# Questions From A Newbie



## time2losethetent (Oct 11, 2007)

What a neat website! I do not yet own an RV. We have been looking for over a year and decided on the Outback 21RS. It should meet our needs and keep us out of the weather. I have 3 children and a wife and all are tired of getting wet and sleeping in the tent. We have camped for 14 years and gone through several tents and hundreds of dollars worth of camping equipment. Oddly enough, when I found this site, the majority of folks here have the same model that we liked! Would this be a good starter for us? Is it easy to pull? Are there any problems with them? This will be quite an investment for us and we want to make the right decision. Thanks so much for your time.


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## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

Welcome to the site. Glad you found us. I dont know much about the 21 floor plan so i will let some one else chime in about that. As far as towing it, what are you planning to tow it with? And where?


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## time2losethetent (Oct 11, 2007)

sleecjr said:


> Welcome to the site. Glad you found us. I dont know much about the 21 floor plan so i will let some one else chime in about that. As far as towing it, what are you planning to tow it with? And where? Towing with a 99 Ford F-150 4x4 4.6 V8. For awhile not going too far... 100 miles or so. Thanks.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

time2losethetent said:


> Welcome to the site. Glad you found us. I dont know much about the 21 floor plan so i will let some one else chime in about that. As far as towing it, what are you planning to tow it with? And where? Towing with a 99 Ford F-150 4x4 4.6 V8. For awhile not going too far... 100 miles or so. Thanks.


[/quote]

You'll have to look at the spec's on that one! I may be able to help with a link...Stand-By!

Eric

I just went to Ford Enthusiasts.com

and did not find the 99 but did find the 2000.

2000 Ford F-150 4.6l 

The GCVWR and Tow Capacity for that truck does not look like it will allow you to safely tow the 21RS.

KeystoneRV

You'll want a 5.4l V-8 or better it looks like. If your going to start towing you want to be safe and have a bit of wiggle room in your capacities as the TT weights are not exact and are usually on the "shy" side.

Eric


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

Welcfome to the site!









Whatever you decide, have fun, and be safe.


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## TrainRiders (Jan 10, 2006)

time2losethetent said:


> What a neat website! I do not yet own an RV. We have been looking for over a year and decided on the Outback 21RS. It should meet our needs and keep us out of the weather. I have 3 children and a wife and all are tired of getting wet and sleeping in the tent. We have camped for 14 years and gone through several tents and hundreds of dollars worth of camping equipment. Oddly enough, when I found this site, the majority of folks here have the same model that we liked! Would this be a good starter for us? Is it easy to pull? Are there any problems with them? This will be quite an investment for us and we want to make the right decision. Thanks so much for your time.


First I'll say a big WELCOME to you and moving up to an Outback will definitely be a step up from the hard ground of the tent.

We have 2 kids (6 & 8) in a 21RS and for us it works great with the kids using the 2 bunks and not having to use the table or couch for sleeping each night. For 3 kids I think it would be a bit tight especially as they get bigger unless you want to put 1 or 2 of them outside in a tent (as my folks did with me when I was a kid in our 16' Aristocrat). So I would recommend something a bit bigger so you aren't 'trading up' quite so soon. But then that brings me to the next topic. The tow vehicle.

I see you have a F-150 4.6L V8. That should tow the 21RS OK but you won't win any races and it will be working on the hills. We tow our 21RS with a 2003 F-150 5.4L CC and it gets the job done but pulls the passes in Western WA and OR in 2nd @45-50. So I wouldn't want any bigger TT than the 21RS with this truck. Also, I don't know what the weight limits are on the 4.6L F-150 but with a loaded trailer, 5 people and misc gear, you may be getting close to the limits. That leaves you with a couple choices, stick with the F-150 and 21RS and be cozy in the TT or take the plunge now for a big bigger TT and TV and not be upgrading either quite so soon.

Good luck in your search.


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

Welcome to Outbackers. I'll leave the towing issues up to the others on this one. The 21rs is a great camper having bunks for the kids and the outside stove to cook. The kids sleep in (and the wife) while I start breakfast in the morning. 
Many of us have moved from tents, to pop up campers and then the Outback. You're smart missing the pop up cycle. I like your screen name too.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Hi time2losethetent
















to Outbackers! 

Hey! If you're going to have to upgrade your tow vehicle to pull the 21rs, might as well go for the 23rs and get the queen bed and bunk together in the forward sleeping area for the kids









Happy Outback hunting and keep us posted,


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

WELCOME !!

Looks like Dawn has the Halloween decorations out....


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## Aunt B (Apr 30, 2007)

Welcome to the site. We got a 21-rs in April and love it. We've had a few typical new vehicle disorders but nothing major and they were fixed by our dealer in good order. I will tell you that loaded with water and all the stuff you need for camping they are still something to tow. Going from a pop up to this was a real change for us so I can only imagine never towing anything and going to this would be an eye opening experience. That said this model with the bike door is perfect for us (only 2) but we take our 8 year old grandson with us all of the time. We have a Silverado crew cab 1/2 ton with 5.3 and 3.73 locker Z-71 4x4 and it is great. We also have the Equil-i-zer 1000# wd system. I like it so much I wouldn't know to recommend anything else. If you are a devout Ford person I agree with what some others have said and think the 5.4 would be the perfect puller especially on hills and elevated areas. However if you were to haul through the mountains you might even consider 6.0 or larger. 5 to 6000 pounds is a lot to pull straight up and a lot to stop on the backside. Whatever you decide I think it would be a perfect trailer. But if you are in a position that you can't up grade your tv then you might want to consider a lighter weight trailer. Unfortunately OB doesn't provide that but there are some other Keystone products that do. The goal here is just safety. Again welcome to the site and let us know what happens when it happens.

Aunt B


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## Brad1 (Jan 21, 2007)

We just had our third child and when we were looking at Outback's, knew that we were planning on him/her...ended up her. Anyway, as much as I would love the bike door, we chose the 23RS. I would do the same if I were you. We tow with the Expedition with 5.4,V8. I would not have gone any bigger. We don't win any races, as many have said, going on hilly terrain. But I feel comfortable with the setup. Good luck, I know it will be a step up either way. We came from a pop up and love the change. But as the kids get bigger it will get tight in there. Just think for down the road, not right now.


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## col. Sanders crew (Sep 28, 2007)

Welcome !!
We have a 21rs too, we love it, but you will have to be very creative in making use of the limited storage. Check out the mods here on the site, some very good ideas on helping with storage, etc.
We have 2 kids, one in college so she doesn't travel much with us anymore. We have had as many as eight people camping with us and sleeping in our 21rs. Tight quarters, but we all survived and lived to tell the tale !!


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## Swanie (Oct 25, 2004)

I have a 21rs towed by 4.7 durango. It's isn't the fastest but it gets the job done, especially for local trips. I also have 3 kids . . . works fine. Don't go bigger if you don't want to. Smaller can be better as far as I am concerned.

One last question: where are you located? I'm in Minnesota and am thinking I'll be selling my 21rs in early spring BUT could sell it this fall. It's a 2003 in good condition and it's going to be cheap. (we got a good deal when we bought it from the original owner and why not pass on the savings for someone else to enjoy.) My kids are going on to college so I don't have a lot of need for the bunks anymore and we're thinking about a class c.


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## hpapa4 (Apr 11, 2007)

Welcome to Outbackers!


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## time2losethetent (Oct 11, 2007)

Swanie said:


> I have a 21rs towed by 4.7 durango. It's isn't the fastest but it gets the job done, especially for local trips. I also have 3 kids . . . works fine. Don't go bigger if you don't want to. Smaller can be better as far as I am concerned.
> 
> One last question: where are you located? I'm in Minnesota and am thinking I'll be selling my 21rs in early spring BUT could sell it this fall. It's a 2003 in good condition and it's going to be cheap. (we got a good deal when we bought it from the original owner and why not pass on the savings for someone else to enjoy.) My kids are going on to college so I don't have a lot of need for the bunks anymore and we're thinking about a class c.


Sorry for the late reply. I live in Joplin, Mo. and would very much like to speak with you about this. If I can figure out how to email you, I will, otherwise I will check back here!


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

time2losethetent said:


> Sorry for the late reply. I live in Joplin, Mo. and would very much like to speak with you about this. If I can figure out how to email you, I will, otherwise I will check back here!


Send a PM.


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