# 2016 Outback 210Trs



## brentp (Feb 5, 2016)

Yea - we just made a deposit on a new '16 210TRS at Lakeshore RV. We will be picking it up in April when the weather should be better. We think this will be perfect for us along with occasional trips with the young grand-kids.

I do have a few questions for you experts!

1) Does anyone have experience with Lakeshore's PDI process (good, terrific, . . . weak)? We are 1000 miles away, and of course will plan to spend some time looking things over, but would like to know how thorough they are so we can plan our pick up schedule accordingly.

2) What does/does not come with a new Outback TT? I'm sure it is not much, but does it at least have a silverware tray in a drawer, a starter sewer hose, water hose, batteries, etc., . . . or should I just assume that nothing will come with the trailer? We likely will be "camping" on the way back, so need to know what to take with us.

3) Weight Distribution? Sway Control? One, both, . . . what should I plan to get? Will be towing with a 2012 Tundra 5.7L in case that makes a difference. I think the Tundra has electronic sway control, but not sure if that alone is sufficient. Also, if I bring the hitch I finally decide on with me, will they help me set it up or am I on my own?

Any other words of wisdom? This will be totally new to us, . . . although we spend a couple of weeks last year in a Class C RV touring Alaska and just loved it all.

Thanks in advance!


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Congrats on the new camper! I'm sure you'll like it!

We (well...Oregon_Camper) has a very detailed PDI checklist. Think it's pinned somewhere... Recommend you locate and print it out to take along with you. I'm not familiar with Lakeshore's PDI process, but others have been there. I'm seriously thinking of making the trip myself here in the near future. :wiggle:

As far as what comes with a new trailer, they're pretty much bare bones. I wouldn't expect much more than what you see in the pictures or videos on-line. Mine came with a RV "starter kit" that included some RV toilet paper, black tank treatment, a (very cheap) sewer hose, a smaller (10 ft?) water hose, and a few other odds and ends. Best advice I could give there is to get there, get your trailer, stay a few nights and then go to the nearest Walmart/Kmart, etc. and pick up what you need. I've always found the necessary items to be close by at a reasonable price.

You'll need both weight distribution AND sway control...period. The 210TRS is a smaller trailer, but it'll still cause you grief if you try to tow without it. You may want to call and speak to your salesperson about both and see what they have on hand. My dealer wanted a few ($20?) more than what I could purchase the WDH for, but they installed it and set it up for free. I originally had a "Cam Lock" type weight distributing hitch for sway control, but found it still allowed more side to side movement than I liked. I switched to a Hensley Arrow and haven't worried about weight distribution or sway since. Others may chime in on what they use.

The Tow Vehicle used DOES matter! Your truck should have enough engine to tow just fine. You won't be winning any races, but that's okay! Settle down, drive no more than 65 MPH, and enjoy the trip. You'll want to ensure you have the tow package, or beef up your truck to the equivalent. My truck is a 2500, so we're not talking apples to apples, but it includes a heavy duty transmission cooler, larger brakes (very important), and a selector for "tow" mode that changes the shift points on the transmission...among other things. You'll also want to purchase and install an electronic brake controller if your truck doesn't have one integrated. Also, make sure you have a full size spare tire. You won't want to tow with a donut spare...

You've started out right! Feel free to ask questions! And remember, the only dumb question is one not asked! :birgits_coffee:


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Lakeshore is great. We drove there and back from Oregon to get our 301BQ. They treated us great! They offered to let us spend the night in their lot, attached to full hookups, so we could test everything in a real world situation.

They were able to get us a great deal on a Equalizer hitch....which is the best hitch in my option, other that the Hensley, but that was just a bit out of my price range.

Regarding "stuff". Is this your first RV? Are you starting from ground zero? Lakeshore will provide you a starter kit, but it isn't much really. I would highly recommend a quality sewer hose...like the Camco 39761. The LAST thing you want is sewage leaking!!

Battery....are you going to be dry camping or camping with full hookups? If you plan on dry camping, I would ask Lakeshore to install 2 Trojan T-1275 batteries. They are *NOT *cheap, but they are the best (again...in my opinion). Lakeshore will be able to get a good price and they can get you a battery box and do all the wiring. If you want to go crazy, we can talk about adding solar...I've done this to my current 5th Wheel and we dry camped last summer for 21 days straight and had 100% battery charge every day. Got to love the free power from the sun!

You asked for "Words of Wisdom"....best thing I can tell you is:

1 - Don't yell at your wife when she is trying to give you instructions for backing into a site (been there...done that)

2 - Make sure the trailer is level side-to-side BEFORE taking it off the truck (Again...been there, done that)

3 - Ice cold beer helps most problems.

4 - It is a trailer, things will go wrong (see point #3 :whistling: )

5 - Keep a shortcut to Outbackers.com on your phone or use the TapTalk app.....we're here to help.


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## brentp (Feb 5, 2016)

Awesome advice guys, still chuckling on the words of wisdom!

On #1, . . . funny related story. First night at a roadside/creek-side campground in Alaska last year, my wife gets out to guide the motor-home in. We practiced hand signals and all before we left for the trip. Next thing I know, I look in the mirror and hands are going everywhere, none look like what we practice. So, . . . I roll down my window to offer sage advice, and a swarm of mosquitoes come flying in. She didn't speak too much that first night out. Fortunately, rest to the trip was awesome and is what got us where we are today.


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Been there on the mosquitoes! I thought we had mosquitoes the size of hawks in Louisiana when we lived there, but then we went to Arkansas. Stayed at Village Creek State Park. We camped in the "lower" campground and it was pretty much empty. After I got out and started setting up I figured out why... I had these CLOUDS of mosquitoes swarm me, to the point where I had to put on bug spray AND wrap my head in a T-shirt just to get things set up. Of course, the time we stayed there on the way back it wasn't nearly as bad. Had to have been the time of day or something... The park, by the way, appeared to be very nice and well kept. The kids managed to snap a picture of me with the t-shirt on my head (looked like a ninja!) and still laugh about it to this day. Next time, they're getting out to get things set up! :yeah:


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

I bought mine from Lakeshore too.

Get an Equilizer brand hitch from Lakeshore and let them install it for you. It's a weight distributing / sway control hitch all in one. Let them install the brake controller too. ( I like the Prodigy P2 controller.) You might consider having them install a Husky Brute 4500lb electric tongue jack. Lots of jacking up and down with a weight distributing hitch, and that just makes it so easy!

I bought mine a few years ago, and also picked it up May 1st. They should have it inside for you, and the PDI they gave me took about 2 hours. Then I went through the list that Oregon Camper has. I then stayed overnight in their lot hooked up to water and power, and made sure things were really working, even though I'm only about 200 miles from them. Easier to have it on their lot if you discover a problem. Not many(if any) campgrounds will be open in that area until the 1st of May. I went with just a type 24 battery, as I do not do much(if any) dry camping.

There is nothing inside the trailer when you get it. Just the basics. No silverware(or a silverware divider either), no bedding, no pillows, no dishes. The basic package you get is a fairly cheap RV sewer hose, some TP and a few other things. Don't expect a lot. As others have said, Walmart is a good place to get supplies, and it is also a good place to overnight, especially if there's no campgrounds open in your area yet.

Are you considering a Fantastic fan for the main vent? Have them install it, as well as the vent cover made for the Fantastic Fan, not just the generic one(there IS a difference). Also, have them install a vent cover on the bath vent. Might as well spend a little extra and get it done inside, where it's dry and warm, unless you live in that type of climate and feel you want to try it yourself.

Not sure where you live, but mid April in that part of Michigan can be cold, and even snowy. I picked mine up May 1st and drove part of the way home in snow. Talk about a white knuckle drive! :wacko: First time pulling my new camper, and the road turned white...

I know I've mentioned buying some things from them and letting them install them, but if they do it, and you see a problem, they will take care of it.

Welcome to the site, and have FUN with your new camper!


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## brentp (Feb 5, 2016)

Great advice guys! So, let's see, . . .

- Love the idea of spending the night there as part of the pick-up and will plan this in!!

- I now have Oregon-Camper's checklist. Just curious - is this available in its native source format (Word, Excel)?

*Edited: I was able to convert through a web based *.pdf to Excel converted. Perfect!  *

- Will get a price from Lakeshore on a WD w/Sway hitch. Looking through this further, I think I will want one with active sway control (versus as simple single friction bar). Started looking at the Curt 17500 TruTrack, mostly based on cost. Will go look at the Equalizer, the Hensley, and others to start to compare them. Definitely will ask for a quote from Lakeshore along with the next couple of items.

- Electric tongue jack. Interesting, we were at an RV superstore yesterday and my wife thought that would be a good addition. Cost seems to be very reasonable. I also noticed the new line, the Outback URS's, have them from the factory.

- Batteries. I am expecting we will go on the low end here as we will not be starting out doing much extended dry camping. That might change over time when the GrandKids get a bit older and we can then go research more in depth the best batteries, solar, and convert to all LED lighting. I did have a conversation with a sales rep at Lakeshore last summer, and recall him saying that they will fill the propane tanks and install a battery as part of standard delivery prep. Of course, that was last summer and I am now working a different deal so will need to go ask.

- Stuff. Thanks for the information here. We will start to collect the necessary 'stuff' and plan to head out with it in our truck so we will be prepared. Of course, I am sure a trip to get additional supplies will be a in order as soon as we leave the lot.

- Thanks for the info on the experience with April snow. We live in NH, and 'usually' the snow is done by the first of April. Might see if they are willing to go with an early May delivery, . . . or try to go between storms. I too would hate to head out with that white stuff on the ground. 

Thanks again guys!


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

brentp said:


> Great advice guys! So, let's see, . . .
> 
> - Batteries. I am expecting we will go on the low end here as we will not be starting out doing much extended dry camping. That might change over time when the GrandKids get a bit older and we can then go research more in depth the best batteries, solar, and convert to all LED lighting. I did have a conversation with a sales rep at Lakeshore last summer, and recall him saying that they will fill the propane tanks and install a battery as part of standard delivery prep. Of course, that was last summer and I am now working a different deal so will need to go ask.
> 
> - Thanks for the info on the experience with April snow. We live in NH, and 'usually' the snow is done by the first of April. Might see if they are willing to go with an early May delivery, . . . or try to go between storms. I too would hate to head out with that white stuff on the ground.


I did get full propane tanks and a type 24 battery with mine. I negotiated the power jack, Equilizer hitch and the vents into the total price. One of the first mods I did was replace most of the lights with LEDs.

As far as the snow, the winter before I picked it up was an all-time record for both snow and cold in that area. Spring was bone-chilling, and people were wondering if it would ever come. There were still large snow piles all over town when I picked it up. Just wanted to alert you though, that you might want to watch the weather when your pickup date gets closer. You know snow coming from NH, and Muskegon is in the heart of the Lake Michigan lake effect snow area. You also have to drive through the lake effect areas of Erie and Ontario. They were just starting to do deliveries in late April that year when I got mine because of all the snow. I couldn't have gotten it into my driveway until late April because of the snow piles in my area... I'm sure other years have been different.

The weather this year has been much warmer than normal so far, and the groundhog did NOT see his shadow around here(early spring??), so maybe you will be fine. :sun_smiley:


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Heck....if you wait until May, you might even get the 2017 model....along with model year changes. :ibbanana:


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## disneydog (Feb 29, 2016)

Hi fellow 2016 210trs owner! I just purchased mine on Saturday. Still don't have a walkthrough date, but I sold my old 14; TT the same day. So now I eagerly await the season to begin!

I noticed you replaced the lights with LEDs. I want to get a jump start on that. Can you tell me the part number / bulb type number you used? I've got a large Amazon gift card burning a whole in my pocket.

In prepping for my new arrival, I've got the old "stuff" from my 14'. So I have the kitchen stuff, hoses, etc. I also have a Honda 2000W gen. I know it can't run the A/C, but that is what it is.

I also bought a 200W portable solar panel and a 1000W sine wave inverter. Hopefully that takes care keeping power going. I was thinking about permanently mounting panels, but I have read too many horror stories.

I have never had a problem towing my 14' (about 3k pounds with all my stuff loaded). It never had sway bars and I never noticed any issues. Will that be a problem for this one?

I have two tow vehicles:

2006 GMC Sierra 1500 5.3 V8

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel 3L

Both are rated for 7000 pounds. Do you see any problem with either one?

Other than that, I have to go and get some King Size bedding!


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

With nothing else running, that generator *might* just run the air. Of course, the AC start-up is where the problem might be, but I've seen others run air using a 2000W generator. I don't have one, so I have no personal experience...

You will know the trailer is back there, especially in windy conditions, but you should be ok. Get a good weight distributing hitch like an Equilizer...


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## Canadian_250TRS (Sep 22, 2015)

brentp said:


> brentp, on 05 Feb 2016 - 1:37 PM, said:brentp, on 05 Feb 2016 - 1:37 PM, said:
> 
> Yea - we just made a deposit on a new '16 210TRS at Lakeshore RV. We will be picking it up in April when the weather should be better. We think this will be perfect for us along with occasional trips with the young grand-kids.
> 
> ...


Your Tundra will pull the trailer no problem. You'll *need *a brake controller for the Tundra if you don't have one already. You'll also *need *a weight distributing hitch and sway control. We have a '15 250TRS and have pulled it with our '12 Tundra CrewMax.

Get a decent sewer hose (Rhino) with some extension lengths and also a 30amp extension cord for power plug in.

Power tongue jack is definitely a worthwhile upgrade! Fantastic fan is also worthwhile. We put in two fantastic fans, but in hind sight, having just one in the bathroom would have been sufficient as it moves a LOT of air. A cordless drill with a socket on it can be handy for the stabilizer jacks to; quick and easy!

Even with the 210TRS being a relatively small trailer, you might be surprised how easy it'll be to overload your Tundra. It's the GVWR / payload that you'll run out of in a hurry with the Tundra, or any half ton truck for that matter. Just something to be aware of. Enjoy the new trailer!


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## brentp (Feb 5, 2016)

Thanks all for the great advice. We will be headed out soon for our pick up in Michigan early next week.

Think I have everything ready to go for the shake down stay the night of the pick up and drive back. Weather is looking good too, which is why reason we picked this weekend, . . . they would allow the date changed if the weather turned for the worse.

Lakeshore is very easy to deal with so far. Only hiccup, they told me this week they needed to change trailers (different VIN) as they made a mistake and sold the one we had reserved with our P&S agreement. Makes me a bit nervous, as stock is very limited as this is a close out model. Seemed odd to me too, that they were not able to catch that they sold a VIN already sold. I challenged them, and they indicated it was a mistake by the sales team. I was able to see they they did have our VIN listed on EBAY a few days before the call, so wondering if they really did screw up and sold it that way and then were committed to that deal. Oh well, we will see. Anybody have this happen to them?

Only dealer upgrade will be an electric tongue jack - Husky Brute 3000 (I could do this, but thought it good to have it on when we pick it up).

Back home, first upgrade will be to switch the cover above the kitchen to a MaxxAir Deluxe fan.

Anyway, thanks again! Will try to update how the delivery went when we get back.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Don't forget to download the PDI in my signature. It will take you about 4 hours to complete.

Lakeshore is WELL aware of my PDI and they commented on how many people actually used it, when I drove to Lakeshore from Oregon to get our 301BQ.


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## brentp (Feb 5, 2016)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Don't forget to download the PDI in my signature. It will take you about 4 hours to complete.
> 
> Lakeshore is WELL aware of my PDI and they commented on how many people actually used it, when I drove to Lakeshore from Oregon to get our 301BQ.


Yes, downloaded already, converted to Excel, edited for the specific trailer, . . . and I have walked through a few times to make sure I am familiar with each step. Thank you very much!


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## brentp (Feb 5, 2016)

We're back - delivery was excellent and Lakeshore staff were really nice to work with. They were very busy, as the weather was 70+ and lots of folks taking delivery and getting their rigs fixed up for the season. That said, we did not fell rushed. We spent 2 hours inside a bay, and then they moved it out to the pad for us for the night where we continued to look things over for another couple of hours.

No major issues during the checkout, and the minor ones were fixed before we left the next morning. Definitely the checklists are needed as there is a lot to go through. Also, their standard PDI is more of showing you where everything and looking things over versus actually testing for function. For reference, the issues we found were; leaking anode rod (found after we moved to pad with water connected for a few hours), open ground on 120V outlets (tester would also not trip GFCI outlets because of this), door seal, some silicon caulking spots needed, couple of paint touch ups, dinette trim needed to be reattached, and loose bath faucet (which we will fix as we found this the next morning and wanted to get going).

One item still to be looked into, we did notice a small amount of water staining in the front inside ceiling light. I am going to add this discussion in the problem section for broader response.

Again, experience was excellent. Really liked that they put our hitch together for us and made sure all was functional for towing before we left for the 850 mile return trip. Class act all around.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Brentp.....glad everything went well. We also had a great experience at Lakeshore. I was going to go back there and buy my 5th wheel (not an Outback) but the local dealer here matched their price...which was a HUGE difference.

Now get out there can camp.


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

Glad everything went well for you. I was also impressed with them when I bought mine.

Have fun with your new rig! :yeah:


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## brentp (Feb 5, 2016)

I need to back off on my positive comments on Lakeshore. Turns out, the one item I mentioned remaining above is a very *BIG DEAL*. From what I have been told, and believe to be accurate, it should have been known to Lakeshore pre-delivery, . . . yet, they went forward with the delivery anyway. I wont use words like they 'covered it up' yet, but might in the future. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, they changed which RV we were getting (VIN) two weeks prior to our delivery. I now think I know why, . . .

Details of the issue are can be found here http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=53090


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