A new Escape on the Horizon

[ronsmith100]

Hi Ron

Congratulations on your ordering your new Escape. Know you'll love it. We leave on September 1st, final destination southern Utah, possibly northern Arizona. We'll be travelling with friends in a 73 Boler. Will give you a call if we get to Kanab.

check your messages, Ellen

You have my cell number and I don't have it on half the time

[Donna D.]

I'd sure like to see a floor plan for the front bed 19... I don't see it on the Escape Trailer website for the floor plan for the 19 footer.. Yeah, I see the dinette/bed, but no dinette in the back floor plan.

[ronsmith100]

[b]I'd sure like to see a floor plan for the front bed 19... I don't see it on the Escape Trailer website for the floor plan for the 19 footer.. Yeah, I see the dinette/bed, but no dinette in the back floor plan.

it doesn't exist.. these will be mods I'll have to pay for.
But I am thinking of having two dinettes to keep it simple.
Put the bed or the dinette where you want it when you want it.

It all depends on what Rease can do and how much it will cost.

[Donna D.]

Okay, I get it now Ron. Seems reasonable to me. I too know what the back end of my truck looks like and prefer to sit and eat a meal looking at something other than that. A big back window is great too!!

Bet once Reace makes one for you Ron, he'll make it a standard layout that others can order. It's only the first one that's tough.

[Jim Bennett]

Reace is great at listening and making stuff work, if he can. Originally the kitchen and the fridge/closet were reversed. In talking with him I had said I would prefer the kitchen to be on the door side, a bit more room, and it would keep all the full depth cabinetry and bath in one row. All he needed to do was add some room support on the kitchen side with he did with a full depth gable between the kitchen and the bed (which is a nice divider anyway. Once he put this on the site as a Plan 'B' (For Bennett Tammy says ) this is what everyone opted for. They dropped the other layout completely.

I believe that it is this level of commitment to what customers want which has influenced their success just as much as the quality of the product they provide.

[Sebastian H]

Looks like I'll have to plan a route through Kanab when I head south in 2010 to check out the Escape.
Breakfast at Parry Lodge?

Sebastian

[ronsmith100]

Looks like I'll have to plan a route through Kanab when I head south in 2010 to check out the Escape.
Breakfast at Parry Lodge?

Sebastian

Depends...

Who's turn to buy?

We have a McDonald's ya know <grin>

[Alf S.]

Hi: ronsmith100... The new roof mount A/C units Reace is using are a very low profile!!! About 1/2 as high as ours is. I really like them
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie p.s. your visit to the Escape Factory must have been very productive???

[Sebastian H]

McDonald's! NOT if it was the last place on earth.

[Curtis F.]

Okay, I get it now Ron. Seems reasonable to me. I too know what the back end of my truck looks like and prefer to sit and eat a meal looking at something other than that. A big back window is great too!!

Bet once Reace makes one for you Ron, he'll make it a standard layout that others can order. It's only the first one that's tough.

Now a convertible dinette front and rear would be the best of both worlds. Each owner could choose which configuration to use for each trip or use one configuration all the time. Since there is only myself traveling I don't like the rear queen bed. Just a waste of space I could use for something else. Expanding the center cabinets 10" may offset the center of balance and affect the tongue weight. If that doesn't bump up the price too much, I'd try real hard to find the cash for one.

[Randy, A]

A while back I mentioned to Tammy that I preferred the layout of the 17B better for a family and she suggested that they could do a double dinette in the 19. I eagerly await the floor plan for this....

ra

[Jim Ben]

Originally Posted by Randy, A

A while back I mentioned to Tammy that I preferred the layout of the 17B better for a family and she suggested that they could do a double dinette in the 19. I eagerly await the floor plan for this....

ra

I have been to the Escape factory down the road from where I live in Hope B.C. and found Raece and Tammy to be not only professional but into really helping make dreams come true. Their success is evident as they are moving into bigger digs early next year.
I remember seeing them at RV shows in early 2000's and I think it was the 15s they were doing and it was a fine rig. My opinion is that people are buying 17s and then after a while wish they would have opted for either the 19 or the 5.0 fifth. I really like the product and look to fulltime soon, but being Canadian without a green, I only have a limited time I can spend in the USA. What I am gettin at is as good as the Escapes are with the added Insulation option, I question whether we can feel warm here in Southwest B.C in the shoulder parts of the year. I am leaning toward a late model 17.5 or 21 Bigfoot with polar package. I am off today to have a look at an 05' 21foot and will look at it with actually using it for the fulltime life.
Learning a lot here
Jim

[Alf S.]

Hi: Jim Ben...We bought our Escape 5.0 to suit our lifestyle now. That is as a TT so light weight was key!!! We don't have the extra ins./thermal pane pkg. and find our furnace to be to much heat in the early spring.
When we're retired we still plan on a home base, but will spend more time in the travel mode with longer periods parked exploring. At sometime in the future a park model or modular home could be a poss.
Happy hunting...and remember "Glass is Class"!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Jim Ben]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: Jim Ben...We bought our Escape 5.0 to suit our lifestyle now. That is as a TT so light weight was key!!! We don't have the extra ins./thermal pane pkg. and find our furnace to be to much heat in the early spring.
When we're retired we still plan on a home base, but will spend more time in the travel mode with longer periods parked exploring. At sometime in the future a park model or modular home could be a poss.
Happy hunting...and remember "Glass is Class"!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Hi Alf: I did go around to look at the 21 foot Bigfoot in Langley today and was quite impressed as with what about 20K might buy in the used market these days. It has 2 solar panels for some serious off the grid time and the trailer on first inspection looks good and well kept. Dual pane windows and polar class insulation, though it has the rear bed not quite as appealing to me as the front bed model. I wasn't ready to write up anything today and will give some thought to the Escape trailers again. I also like the 17.5 late model Bigfoots, nice and compact and a little narrower than the 21s. The Escape 5.0 as you know is 7 feet wide the Escape 19 is 6'8. The Bigfoot 21 is 8'4 and the Bigfoot 17.5 is 8 feet so the narrower Escapes obviously gets people less anxious driving down unfamiliar paths, but gives up a little extra interior space for that option.
The Bigfoots are over 50% heavier than the Escapes so I know what you mean about your 5.0.

I drove to Chilliwack this afternoon and had Tammy show me some of their sold product out in the yard as they prepare for their move to a much bigger facility. I had a look inside a 5.0 and as I was talking to Tammy and having a look at the workmanship I noticed a price of 33k for that particular unit, getting up there. The unit I like is still the 19 though I am afraid once my options get put on it it would touch almost 30k. Also, there is a 09' Bigfoot in Oregon for 26K which is stiff competition for the 17 &19 Escapes if you can put up with not being the first to travel in your TT. With Tammy telling me that they have a 6-9 month waiting period there is no rush ordering to try and get one before the start of summer unless their new facility ramps production up substantially. The Bigfoot of course a on a best before plan though there as well winter is not prime RV selling time unless you really have to go South soon.

As usual life is all about priorities and there is only so much cash to go around. After helping a freind rebuild the rear of his 95 Rustler 5th I totally concur doubly so that glass is definetly class.

Jim Ben from Hope, B.C

[Alf S.]

Hi: Jim Ben... I guess you could say we were really lucky as we bought our entire rig used. '02 tug& 07 5.0 in the spring of '08, and within 3 hrs. of home!!!
I thought they had an undelivered 5.0 in inventory?
Thanks for the pic's from Escape.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Jim Ben]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: Jim Ben... I guess you could say we were really lucky as we bought our entire rig used. '02 tug& 07 5.0 in the spring of '08, and within 3 hrs. of home!!!
I thought they had an undelivered 5.0 in inventory?
Thanks for the pic's from Escape.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Hi again Alfred: Totally agree on the value of good used products as my tug is the 05 Tundra and bought it early this spring for about 1/2 what it sold for new with only 52ks on her then. I forgot to comment on your fine looking setup does your GM truck have the 4.3 V6, 4.8 or 5.3? Your 5.0 looks so good it could go along side the 2 behind the chainlink and be viewed at as new. I am not sure, but I assumed the 6-9 month waiting period was for all product lines.

I talked with a good freind tonight and his neighbour has an 09' Bigfoot 17.5 G type that he bought last year and this is a guy who trades in his vehicles every year, so I asked me freind to ask to stay tuned in case the guy wants to part with that little gem. Who knows maybe this guy wants something else by springtime.

Hope the weather is decent around Lake Erie these days.

Jim

[Alf S.]

Hi: Jim Ben... Our '02 Sierra had the 4.3 V6. Due to our Escape being in "Fibernation" I haven't gotten a pic. of the new Tug n Trailer combo yet!!! At 160,000 km's the venerable GMC was getting "Arthuritis" in her joints so we traded up. Great deals on new 2010's.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie p.s. That's a nice truck you've got...I really like the 4 dr. Frontier, if I can get it away from my WIFE!!!

[Matt in SV]

Originally Posted by ronsmith100

I'm going to have to sell my Casita and buy an Escape 19...

Any caveats on the 19?
or Escape in general?

I am sure you'll be very happy with your new trailer, and in particular, the opportunity to have it customized as it's built. Toward that end, I have a few ideas for you:

1. Be sure to get it wired for AC even if you don't have it installed just yet. You, or a future buyer might change your mind.

2. See if you can get real oak moulding in the toe kick trim all around the floor line. It's a wear area and repeated cleaning moisture condensation on the vinyl floor will wear the laminate off. (Actually, I'd pay for real oak moulding with quality plywood veneers everywhere if it were an option. I'm sure the exterior will hold up to decades of hard use, but the Escape interior isn't nearly as durable as its exterior. But, I'm speaking from the perspective of someone owns a U-haul, too, and that was pretty much designed to be cleaned with a firehose. I am sure a lot of reasoable tradeoffs were made for economy and weight savings.)

3. Ask them to do what they can to prevent "oilcan" flex of the shower liner. In particular the floor will pop if it's not perfectly flat, so maybe some kind of closed cell foam underneath would stop it. They could probably put a brace or two in the walls, too. Press on the interior sides of the shower stall and you'll be able to tell where it might benefit.

4. Likewise, the large, thin panel of the bathroom, the one you see directly when you open the trailer door, appears to be unsupported about 6-12 inches up, where it might punch through if a foot or something hard struck it.

5. Get stainless screws in the shower, and wherever you can. The white painted screws will rust with condensation

6. Get a power fan installed in the shower. The standard square vent is an odd size, approx. 10x10" but maybe ventline or somebody else makes one. If not a 6" round fan is better than a 10" square vent!

Regards,

Matt