Newbie on an immersion trip

[Andy J]

Kevin,

You'll find the Escape fairly well equipped when you take delivery. Reace had 2 levels (side and rear) installed as standard eqipment when I picked ours up last September. You will need a fresh water hose, wheel chocks and some wood for levelling.

Andy

[Dawn K]

Hello!
Since my wife and I decided to start travel trailer camping, I've found this board...great place! Maybe answers are buried in other forums, but I thought some other newbies might benefit from this also...
We're about to become owners of an Escape trailer and we have never done any kind of trailer camping before so don't know many of the little things that make things go smoother. Just to compound the situation, our first trip will be bringing it back from Chilliwack, BC; also our first trip to the northwest! I know general advice could occupy pages, but are there things that typically get overlooked on "to pack" lists? Any travel advice coming back from the NW? Particularly good stopover places? We will be returning to Memphis, TN; Reace says we'll have the only Escape east of Arizona!
Thanks for any advice!
Kevin

Congratulations on your choice of trailer. Living in Chilliwack, I have had several opportunities to look inside the Escapes. If my truck were a little bigger, I would love to have one. With luck, the weather will be good when you get here, the Fraser Valley is beautiful country. Good luck and best wishes on your maiden voyage. What to bring? An umbrella, of course...just joking

Dawn

[CharlynnT]

What to bring? An umbrella, of course...just joking

Dawn

My husband and I are Certitifed Wet-Coast Tarpologists, but I believe that is for Advanced Campology, not your first trip out, am I right?

[Kevin F]

A good idea would be to camp one night near your dealer - in case something doesn't work, you can get it fixed without being too far away.

If you're planning on coming through Portland, I'd love to see it!! (I could offer you my driveway with electrical )

I'll bet if you posted your general route, we could all pipe in with suggestions of good campgrounds along the way.

Hi Anne,
Thanks very much for your offer; unfortunately we'll be headed immediately southeast since we don't have many days to get back. Do you think I should post my route here or on some other board?
Thanks!
Kevin

[Donna D.]

Do you think I should post my route here or on some other board?
Thanks!
Kevin

ooooh post here! Some of us live vicariously through other's travels

[John Mc]

Memphis, sweet Memphis, I know something about that town...Take a little Memphis music with you, whether on cassette tape or iPod, it doesn't matter. And when you get home, study up on all the posts titled "AC installation." Or maybe you're getting it built in? Here in Colorado I wouldn't want a heavy unit on the roof, just my cheap, temporary window unit in the cabinet when needed. But in and around Memphis, air conditioning is hardly an "accessory," as you know.

You'll need a refrigerator, of course. Got to keep that pulled pork cool...

For a serious note, as a novice trailer tower, I've really appreciated my EZ Hitch accessory. On flat, paved surfaces, it's simple to roll the trailer into position, but that doesn't describe my parking place at home. For $50, this simple steel hitch guide will save me hundreds of dollars of damage to the rear bumper.

[Kevin F]

ooooh post here! Some of us live vicariously through other's travels

Ok!, here goes...From Chilliwack down thru the north Cascades to I-90, 82 and 84 thru Boise ID; I-80 thru Ogden UT, WY then NE to Kansas City and east to St. Louis then south to Memphis. The route is not fixed; we expect to divert to take in some points of interest. Departure date is June 17th and we'll need to be back in Memphis by the 25th. I notice there's a fiberglass fest in Coeur de Alene ID on the 19th. Anybody been? Any tips on other places to stop/camp? I'll be checking the travel board as well but didn't want to post two places...
Thanks for all your help!
Kevin

[jack maloney]

I strongly recommend going east from Chilliwack through the Okanagan - some of the most beautiful country in the world! Rivals Switzerland and Austria for rich and bountiful mountain valleys. You can then go down through Idaho and Jackson Hole WY for America's most photogenic mountains.

As for leveling, the Hoppy levels are very good. But the best buy for me was a supersized level I stuck on my egg's front rock guard. I can read it in my rearview mirror when backing the egg into a campsite - makes it easy to find the best side-to-side level, which is the most critical issue.

[Kevin F]

Hi!
It looks like the responses are thinning out so I want to thank everyone again for all the helpful contributions! We're going to see okanagan and then head down to Coeur de Alene to see if we can catch the end of the fiberglass fest. Then through some mountain and canyon country and then through the plains back home. Yes, we have wheel chocks and credit cards, leveling wood, hose and other recommended items. I'll take some pics and post on our return...thanks again!
Kevin

[Kevin F]

Memphis, sweet Memphis, I know something about that town...Take a little Memphis music with you, whether on cassette tape or iPod, it doesn't matter. And when you get home, study up on all the posts titled "AC installation." Or maybe you're getting it built in? Here in Colorado I wouldn't want a heavy unit on the roof, just my cheap, temporary window unit in the cabinet when needed. But in and around Memphis, air conditioning is hardly an "accessory," as you know.

You'll need a refrigerator, of course. Got to keep that pulled pork cool...

For a serious note, as a novice trailer tower, I've really appreciated my EZ Hitch accessory. On flat, paved surfaces, it's simple to roll the trailer into position, but that doesn't describe my parking place at home. For $50, this simple steel hitch guide will save me hundreds of dollars of damage to the rear bumper.

Oh yeah, we'll have tunes and BBQ; and factory installed AC was one primary trailer selection criteria! The EZ hitch sounds interesting...is it compatible with a load equalizer hitch?
Kevin

[Thane]

Wow, another Escape owner! What floorplan did you get? Did you get the gaucho bunk option?

My trailer had levels when I picked it up in April.

This link has info on imprting from Canada. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...1&hl=chilliwack A bill of sale from your state department of motor vehicles may make things go easier for you.

The waste tank drain line that comes with the trailer may not have the end fitting to attach to the ground dump station, I think most RV parks require one. The storage tube may be too small to accomodate the end fitting. A large ziplock bag would be good for storage. I always wipe down the waste tank fittings with pop-up disinfecting wipes.

A thick blanket on top of the cushions makes them alot more comfy, also hides the gaps between the cushions.

I've made a few mods to my trailer, one was for a larger waste tank rain line storage tube. I'll post them on other links.

[Kevin F]

Wow, another Escape owner! What floorplan did you get? Did you get the gaucho bunk option?

My trailer had levels when I picked it up in April.

This link has info on imprting from Canada. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...1&hl=chilliwack A bill of sale from your state department of motor vehicles may make things go easier for you.

The waste tank drain line that comes with the trailer may not have the end fitting to attach to the ground dump station, I think most RV parks require one. The storage tube may be too small to accomodate the end fitting. A large ziplock bag would be good for storage. I always wipe down the waste tank fittings with pop-up disinfecting wipes.

A thick blanket on top of the cushions makes them alot more comfy, also hides the gaps between the cushions.

I've made a few mods to my trailer, one was for a larger waste tank rain line storage tube. I'll post them on other links.

Hi!
We got plan B with shower but without gaucho bunk. It's just the two of us and we didn't want to sacrifice storage space. We did get the screen room...any tips on setting this up (if you got one)? Thanks for the info on the drain line; I'll check with Reace to see what size is needed. Thanks also for the importation info. I'm going to get a tag for it before we go up so that should help. What other mods have you made?
Kevin

[Allan Bornestig]

Hello Kevin.

Congratulations to your choice of fiberglass trailer.We love ours.We have plan B without the gaucho but with the shower setup.
It is only us two and a small foxterrier, so it is perfect for us.Now, one more thing, be prepared to answer all the questions from the curious people that will approach you at gas stations, in parking lots and campgrounds.We asked Reace for some brochures to hand out to people, that helps a lot.
We have not made any changes.Been looking for things to improve upon.Added another Interstate 27 battery just to have the extra margin.Already have dual propane tanks which makes the tounge a bit heavy but we are using a Ford 150 4x4 with beefed up suspension so no problems there.Also got the Easy Hitch and the mirror from campingworld that hooks onto the tailgate, saves a lot of running back and forth to check if you lining up right.
Have a really nice trip and safe travelling.
Allan in North Vancouver.