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Old 09-20-2020, 07:23 PM   #61
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Name: Perry
Trailer: 2016 Bigfoot 25RQ
Lanesboro, Minnesota, between Whalan and Fountain
Posts: 759
We were on the verge of buying a slightly used 2014 Oliver. When we purchase a camper I'll probably take 3-5 times as long as most with inspections to perform my due diligence. I started to dig underneath the cabinets and in the outer compartments. While the fit and finish was on a par with our Casita and now our Escape, the wiring took up a lot of needless space and was run poorly. I was not impressed and would have had much rewiring for my taste. I would like to think Oliver has fixed that. However, I still wanted to purchase the Oliver, but Terry didn't like the stark white, mirrored interior.

After nearly two years with our Escape 5.0 I feel we made the right choice for us. The fit and finish of the Escape built product is nearly perfect. However, our kitchen faucet, furnace, and both axles failed. Is that Escapes fault? No, they use basically the same products Oliver uses (except the axles). Over 30 years with campers and I don't bury my head and blame the manufacturer for Dometic or Dexter problems. I've also seen people ruin a camper in no time (a now-deceased friend of mine always took his camper home and had to look into how it was built. He was always fixing things that were really his fault.

The Oliver probably would have been a great camper for me, but both of us have to agree. There are many satisfied Oliver owners.

Enjoy,

Perry
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2016 Bigfoot 25RQ - 2019 Ford F-150, 3.5 V6 Ecoboost,

Previous Eggs -2018 Escape 5.0 TA, 2001 Scamp 16' Side Bath, 2007 Casita 17' Spirit basic, no bath, water or tanks, 2003 Bigfoot 25B25RQ, that we regreted selling
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Old 09-21-2020, 07:47 PM   #62
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Trailer: SUNNY DAY
Florida
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I promise you, it's better than an Escape.
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Old 09-21-2020, 08:12 PM   #63
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Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
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Originally Posted by dbljac2427 View Post
I promise you, it's better than an Escape.
Better is subjective. Better WHAT? IMHO, none of the layouts are better, the cost certainly isn't better and the Oliver 5th wheel doesn't even exist.


The price people are selling used all-molded-towables has absolutely skyrocketed. For those that are unhappy with (whatever)brand of trailer you own... sell it and buy exactly what you want! Obviously, that would be BETTER for you.
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Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
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Old 09-21-2020, 08:53 PM   #64
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Name: John
Trailer: Escape 21, behind an '02 F250 7.3 diesel tug
Mid Left Coast
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the insides of the oliver were way too white and claustrophobic for me. felt like I was in a biomedical lab or something.
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Old 09-21-2020, 09:32 PM   #65
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Name: Perry
Trailer: 2016 Bigfoot 25RQ
Lanesboro, Minnesota, between Whalan and Fountain
Posts: 759
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbljac2427 View Post
I promise you, it's better than an Escape.
We could have purchased an Oliver for one hell of a deal. Why didn't we purchase it? Because it wasn't better for my wife:
  • Twin beds were too small.
  • Refrigerator was too small for both of us.
  • Didn't have a kitchen workspace that Terry approved.
  • Not enough storage. The drawers sure were slick though.
  • Stark white, mirrored, sterile interior.

I promise you, for us, our Escape 5.0 blows away the Oliver, and the Escape still cost less, despite the deep discount on the Oliver. We prefer function over form.

For function and form we would purchase another Bigfoot. Now that Bigfoot pull is better than Escape or Oliver. The Oliver is slick, but the Bigfoot is better in all facets: bigger beds, bigger closets, bigger bathroom, bigger refrigerator, bigger tanks, bigger living area, etc. We just didn't have $70,000 for that Bigfoot, but did have $40,000 for either the used Oliver or the new Escape.

After 300+ nights, and over 24,000 miles pulling, we made the best choice for our needs.

TETO!

Perry
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2016 Bigfoot 25RQ - 2019 Ford F-150, 3.5 V6 Ecoboost,

Previous Eggs -2018 Escape 5.0 TA, 2001 Scamp 16' Side Bath, 2007 Casita 17' Spirit basic, no bath, water or tanks, 2003 Bigfoot 25B25RQ, that we regreted selling
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Old 09-22-2020, 05:58 AM   #66
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Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
Better is subjective. Better WHAT? IMHO, none of the layouts are better, the cost certainly isn't better and the Oliver 5th wheel doesn't even exist.


The price people are selling used all-molded-towables has absolutely skyrocketed. For those that are unhappy with (whatever)brand of trailer you own... sell it and buy exactly what you want! Obviously, that would be BETTER for you.
I have taken your post to heart and you are correct , right now the easy thing to do is dump our trailer on some unsuspecting soul , the hard part is finding a suitable replacement and living with my conscience.
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Old 09-22-2020, 06:01 AM   #67
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Name: Tom
Trailer: BigFoot 25B25RT
Massachusetts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz View Post
the insides of the oliver were way too white and claustrophobic for me. felt like I was in a biomedical lab or something.
I have never seen one except in photos or videos. My reaction is the same as yours John.
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Old 09-22-2020, 06:31 AM   #68
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Oliver Elite II
Boerne, Texas
Posts: 249
Quote:
Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz View Post
the insides of the oliver were way too white and claustrophobic for me. felt like I was in a biomedical lab or something.
I hear this from time to time. Most Oliver owners do some decorating with color and texture that gives each interior its own personality. Sort of like moving into a new house with bare white painted walls. You decorate and it becomes home. Same with an Oliver, it’s a blank slate ready for the owners touch. Mike
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Old 09-22-2020, 07:04 AM   #69
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
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I like the interior of the Oliver a lot. What I don't care for is the floor plan. We owned a Casita, and the floor plan just didn't work for us. The front bath means a narrow side dinette and a rear bed. It also means no large window on the front.

Oliver mimicked the Casita floor plan. And if you are going to have twin beds, then the trailer needs to be wider so you can get close to the "normal" width of a twin.

My other issue is the lack of windows. The Elite II at 23-6 long, has significantly LESS window opening than my Escape 19. (and my Escape 19 has less window opening space than my Trillium 1300). The Escape 19 has three windows in the front that add significant light into the trailer. The Oliver has just one window on the curb side, plus a small window in the door. My Escape has three windows on the curb side (one is an option) plus the door. The Oliver does have two large windows on the street side, as does the Escape 19, plus the bath window (optional on my Escape). All of the windows on the Oliver appear to be smaller, shorter in height in particular, but I haven't taken a tape measure to them.

The Oliver is a fine trailer, outstanding in many aspects. So if the price fits within your budget, and the floor plan works for you, GREAT!
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Old 09-22-2020, 07:57 AM   #70
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Name: Carl
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA
Florida
Posts: 1,691
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
I have taken your post to heart and you are correct , right now the easy thing to do is dump our trailer on some unsuspecting soul , the hard part is finding a suitable replacement and living with my conscience.
Steve, the hard part will be finding a suitable replacement. Your conscience does not come into play. The things that you find unacceptable in your trailer may not bother a potential purchaser. As the old adage states, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. I hated my Scamp. After addressing its many issues, I couldn’t get the bad taste out of my mouth. Still, last I heard, the new owner was very happy with it. So I would tell you to sell it and make yourself happy.
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Old 09-22-2020, 08:09 AM   #71
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Name: BUBBA
Trailer: SUNNY DAY
Florida
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Better, as in quality! We had nothing but problems with the 5.0 TA, leaking windows with mold and plywood soaked underneath the dinette cushions. Stained walls from the leaks in the sleeping area. An awning that never worked. So, IMO...BETTER!
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Old 09-22-2020, 09:06 AM   #72
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Name: Carl
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA
Florida
Posts: 1,691
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbljac2427 View Post
Better, as in quality! We had nothing but problems with the 5.0 TA, leaking windows with mold and plywood soaked underneath the dinette cushions. Stained walls from the leaks in the sleeping area. An awning that never worked. So, IMO...BETTER!
Thank you for a post that finally described your problems. It no longer sounds as questionable as your first two posts.
Might I ask what year the trailer was and if the awning was the electric model or the manual Carefree of Colorado awning? I would also be curious if you purchased the trailer new or if it was previously owned.
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Old 09-22-2020, 09:22 AM   #73
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Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
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Originally Posted by CPW View Post
Steve, the hard part will be finding a suitable replacement. Your conscience does not come into play. The things that you find unacceptable in your trailer may not bother a potential purchaser. As the old adage states, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. I hated my Scamp. After addressing its many issues, I couldn’t get the bad taste out of my mouth. Still, last I heard, the new owner was very happy with it. So I would tell you to sell it and make yourself happy.
We have seriously considered selling our trailer and just moving on
We traveled / camped for over 60 years without a trailer and maybe we will revert back to that again .
I have fixed most of the major flaws with our trailer but in the back of our mind the lingering question of what will fail next still haunts me
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Old 09-22-2020, 11:22 AM   #74
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Name: Dave
Trailer: 2013Escape 21
Iowa
Posts: 1,211
It’s largely a matter of personal choice.

https://www.google.com/search?q=you+...&client=safari

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Old 09-22-2020, 02:07 PM   #75
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp 13
California
Posts: 1,890
Be realistic how long do you really expect to have this trailer and still be able to tow it? Is the money for the trailer disposable income and just a piss in the bucket? If money is no object buy the best if not step down to mere mortals level. No fun camping and eating cat food.
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Old 09-22-2020, 03:21 PM   #76
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Trailer: Trillium 2010
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We have seriously considered selling our trailer and just moving on
We traveled / camped for over 60 years without a trailer and maybe we will revert back to that again .
I have fixed most of the major flaws with our trailer but in the back of our mind the lingering question of what will fail next still haunts me
Steve, I bought my trailer new. I had window leaks, belly band leaks, the door had to be rehung. At 200 miles I went to adjust my brakes only to find the adjusters rusted frozen. The battery/propane shelf cracked and had to be replaced. The kitchen section was glassed in at an angle. They cut the front shelf and put in a spacer in the back to make the shelves fit. The tires were dated 2007 on a 2010 trailer. There's probably more but it was ten years ago. Despite alot of promises from the manufacturer, I fixed everything myself, on my dime. Today, I wouldn't trade my trailer for two Olivers or two Escapes, or one of each.

If none of the problems had occured, would your trailer fit your needs. If not, sell it and buy what you need. If so, enjoy it. Like me, you shouldn't have to fix it but you have the skill set to fix it if needed. Life is too short. Enjoy the time you've got. If our trailer is our only problem, we're doing just fine. Raz
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Old 09-22-2020, 03:25 PM   #77
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Name: BUBBA
Trailer: SUNNY DAY
Florida
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We worked with a salesperson at Escape for months in 2017 designing what we thought would be our dream RV to be picked up in Nov. of 2017. We were beyond excited! We loaded it with everything...a solar panel, Weboost, WifiRanger, a larger sink and all the upgraded options that Escape offered because it seemed they would only add to our comfort. We drove from Georgia to B.C. to pick up our trailer, which for us was the trip of a lifetime. We visited friends and family along the way, explored National Parks, and numerous other attractions. When we arrived in B.C., we stayed at the motel that it seemed everyone was using...great motel and the breakfast buffet was off the charts good! We arrived early and just wanted to visit the Escape plant and take what would be our second look at their trailers. When we arrived at the plant we just started looking around and waited for someone to address us. When that didn't happen we asked if someone could just show us around a bit and answer some questions we had. Eventually, Tammy came down and asked why we were causing all the chaos. Initially we thought she had to be joking, and my wife tried to play along with it, but we could tell from her demeanor that she was indeed not joking . We will never forget her attitude because we were so taken aback...here we had just spent, what for us, was a lot of money. After her presentation we left and to say the wind was out of our sails would be minimizing our feelings. But we waited for our orientation, picked up our rv and left for our journey home. We made our first stop in Everett, WA. and as we were setting up we noticed that the complimentary sewage hose was not in the holder. We called Escape and Reace said the orientation lady said we had it and saw us put it in the trailer. THIS WAS NOT TRUE!! We had pictures of the table when we began the orientation and there was no sewage pipe on the table. So we drove to a Walmart and bought a sewage hose. We continued our trip home stopping along way as needed because we had a timeframe for returning to Ga. as our in-laws were house-sitting with our pets. We arrived in Ga. several days later with no apparent problems. We never used the awning because there was never any rain and didn't feel the need to use it. On a our first trip in our new trailer to the Tampa, Fl. area, we opened our awning and that was the beginning of our nightmare. It would never completely close. We were told by Reace to secure it and take it to a Dometic service person in our area. The warranty service company never got it working. We stored our Trailer hoping to make another trip to B.C. with a wounded awning and have Escape repair it or replace it. During the storage period we noticed our trailer had a dank smell upon further investigation we found wet ply-wood under the dinette cushions and wet walls in the sleeping area. The windows had been leaking and soaked just about all of the walls. The screws in the windows had even begun to rust. On Mar. 3rd 2019, we were unfortunate to be in the tornado that began in Beauregard, Al. killing 23 people and passing over Columbus, Ga. damaging our home and destroying our trailer. We had fabulous insurance that restored our home and paid us back for the trailer that was cut in half by a huge oak tree...so do we feel blessed?...we do. Would we ever purchase another Escape? We wouldn't! We are just now beginning to look at other options. The Oliver looks great but expensive, the Casita looks, more in line with our pricing, the Scamp looks like a pretty good option for a fifth wheel because we have a truck to tow it and a fifth wheel connection. I hope and pray everyone ends up in a happy and safe place during and after their travels.
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Old 09-22-2020, 03:59 PM   #78
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Trailer: Escape 17 ft
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Those many of us who have dealt with Tammy and Reace for many years cannot equate your "experience" with the Tammy and Reace that we know, love and respect.
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Old 09-22-2020, 04:21 PM   #79
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Name: BUBBA
Trailer: SUNNY DAY
Florida
Posts: 8
I am happy you had a great experience. We didn't.
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Old 09-22-2020, 04:22 PM   #80
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Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raz View Post
Steve, I bought my trailer new. I had window leaks, belly band leaks, the door had to be rehung. At 200 miles I went to adjust my brakes only to find the adjusters rusted frozen. The battery/propane shelf cracked and had to be replaced. The kitchen section was glassed in at an angle. They cut the front shelf and put in a spacer in the back to make the shelves fit. The tires were dated 2007 on a 2010 trailer. There's probably more but it was ten years ago. Despite alot of promises from the manufacturer, I fixed everything myself, on my dime. Today, I wouldn't trade my trailer for two Olivers or two Escapes, or one of each.

If none of the problems had occured, would your trailer fit your needs. If not, sell it and buy what you need. If so, enjoy it. Like me, you shouldn't have to fix it but you have the skill set to fix it if needed. Life is too short. Enjoy the time you've got. If our trailer is our only problem, we're doing just fine. Raz
Thanks Raz for the wise advice . The trailer does fit our needs but it’s hard to maintain a positive attitude toward the trailer when you are constantly having to make repairs , so we find our desire to utilize it slowly waning .
I have to admit as I get older my patience is not what it use to be .
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