# Outback Vs. The Other Brands



## tripod (Sep 26, 2005)

OK. No doubt many of you did a lot of comparison shopping before you bought your Outback. Likely you looked at a number of different floorplans from different manufacturers and ended up choosing the Outback.

Why did you choose your Outback over all the other brands out there (the Starcraft line for example)?

I am curious as I am in the looking and comparing stage before we make the big plunge and am just wondering what tipped the scales for you.

Thanks,
Barry


----------



## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

For us,

layout
slide size
interior color was different than the traditional
smooth fibergalss exterior
weight
price


----------



## Golden Mom (Apr 25, 2004)

Ditto to the above.......also has a lot of floor space. (We have a large dog). 
Felt like I could breathe.......not closed in


----------



## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> Why did you choose your Outback over all the other brands out there


I went through several brands (not nearly all of them as there are hundreds) but found the Outback to be the most aesthetically pleasing. Even many of the big class A's don't compare to the usable space and the color scheme.

Of course, this is just my opinion, but look around for yourself. There are few, and I mean few, travel trailers in this *price range *that compare feature for feature.

Mark


----------



## 4CHACS (Mar 23, 2005)

We had looked at countless TT's and they were all starting to look the same, had our choice down to about 3. Found the OB by chance on our last day of looking, walked in and and immediately knew this was it. Outside cook center was a major factor for me along with floor plan, color, etc. DH felt it was of good quality and didn't look "cheap" like some of the other TT's.


----------



## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

For us,

Fiberglass, smooth exterior....easier to clean

White cabinets

Aluminum frame construction

Plenty of living space

Good use of all available space for storage

weight

4 bunks and as a seperate room

ducted air cond

Looks good in my yard







and campground

John


----------



## Reggie44 (Aug 12, 2005)

For us it was the interior design for storage and the appearance such as hidden hinges, flooring. My wife really liked the cook centre. I liked the shorter length do to the queen slide it saved us at least 4 feet of trailer towing. Good luck there are lots of choices JR


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

First of Barry...

action *Welcome to Outbackers!* action

Since you have joined our family, it is obvious you are a man of great intelligence and wit! An Outback will be the only logical choice for you!









The deciding factors for us were, one, the unique layouts of the Outbacks. Most all the other brands all use the same tired floorplans. To me, the Outback design is fresh and well thought out.

We particularly like the bright interior. Between the light color cabinets, and all the windows, our Outback is a very pleasant place to be. Unlike so many others that feel dark and cramped.

We also liked the ability to put the kids to bed at one end of the TT, and have all the 'living spaces' at the opposite end. We can stay up and socialize, watch the tube, or whatever without keeping the kids up.

Finally, the great job Keystone has done at keeping the weight down. Allows us to pull much more trailer than we would be able to with other brands. Case in point, I have a friende with a Cougar that is comparable in size to our 28RS-DS, and his 'Dry' weight is more than our 'Gross' weight. I would not dream of trying to pull his with my TV, but the Outback is a breeze!

Happy Hunting,
Doug


----------



## Fire44 (Mar 6, 2005)

I think the big plus was the white cabinets. It makes the interior feel larger than it really is. The rear slide out gives us two queen sized beds and a nice short towing length.

Of course this site is a big help also. I have gotten answers to questions here that I didn't know to ask. I think that this web site is one of the biggest factors on our buying a Outback.

I wish you the best of luck in your decision, what ever brand you decide on.

Gary


----------



## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

QUALITY CONTROL

Not that OUTBACK has any but becuase the Quality Contol is so poor it has cuased me to get to know my trailer much better -- I have already self repaired the electrical, A/C, and water systems ...

if the trailer had been put together the correct way i would never have had that oppurtunity!!!


----------



## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

When we were out shopping for our 28RSS I considered just about everyone of the expandable type of campers. We were moving up from a Hybrid with tent beds and wanted the hard type of expandable. The KZ Frontier, Starcraft and a few others were on the table. I'd been in a few Starcraft Hybrid campers and it had some things I didn't care for. There wasn't a Starcraft dealer in my area that had a good reputation for service so that quickly pulled them out of the line up. It really came down to the KZ and the Outback.

In the end price, weight, and features like counter space and the white cabinets were huge selling points.

A few things on the KZ that were against it was the huge storage area in the front raised the floor in the bunkhouse and wouldn't allow me to stand up. Plus I'd be inclined to load the front to heavy I feared. I also didn't like how the KZ did their batteries on either side of the LP tanks at the time. Makes it hard to check and charge batteries, not sure if they changed this or not. I always go with a dual 6v battery system so charging and checking them are essential to long dry camping trips.

The final reason we went with the Outback besides the price and local dealer... this website. Serious its been a great bunch of people but the resources of information was something I couldn't overlook when I made my choice.

Now even though we sold our Outback (to another forum member) I still like to hang out here with this group of friendly folks!

Happy shopping!


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

And we are glad you do Steve!









Besides, I'm confident that the day Keystone 'Officially' produces an Outback toy hauler, you will be the first in line to upgrade to one. Right, Steve?... Steve?...

Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

Especially for a large family, the quad bunks and big feel were huge factors. What everyone else said plus this web site!


----------



## 2blackdogs (Aug 25, 2005)

7heaven said:


> Especially for a large family, the quad bunks and big feel were huge factors. What everyone else said plus this web site!
> [snapback]56412[/snapback]​


We had been "JUST" looking around at the dealers here and already owned an older "RV Allegro"and was outgrowing it with 2 dogs now. 
When we saw the OB25rss the inside influenced us as well. Love the slidouts and light and airy feeling, colors and floor registers. No carpet to contend with. 
So needless to say my kitchen in my home is now outdated compared to our new OB kitchen and the dogs can lay anywhere on the floor and I am not tripping over them....WHY Ya can even dance in it if ya want!!!
Judy & Bob & 2blackdogs


----------



## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

The bunkhouse
Weight
Outbackers
Kids in bunkhouse, adults far away
Interior color - openness
Slide-out queen ... additional room w/no add'l length
Did I mention the bunkhouse?


----------



## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

You are right; we looked at dozens of TT all over the place. We would do day trips and take ferry rides to get to where the TT are. But why did we narrow our list to the Outback? Well, the interior was a big selling point. It is bright and fresh looking, and the dark floors had a beautiful contrast to the light cabinets. It just seemed to be balanced out and each part complemented another. Plus, it had all the appliances that we were looking for like the A/C, oven and ducted heating. Lots of storage space in both the kitchen and the bathroom. Exterior was attractive and clean. I did not want a TT where the bedroom area took up 1/3 of the overall length, so the Outback satisfied that need. There are lots of nit-picky things, but overall we are glad that we choose this one, and the fact that there is a forum on the Outback, well, who could resist?


----------



## Pakeboy2 (Aug 13, 2005)

Wife said we were gonna get one and we did! She didn't want to look at any other brands.


----------



## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

Ditto to all of the above. It is a lot of trailer for a little weight. The interior was perfect for us and the two big dogs. The light cabinets are so much nicer looking than the usual wood. There is loads of storage. Can't go wrong with an Outback. action


----------



## Moosegut (Sep 24, 2005)

tripod said:


> OK. No doubt many of you did a lot of comparison shopping before you bought your Outback. Likely you looked at a number of different floorplans from different manufacturers and ended up choosing the Outback.
> 
> Why did you choose your Outback over all the other brands out there (the Starcraft line for example)?
> 
> ...


I've had a Starcraft popup, a Jayco popup (The biggest they made) and a 28' Layton TT with two bunks. I'm upgrading because we definately need more room - namely, a trailer with a slide. The 28 RSDS I'm buying provides the room of a 35' trailer in the space of a 30' trailer. The slide, while not a super slide, provides plenty of room for adults to stand and talk, walk past each other, etc.

The bunkhouse is amazingly roomy and the bottom bunks are 7' long. My 15 year-old is 6'4" and still growing. My two boys will each be able to bring a friend and I can shove them all down that end and not even have to see them.







I'm 6.5 and growing sideways so I'll fit comfortably in a bottom bunk too - which is where I'll probably sleep because the DW snores and wakes me up.









Stored length and weight were considerations for me too. The 30'9" will just fit where I have to store it. I'll even have to keep the spare tire off the bumber. Not sure where I'm going to put that yet. The weight is fine for my F-150 and other trailers I looked at with slides, for the most part, topped out at 10,000 lbs. Too much for the F-150. We also winter camp so the heated underbelly is a biggie too.

I've been in a lot of trailers at the campgrounds and the construction of the Outback is superior to most. Blows my Layton away, and I have the cabinet upgrade. The floor plan is exactly what I need. So, all things considered, the Outback was the obvious choice for me. DW asked if we could get another model cheaper and the answer, of course, is yes. But the operative word is "cheaper." Outback, at least what I've seen of them (I'm picking mine up as soon as it comes in, so I don't have anecdotal experience with them), is well crafted and seems like a solid trailer. It's on the high end of the lightweights, so therefore a bit more expensive. But I'll be keeping this one for many, many years - so I'm going for as much as I can.

Scott

P.S. Whatever you buy - GET A SLIDE OUT! Learned that about two weeks after I bought my Layton


----------



## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

For us it was the
Smooth exterior
rear slide out
color inside
layout
weight
price was just right
The wife just fell in love with it
Besides DW was tired of tent camping in the rain









Don


----------



## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

Barry,

Welcome to the site!

We have the 25RSS and came by it in a roundabout manner.

We initially found the floor plan in an Artic Fox and after further research found the floor plan pretty standard across a number of manufacturers which is probably because Thor owns most, if not all, of them

Once we got past the floor plan issue it came down to esthetics, weight, $$$$$$, dealer, reputation and availability.

After all was said and done, the OB hit the spot and we have yet to regret it.

Like other people we have had a couple of â€œminorâ€ problems all of which I either fixed myself or were quickly and cheerfully addressed by our dealer (have a very reputable dealer which was part of our selection process).

Some people have had more serious problems and some of the problems (like the bath fan being wired backwards) I believe to be universal. Perhaps Keystone does it on purpose just to give us something to do other than drink beer on camping trips.

I think the biggest thing you need to realize is that whatever you get (OB or not) it is a TT and not a home in the Hamptons. Construction is down and dirty and the materials are not exactly top shelf. I believe part of that is the manufacturer trying to keep the cost down and part of it is to control weight. Of course, part of it is also the almighty dollar but we are all Americans here and so should have come to grips with that part.

All things considered, I think you are doing a wise thing by fishing around this site. Part of the reason we picked the OB was because of this site. Although I didnâ€™t join the sight until this year (AFTER we bought our OB) I watched this site for about 6 months before along with a couple of others for other manufactures. Youâ€™re ahead of the game by jumping in in advance. I should have done that. These guys are great and have a lot of good solid feedback. If nothing else they wonâ€™t lie to you (at least not knowingly).

Best of luck in your decision and wish you the best of luck with whatever rig you decide on.

Bill


----------



## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

Here goes...

Convince Me To Buy an Outback

Convince Me

I took the easy way out.









Try these links...Make sure you have plenty of eye drops for all the reading you will be doing









Camp-on sunny
MaeJae


----------



## rnameless (Jun 30, 2005)

We purchased the 27rsds mainly because it offers two queen beds and a private bedroom. The two doors in the bathroom area buffer the noise from tv and xbox so my wife and I can sleep. My kids are relatively young, but with the size of this camper, we should be in it for at least 5-7 years or more. I looked at hundreds of floorplans and found only two campers that have 2 queens in a bumper pull model. Both are made by outback. aluminum frame, cabinet space, color scheme were also considered. good luck with your choice.


----------



## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

Quality construction
Floorplan
Interior colors

This web site and the people that inhabit it...

Reverie


----------



## campntn (Feb 20, 2005)

MaeJae said:


> Here goes...
> 
> Convince Me To Buy an Outback
> 
> ...


I'm the one who started the second convice me Convince Me. 
In my life, it has been one of the best decisions I'll ever make. I'd do it all over again. I love every second of my Outback. My family LOVES the Outback. 
WE OUTBACK!


----------

