# 21rs V. 23rs V. 25rss



## dak

My wife and I are actively and eagerly searching for our first TT and we're sold on the Outbacks. Only catch is, we don't know which one. I think the 21rs would be enough, maybe a bit tight. As of now, it's the two of us, a 1 year old princess, and 2 jack russell terrorists. In addition to the family, I see, at most, one of the daughter's friends travelling with us. The wife likes the 23rs. I like the 25rss. As long as there's a bed for the princess to jump on, she's happy.

The wife prefers the 23rs because of the bunk/bed combo up front. I, however, think that extra bed would limit cargo (although I've seen posts saying the 23rs has more cargo room than the 21 -- the local dealer doesn't have a 23rs in stock to check out) and the "roominess" felling. And I don't see us needing room for two more sleepers. Although the beloved doggies think they deserve their own bed... I prefer the "roominess" of the 25rss due to the sofa slideout.

The other issue... We have an 04 Ford F150 FX4, 4x4, tow package, 5.4L engine. We do have the 18" tires that drop the tow capacity from 9200 to 8700. If I've done the math right, the truck should handle any of these trailers. Granted, this is a learning process for us, so....

dak


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## missouricamper

We went with the 25srs because we wanted floor room to keep the dogs out from under our feet. Of course Jack Russels are smaller than my dogs, but I would still look at it from the dog's point of view and see if they have room to get out of your way.


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## kjp1969

We first had a 21rs because we were towing with an Explorer and wanted to keep it as small and light as possible. Then we *ahem* wrecked both the explorer and trailer. The second time around, with a bigger TV, we got the 23rs. We like the "real" bed up front, and have since had our in-laws along. I can't see any other adults coming along in the 21rs, but they were perfectly comfortable in the 23rs. There probably is a bit more storage in the 23rs, but you lose that cool bike door- I really liked that feature.

Kevin P.


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## NDJollyMon

The 25 has loads of space, and 2 entry doors, and a sofa slide.

I love the setup. I wish they could have figured out how to put the dinette right across from the sofa...and still slide out. I don't like the position of it being so far from the dinette when I have guests. I do like the space it provides.

I really like the set up of the 23, with it's front queen bed. This trailer was not made when I bought mine...but it may have been my choice!

When in doubt...go bigger!


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## shake1969

We opted for the 21, for no real reason. Just liked the cozy layout and lighter weight, I guess.

Our prior was a 19. We were used to it. Easy to park and manuver, but once you get used to a 25, I guess it would be easy, too.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.


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## BigBadBrain

We went with the 23RS because it was a more reasonible pull for the Expedition while still giving us lots of space. The queen bed forward was something we wanted to accomodate, well, me. I didn't want to try and sleep in the slide or a bunk - slide just wasn't big enough for both DW and me and the bunk wasn't enough for just me. I've read that a lot of folks have some big kids in the family that do fine but just didn't work for me (tried it in the dealer lot - must have gotten into the bunk 50 times).

I also use a sleep apnea machine and the bedstand by the forward queen is a great place for it. We weren't really thinking that at first but that's the way we use it. DD uses the couch folded down and so we kind of have a girl's room and boy's room. Sixteen year old daughter is a little touchy about privacy so it works well.

I doubt that any of that applies to your situation but it is how it worked for us. Really like the 23RS and glad I chose it. It was a close call between the 23RS and 25RS-s; I really liked the extra space with the side slide.


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## vdub

Might want to talk to kip about his tragic experience (coming off grapevine wasn't it, kip?) before loading down your 150 with a 25rs. I hope I don't have kip's experience confused with another.

Given you are new to towing, I'm not sure I would want to load down the 150 with more than what you need. The extra 2' on a 25rss and the extra weight might just be too much for comfort. But then again, I don't know the WR's on your rig or the weights of the various trailers.


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## mjs518

By the sounds of your family size the choice should definitely be between the 23 and the 25. Your daughter will most certainly want a friend along (or possibly a future sibling







) and the two doggies are gonna need some space too. We were considering the 21 and the 23 and are very pleased with size of the 23 we went with. Two boys 3 and 5 and one pup







Make sure you get to see a 23rs in person,I know you'll like it


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## Castle Rock Outbackers

NDJollyMon said:


> I wish they could have figured out how to put the dinette right across from the sofa...and still slide out. I don't like the position of it being so far from the dinette when I have guests. [snapback]21961[/snapback]​


Our thoughts exactly, Pete, which is why we gave up the 25 RS-S slide (and extra floor space) and took the 26 RS (where the sofa is across from the dinette).

Well, plus we needed the quad bunks. So that brings us to the 28 RS-S, but that is too long / heavy for us. So, our only real choice for us was the 26 RS.

I remember trailer shopping and I insisted we get a camper with a slide (for obvious reasons). But when my wife didn't like the sofa slide NEXT to the dinette (instead of across like she wanted), we stumbled into a 26 RS and said, "Hey, this could work!"

The rest is history.

Randy


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## Garfield

I noticed that the sofa and dinette are flipped in the new 27RSDS and 28RSDS, so I called Keystone last week and asked if they were planning on flipping them in the 25RS-S too. I was told that they can't be flipped in the 25RS-S because the wheel well would interefere with the dinette slide.

But its a moot point for us since we really prefer the dual queen beds. We liked the 23RS from the start but got worried about the lack of sofa slide. We also find that storage tends to be limited on rear slide models under 25 feet - no matter what the brand.

Then we really got excited when we first saw the 27RSDS, but figure its getting a bit too long and heavy for us. Besides, we too like the juxtaposition of the sofa opposite the dinette in the 23RS/21RS since its a better seating arrangement for socializing. For those that don't want so socialize, they can crash on the front queen bed!

Now we're leaning back to the 23RS, and hoping that the "less is more" statement that I've seen repeated on this site is accurate!

Why is it that trailers are never big enough on the inside, but are always TOO big from the outside!


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## dak

vdub said:


> But then again, I don't know the WR's on your rig or the weights of the various trailers.
> [snapback]22012[/snapback]​


I'm leaning more towards the 21 or 23 just because, as you stated, I'm new to towing and new to figuring out the weight ratings. I'm trying to be very conservative for safety's sake.

For what it's worth... '04 Ford F150, Supercrew, 4x4, 5.4L, V8, FX4, tow package, 3.73, 18" tires... 14500 max GCWR, max trailer weight 8700, front GAWR 3750, rear GAWR 3850. No clue on curb weight.

dak


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## indycohiba

You will be fine with any of these. I have the same F-150 and pulled the 26RS last year with no problems and it was my first time towing. As long as you stay under your tow ratings you will be fine. The F-150 tows it very well. I would not give it another thought about whether the F-150 can tow either of those. On the other hand, if you are a poor driver or are nervous about driving in traffic, then I would not purchase any trailer.

Just make sure to get a good WD Hitch with sway control and a good brake controller. The gross combined rate limit is 14,500 pounds. The GVRW for the trailer is 6,000 pounds and 7,200 for the truck so if you maxed them both out, you are still under by 1,300 pounds on the GCWR and under by 2,700 on your max tow load. You can for sure tow a trailer up to 27 feet in length with that 139 inch wheel base according to the generally accepted rule of thumb. The limit that you could hit is with the truck due to the hitch weight. Just don't overload the truck and use a WD Hitch which shifts some of the weight back to the camper.

I think some people comment with not having current information. Or they have a beef with Ford. I have seen this in other threads. This can cause undue anxiety. The F-150's prior to 2004 I would agree with because those models had much lower tow ratings. 2004 and 2005 have the upgraded tow limits.


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## dak

Thanks for the info... Did you happen to hit any big hills with your F150 and 26rs? If so, how'd it do? We're in the southwest now, which is relatively flat, but if things work out we hope to be back in the mountains of the northwest in the near future.

Out of curiosity, how do you travel with your dogs? We have two jack russell terrorists. One gets carsick, the other won't sit still. They're too "delicate" to put in the bed of the truck. And I don't want them in the cab of the truck with us either. To be quite honest, I'd be perfectly content to leave the little monsters with the dog sitter, but the wife and daughter feel differently (and overrule). What are the legal/ethical thoughts on crating the dogs in the trailer as we travel? (I hope PETA is not monitoring this.)

dak


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## indycohiba

We pulled it through the Southern Hills of Indiana and it pulled fine. Kept it between 60-65 miles per hour. If towing a lot in the mpintains, i would probably think the less weight the better.

We have a small dog and a large one. The small one goes in the back of the truck in a crate. The large one we take to the kennel. We don't want him ruining the camping experience. He is full of energy.

Good luck in your decision and I hope you enjoy whatever Outback you get. We are looking at getting a 27RSDS. It's an extra thousands pounds (5,700 with options), but we would still be under our weight limits. I don't think I would pull it in the mountains, however.


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## Kenstand

dak,
Sounds like you will be okay with many of the Outback choices. It really is tough to finally narrow it down. I know for us my wife insisted on the slide out couch in the 25RSS to give more open space inside the trailer. She really didn't want to be sitting in the trailer during a long rainy day and not have some elbow room.

Everyone makes that final choice based on some particular need.

Good luck in your search.


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## dak

I appreciate everyone's input. If I've done the math correctly (and based on input from everyone here), I should be OK to pull any of the 3 options with my TV. The biggest problem we have now (aside from the lack of $$$) is that our local dealer doesn't have all 3 in stock for us to compare. My favorite is the 25rss. The 21rs would be much easier to tow. But, I don't want to find out a few months later that the 21rs is too small. The wife likes the 23rs because of the extra bed. I think that's her way of saying I'll be sleeping alone. I also think the 23rs is the open door to the daughter's friend's parents inviting themselves along. Don't get me wrong, I love my neighbors, but if I wanted them to come camping with us I'd... well, stay at home. 
dak


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## vdub

Hmmmm, sounds like you got it pegged all right!


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## jgerni

Definitly get the one you want. You don't want to look back and say I wish I had.


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## polygraphpat

dak,

We looked at Outbacks with and without slide. The dealer had both on the lot. We opted for the slide and I'm glad we did. It feels much larger and you aren't stepping on each other or the dog. Good Luck. I sent you a message, but in case I screwed up, I agree with others, you should not have a problem with the F-150. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable about what your towing.


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