Considering purchase of 2011 Outback 295re
We are going to look at a Used but seems to be immaculate 2011 Outback 295RE. Just thought I would post up and see any thoughts or concerns on this model. We currently have a Aruba 26RKS but are look...
Forum Discussion
I'll second Dutchman Sport comments on the 295 RE. We bought ours in 2010, have traveled over 20,000 miles in it, camped in it close to 300 days.
The 298RE is a 295RE that is about 1ft longer with a bedroom wardrobe slide. Does add noticeably better hanging room for clothing. And it adds about 9-12 more inches of bedroom space so you could add a full length queen bed. But you loose a window in the bedroom for ventilation. Other than that they are identical. The 298RE came out about 3 months after we bought the 295RE. The 298RE replaced the 295RE.
The "good side" AND "downside" of the 295RE/298RE is it is really a "couples" trailer. Very good for two folks. Everyday use for a family wouldn't be my first choice for it. Yes, it has lots of room for a family, but sleeping isn't set up for a family. That said, we do camp quite a bit with our Daughter/SIL and two grandkids. BUT THEY get to set up the airbed (which is comfortable) and the dining are for sleeping. And when the grandkids were little, it meant being outside in the evening after the went to bed. Nice and normal unless the weather is bad.
Now for the good for us. Lots of storage. GREAT views with all the windows, lots of room in the living area for long trips, tows great, great for dry camping with 60 gal of grey and 30 gal of black water. In our case we can go two+ weeks easily if we dry camp. Even when the grandkids are with us 4-6 days is possible. Everything has held up well. carpet still looks like new, couches etc holding up. Seems like well built cabinets. Nice shower/bath. You can easily get to the bath, beds, fridge, microwave, sink, oven, cooktop, and most cabinets with the slides in. great for lunch stops, and with slides in at night makes for a quick getaway in the morning if needed.
The open view area is what sold us, and it is nice to get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and look out for a good mountain or ocean view we often get.
The bedroom does lack a dresser, so storage room for clothing is somewhat limited. That can be somewhat fixed by installing two drawers under the bed, easy to do since our dealer ordered two of the kitchen cabinet drawers from outback for us, and they fit perfect.
As far as appliances, well, they use same appliances as any other trailer, fridge is big enough, works well, same with the rest. The trailer is big enough that in direct sun and hot weather the single AC is going to run pretty constant to keep it cool (85+ in the sun) and it really is a maybe a 3 season trailer. single pane windows etc. We camp in ours down below freezing but wouldn't do a midwest/west winter campout. If it drops below freezing at night but gets in the 70's in the day (typical fall campout a few weeks ago) the furnace will run for 1+ hours in the morning. If it only gets into the 40's in the day the furnace is going to run a lot.
we tow ours with a 2004 duramax 2500. easy towing. I wouldn't recomend towing it with a 1/2 ton, but that's my opinion.
we keep an eye on new trailers and new layouts, and haven't found one yet we would trade for. found some with a slideout bedroom with dresser etc, NICE they either have only a 30 gallon grey, or more often have a island kitchen, nice but not accesible with the slides in. Or they don't have the living area view.
The 295RE is NOT a short trailer, That can/does pose problems in older campgrounds. Not an issue with RV parks, but can be a problem with state/federal/county parks. Unless I know in advance I call and check to make sure we can (a) make the turns in the park and (b) get backed into the site. Have been times when we need to find another campground, or have limited site choice. If a site has full hookups, I can almost guarantee I can get in. It's the others that can either be an issue.
But IMHO a long trailer is easier to back than a short one (I can back the 295RE easier than my 14' cargo trailer). But plan on developing good backing skills if you do older campgrounds.
The 298RE is a 295RE that is about 1ft longer with a bedroom wardrobe slide. Does add noticeably better hanging room for clothing. And it adds about 9-12 more inches of bedroom space so you could add a full length queen bed. But you loose a window in the bedroom for ventilation. Other than that they are identical. The 298RE came out about 3 months after we bought the 295RE. The 298RE replaced the 295RE.
The "good side" AND "downside" of the 295RE/298RE is it is really a "couples" trailer. Very good for two folks. Everyday use for a family wouldn't be my first choice for it. Yes, it has lots of room for a family, but sleeping isn't set up for a family. That said, we do camp quite a bit with our Daughter/SIL and two grandkids. BUT THEY get to set up the airbed (which is comfortable) and the dining are for sleeping. And when the grandkids were little, it meant being outside in the evening after the went to bed. Nice and normal unless the weather is bad.
Now for the good for us. Lots of storage. GREAT views with all the windows, lots of room in the living area for long trips, tows great, great for dry camping with 60 gal of grey and 30 gal of black water. In our case we can go two+ weeks easily if we dry camp. Even when the grandkids are with us 4-6 days is possible. Everything has held up well. carpet still looks like new, couches etc holding up. Seems like well built cabinets. Nice shower/bath. You can easily get to the bath, beds, fridge, microwave, sink, oven, cooktop, and most cabinets with the slides in. great for lunch stops, and with slides in at night makes for a quick getaway in the morning if needed.
The open view area is what sold us, and it is nice to get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and look out for a good mountain or ocean view we often get.
The bedroom does lack a dresser, so storage room for clothing is somewhat limited. That can be somewhat fixed by installing two drawers under the bed, easy to do since our dealer ordered two of the kitchen cabinet drawers from outback for us, and they fit perfect.
As far as appliances, well, they use same appliances as any other trailer, fridge is big enough, works well, same with the rest. The trailer is big enough that in direct sun and hot weather the single AC is going to run pretty constant to keep it cool (85+ in the sun) and it really is a maybe a 3 season trailer. single pane windows etc. We camp in ours down below freezing but wouldn't do a midwest/west winter campout. If it drops below freezing at night but gets in the 70's in the day (typical fall campout a few weeks ago) the furnace will run for 1+ hours in the morning. If it only gets into the 40's in the day the furnace is going to run a lot.
we tow ours with a 2004 duramax 2500. easy towing. I wouldn't recomend towing it with a 1/2 ton, but that's my opinion.
we keep an eye on new trailers and new layouts, and haven't found one yet we would trade for. found some with a slideout bedroom with dresser etc, NICE they either have only a 30 gallon grey, or more often have a island kitchen, nice but not accesible with the slides in. Or they don't have the living area view.
The 295RE is NOT a short trailer, That can/does pose problems in older campgrounds. Not an issue with RV parks, but can be a problem with state/federal/county parks. Unless I know in advance I call and check to make sure we can (a) make the turns in the park and (b) get backed into the site. Have been times when we need to find another campground, or have limited site choice. If a site has full hookups, I can almost guarantee I can get in. It's the others that can either be an issue.
But IMHO a long trailer is easier to back than a short one (I can back the 295RE easier than my 14' cargo trailer). But plan on developing good backing skills if you do older campgrounds.
