# 2005 Outback 26rs - Finally



## deanintemp (Apr 3, 2007)

Okay, after 18 months of research and looking, we finally purchased a 2005 26RS. I looked long and hard on many web-sites to find the perfect TT in excellent shape and for an acceptable price. I live in SE Michigan and traveled to mid-Wisconsin to pick up our "new" trailer. After our first outing, I now know we made the right decision. This TT offers just the right combination of interior size and comfortable towability. My TV consists of a 1998 Ford E150 conversion van with the 5.4L engine and tow package. The long wheelbase and short distance between rear axle and hitch ball works well for a stable ride and (along with anti-sway friction bar) sway control.

This new TT is an upgrade from our Coleman Utah pop-up camper. Everything came into place with perfect timing as we sold our pop-up 1-day prior to picking up our new unit.

I have already completed a few modifications including a rear bumper hitch to carry two light-weight aluminum mountain bikes, permanent light rope attached to the awning roller tube, indoor/outdoor weather station, magazine rack and power outlet over the slide-out queen bed, 21" LCD TV mount on swing-out pivot arm, and coffee maker and toaster mounts where TV shelf is located (mounted LCD TV external of this shelf area). I also saw a cool mod on this site for an external hot/cold water connection at the outside kitchen - I plan to complete this mod prior to our next outing.

Our next outing will be a simple excursion over Labor Day weekend. We will most likely wrap our season up in mid-October with a scheduled trip to the Hocking Hills area of Ohio - an absolutely beautiful area of the country to see the fall colors!

While I plan on keeping the van as an extra tow vehicle (it also offers plenty of comfort and interior room for taking the kids along with friends) I do plan on replacing my every day car (Volkswagen Eos) with another vehicle that can tow the trailer and/or boat. I am starting to look at either a Chevy Avalanche or Tahoe type vehicles...would the short wheelbase of the Tahoe be adequate for the 26RS? This decision wont be made for a couple of months yet so I have plenty of time to do my research. In the meantime, I will continue to use the van to pull the camper - although my turbo charged 2L Eos puts out over 300Hp and 320 torque, I think its wheel base is too short to pull the camper!


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## Ralph & Brenda Miller (May 1, 2007)

deanintemp said:


> Okay, after 18 months of research and looking, we finally purchased a 2005 26RS. I looked long and hard on many web-sites to find the perfect TT in excellent shape and for an acceptable price. I live in SE Michigan and traveled to mid-Wisconsin to pick up our "new" trailer. After our first outing, I now know we made the right decision. This TT offers just the right combination of interior size and comfortable towability. My TV consists of a 1998 Ford E150 conversion van with the 5.4L engine and tow package. The long wheelbase and short distance between rear axle and hitch ball works well for a stable ride and (along with anti-sway friction bar) sway control.
> 
> This new TT is an upgrade from our Coleman Utah pop-up camper. Everything came into place with perfect timing as we sold our pop-up 1-day prior to picking up our new unit.
> 
> ...


We have a 2002 Tahoe, and a 2003 26RS. We made about 80 trips (mostly weekend trips), and everything has been fine. Two things that I've added that I really like is: an electric tongue jack and a Reese Dual-Cam. Both items work very well.

Ralph Miller


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## amyk (Feb 13, 2009)

congrats and welcome to the site!!!

my question is how do you have a permanent light bar on your awning?? pics of the mods?? sounds like you are really into it and will have a great time with it!!!


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Congratulations!

Micah


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## nekkoddd (Jun 20, 2009)

Welcome aboard, this is a great site for helping fellow OB'rs out. I have a Yukon Denali XL and it pulls my 23KRS like a dream.

Be well,

Mike


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## 2lman (Nov 24, 2008)

I bought our 26rs from a guy who towed it with an Explorer so I would think a Tahoe would work fine. I pull with a Ram 1500 and it pulls fine. I won't win any races but it pulls okay with no tail wagging.

We love our 26rs. My DD loves all the beds so she can invite friends to camp out with her.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

CONGRATS
Glad to see another 26RS on-board









Don


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## deanintemp (Apr 3, 2007)

amyk said:


> congrats and welcome to the site!!!
> 
> my question is how do you have a permanent light bar on your awning?? pics of the mods?? sounds like you are really into it and will have a great time with it!!!


I am traveling on business this week but will post pictures of my rope light installation this weekend. Basically, we purchased an 18' light rope and awning attachment from Camping World. This attachment simply slides into the extra groove in the awning roller tube (the groove that the pull strap mounts in). About 18" hangs out one end which I wrapped in black electrical tape so as not to see the lights. The entire assembly simply stays in position and rolls up in the awning - no need to get lights out and hang them every time or to put them away, simply unroll the awning and plug them in! The only slight issue is that the excess "rope" on one end flops around when rolling and unrolling the awning so you must go slowly. Also, when the awning is in the closed position, since the diameter changes ever so slightly, the flip switch at the top right ends up in a slightly different position making it slightly more difficult to activate.

I have always hated getting the lights out every time and putting them away when leaving - this makes it very simple. The only concern I have is that as the assembly is rolled up into the closed position, the rope light sticks out slightly causing somewhat of a small "speed bump" along the entire length of the roller tube; thus, the awning wraps up into a very slight oval shape. I dont think this will cause an issue as I used to roll up all my support tubes into the awning of my pop-up camper with no issues and the same material is used on this awning. I will watch this closely and let post updates if anything goofy occurs.


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## deanintemp (Apr 3, 2007)

Okay, here are some pictures of our new (used) 26RS and our new (used) Suburban. I have done the following mods and will post each in the mod area of this forum:


Permanent exterior light rope in awning - awesome
Storage cradles for my queen bed slide supports
21" HD TV removable mount
rear hitch receiver for bike rack
Interior/exterior weather station with clock
Exterior all-weather speakers


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