll likely end up with one that short because we are talking about a rather serious downsizing, but we would miss the space afforded in a trailer such as the 250 RS.

In short, you're asking all the right questions. Take in our opinions, and then you'll have to make whatever decision is right for you.


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## The Stephensons (Jul 10, 2007)

When we started looking at trailers (and like you, Outbackers in particular!), we had narrowed it down between the 21 and 25 (I really liked the 26 & 28, but those trailers were too long for our tow vehicle). I'm SO GLAD we went with the 25 (even over the 26 or 28). It's small enough to tow, manouver, and fit into our favorite campgrounds (sometimes our tow vehicle is parked horizontally along the road in front of our campsite). But best of all, the side slide opens the trailer up so much giving you lots of extra room - especially on rainy days (which we get alot of here) when the kids are inside more often. So I'd highly recommend the 250rs hands down!


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

The size of a smaller camper is appealing but the difference between a 23 and a 25 is negligible. The side slide will make a huge difference. My vote is for the 250 and consider that we own a 23RS (old version of the 230). We had to have the 23RS due to it having 2 queen beds in addition to a bunk. We needed the sleeping room. Sounds like a King + 2 bunks will work fine for you though.

-CC


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## Lmbevard (Mar 18, 2006)

For a TT I like the layout of the 250 a lot better than the other ones.It has more floor area than most of the bigger ones. We camped for many years with a large Popup camper, no slide. It was ok for camping for several days, but not weeks, you will be happiest with the bigger camper. As far as the National Parks, they were designed when everyone camped in tents or 10' long teardrop campers. Agree with you that you will need to be careful where you go. thank goodness for Google. With the little kids, you may be better off staying someplace you can get into and out of easily. I've got a 30' 5th wheeler and started to park in a pull thru spot at one of our favorite campground and something told me to stop. I was just inches away from a tree on one side and another on the other. It took some time to get out of that one. All you have to do is to do a little planning ahead and using the cell to ask about camping spots. But believe me speaking from experience with 3 kids, you will love have the added room.


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## twincam (Jan 11, 2010)

we have the 230rs but that was based in part on our tow vehicle, if you can safely haul the 250 then that would be the way to go!!


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## Java Hounds (Oct 17, 2008)

We have the 230rs and we chose it over the 250rs only because we could use storage more than bunks and with 2 dogs, we didn't want any carpeting. If you decide to go larger than the 210, I think you'll really appreciate the side slide. 
Nice dilemma!


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

We have a 250RS and love it - there's plenty of room and storage. We like the fact that it has 2 doors - actually - 2.5 doors...theres a half door on the front that allows loading of bikes, chairs, etc. under the front bunk. We have all our storage under the front bunk as we keep this folded up most of the time. The side slide is great and provides plenty of living area in the trailer. When we purchased our trailer, this was the one of the few that had the King slide-out - which we wanted.

Best of luck on your decision!


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## BritsOnTour (Sep 15, 2006)

We are currently traveling around the USA for a year with our 4 kids, definitely go with something that has a side slide, the space in the main living area makes all the difference, especially if your kids are like ours and love to set things up all over the floor to play! If you go too small, you might feel cramped BUT even when we've been in small towns, I've typically found places to get us out and about. We spend quite a lot of time in libraries - they have different toys (younger kids) and computer games, books to listen to with headsets and most importantly for the older ones: NEW BOOKS, LOL! You'll find ways to get out even if it's raining, plus an hour getting soaked splashing around outside and then coming in for hot chocolate and a movie, is also perfect!

We have a longer trailer but needed the 4 bunks - I like that they all have 'their' space, along with the little holders at the end of their beds for books etc. As your kids are young, you'll easily be able to put a big plastic tote of toys at the oppostite end of each of their beds - this limits them to toys that will fit in there and also gives them a place to tidy them to - you'll quickly realize that tidying stuff everyday is a necessity. The camper is always cleaner and tidier than my house because everythings quick and easy to put away and quickly clean.

Enjoy the journey, we certainly are!

Ali


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## kmsjs (Apr 14, 2008)

I'll throw in a different opinion. We have a 21rs, and I wouldn't have anything else. We travel with our two kids and a yellow lab. The longest trip we have taken was three weeks, and we even had our 14 year old nephew with us for that trip. We all have found a comfy place to hang out when it has rained. I even spend a comfortable rainy day laying on one of the bunks to read while everyone else watched a movie. The dog lays under the table or by the door. I definately love our trailer. If it is warm out (and not windy) I love to hang out under the awning, and watch the rain and read or hang out and talk. The 21rs has plenty of space for us. You will have to decide what will work for you!


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