I'm fine with my DX3R on the local track, but for just bashing around outside in the sand or baseball field I've lost contact a couple of times when I'm out at distances. Is there any particular brand that stays connected for longer distances or they all about the same?

Anecdotally, Futaba's seem to have the best range. They are a common choice among the speed-run crowd that may need 1/4 mile or more in range from each end of where they stand while doing that sort of stuff. That being said, you should easily get enough range for nearly any type of bashing out of what you have. When bashing, are you perhaps running full-throttle pulls for so long it causes a brownout or tickles the LVC into triggering prematurely? Both of those cases could look like a lost signal.

No, I was blipping on both occasions. I had to walk towards buggy to gain control again.