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Old 12-21-2011, 05:34 AM   #41
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Hi: Carol H... Yes it's true!!! Limited production leads to high resale value. In order to get that value though, you have to sell your unit. Not many either side of the 49th. parallel want to do that! This also keeps the value high.
Here's a rare pic... three 5.0s at Niagara Wine Escape this year.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 12-21-2011, 06:02 AM   #42
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Hi: P. Raz... Here's a pic of "Kissin' cousins" that I snapped on entering Prince Edward Island. There is quite a strong family resemblance between several brands. ie. Trillium/Escape, Scamp/Boler, Burro/UHaul etc. You could say the Adam& Eve story of fiberglass trailers.
Wherever they came from and whichever one was the "Sacrificial lamb" we're all in favour of their being.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 12-21-2011, 07:26 AM   #43
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Hi: P. Raz... Here's a pic of "Kissin' cousins" that I snapped on entering Prince Edward Island. There is quite a strong family resemblance between several brands. ie. Trillium/Escape, Scamp/Boler, Burro/UHaul etc. You could say the Adam& Eve story of fiberglass trailers.
Wherever they came from and whichever one was the "Sacrificial lamb" we're all in favour of their being.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
Hi Alf. Just as Scamp took the Boler body style and expanded the line I have always assumed Escape did the same to the Trillium body style. Donna seemed to say that was not the case which peeked my curiosity. A bit of a history lesson if you know what I mean. Take care, Raz

Ps. Good picture!
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Old 12-21-2011, 11:59 AM   #44
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Interesting discussion about value. I noted the following quote about trailer history that I couldn't let slide; "Fiberglass body construction entered the U.S. scene in 1971 with the introduction of the first U.S. produced mini travel trailer, called the Playpac". This is certainly an oversimplification. Hunter was building the Compact Jr in California in 1968 and Trails West was building the Campster in 1970 in Idaho. I'm sure there may be other examples of earlier U.S. mass produced molded fiberglass trailers. Who copied which ideas will never be known.
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Old 12-21-2011, 12:15 PM   #45
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Hi Steve.
Things seem to cost more in Canada and I suspect a large part of the higher price is taxes. Raz
Actually I suspect the larger factor in the cost of manfacturing the trailers is the cost of land in BC, especially true anywhere near to Vancouver as Escape is. Hearing the cost of the property in the Vancouver area of BC would knock the socks of a lot of people. A news report this summer indicated that Vancouver has the highest average property values of *any* English speaking country in the world. Yup folks higher than every city in the USA, Australia, NZ and England to name a few. The high cost of land translates to high costs on *everthing* as a biz needs to cover their overhead. Even if they do not own the land and have to pay the morgage on it (which the intreast is not tax deductable on in Canada & sub par morgages are/were not common) they will have to pay a high rent which you can be sure more than covers the owners carring costs.
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Old 12-21-2011, 01:00 PM   #46
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Actually I suspect the larger factor in the cost of manfacturing the trailers is the cost of land in BC, especially true anywhere near to Vancouver as Escape is. Hearing the cost of the property in the Vancouver area of BC would knock the socks of a lot of people. A news report this summer indicated that Vancouver has the highest average property values of *any* English speaking country in the world. Yup folks higher than every city in the USA, Australia, NZ and England to name a few. The high cost of land translates to high costs on *everthing* as a biz needs to cover their overhead. Even if they do not own the land and have to pay the morgage on it (which the intreast is not tax deductable on in Canada & sub par morgages are/were not common) they will have to pay a high rent which you can be sure more than covers the owners carring costs.

Interesting, I did not know that. You see the same thing in New York City where a Big Mac goes for $5. Probably true of any urban area. I am always hearing how much more you folks pay for big ticket items like cars and assumed taxes was the reason. Raz
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Old 12-21-2011, 01:26 PM   #47
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Recent land costs are not much of a factor, Bigfoot has been in the same area for 30 years yet their units always were considerably more to buy.

Hydro is the second lowest in Canada behind Manitoba and far cheaper than anywhere in the USA.

Mass production reduces cost for USA manufactures.
Taxes do play a big roll and employee costs are higher.
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Old 12-21-2011, 06:34 PM   #48
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Interesting, I did not know that. You see the same thing in New York City where a Big Mac goes for $5. Probably true of any urban area. I am always hearing how much more you folks pay for big ticket items like cars and assumed taxes was the reason. Raz
You would not be wrong in assuming that we do indeed pay a higher tax rate than most American's - the higer taxes on everything and property/overhead expense - so its safe to say both are a contributing factor to higher manufacturing costs.
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Old 12-21-2011, 07:29 PM   #49
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Hi: Daniel A... Another big factor in mass production is population #'s. 38 or so million Canadians vs. 380 or so million Americans. That's why Scamp and Casita etc. can continue to mold trailers because they know the next customer isn't far away.
Escape on the other hand builds on a presold basis, and Reace and Tammy wish to keep a firm hand on their business expansion...and I for one applaud their efforts and style.
Then there's the health care most employers either co-pay or pay all costs via taxable benefits and payroll deductions. We Canadians make higher wages but pay higher taxes for them. It all adds up to higher costs for products in Canada than the U.S.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 12-21-2011, 08:22 PM   #50
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Very true Alf S.

Another issue is shipping cost and that goes for Eastern Canada & the USA
from British Columbia.
We live in this wonderful little part of the world where everything costs more.

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Old 12-21-2011, 09:13 PM   #51
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
We have a 16 ft Scamp and we like it but she would like a little more room and a full size bed. The Escape is quite a bit more expensive and I am wondering is the upgrade worth the cost?
To me it would be worth it...
  • No thru-shell Rivets
  • No extra pump needed to drain the shower
  • Sponge washable Vinyl wall covering instead of "Rat Fur"
  • Standard cabinets on par with Scamps optional Custom Deluxe.
  • Front upper bunk option engineered to support more than 80 pounds.
  • Taller ceiling height

I think a brand new (or even a 2 year old) Escape is going to be more expensive than a 1999 anything. Is any part of the issue due to a 16' Scamp in your driveway being worth a 19' Escape at the factory? (bad paraphrasing of the bird in hand vs. 2 in the bush parable) Or are you considering replacing your Scamp anyway, whether you get the Escape or not?

While a pure monetary analysis of limited usage scores points for Scamp, I contend that the intangible experience of the Escape balances the tally.
(Don't I sound like a used trailer salesman?)
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Old 12-22-2011, 10:42 AM   #52
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To me it would be worth it...
  • No thru-shell Rivets
I thought so too, until I read some posts the other day on the Escape forum. Came across this post:
There are a fair number of rivets on the outside hatches and vents and such. I counted a few dozen on my 19. I didn't check the roof. It looks like they're sealed with some kind of silicone RTV:

4 on the door stay

4 on the door stay mount
4 on the battery vent
10 on the small hatch accessory
~16 on the fridge vent lower
3 on the power inlet
3 on the water heater deflector


See Best Rivet Sealant?
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Old 12-22-2011, 11:11 AM   #53
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You forgot maybe 8 more on the escape awning? It is hard to have a 100% hole free exterior, but some new fantastic fan applications are screw free.
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Old 12-22-2011, 01:49 PM   #54
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Frederick L. Simson wrote: To me it would be worth it...

[*]Sponge washable Vinyl wall covering instead of "Rat Fur"

We have the vinyl in our Trillium. We like it.


[*]Standard cabinets on par with Scamps optional Custom Deluxe.


The panels on the Escape I looked at were plasticized wood grain paper on either fiberboard or a thin plywood. Wood doors and draw fronts. I believe Scamp uses all wood. Perhaps Floyd can confirm this?


[*]Taller ceiling height

I think Casita 17 and post fire Scamps ok here as well.



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Old 12-22-2011, 02:06 PM   #55
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The point about the rivet-free Escape, is they don't poke holes through the shell to fasten down cabinetry on the inside nor four holes for every single curtain rod, unlike Scamp which will ADD 20 extra holes just so you can have curtains for the (typical) five windows ... GAD.
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Old 12-22-2011, 03:45 PM   #56
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The point about the rivet-free Escape, is they don't poke holes through the shell to fasten down cabinetry on the inside nor four holes for every single curtain rod, unlike Scamp which will ADD 20 extra holes just so you can have curtains for the (typical) five windows ... GAD.
So the difference simply is, a lot less rivets? Or do the Escape rivets also not go all the way through somehow?

We are having a riveting conversation...
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Old 12-22-2011, 04:05 PM   #57
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Frederick L. Simson wrote: To me it would be worth it...[*]Sponge washable Vinyl wall covering instead of "Rat Fur"

We have the vinyl in our Trillium. We like it.[*]Standard cabinets on par with Scamps optional Custom Deluxe.


The panels on the Escape I looked at were plasticized wood grain paper on either fiberboard or a thin plywood. Wood doors and draw fronts. I believe Scamp uses all wood. Perhaps Floyd can confirm this?[*]Taller ceiling height

I think Casita 17 and post fire Scamps ok here as well.



Raz
The Scamp Deluxe custom cabinets have solid oak fronts, solid oak framed doors, solid oak veneer plywood panels, sides and bottoms. There is no MDF and no photo copied woodgrain plastic. The cabinetry is screwed in place(through the shell) not riveted.
The hub-bub over the use of "through the shell" rivets is mostly unfounded hyperbole. The alternative method of glassing in plywood for attachment has it's problems as well, In fact I have often found these boards to be infiltrated with water from window leaks and rotting inside the fiberglass... Much more difficult to fix and at least as common if not more so.
(Just about all Fiberglass RVs have windows)
I have had the washable vinyl walls( became obsolete at Scamp in 1986)... Definite advantage for Scamp's "rat fur"
There is no shower pump in the 16Scamp side bath.
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Old 12-22-2011, 04:50 PM   #58
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Floyd said 'I have had the washable vinyl walls( became obsolete at Scamp in 1986)... Definite advantage for Scamp's "rat fur" '



Why is rat fur better that vinyl that can be easily cleaned with a sponge?
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Old 12-22-2011, 06:41 PM   #59
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I can't speak to "rat fur" or vinyl walls, as our (almost) 40 year old sailboat, subjected to humid, on the water conditions 24/7/365, has mostly fiberglass interior "walls".... (in places, teak slats provide a decorative break, and in a very few areas, formica).
For that reason, we were really happy to find a fiberglass in and out trailer a few years ago. No issue. Wipe it off, clean it, done.
Rivets? On well. Every hull has thru-hull penetrations of some kind... screws, rivets, whatever. The fewer, the better, in my opinion. And keep an eye out for leaks at penetration sites. Hopefully, you can see all of them. If you can't.... then it's a more difficult trail to follow.
Just the observations of a sailboat owner. Actually, that's why we chose molded fiberglass, because the boat is doing so well, still, after all these decades.
Sherry
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Old 12-22-2011, 07:14 PM   #60
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Floyd said 'I have had the washable vinyl walls( became obsolete at Scamp in 1986)... Definite advantage for Scamp's "rat fur" '



Why is rat fur better that vinyl that can be easily cleaned with a sponge?
Not that one is better than the other, but that the advantage in this case,goes to Scamp IMHO due to the reflectix insulation, and the marine fabric which can be scrubbed or windexed, or even have solvent used on it without harming it. It stays clean better than a solid surface and will not hold moisture. This wallcovering system is warmer and requires less maintenance than it's competition, and as a result of it's excellent insulating qualities, it does not allow condensation to form on it's surface during cold camping.
This is a seriously amazing fabric which adds warmth and luxurious comfort to the Scamp's interior. A damp cloth or a vacuum cleaner will do a great job of cleaning it, which is seldom needed.
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