# New Addition To The Family



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Well, the day has finally arrived. Took delivery of the new 31RQS from General RV this afternoon.









She's a beauty, and gigantic. Can confirm the outside shower is gone (replaced with long hose in camp kitchen) and bunks on one side are widened. Finally found out why I've never see pictures of it with propane tanks on the tongue - they're in their own storage compartment on the port side in front.

Interesting note - I learned there's a separate grey water tank for the kitchen sink. Is this a new feature for 2006 also? The PDI guy said it was same size as the other ones. From the comments I've heard about how fast those fill up I'd say that's a very welcome addition.

Experience with General RV was good, other than them being way to busy and having to wait a bit to finish the last bit up.


----------



## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Congarts on the new camper! Let the camping begin.


----------



## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Congrats BoaterDan on the 31RQS
Have fun
You have to post some pics for all of us.

Don


----------



## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

action Congratulations and welcome.
I would love







to see pics interior and exterior.I know you are really excited!
Now you can load her up, and camp in the driveway to see what you forgot!



































Have fun camping!
Jan


----------



## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Congrats! Yes...pics!


----------



## rdowns (Oct 20, 2004)

Mine has 2 grays each 30 gallon, one for bath one for galley.

Oh yeah- Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

31 RQS....the mother of all Outback Travel Trailers. Lookin forward to some photos, and please let us know how you manage getting that puppy into tight camping spaces. Before I purchased the 26 RS I was sure I wanted a 30 or 31 foot trailer. A good friend of mine talked me out of it for storage reasons and "getting into campsites designed for 25 foot trailers."

Randy


----------



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Yeah, ain't now way I'm getting it in my driveway. I don't even think I can get it down the streat







The street is pretty narrow and there's two spots where people tend to park SUVs in the street across from each other on slight curves.









Just backing into the storage site I can see it's going to be interesting indeed. It will take a while to get a good sense for the rear of the trailer... it's gotta be almost 45 feet from where I'm sitting at the helm. I'm gonna become a big fan of pull-throughs right quick I think.

But with 4 kids, and the stay-at-home wife planning to spend several full week periods in the campground, I wanted the room. The options for smaller quad bunk floor plans are extremely limited.

I will be taking a camera-load of pictures this weekend on the shakedown trip and will post some.

So the PDI guy was right when he said the two greys are each 30 gal. Sweet!


----------



## rdowns (Oct 20, 2004)

Just think of it this way- a longer trailer is easier to back because it doesn't respond as quickly!


----------



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Yeah I know that - but it still has to fit in the target spot!


----------



## rdowns (Oct 20, 2004)

True enough, and certainly a consideration for us as well. We didn't want to be too limited in our choices for camping ande we had to get it turned around in our driveway!


----------



## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

And besides fitting into the target spot, you still gotta aim it properly.









That can be the tricky part.

Congratulations on the new Outback.

Bill


----------



## ltdude2u (Jul 9, 2005)

congratulations on the new purchase...we have also purchased the same model and cant wait to use it this weekend for the first time....what a HUGE trailer.....didnt realize how big the thing was until I took pictures of it...and also nearly ripped it apart after trailering it for 20 minutes







But you learn quick from that mistake...wasnt aware of the three tanks...the darn PDI guy dint tell me about that....so that would explain the 3rd handle above the wheel wheel right?????

One question what about the amount of storage???? is that unbeleivable or what???? could hide bodies in there if you wanted to...

now if only I could fiqure out how to post pics I would be fine.


----------



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Yep, it's gigantic. The storage was a big plus with the six of us.









Yeah the small handle above the port side wheels is for the galley grey tank.

I saw one a couple weeks ago being towed by a suburban, and it made the TV look small. That's some accomplishment.









We're off on our first trip this Friday too.







Working like crazy every evening to get it stocked up and ready in time.









Sorry, I just love those little smilies!


----------



## mitch4166 (Mar 5, 2004)

Hey boaterdan my 31rqs has the outside shower and the one next to the stove. We have lived in ours all summer while we built a house and love it!!!!!


----------



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Yeah I know. The outside shower is gone in 2006 models.

After some experience camping now where it would definitely have been useful and the 20 foot house at the camp kitchen is useless, it's going to be a definite mod, probably next year. I just have to find a place to mount it which looks like it will be a challenge.


----------



## Texasplugger (Aug 25, 2005)

Congrats!! I looked at one on the way home tonight and my eyes literally welled up with tears (well it mighta been the formaldehyde). I was pretty impressed. We were getting close to opting for more of an entry level (K-Z Jag), but now I'm thinking really hard about spending the extra dough.

I'm curious to see how you think it tows!!

Congrats again!!


----------



## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Texasplugger,

It wasn't the formaldehyde--it was the trailer itself.









I took mine home and knew it would be hard to put into my storage facility. I have to maneuver it between another camper and someone's car. There's also a steel post right beside my space. Pulled it up, let the DW direct me into the space and Voila! got in into the space, no problem! I was so proud! shy









Can't wait until next Friday. Taking it out for the first time--4 days over Labor Day.

Mark


----------



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

I wouldn't say it tows *bad*, but given it's weight and the gigantic surface area to be affected by wind I think a Hensley is in my future. There's a little too much wiggling around at highway speeds for my comfort, but then I also need to get to a scale. This model seems to me to be very light on the tongue from the factory according to the specs. Even though I've tossed a bunch of stuff into the cavernous front garage I may still be light because I've put a bunch of stuff into the back also.

I don't have much experience except for a popup and utility trailers, so it's hard for me to say how it tows compared to anything else.

It IS a 34 foot trailer, so manuevering can be a challenge sometimes. The back hend hangs out way past the tires so it tends to swing around when you're turning, if you know what I mean.

But I agree with mswalt - it has been MUCH easier to manuever and especially back up than I thought it would be. My mom and stepdad are into the 800 pound fiberglass trailer mode and were never hesitant to get on their soapbox about how hard it would be to tow this thing and all the places I wouldn't be able to go... I'm happy to say it's really not really true. From what I've seen campgrounds may have some sites where only a tent is appropriate, but they also seem to all realize the big rigs want to stay there too and arrange and angle the sites accordingly.

One thing I considered was that unless you're gonna put a bunch of money down, the reality is it won't make much sense to trade up in a couple years. I purposely went looking for a trailer that would suit my family's needs for a decade or more, and this definitely fits the bill. As I've said before, I'm only using probably about 75% of the storage even though we're a family of 6 and we have everything possible aboard so all we have to bring is clothes and perishable food.

Ok, my 31RQS commercial is over.


----------



## KRKarnes (Jul 9, 2005)

Mine has both the outside shower and the sink by the stove also. Had ours about a month. Had it out twice and heading out this weekend. Hope you enjoy yours as much as we like ours.


----------



## crystal (Sep 3, 2005)

Hi everyone.
This is the deal my husband and I are planning on buying our first trailer(yeah) we have looked at many MANY trailers and dealerships. Some way better than others I however have some serious questions befor purchasing
1. Is the listed price the actual price or do you "negoiate" 
2. Its a toss up now between the outback 31rq-s or a 31 foot Sprinter model prons cons?
How has the service been with outback?
I really want a 30 ish foot trailer with 4 bunks?
Thanks


----------



## Texasplugger (Aug 25, 2005)

Crystal,

We've been looking for a quad bunk model as well -- something in the 32' - 34' range. I'm by no means an expert, but here's a few quad bunk models and prices I think are fair:

Outback (by Keystone) 31rqs - $22k, aluminum frame, fiberglass sides
Jag (by KZ) 32JSS, $16k, wood frame, aluminum sides
Rockwood (by Forest River) 8317 - $20k, aluminum frame, fiberglass sides
Solanta (by Sunnybrook) 3310 - $25k, aluminum frame, fiberglass sides

This is by no means an exhaustive list, it's just what we narrowed our search down to. I really liked the 31rqs because of the full-size shower, but I think we're going to go with the Jag for two reasons. First $6k difference is a alot and this is our first trailer. Second, KZ seems to bend over backwards to resolve problems.
If it were only $3k difference we'd be going with the Outback.

Hope this helps,

Craig


----------



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

crystal said:


> Hi everyone.
> 1. Is the listed price the actual price or do you "negoiate"
> 2. Its a toss up now between the outback 31rq-s or a 31 foot Sprinter model prons cons?
> How has the service been with outback?
> ...


Heavens no, don't pay that price. What I recommend is looking on the internet, rvtraderonline.com for example, and finding a list of trailers like you want and their prices. Go to your local dealer and you'll note their "sticker" price is probably $5,000 or more higher.

Start the game from there... I just told my local dealer I'd drive across the state to save significant money but would rather deal locally, so what's their best shot. They came back $200 lower with no haggling.

I was looking for the same category of trailer and found there were few in the same league as the 31rqs. Storage space seems to vary significantly, even though they both have the same basic floor plan. I also didn't want a brand where there was maybe 1 dealer per state, so that eliminated a few I thought may be better built.


----------

