Ive been here so many times reading what everyone has done and followed alot of advise throughout the years, I thought Id drop in and put up a list of mods and upgrades Ive done to our Trailer! I am an outbacker also though and though, the majority of the upgrades will def apply to just about any keystone outback if it fits the part! So after years of outbacking I thought maybe Id share a list of upgrades for our trailer, some may seem extreme or over the top but for us have worked tremendously.
If anyone has any questions on any of these feel free to ask, as well we are always up for new ideas or other mods that have helped!
We have a 2014 Outback 250TRS
Outside the trailer:
Qty 2: Renogy 160 Watt 12 Volt Extremely Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panel - We used white butyl tape to tape it down on the roof, 3 years and still going.
HQST PWM 20A Charge Controller - One thing about chargers is you dont need something crazy expensive, however you def want power management
2- 12V 125ah Lithium Batteries W/ Custom Rack and Covers - We had ours custom made at a battery shop, protip - if you have any battery shops that can make lithium batteries thats the way to go, we had ours done at $250 ea, a far cry from buying them online.
Electric Tongue Jack
Sumo Springs SSR-610-40 - now if your like us and go offroad and "wonderful" roads to say the least, these little helpers are beyond awesome.
MORryde CRE2-33 CRE3000 Suspension - we use the 33", Ive had experience with alot of others and for us these seem to work the best.
Moryde UO12-016 Heavy Duty Shackle Upgrade Kit
Moryde UO21-003 X Factor Crossmembers - we installed 3 of them
Rainier ST Apex - Tredit Tire & Wheel - we upgraded to these tires 2 years ago and have performed well offroad.
Beech Lane RV Roof and Leak Permanent Repair Tape 4" x 50' - always have on hand
AMES MSS1 1 Gallon Maximum Stretch Roof Coating - Most people know that factory coating is garbage, even doing this on a new Trailer is well worth it, now I use this, many people use other brands and vice versa, Id say use what works for you and has good reviews. AMES however can be bought in different colors which helps depending on your current roof color. The UV and heat dissipation is worth it
BUNKER HILL SECURITY 115 Lumen Wall Mount Solar Security Light, Black from Harbor Freight, for 9.99/ea we paid for, we bought six, 2 each side, 1 for front/back.
LED Light Strip for under our awning - 12v white, We wired it directly to our outer light by our front entrance.
Support Struts Gas Spring Shocks for our doors, better than the cheap holders you get from the factory
Vented Covers for all vents/AC, pretty much everything on the roof, with the exception of our main skyline - get to that later.
Lithium Grease - used for all things outside for lubrication
WD40 - Read Above
RubberSeal Conditioner - cant go without it, if you have never had this.....you better get it, this is more important than people realize, especially for all slide outs.
1/2 Door Foam seal - Amazing what happens when you use this on your doors and storage compartments
Ceramic wax cleaner with Ceramic wax coat. For us we use this at the beginning/end of our camping year, whether it works as intended, seems to work so far
Other Small things that are helpful:
Rhino Sewer Line with clear 90
Sewer slinky
20 pound water regulator/check valve with 90 degree elbow
Surge Protector for shore power
2 - 30 Gallon Propane Tanks w/ cover
LED Change out on all outdoor lights
HandRail Guard for doors
12V Heater Pads for Black/Fresh tanks
Bluetooth Backup Camera - no we did not get a furion, we got a cheap amazon one, works great lol
24x84 etrailer Cargo Carrier for RV Bumper
Stromberg Carlson CC-255 Trailer Tray
American Flag Decal - A definite must for me
Dicor Leveling Lap sealant - we carry two things of it with us at all times
Ring Camera Door Bell
Solar Shower
12v Stream Pump with charcoal Filter
Heavy Duty Stabilizer jacks
Anderson Leveling Block Kit
X-Chock Wheel Stabilizer
If I forgot anything I will add to this list
Inside The Trailer:
Most are cosmetic things, what weve added to suit our needs, however I will list some mods I think are super helpful:
Tinted Windows, if you havent done it, fantastic upgrade for any window
Fantastic Fan
Custom made Window Winter blocks: we took EverBilt Double Reflective Material and taped/sewed it to a blackout curtain, sized to fit all windows and door windows, great for wintertime as it helps keep the heat in tremendously.
Used foil Backed insulation sheets (1-1/2inch - R9 values) to insulate the undercarriage by the rear slide out, front carriage walls, cargo area outer walls under side slide out(dining)
Used foil Backed Insulation for rear slide out bed ( oddly enough there is litterly a tiny piece of insulation under the bed board lol, almost laughable, we used 2" insulation board/ 1/4 moisture barrier board underneath that, along with a 2" board on the sides as well. This made a HUGE DIFFERENCE.
We found a garage door draft gasket foam for the underside of the rear slide. There is a drafty area literally underneath your rear slide above the carpet steps.
We use a skyline cushion cover when we are not using our fantastic fan.
All Oxygenics shower/faucet heads.
Customer pull out drawers for main storage cabinet with Liberty Soft Close ball Bearing Slides
Mousike Heavy Duty Magnetic Door latches as helpers/As well Reusable Zip Ties
750W Power Inverter
500W Solar Generator
We took out our microwave and made a custom Cabinet shelf and Door (For those wondering the color scheme for that year - Moonlight Mahogany was our color)
LATCH IT Upgraded RV Door Locks
Garmin GPS Antenna w/ Screen
Sceptre 32" 1080p FHD LED TV-DVD combo HDMI
Three Panel 12v Cigarette lighter combo - One is for a cig adaptor, the other two are for usb Plugins, used with our inverter
Foldable Sink Drying Rack
Magnetic Wall Brackets
Upgraded lights to all LED lights
Small HandHelf Rechargable Vacuum
adjustable Leveling feet for your table! - whoever designed the side slide out with a wobbly table needs kicked
Solid Steel Vents - anyone who has children understand that anything can be destroyed or bent
AC AND FURNACE MODS/UPGRADES
We went through all the vents and used foil tape to tape them up, depending on how new your trailer is and how unlazy the factory was when they built your trailer might determine whether they actually sealed or did a good job with your vents. Basically what happens is the 2" space between the ceiling as well the vent space(metal or foam) might not have been sealed, that creates loss of airflow, the airflow basically is blown into the ceiling cavity instead of your trailer, same goes with your furnace vents depending on which type you have.
Brings me to the furnace flex duct connections, again use foil tape to tape around the connections on your furnace and if possible where the vents are. Protip - Majority of furnaces now have a plate cap on top of the furnace, designed to gain access to venting on larger trailers. Crazy enough you lose airflow from that, Just foil tape around the vent plate. As well any other round vent plates not in use.
Another tip is for your ac louver grill, it can be different and if you look online there are ac helpers you can buy or youtube videos showing you how to increase airflow, and well they do work no doubt. Ours came with a separating piece already between supply and return along with foam mods in it, assuming the previous owners did this, I just reinforced/redid some of the foil tape around the vents etc to get a better seal inside the louver compartment.
Louver scoops for your ac louver vent, I cannot find for the life of me where we go them, but if you do you the louvers on your ac vent (if you have it, ducted or non ducted) They make louver scoops to throw the airflow in other directions in your trailer so the air is not so directionally downward, makes the air go outward more, if that makes sense.
More heat!!!
We changed our 30k furnace out to a 35k furnace. And fortunately for me I work in the HVACR Industry, below is based on experience and knowledge in the industry, 20 years worth. I am not saying I am an expert nor should you do anything suggested, the disclaimer.
If you want to spend the money get yourself an inverter driven heat pump, they are superior in energy efficiency as well require a smaller amp draw in order to run.
Your furnace, oddly enough furnaces are designed around 45 degree ambient temperatures, not to say they wont work below that as far as keeping you warm at night, however the majority of furnaces from 20-40k btu's are literally the same size in dimensions....as well are within 10% amp draw of each other on the fan size, we managed to pick up a 35k furnace of the same brand online for 200 bucks, literally plug and play, now by chance if your lucky to get a good find like that and want to make the change, Id say go for it, duct sizing and blower curves are literally the same, as well as gas piping, do your own research and inquire on this if you want to do this to make sure its right for you as well as something you SHOULD be doing. This is something you have to decide if you want to do, its worked wonders for us over the years without issue so anyone can have an opinion on this or even criticize me for it which is fine, this is a great debate I say!
Manufactures say this: Make sure to not oversize your furnace – too much heating capacity can cause rapid cycling and reduced comfort levels.
Its up to you if its something you think you should do, can do and are willing to do, and is solely up to you to decide if its safe, unsafe or however you want.
Your duct sizing, gas piping etc should be the same on a 30-40k btu furance, same with required cfm.
Thermostat - if you can find one that will let you set temps down to 40 degrees, I recommend, only if you camp in the colder seasons as well, its not a most but will help keep your furnace from cycling too much in really cold temps as well as not run all the time. Keep in mind this is getting to the point where its getting close to being freezing so always make sure everything else is ready for the cold.
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