trillium thoughts

[Stoney]

It's my 1st post so bear with me , I'm looking at buying my wife a new trillium trailer from Joe in calgary . She will be using her 2004 honda oddyssey to pull it , factory tow package . The following is a list of options I was going to add in to the basic trailer package build your opinions of what to add or subtract from the list would be greatly appreciated .
-awning
-front dinette and bed combo
-entry door window with slider
-fantastic fan
-dual 6 volt batteries
-gravel guard protection package
-porta potti 345
-spare tire
-rv50 solar panel ( I'm told I could update that to a rv100 solar panel for a minimal difference)
I would buy an older one and customize it for her but after being to Joe's plant and seeing the new one and the way she reacted I think this is a better course .
thanx for you're input in advance this forum has been a great source of info , cheers mike

[Alf S.]

Hi: Mike Stone... Have you checked out the Escape Trailer from B.C. The list of standard equipment is quite extensive. Don't know how they compare $$$'s wise. Yes I'm biased!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Stoney]

I have looked at all the options that I could find and it did include the escape , I feel that the inside of the trillium with the fiberglassed interior will hold up to what we'll throw at it . I'm more curious to see what options it is that people here either have or do not have that they would change . For example an awning if you have one do you use it or would you rather not have it and not put holes in the side of you're egg . Do you use the potra potti or is it a waste , does gravel guard work , do I need electric brakes on a 1500lb trailer . One of the things I've come to love about this site is the amount of female input that goes on , ladies if you were about to recieve a $20,000 glass egg what would you're input be . Thanx fo your sincerity , mike

[Booker B.]

Hi Mike,

We have a 1976 Trillium so some things won't apply.

Awning - use it all the time and love it.
Front dinette - would be nice but the bunks do fine for us.
Door window - We never even open the curtain on the door slider
Fantastic fan - I have the regular vent and I would prefer more airflow
Dual Batteries - we have only a single battery and our lights last 10 days minimium.
Gravel Guard - we have chips all over the front of ours, doesnt bug me but if I paid 20k it sure would
Porti potti - ours stays home
Spare time - you know if you don't get it you will have a flat on your first trip.
Solar - see above on batteries.

Mike, I am a big fan of our fiberglass cabinets. I wish Escape would make a 13-15 model with fiberglass cabinets but it's not part of their build.

Hope that helps!

[Stoney]

That is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for thanx Booker B. I have met alot of people now with bolers and they all love them and I want to ensure that I do it right the first time so I can enjoy ours for the next 30 yrs as well , my wife deserves the best and you're input will ensure she gets just that , cheers mike
p.s. I met a couple in there 80's this year on one of my motorcycle trips they bought the first boler when they came out they were pulling it behind they're minivan that day , he told me it was as solid as his marriage that's true love , he said they hadn't used the stove ever .

[Raya]

, ladies if you were about to recieve a $20,000 glass egg what would you're input be .

Well my input would be "Let's get a $5,000 egg instead, and then spend the $15,000 to take time off and go use it"

But then I don't represent all women

I don't see anything on your options list that doesn't sound useful though, and I bet your wife is going to love the trailer

Raya

[james kent]

This was the 1st Trillium off the assembly line that was 'Made in Canada'. The owners had recieved it just before the gathering at Emily park in Ontario and never in their wildest dreams did they expect to get all the attention. People were checking it out ALL weekend long. Remember, it goes with the territory. The fit and finish as done by the people from Escape was excellent.
Booker makes some very good points but as a senior, we do take the porty along for those times when you wake in the dark of night. That too, goes with the territory.

[Alf S.]

Hi: Mike Stone... For us the awning is the first thing put up at a site. The A/C is the last thing we'd use. Indoor plumbing is now a necessity!!! Dual fuel hot water heater is a blessing. We can't get along with out our MaxxFan. Haven't used the shower YET specially the outside one!!! We bought "Our Escape Hatch" used.
Remember if the life span of a trailer is right up there with the best of marriages your requirements will vary and some options are better off installed in the begining.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Donna D.]

I THINK Mike is talking about buying an Outback Trillium... not an Escape built Trillium... which isn't going to happen since Escape is no longer involved in the manufacturing.

[Alf S.]

Hi: Donna D... I knew that!!! Options are options no matter what brand you buy. Buying new allows you to chose wisely as some are hard to add later on.
Yes the short lived association is to bad in a way!!! There's always someone who can make something cheaper...and people who buy on price alone are their lawfull prey.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Lizbeth]

Well my input would be "Let's get a $5,000 egg instead, and then spend the $15,000 to take time off and go use it"

But then I don't represent all women

I don't see anything on your options list that doesn't sound useful though, and I bet your wife is going to love the trailer

Raya

Ditto Rayna. Except I'd go for a magnificent 5th wheel I know of that is for sale and have 8000.00 left for travel.

Mike....
-awning - Yes
-front dinette and bed combo - love the full time bed and still having a place to eat or read
-entry door window with slider - the more ventilation the better
-fantastic fan -big yes
-dual 6 volt batteries - we do 12 v so not sure on that one
-gravel guard protection package - yes
-porta potti 345 - Another big yes
-spare tire - of course
-rv50 solar panel ( I'm told I could update that to a rv100 solar panel for a minimal difference) -depends on what kind of camping she is planning on doing

[theresa p]

hi mike..for some unknown reason, my response to your PM wouldn't go....so i'll answer here.
yes, you should have brakes, considering that you live in the mountains. it'll sure take alot of the stress off of your towing vehicle.
we don't have them but are getting them.
and our tongue, loaded, weighs between 150-200lbs.
these trailers are heavier than the older ones. plus, your 2 6v batteries will weigh more than one 12v. and that is directly on the tongue.
as for the gravel guard---you travel on alot of unpaved roads, i'd bet, so if it were me, i'd invest in the protection.
better safe than sorry. if you were simply doing your travelling on paved highways all the time it might be different.
and lastly, dennis says your refrigerator, if you say it is electric, is most likely the same as ours, which is a 2 way, meaning it is powered by the battery. but when you are plugged in to hydro, the inverter in the trailer converts that hydro to 12 volts and it powers the fridge. our battery, when we are boondocking, allows us about 2-3 days of running the fridge. with 2 6vs, you should expect 3-4 days at least.
any more questions...fire away!!
theresa

[Raya]

-dual 6 volt batteries - we do 12 v so not sure on that one

Just FYI, I think the option Mike's talking about uses two 6-volt "golf cart" type batteries hooked up so as to make 12 volts. The same set-up is sometimes used on boats. I think it yields good service for a good price, if you have the space (they are taller than typical batteries) and can accommodate two batteries. So you do still end up with a 12-volt system.

Raya

[Stoney]

Thanx for all who have posted thus far , yes Raya you're right by linking the 2 heavy duty 6volt batteries in sequence it creates a 12 volt system with the holding capacity of 4 12 volt batteries and with the rv100 solar panel permanently mounted to the roof you could stay off the grid for as long as you like . The lighting in and out of the trailer would all be LED , the nova cool dc fridge cycles on and off automatically the same as the suburban furnace . My objective is to use your experience with your setups to create ours for example Theresa told me in a pm that they tinted all the windows something that I had contemplated but no one had stated thus far . keep it coming

[peterh]

-awning
** It's a nice addition. Go to any campground on a sunny day and you're sure to see lots of people using theirs.


-front dinette and bed combo
**If you're camping as a solo or couple with no more than one kid the front dinette makes a lot of sense. You can leave the bed set up and still have a place to sit and read, and if you're a couple one of you can sleep in while the other drinks their coffee inside on a rainy day.


-entry door window with slider
** Not something I'd order . . .


-fantastic fan
** Have one. Use it. Love it.


-dual 6 volt batteries
** Nah. If I want to spend money on batteries I'd buy an "AGM" deep cycle marine battery instead.


-gravel guard protection package
** If money is tight this is one of those things you could add on the after-market if your trailer gets dinged up and it bugs you.


-porta potti 345
** Consider: It's 3 in the morning and an ice-cold rain is falling, but that's not what's keeping you awake. You're wide awake thinking I NEED TO PEE!
If money is tight it's one of those things you can buy later, even pick up at a garage sale. But someday you'll be really happy to have one.


-spare tire
Something you hope you'll never need, but is an indispensable necessity.


-rv50 solar panel ( I'm told I could update that to a rv100 solar panel for a minimal difference)
** Whether this makes sense or not depends a lot on how you plan to camp.

If you like your creature comforts -- a microwave, electric coffee maker, etc -- even several solar panels won't keep up with your electric demands, so think full-hookup camping. No solar panels needed.

If you're the type who only spends a couple days at any one place without hookups, then you can use your tow vehicle to charge your batteries while you're underway. No solar panel needed.

If you convert your lights to LEDs and your camping style is to only run the furnace first thing in the morning to drive the chill out you can easily go a week on a single battery charge. No solar panel needed.

If, on the other hand, you're the type who likes more primitive campsites with no electric hookups and like to camp for several days at a time and still like having a few creature comforts (like running the furnace in the evening and at night), upgrading your lights to LEDs, getting a solar panel and the largest capacity fresh water tank you can buy makes a lot of sense.

We do a fair amount of dry-camping (no hookups), so we upgraded all our interior lighting to LEDs, installed a single 50w solar panel on our roof, and upgraded our fresh water tank from 12 to 20 gallons. Most of the time 50 watts really is all we need; the only time we found differently was when we were camping at Yellowstone and it was so cold (in the teens) at night that our furnace (and, therefore, furnace fan) ran non-stop all night. Our battery was almost completely discharged by morning, and at 50 watts our solar panel did not have the "oomph" to get our battery up to snuff the following day.

We carry a Mr Heater Portable Buddy "backup" heater for times like this. The Buddy heater can get our trailer toasty without drawing our battery down; unfortunately we discovered our backup "Portable Buddy" heater doesn't work above 7000 feet altitude . . .

We could have solved our problem by bringing more blankets along for cold camping trips and only using the furnace in the evening and first thing in the morning to drive the chill out. What we did instead was add a second 55 watt panel. Now with 105 watts of solar we there's enough juice for our furnace and to watch our small 12-volt AM/FM/TV/DVD player for an hour or two at night.

[Stoney]

Well after a long summer of waiting , patience has paid off and the trailer that I had designed for the wife is finally being built . I will be taking the wife to Calgary to pick it up on Sept. 17 and spending the night in it after watching my boxing coach Sheldon Hinton defend both his Canadian heavywieght titles , it's gonna be a great day . The process of the build was put on hold as the owner Joe Thoen had some issues his company had to deal with . I must say that with the input from this forum and many others who shared their opinions I know that my wife will be thrilled I have made the trek back and forth from Edmonton to Calgary to take pics and will do up a story of our experience with having a trailer built from scratch . I hope we get a long indian summer to enjoy it a few times afore the snow flies , thanx again for the support , cheers mike

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by mike stone

The process of the build was put on hold as the owner Joe Thoen had some issues his company had to deal with .

Mike,
Can you explain that one a little further? I'm trying to understand the lack of response to emails. Joe said to email him pictures of the part I was looking for and I never heard back.

Though his price on the #139 Kassen hinges are the best around!
Roy

[Stoney]

Hmmm not sure why Joe wouldn't reply to you Roy I would try calling him or Lana again and tell them that you are unimpressed with the lack of attention you've recieved , I'll atest to the fact that he is busy but make no excuses for him . The issue that Joe had was he fired the company that was doing the fiberglass for him and picked up his molds but took some time to insure that the company that he chose was up to his standards and after seeing the trailer bodies come in and the fit and finish I'd say he chose very well one of the reasons he's still in buisness while over 30 others in the industry have closed their doors this year such as bigfoot for example . And as a side note I'll add that a 125 watt solar panel sure takes up alot of real estate on the roof darn near big enough to weld with lol , cheers mike

[Pat C]

Originally Posted by Booker B.

Hi Mike,

We have a 1976 Trillium so some things won't apply.

Awning - use it all the time and love it.
Front dinette - would be nice but the bunks do fine for us.
Door window - We never even open the curtain on the door slider
Fantastic fan - I have the regular vent and I would prefer more airflow
Dual Batteries - we have only a single battery and our lights last 10 days minimium.
Gravel Guard - we have chips all over the front of ours, doesnt bug me but if I paid 20k it sure would
Porti potti - ours stays home
Spare time - you know if you don't get it you will have a flat on your first trip.
Solar - see above on batteries.

Mike, I am a big fan of our fiberglass cabinets. I wish Escape would make a 13-15 model with fiberglass cabinets but it's not part of their build.

Hope that helps!

I'm with you on the fiberglass cabinets Booker.Have looked at other models of Trillium and Bolers without the fiberglass cabinets and was less than impressed.As far as I'm concerned they are what makes a true fiberglass trailer.I have a feeling that it is cheaper to produce the fake wood cabinets.Of course everyone has there own opinion as different people like different things.