# Thinking About Selling



## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Well, both of our kids are off to college - one to grad school and one to undergrad. Even though the 23RS is kind of on the small side as far as Outbacks go, it seems excessive for just two of us. Also, we'd like an RV that is a little more road friendly; able to stop at the rest stop and sit for a meal without pulling a slide out, that kind of thing.

The Outback has been a great RV and friend and I just spent the weekend spiffing her up. I'm not sure if I spent more time this time cleaning to sell or just to spend a little more time with it.

Until we really know what we intend to do instead, we'll keep the 23RS. With a brand new F-250 we are unlikely to go the motorhome route. We have been considering a truck camper.

BBB


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## Sweathog62 (Jul 28, 2005)

Hmm.... The kids are gone and you may want to sell out.... Well, both of mine are gone as of tonight also. Since the truck and TT are both paid off, I see it as my second home. Should we loose our jobs, I say hit the road and recharge the batteries before the grandchildern start to arrive.

We love the 23 because we can still slip in the national park campgrounds.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Brad


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

BigBadBrain said:


> Even though the 23RS is kind of on the small side as far as Outbacks go, it seems excessive for just two of us. Also, we'd like an RV that is a little more road friendly; able to stop at the rest stop and sit for a meal without pulling a slide out, that kind of thing.


Hmmm...wasn't sure if you were inviting comments...or just thinking aloud... ;-) 
anyway... just two of us here and 1 golden retriever, and we went from 24 footer SOB to a 290RLS at 33.5 feet! Now *that* is excessive









I hear on the size to get into the NP though. The 290RLS has caused to have to double check some pad lengths, but so far, we are still making it to places we like.

Our old SOB was easier to stop and eat lunch inside that the larger 290RLS, but even given that... we generally have never done that as much as we think we would. As long as we can get to the fridge, and get to the bathroom easily with the slide in... and we can... we are ok. We grab a beverage or two, some snacks or a quick sandwhich...and eat on the road again.

With an empty nest, it sounds like a great opportunity for more camping!


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## Tangooutback (Apr 16, 2010)

BigBadBrain said:


> Well, both of our kids are off to college - one to grad school and one to undergrad. Even though the 23RS is kind of on the small side as far as Outbacks go, it seems excessive for just two of us. Also, we'd like an RV that is a little more road friendly; able to stop at the rest stop and sit for a meal without pulling a slide out, that kind of thing.
> 
> The Outback has been a great RV and friend and I just spent the weekend spiffing her up. I'm not sure if I spent more time this time cleaning to sell or just to spend a little more time with it.
> 
> ...


The only friends/co-workers with truck campers I know and are/were happy with it are hunters who have need to go off road. These folks have the fold down top type, which is very compact and light.

Almost everyone else who does not use it for hunting ends up selling/trading for something a little more roomy.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

Hi BBB,

I have been thinking about the same thing when My Son goes to collage next year. But we might go bigger, I want a trailer that has those big windows in the back and like you a dinette we can use anytime. BTW how is the Astronomy doing?
Bill


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Sounds like it is time to do some shopping....


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

We're in the same spot, or close anyway. Our twins will be starting college next year so we're looking forward to camping more. With them away we're hoping to spend more time camping in the early spring and later in the fall which up until now have been the busiest times for school activities. We've talked about trading to something different but the outback needs some work, it's due for brakes and the front is badly de-laminated and needs to be replaced.

What we're planning on doing is fixing it and keeping it till the girls get thru college, unless finances aren't too tight, then maybe we'll get something while they're in school. Either way we want to get an idea of how much and what type of traveling we're doing so we can get an rv that suits our needs.

Mike


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Some good thoughts, and yes, I was inviting comments.

Mike, you have a good point on keeping it until you know what kind and how much additional camping you will do. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of camping in September and October - just doesn't seem possible.

The idea of going to a truck camper has pros and cons:

Pro:
I can tow other items
I can fit in ANY park and in ANY campsite (assuming I'm not towing something)
I can take the camper anywhere I choose to take the truck (some off-road access will obviously be limited by clearance, and weight)
I can park the camper in a local community bullpen and avoid about $1200 of yearly cost for renting storage
The camper is always ready for use (like a motor home) for quick stops
I can remove the camper at any camp site to free the truck up for local travel while not having to break camp every day (better than a Class C)

Con:
It is MUCH smaller - but what I'm losing by trading the 23RS is mostly sleeping area and the shower which we don't use
For what you get it can be MUCH more $$
Much further off the ground (more steps - not a big deal but for bad knees it is a factor)
I'm payload limited even with an F-250 and finding a dry weight that fits inside my payload limit is going to be a factor
Payload limits will affect what I can tow (there goes the PRO for towing)

I compared usable space int he 23RS to the Lance 835 camper and came up with the following graphic. Other than the forward bed and bunk, what is given up in floor space and sofa (shaded yellow) is regained in bed size (a priority for me - and shown in darker blue shading around the 23rs slideout). It's an interesting comparison.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

BigBadBrain said:


> Pro:
> I can tow other items
> I can fit in ANY park and in ANY campsite (assuming I'm not towing something)
> I can take the camper anywhere I choose to take the truck (some off-road access will obviously be limited by clearance, and weight)
> ...


I've always wondered about the last one. Is it easy to remove the truck from the camper at the campsite? How sturdy is it?


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

For those thinking of smaller space for a couple, check out the 268RL. (We think the RL means Rear Lounge.) The rear has two upholstered chairs and a big picture window facing aft. The slide opens easily and lets us access the bath and kitchen for lunch, even if we eat rolling along in the TV. At 29'10" we've never been denied access due to length. It definitely meets the National Park Service lengths for sites. It's light (6000# shipped and we're at 7000# ready to rock and roll!) and tows nicely behind our 08 Expedition EL.

It seems to be an ideal unit for a couple--we get sufficient room inside to not be falling all over one another. It rained one full day and we'd already done the shopping, sightseeing, etc., so one of us sat on the sofa and the other on an upholstered chair and read. Played nice music on the stereo. Quite peaceful. And if either me or DW wants to catch some zzzzs in the bedroom, it's a separate area for quiet....

Yet we spent 3 weeks touring the west (Seattle, Vancouver, Oly. Peninsula, Glacier NP, etc.) with four adults (us and two fellow 1/2 and full marathoners) and each of our friends said they were comfortable on the fold-out sofa bed (that has the air mattress) and the "dining room table" bed setup. There was quite enough general storage for their clothes, etc., and with the bathroom just aft of the forward bedroom, no one walks through others' sleeping area in the middle of the night..

So if you have guests, they'll fit. Won't happen in a truck slide-in, of course.

Just a comment from us - one couple happy with the 268RL.


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

luverofpeanuts said:


> Pro:
> I can tow other items
> I can fit in ANY park and in ANY campsite (assuming I'm not towing something)
> I can take the camper anywhere I choose to take the truck (some off-road access will obviously be limited by clearance, and weight)
> ...


I've always wondered about the last one. Is it easy to remove the truck from the camper at the campsite? How sturdy is it?

[/quote]

I had an older camper and we'd lower it onto a couple of blocks and between the blocks and the truck jacks it was very stable. I've talked to a few folks who I've seen do the same thing (one in Yellowstone about a week ago) and they all said they like the low entry (only one or maybe two steps) and it is rock solid.

I found that reloading the camper is about the same as hooking up a trailer. The allignment is maybe the hardest part. I haven't done it on a new camper though so my experience is limited to my old camper. With electric jacks it is much quicker than my old hand crank jacks. Electrical is one connection and the tie downs are four on each corner of the pickup bed and two on the cab. All goes pretty quickly. (No worrying about tires and hubs on the trailer either - another pro).

BBB

Like this:


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## ember (Jan 17, 2008)

hey BBB,
We have had the same thoughts. We will be shopping for a couple more years most likely, but I have 2 brothers and a sister who have truck campers and with the slides that they have now, and an interior and exterior shower other than not having 2 rocking chairs and a sofa we don't think we'll be missing too much! Our biggest shopping problem is there isn't a local truck camper dealer! The closest one is 4 hours away, BUT as soon as we can squeeze out a weekend away I think we are heading over! I know now is a safe time to go cuz there's no way in HE** we can trade!! Plus in 2 or 3 years we'll be ready for a new truck too! So we'll get it all and hit the road to do some WorkCamping, because with the truck camper we can tow our "construction" trailer, at least for the winter, and the shorter unit will allow us to do some backwoods trips we've been eyeballing. We do hope to rent a few different floorplans before we buy, or buy an older cheap one to see how it goes in the first person. Trying to avoid the 9 month trade up this time.
Here is a link where I've found lots of info! Hope it helps!

keep me posted on how your search goes! and I'll do the same!


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I see what you were doing with the overlay, but wouldn't most truck campers be more like 7.5' wide instead of the 8' that a TT is? Not saying it won't work for you, just might not be an apples to apples comparison.


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## Moosegut (Sep 24, 2005)

I haven't been on the site in quite a while. It's funny how the first thread I look at is what I am thinking about also. Kids are growing up - one at college and the other more interested in staying home with his friends. Since we bought the cottage in PA we don't winter camp like we used to either. We are actually thinking of going back to a popup, but I like the truck camper idea.

I've seen some in shows with a slideout that will just knock your socks off with the amount of room they afford. I have no idea how much they cost though.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

Moosegut said:


> I've seen some in shows with a slideout that will just knock your socks off with the amount of room they afford. I have no idea how much they cost though.


All, I can say after doing some searches on truck campers to quench my curiosity and finding this floor plan is... wow... Now I'm not sure I'd ever want to haul this beast around...but wow...is that a nice floor plan for a truck camper!


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

That looks like the Chalet double slide - they have a triple slide as well. Those beasts weigh in at 5000lbs dry weight for some of them. Need an F-550 or something like it to haul it around. Would be pretty sweet though.

We'll be happy with a non slide. 8 or 9 ft, with dry weight between 2000 to 2400lbs. IF we choose to buy used (a very strong possibility given that we are bleeding money to finance college) then determining weight is going to be interesting. Also, if you buy from a private party, how do you go and pickup your camper? I'm assuming the mounting hardware is unique to the camper you buy to some extent and so preparing it to receive a camper that isn't present could be an interesting adventure. I'll probably go to TorqueLift Int'l for the mounting hardware.

Nathan, the camper I used for the overlay has a 96" exterior width according to the specification sheet so I think it is comparable and the overlay is about right. Our first camper was a 'lite' version and was only 7ft wide. Big difference!


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Went shopping. Did some research. Figured the $$.

My F-250 cannot carry the camper I want to carry without significant sums of money to upgrade.

So, no longer thinking of selling. I'll just have to make do with what I have - not such a terrible thing (after going out to see what used campers look like I'm pretty proud of how well we've cared for our 23RS - it looks almost new in comparison).

BBB


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