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Old 05-31-2015, 11:35 PM   #1
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Name: Cheryl
Trailer: in the market for used
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looking for buy advice escape or casita

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Newer member. Single woman. I want a sound unit that can withstand some winter weather (colorado). I had an rv ...loved it...but have a toyota 4 runner that I want to use to get better gas milage. Looking at an escape or casita spirit deluxe. Would like to find a used one...not to old and in excellent condition. I would love some expert advice. I want to stay under $20k. What options are a must? What type of insulation/windows? Is solar worth the money?
Serious cash buyer
Thx!!
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Old 06-01-2015, 10:42 AM   #2
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Here's my suggestion -

I have been looking for a few months and I would suggest checking this out and go see it ASAP if possible.

They sell so fast and to find one in your own state is a plus.

I am interested in the Casita Spirit Deluxe or the Liberty Deluxe.
Interested in 17' - for myself, husband and 3 dogs.

The Liberty has the biggest bed but no side dinette.

Good luck. This is a good price.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...uxe-69787.html
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Old 06-01-2015, 10:46 AM   #3
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You might want to define "winter temperatures" because that can really vary. Would you be set up in an RV park or boondocking? There are many precautions one needs to take in addition to having insulation when the temps drop below freezing.
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Old 06-01-2015, 11:27 AM   #4
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I agree with Cathy you need define winter camping.

I personally don't know that any of our fiberglass trailers are set up to handle more than a few degrees below freezing for a day or two comfortable. Even the Escape and Bigfoot with the extra insulation packages are not technically 4 season trailers. They are technically only 3 season trailers. Casita for sure is not even technically a 3 season trailer - not that it can't been done. I have camped in December and January in my Scamp but it was in states where where the temps don't drop below 40 for more than a day or two at worst. ;-)

As far as finding a used Escape goes you are best to keep your eye on the Escape Trailers Owners Community Forum as they are more often than not listed there first and sold there within days sometimes within hours, without being posted elsewhere.

Another spot to keep any eye on for used trailers is Fiberglass-rv-4sale.com if you have not already found it.
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Old 06-01-2015, 07:05 PM   #5
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4-season TT

Carol H

Please excuse me if this comes across as being curt or rude, I do not mean it to be. I too have been tying to identify 4-season travel trailers for quite some time, but have only identified the TT's below, and I suspect they are not truly 4-season: For one thing, I am fairly certain they all have aluminum framed windows. Hard to see how that can only be a negative in very cold weather.

4-season being comfortable in temperatures below zero for at least 2 weeks to a month, and without additional modifications such as adding skirting, electrical heat tape, or 500 gallon propane tanks,etc.

Arctic Fox, Lance, Big Foot, and Oliver advertise to be 4-season trailers. You stated that Big Foot "technically" is not a four season trailer.

Please define what a 4 season trailer technically is, and provide examples of current mfg's and/or model names. Does such a thing exist?

Thank you
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Old 06-01-2015, 11:24 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Rzrbrn View Post
Carol H

Please excuse me if this comes across as being curt or rude, I do not mean it to be. I too have been tying to identify 4-season travel trailers for quite some time, but have only identified the TT's below, and I suspect they are not truly 4-season: For one thing, I am fairly certain they all have aluminum framed windows. Hard to see how that can only be a negative in very cold weather.

4-season being comfortable in temperatures below zero for at least 2 weeks to a month, and without additional modifications such as adding skirting, electrical heat tape, or 500 gallon propane tanks,etc.

Arctic Fox, Lance, Big Foot, and Oliver advertise to be 4-season trailers. You stated that Big Foot "technically" is not a four season trailer.

Please define what a 4 season trailer technically is, and provide examples of current mfg's and/or model names. Does such a thing exist?

Thank you
Henry my comments were in regards to the OP indicating they were looking for an Escape or Casita for winter camping. I know for sure neither of those are advertised a 4 season trailers. Escape says 3 seasons and I would be surprised if Casita was to even claim that... suspect they like Scamps are most probable 2 season trailers. I stand corrected in regards to Bigfoot's if they are now advertising them as a 4 season trailer, my comments where based on earlier year models that my own family owned that they did not claim to be 4 season although we did use them in some fairly cold winter weather. Additionally another member here just last year or so was looking for a 4 season trailer and they advised that Bigfoot told them their trailers where not 4 season. Thats great if they now are though. If Oliver is offering there's is a four season thats great as well, perhaps the OP should add both those trailers to their list of possible trailers assuming they are within their budget.

I can't comment on the Arctic Fox or the Lance as I do not consider them to be molded Fiberglass which I assume the OP is interested in, having joined this list.

I think your definition of what a true 4 season trailer should/would be correct in a perfect world. But as you say I don't know if any of them are actually up to what you describe. If you want to camp with full water hook ups your probable going to need to use some heat tape on all of them for example. At the very least if I was looking for a trailer to camp in sub zero temps for more than a day or two I would be looking for something that had all its holding tanks fully enclosed and was able to supply heat to the areas they were in. I would also be looking for thermal windows as well as extra insulation on the underside of the floor as well as walls.
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Old 06-02-2015, 12:50 AM   #7
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Thank you for responding Carol. I was really hoping you had identified or experienced truly 4 season capable travel trailers. Your insight is much appreciated.
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Old 06-02-2015, 06:14 AM   #8
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Here is a good article: How to Choose Your Ideal Four Season RV and the only thing I found wrong with it was recommending the RV Consumer's Group since I am familiar with them, not worth the money and I don't think they cover many of the units actually on the market especially molded fiberglass.

You'll notice a play on words when speaking of four season. There is the "four season" and the "true four season". I would ask the manufacturers but probably not believe them. Finding people actually doing or having done the cold would be the only way to really know.

In an ice storm, your door can freeze shut and the power can go out. I have experienced both. You want to think about how to handle those situations before they happen.
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Old 06-02-2015, 09:17 AM   #9
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The topic of 4 season trailers does cause a member of my family to giggle just a little. Tents also have ratings and a member of my family has a small 4 season tent & a very good sleeping bag that they use to sleep in, in the middle of January at the top of a mountain in the rockies in temps well below freezing and live to tell about it. :-)

One can with a good sleeping bag and being very careful with water tanks & having lots of propane for the heater get by camping in pretty well all our trailers in sub zero temps. If you have electrical hook ups while camping its even easier. You can but additional thermo covers over the windows etc. The difference is in some of our trailer - you may be actually able to use at least some of the built in facilities while others you are probable best to keep the tanks drained and drink water from bottles & use public bathrooms.

I have stayed in my Scamp in sub zero temps while on the road traveling to warmer climates during winter months - but I don't keep water in the tanks. I kept the trailer winterized while traveling through cold areas & winterized it again before returning to cold areas. Used bottled water for drinking & washing & kept a plastic basin in the kitchen sink to stop wash water from going down into the piping and grey tank. My Scamp though defiantly has a some air leakage issues - especially around the door ;-) - having single pane windows & Plexiglas doesnt help either, so it is not as warm as I would expect a Bigfoot or Escape to be in that regard.

I spent one Christmas holiday sleeping in my driveway for several nights in a Bigfoot (we had a house full of guests for the holidays) the temps were 10 to 14 degrees below freezing at night and I was very comfortable in it - but I had power and used an electric heater and a good sleeping bag. I did in that situation use the bathroom facilities in the Bigfoot at night. But I had put a fair bit of anti freeze down into all the tanks prior. That Bigfoot was also taken on a number of late fall hunting trips up north with no electrical hooks, with the temps well below zero and everyone lived to tell about it - they did have good sleeping bags and extra propane tanks for the furnace though.

Bottom line is they are all usable in winter, the question is how warm do you think you have to be and whether or not you feel you need/have to be able to use all the facilities in the trailer & if you do, how much work/effort each day are you willing to put into it to keep things from freezing up.
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Old 06-02-2015, 09:34 AM   #10
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Cheryl/Maxamillion, I have a new Casita Spirit Deluxe on order with all but a couple of options that will cost under $20,000. Since the resale value of Casitas and most other fiberglass TTs drops very little, and the used ones sell so fast that one rarely has time to inspect them, I chose to order a new one. Build time varies, but in my case it was about three months. Good luck with your search!
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Old 06-02-2015, 09:40 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Rzrbrn View Post
Thank you for responding Carol. I was really hoping you had identified or experienced truly 4 season capable travel trailers. Your insight is much appreciated.
I wish I could help you decide which is best for your use. I do though have friends who do a lot of winter camping who previously owned a moulded fiberglass trailer with double pane windows and extra insulation on the underside who changed over to the Arctic Fox last year. They took the Arctic Fox up to Whistler ski resort and left it there this winter at a campground to use as their week-end ski cabin. They seem happy with it but where staying at a campground with full facilities so I suspect they used for campground showers etc. It may also not have been the best winter to determine if the trailer was any better in really cold weather than their previous trailer as we had a VERY mild winter up here this year - very few sub zero days, little snow and the spring flowers where out in full bloom by February - even at the base of Whistler mountain. May have to wait for next winter to get a better report on whether or not the Arctic Fox lived up to its billing as a 4 season trailer or not.
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Old 06-02-2015, 09:54 AM   #12
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Are we talking about extended periods below zero degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit here? The former is probably doable, but I'd question the sanity of the latter!

In terms of molded fiberglass, I think you are limited to a Bigfoot 2500 series or an Oliver. Both have extra insulation, dual pane windows, enclosed and heated holding tanks, and ducted heating systems (?). That would be my definition of a 4-season trailer. You would need to figure out how you're going to get water into the trailer, since a lot of places in cold climates shut off water in the winter.

I lived full-time for 3 years in a 1974 27' Holiday Rambler about 30 years ago (great trailer, BTW). It had everything listed above as a 4-season trailer except dual pane windows. It was set up semi-permanently in a park, connected to water (with a heat-taped hose), sewer, and propane. The propane came from a large central tank provided by my employer, so I have no idea how much I used, but I'm sure it was a lot! Typical winter nighttime temperatures were in the teens and twenties (Fahrenheit) and it occasionally fell into single digits, but never below zero.
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Old 06-02-2015, 09:56 AM   #13
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The term "4-seasons" is so subjective. My Escape 19' with extra insulation, thermal windows, furnace, and air conditioner would likely perform well as a "4-seasons" trailer in many of the southern states. However, it is not even close to being suitable for longer term "4-season" stays here in northern Alberta where winter temperatures can hover in the -30's for many consecutive weeks. I know others that use their trailers during the cold winters up here, using skirting, lot's of propane, heating tape on waterlines, etc, but I have no interest in doing all of that. I doubt that any trailer is truly "4-seasons" compatible with Northern Canadian winters. I will typically winterize and park my trailer in mid-October and un-winterize it and get it ready for camping in early April. Depending on weather at the time of winterizing/un-winterizing, those dates could swing a couple of weeks in either direction.
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Old 06-02-2015, 10:29 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Are we talking about extended periods below zero degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit here? The former is probably doable, but I'd question the sanity of the latter!
Keep in mind that 0 degrees Celsius is actually the water freezing point Agree zero degrees Celsius is easier to camp in than zero degrees Fahrenheit which is actually 32 degrees below the water freezing point.

The good news is though, once you get down to -40 Celsius you don't need to do much math as its also -40 Fahrenheit... darn cold. Been there, done that & would not want to do it in a trailer of any make. LOL
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Old 06-02-2015, 10:34 AM   #15
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The term "4-seasons" is so subjective. My Escape 19' with extra insulation, thermal windows, furnace, and air conditioner would likely perform well as a "4-seasons" trailer in many of the southern states. However, it is not even close to being suitable for longer term "4-season" stays here in northern Alberta...............

We camp in our Scamp in all four seasons and everything in between down here in Florida.
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Old 06-02-2015, 10:41 AM   #16
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Keep in mind that 0 degrees Celsius is actually the water freezing point Agree zero degrees Celsius is easier to camp in than zero degrees Fahrenheit which is actually 32 degrees below the water freezing point...
My point exactly. The trouble starts when water freezes. There's a big difference between just a few degrees below the freezing point of water at night (and likely rising above the freezing point during the day) and dropping thirty degrees or more below the freezing point of water and staying there for days on end.
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Old 06-02-2015, 10:44 AM   #17
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the obvious question....

Hey, they all got wheels under 'em don't they?
Why would you want to stay where it's freezing? ............
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Old 06-02-2015, 01:25 PM   #18
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Hey, they all got wheels under 'em don't they? Why would you want to stay where it's freezing?


Thirty years ago I did it because it was cheap housing on a first-year teacher's salary, and the school district provided the site and all utilities for $50/month.

Nowadays, we only take our Scamp where we can camp comfortably without mechanical heating or cooling because the point is to spend our time outside. No way I'd get my wife to go camping when it's zero degrees- and she wouldn't care whether it's Celsius, Fahrenheit,... or Kelvin!
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Old 06-02-2015, 03:03 PM   #19
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Hey, they all got wheels under 'em don't they?
Why would you want to stay where it's freezing? ............
Winter is GREAT fun. So many wonderful activities to do in the winter, like downhill skiing, x-country skiing, snowmobiling, skating, building snowmen, etc. Plus, winter is soooo beautiful. I love winter.

This is not to say that I would not take a break from it and head south every once in a while.

We regularly camp in our Escape 19 in temps that drop a short ways below freezing. Heck, if we didn't, we would not do much camping around here. Any colder though, and I would rather sleep in a tent, which I have done many a time before.
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Old 06-03-2015, 11:56 AM   #20
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Show of hands....

How many here on this forum, think it sounds like fun and plan to or would be willing to spend several weeks in a molded fiberglass trailer with cloudy blustery daily highs that stay under 32 degrees F getting down to 0 degrees F during the nights.
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