# 21rs....or???



## camptails (Jan 18, 2005)

We are going back and forth on the 21RS and the 25RSS. We want a floorplan for just the two of us and our bikes and small dog. I have not trailered at these lengths or weights before. Is the difference in the length and weight that significant with the tow vehicle. The last thing I want is a "white knuckler"







towing my trailer on trips and hastleing with parking when I get there (The slide out couch is ver..ry persuasive.) I would like to hear some opinons from 21RS owners that are out there. I plan to tow with a Tahoe that has a 7800 rating. However Colorado takes about 20% of that if you travel the high country. My dealer says no problem with either......??

Camptails


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## Jose Fernandez (Jun 22, 2004)

My wife and I shopped for the perfect trailer for over 6 months to accomodate the 4 of us. Then, we were in a pop-up so any travel trailer would have been better. Anyway, we too were set on the 25RSS. The local dealer had one on the lot, and we spent what seemed hours sitting in it. We looked at all the possiblities, design, storage space's, etc. Our minds were made up-this was the one...

On one ocassional trip to the dealer, he mentioned they were putting on a mini-RV Show and extended an invitation. They displayed a bunch of RV's at a local camp site. Anyway, we attended and for the first time stepped inside the 21RS. I had never given the 21RS a chance since I had researched and researched (on the Web) and viewed the floorplan of the 25RSS and the much larger one's. I read the weights and realized that it would accomodate a family of 4 just fine, and my present TV (2003 F150 Supercrew) would appreciate it as well. To make a long story short, we purchased the 21RS that day, and towed it home the next-right from the mini-RV Show.

My family and I have taken a few trips last summer (purchased late summer of 2004) and have had nothing short of a great time. The kids love the bunk beds, since they no longer have to share a bed like they had to in the pop-up. And, I no longer wake up sick from the motion caused by movement in the pop-up.

Hope this helps you decide...

Jose


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

We've had 2 trailers. Our first was a 28 foot with a front dinette slide, weighed about 5300# ready to camp. We loved the room we had, the big con was not having bunks for the girls, but that isn't really an issue for you. The biggest problem was the length for our Yukon, which is the same truck as your tahoe. Had sway problems (long story) and decided to get something shorter.

The 21RS we have is 6 feet shorter and about 400# lighter than our other trailer. Our truck handles this trailer MUCH better. We've towed over 6k miles in all conditions (except snow







) and have had no "white knuckle" moments. I did switch to LT tires for the truck which also made a big difference. We played it pretty conservative with getting something that is relatively light and short for safety and comfort's sake. My wife does half the driving and it was important that she be comfortable with our setup. I don't think she would be if we had a longer and heavier trailer with our current truck.

This trailer, although compact, has everything we need and works well for us. We plan on keeping it for a while, once our daughters stop camping with us, it will have plenty of room for the two of us. If I was going to be pulling in the mountains frequently, I'd rather be pulling the 21RS with a tahoe than the longer 25RSS, but that's just me.









Mike


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## Ymryl (Mar 2, 2004)

Get the 21RS if it is just the two of you. It has plenty of room for two and will be much easier to pull, especially at the higher elevations - I don't want to think of what it would be like to have to hit one of those truck run away things they have up there in the mountains.


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## GenesRUs (Oct 11, 2004)

We got a 21RS in August. We tow with a '04 Ford F-150 with the 5.4L engine and a 3.55 rear end. We live in CO, and have camped about six times with the 21RS up in the mountains. The comination of the TT, steep grades, and high altitude make for some pretty slow going (40-50 mph in second or third heading up to the Eisenhower Tunnel, or over other passes. I wouldn't want to tow anything much heavier than what we have!


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## Swanie (Oct 25, 2004)

I'm a "wannabe" too, trying to decide between 21rs and 25rss. I have changed my mind many times but the logic is strong for the 21rs -- easier towing, basic space (you don't spend time inside except for rain or sleeping!), AND I think it's a plus to only have one slide out instead of two. I know the slideout is easy but it's still something you have to DO each time you set up (can't you tell I have a pop-up and am sick of setting up?)

Two doors and more space is so tempting (that couch slideout in the 25rss looks great) but I have a Durango with short wheel base as well and why bother with white-knuckling? LESS IS MORE!

I guess I've nearly made my decision. Good luck with yours!


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## outbackgeorgia (Jan 28, 2004)

I have a 2003 21RS that I tow with a 2000 Durango FT4X4 4.7 liter.

I did change both the front and rear axles to 3.92 as the 3.55 (stock with FT4X4) did not cut it in the mountains.

Note that just changing the axle ratio increaeses the tow ratings 800-1000 lbs, depending on the vehicle.

We did lok at several longer trailers, BUT as you said, less is more!
The 21RS is great for us and as we had a pop-up previously, just having a hot shower is great!

After over 15,000 miles towing with the Durango, it is a little slow on some steep hills, but has never let us down. This includes Grand Canyon and Mt. Rushmore trips as well as flatland towing

I do have extra heavy duty suspension, tow package, Rancho shocks and WD hitch with friction sway control. Completely stable under all towing conditions.

It works for us!

Outbackgeorgia


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## thunderstruck (Oct 18, 2004)

action We too are in final stages of shopping and were looking at 21RS and 25RSS and we have decided on 21RS for many reasons. Weight was one as I will be towing with GMC 1500. Length was another issue as when I measured both unit and found the real lengths







24 feet for 21RS and 28 for 25RSS the 21RS will fit in my side yard no storage bill very pricey in my area if you can find it. One more thing that my wife found out was alot of state parks have length limits and the 21 fits more places we want to camp. So as soon as we find what we think is best price we will be buying a 21RS


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## mjs518 (Oct 24, 2004)

Go with the 21RS







As you can see from all these posts there are many solid reasons why less is more


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## Swanie (Oct 25, 2004)

RE: _[quote name='outbackgeorgia' date='Jan 19 2005, 08:55 PM']
"I have a 2003 21RS that I tow with a 2000 Durango FT4X4 4.7 liter.

I did change both the front and rear axles to 3.92 as the 3.55 (stock with FT4X4) did not cut it in the mountains."_

Thanks OUTBACKGEORGIA! I have the 2004 Durango with the 3.92 rear axles (4.7 and V8 4X4) and I think you just confirmed we'll be okay if we stick with the 21rs along with sway control hitch. I just didn't know anyone else pulling with a Durango.


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## Central Mass Outbackers (Jun 13, 2004)

We tow our 2005 21RS with a 2004 Nissan Armada. I have to say that after one season and about 4 full weeks of camping plus a couple of weekends, we're still crazy about it. It tows real well, and isn't so big that it's hard to maneuver. We really think that for our family of 2 adults and 2 teenage boys, it's the perfect size for us now, and won't be too much for us when the kids are both gone in a few years. We certainly hope to still be using it that long!

Our only gripe is the limited storage for clothes, and I only say that because we got pretty spoiled from what we had in our old hybrid. My DH had converted a pretty useless armoire into a large chest of drawers with enough space for a month's worth of clothes. Since we probably won't be taking any more 4 week camping trips again for a while, we're making do with the small closet and drawers by the bunks. Of course when we retire and the kids are gone, we can stow our stuff on top of their bunks...

Good luck in your decision-making. You're gonna love your new Outback.

Sally


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## hyewalt34 (May 9, 2004)

Ditto's on everything said. We think the 21RS is perfect for us.









Walter


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

Swanie said:


> RE: _
> 
> 
> outbackgeorgia said:
> ...


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