OP here: I got the 2021 Outback yesterday. Is it perfect? No. Is anything? But whatever, that's what I'm doing. And I added all the convenience options: screen, deflectors, protectors, hitch...
I'm very much not a car person so I don't care much what I drive - I think this will do the job.
I am not removing the back seats, In Outback it's a pain in the butt and not much of a gain - there are posts about it. Also I'm not planning to live in the car so I don't think it's essential. But I'm looking into all kinds of camping gear and what not.
I think Planet Fitness membership idea is amazing, thank you! Not just for showers, I like working out.
Maps: I bought Rand McNally Road Atlas for fun and I'll def download Google maps. For planning I use Furkot.
Connectivity: I have Sprint on my phone. And there's Starlink in the car. I think I'll get Verizon prepaid e-SIM just to be covered better.
Parks passes (I'm not a veteran): I'll definitely get the National Parks pass but there's a whole lot more:
https://www.rei.com/c/park-passes and I'm not sure which ones are essential.
It's all kind of exciting, lol.