How we came to buy a Keystone Hideout 253RL

Elizabeth and I are crossing the country in a Keystone Hideout 253RL travel trailer. We picked this RV after a good eight months of research, online and on the lots of more than a half dozen RV dealerships. 

We quickly learned that RVs come in three basic types: “motor homes,” which power themselves and so don’t need towing; “travel trailers,” which are attached behind the rear bumper of a tow vehicle; and “fifth-wheels,” which arch over and are attached to the bed of a pickup truck. 

All three have their advantages and drawbacks. We settled on a travel trailer because they tend to be less expensive than motor homes and fifth-wheels. We also wanted a vehicle for running to the Walmart or driving to the trailhead  once we arrive at our next destination. With motor homes, unless they’re the smaller kind, you need to tow a separate vehicle behind the RV. (Maintaining one engine and drive train on a long trip seemed enough for me!)

Elizabeth and I agreed at the start that we wanted an RV with the bedroom separated from the kitchen and living area. That means the RV would be close to 30 feet in total length. (The 253 in our unit name means that it’s roughly 25.3 feet long on the inside, plus the length of the hitch that extends to the pickup’s “receiver” ball. The RL means “rear living,” with the easy chairs at the back of the unit where there are more windows and light.) Being a novice “truck driver,” I wasn’t keen on towing anything longer than 30 feet.

We explored a number of floor plans but none of them seemed quite right. A lot of them have the TV and/or the electric heater “fireplace” at the front end of the living area, closer to the kitchen than where we would be seated. We found a plan we both liked in September when I was watching a virtual RV show online. One segment featured a tour of the newly designed Hideout 253RL by the Keystone engineer responsible for the project. Here’s the floorpan:

The problem then was finding an actual unit we could look at! No dealerships within driving distance of Northern Virginia had a 253RL in stock.  The main problem was supply and demand: RV shipments nationwide rose 34 percent in the second half of 2020, fueled by new buyers who wanted to escape more urban areas during the covid pandemic. At the same time, the virus had disrupted domestic RV production last April and May, creating bottlenecks in getting units to dealers and customers.

Then in December we were contacted by Mountaineer RV in Weston, WV, that they had a Hideout 253RL on the lot. We drove four hours west into the Allegheny Mountains to look it over and bought it that day. We picked it up in late January and hit the road Feb. 9. 

In the coming days, I’ll post more about what it’s like to hitch up, tow, and unhitch this 30-foot, 3 1/2 ton mobile home. And we’ll share what it’s been like so far to live in an RV and manage its specialized systems for heating, cooking, water, electricity and (ahem) sewage disposal. And if you’ve been thinking of hitting the road yourself in an RV, we’d be happy to share the modest knowledge we’ve gained so far. Please contact me through the blog site to ask any questions.