Today’s RV review is of the Keystone Springdale 256RD travel trailer. This is another example of how there are a lot of reasons to continue shopping even if you find a floor plan that you like. The way individual RV companies interpret their floor plans can make a big difference. But also, sometimes the value one company puts into something may not be shared by you. So you may not want to pay for that component or design aspect.
Or you may find that the cheaper way to go absolutely isn’t the way you’d prefer.
For example, this is the same floor plan as the Ember RV E-Series 25RUD we looked at on Sunday. But there are a lot of differences between the two, even though they’re the same floor plan.
What’s inside the Keystone Springdale 256RD travel trailer
I like this floor plan, and I have to admit that I also like a lot of how Keystone does things. I’m also a fan of how Ember does things, but the things the two companies seem to excel at are different.
One of the highlights of this floor plan is the large U-shaped dinette in the back of the trailer. Keystone did this the way I’d prefer—with a free-floating table. That means you could use it over in the slide with the theater seats or jackknife sofa (you have a choice). That really opens up the U-shaped seating at the back.
For 2024, Keystone changed the roof of the Springdale line from an arched ceiling to a flat ceiling. In so doing, they raised the entire interior to 6’9”. That also translates into a taller slide box and just a more spacious feel overall.
They also did the same thing as Ember with the counter, where it’s a single width along the entire length of the counter. Since Springdale is more of a budget-focused brand, there’s no fireplace here, but that’s just fine with me. Instead, you get lots of cabinets and drawers in the kitchen—and nobody doesn’t want more cabinets and drawers.
There’s also a pantry opposite the kitchen with even more storage. You get storage under the U-shaped dinette, too. There’s even storage above the theater seats or sofa. However, the doors don’t stay up—so getting into that is a two-handed operation. Why don’t RV companies just put the stinking hinges on the side. That would eliminate altogether the need for a strut to hold up the doors?
No TV in the Springdale line
Something to note is that the Springdale line doesn’t come with a TV—and I’m just fine with that. I’ve seen lots of people kvetch about the TVs in some RVs not being smart TVs or that they’re not big enough. I don’t have a TV in my RV (nor in my house) anyway. If we could convince them not to include mattresses, the world would be a better place to live in.
Speaking of mattresses, the bedroom in this is set ahead of a bathroom that splits the RV in half—which I personally prefer. But I also get the people who think otherwise. However, the mattress included is a short queen.
At first I looked at this and thought it wouldn’t be a big deal to put a standard queen in here, until I noticed the closet at the back of the bedroom. This is a nice touch and nobody doesn’t want more storage. But I believe a proper queen-size mattress would make it difficult to open the bottom door of the closet enough to get into it.
Interestingly, there is a household outlet on either side of the bed. It’s wired so that if you did add an inverter to this rig it would be powered through the inverter. That would be for off-grid camping where the battery would provide 120vac household current to the RV. But there are no USB outlets here which typically run on 12 volt. So you have to either be plugged in to shore power or have an inverter and enough battery so you can charge your gadgets.
Laundry chute in the bedroom
Another Keystone hallmark feature is a laundry chute in the bedroom. It gives you direct access to the front pass-through, so you could dump your dirty laundry there. You could also do weird puppet shows, as well. Or even scare your spouse by popping your head up through this hatch.
I had just passed right through the bathroom, so let’s go back and observe the nice closet in here along with all the space. Bathrooms that span the width of a camper just are my favorite, whether they be in the middle of a trailer or at the back.
With the higher ceiling height in this trailer, that also gives you more headroom in the shower—that’s a plus. In fact, unless you’re pretty tall, you wouldn’t need the headroom provided by the skylight. Quite frankly, these are such a failure point of any RV I wouldn’t be sad if Keystone chose just not to put it in here.
Boondocking and travel access in the Keystone Springdale 256RD travel trailer
The slide in this RV blocks access to the bedroom and bathroom from the main living area. However, there is a door to the bedroom, so that’s a pass.
There is a single 220-watt solar panel with a good charge controller, so you could add more panels. Keystone’s SolarFlex package means that the dealership could also source and add the panels for you directly from Keystone. That means they would be covered by the RV warranty.
Keystone has really taken a leadership position here in that all Keystone RVs are equipped with at least 220 watts of solar. They also provide an upgrade path that can be optioned from the factory or installed by the dealership. These upgrades also include using Dragonfly batteries. All of this is covered under Keystone’s warranty. It’s really a good situation.
Interestingly, this unit is popular enough that it’s built in both Indiana and Washington state. That means there are two models, sort of: the 256RD and the 256RDWE (Western Edition). When you look at the specifications, the Western Edition has more fresh and black water capacity but less gray water capacity. Weird.
There are other differences, as well, and the model you get is based on where you’re located. The Western Edition models are shipped to the Western U.S.; the Indiana models are shipped to the rest of the country.
What I would change in the Keystone Springdale 256RD travel trailer
One of the things I think would be nifty on this trailer is a baggage door at the very back to get you in under the rear-most part of the dinette. I’d love a bit more easily-accessible storage, and this would be a nifty place to put it. Of course, you’d have to figure out what to do with the spare tire. I have seen some companies mount it under the trailer.
Of course, the tiny oven, small vent fan and off-brand tires are other things I would change here.
Keystone has set a positive tone in many ways with things like wiring their trailers intentionally. (Most RVs are designed but then the final wiring is done by the assembly team on the line, so diagnosing an issue is costly and time consuming.) I’ve also been told that Keystone is doing their plumbing right.
Conclusions
With a price difference of about $10,000, there are definitely a lot of differences between today’s floor plan and the Ember we looked at on Sunday. So, this is the kind of thing where choices have to be made.
Not only are there obvious differences in things like the various features and components in these rigs, but also how they’re built. For example, this is what is referred to as a “stick-and-tin” trailer. That means it’s a wooden stick-built structure that’s covered in corrugated aluminum skin. The Ember is a welded aluminum structure with a laminated skin.
With all the other differences, you can see how they play out and what your own tolerance for the price of things will bear. Which brings up the question of where you place the value of things.
One thing: There are ways of doing things less expensively and I think that Keystone does make some wise choices in this. I have seen other budget-focused campers where they just are cheap for the sake of being cheap. This isn’t fancy or elaborate—but it’s not bad either.
And, quite frankly, I sold a lot of Springdale trailers when I was selling RVs and they tended to be pretty well put together (we got ours out of the West Coast plant).
My thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the photos and video in this story.
More about these RV reviews
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.
You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy.
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With that list price, these might retail for <$30,000 at some big dealers. But you may immediately need to replace the tires, vent fans, and mattress, add a TV, and are stuck with a virtually unusable oven. So, how much of a bargain is it really?
And, in my opinion, both this Springdale and the Ember should have a torsion-axle suspension instead of those Model T-vintage leaf springs!
Cons: It’s a Keystone. My Keystone Cougar is a piece of junk. Nothing but problems!
Thank you, Tony! 🙂 Your reviews alwsys are learning opportunities for me. So, I’ve little, if anything to contribute. I do wonder if having a whole lot of storage places contributes to overweight RVs? Further, if the overweight RVs are riding on dangerous tires, tires prone to blowouts, then I think it all the more likely that there can be “too much” storage in such an RV. 🤔 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂