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Old 02-04-2016, 11:52 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Cathi View Post
Of course, people then do other things which is whatever Escape does not do or whatever you don't want to pay for, or items that are better done by you.
Or, like me, you just go camping.
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Old 02-04-2016, 11:55 PM   #22
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Yes, well, you know we must be the exception with all of those many many mods we hear about.
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Old 02-05-2016, 02:02 AM   #23
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Guess I'm in Glenn's corner too. I've made a few changed to my RVs over the years but nothing big. Level the rig, door carpet out, a chair and a beer and I'm good to go. Might have different thoughts if I was living in it for weeks or months at a time though.
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Old 02-05-2016, 02:19 AM   #24
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We have many Escape owners who are into electrical, woodworking, plastics business, contractor and more and they make some nice shelves, drawers, containers and all kinds of things as their hobbies, you might say. Awnings, tables and you name it.
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Old 02-05-2016, 04:25 AM   #25
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I believe Alicia's husband took a job in another town which is why she left. Robert moved to Hohenwald to raise his boys in a small town, family friendly atmosphere. It worked well for them, and the boys are off to college. I think his decision to depart involved his long term plans for his retirement years . .

They were both quality employees and the current sales team of Anita and Karen are striving to please customers just as Robert and Alicia did.
Alicia left in June, shortly after we picked up our Oliver. Haven't worked with Karen much, but Anita is incredible to work with, as is the whole team at Oliver.
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Old 02-05-2016, 07:54 AM   #26
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We have many Escape owners who are into electrical, woodworking, plastics business, contractor and more and they make some nice shelves, drawers, containers and all kinds of things as their hobbies, you might say. Awnings, tables and you name it.
Here is a link to my mod's
Planned modifications to BlackJack…. - Escape Trailer Owners Community
please note, over 40,000 views, so far.....
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Old 02-05-2016, 09:41 AM   #27
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I emailed Robert Partee to his old address yesterday inquiring to see if he was still around. Anita answered the email stating he was no longer with the company and asked if she could help me. I simply asked if Oliver had a replacement "rep" and if she was still with Oliver.

Again, Robert came to our rallies and brought some "give-aways" such as shirts, mugs, etc. He was a nice guy to deal with.

I havent heard back from Anita.

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Alicia left in June, shortly after we picked up our Oliver. Haven't worked with Karen much, but Anita is incredible to work with, as is the whole team at Oliver.
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Old 02-05-2016, 10:29 AM   #28
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1st- you are right! BF did drop out...in fact I thought they went out of business and reopened...not sure on that.

.
They did.

A number of Bigfoot's board members where tragically killed in a plane crash. The parties who took over from them decided to expand the business outside of what had been their main focus - small fibreglass trailers and truck campers. Bigfoot expanded their focus and started building BIG $$$ motor homes/buses etc - bad decision - when the US economy headed south they ran into trouble and they went bankrupt in Nov 2008 after having been in business for 31 years.

What was left of the company (the plant) was eventually purchased by former managers/employees and reopened in 2012 and is once again building only what was their original core business - truck campers and smaller fibreglass trailers.
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Old 02-05-2016, 10:33 AM   #29
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Good info. Thanks Carol.
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Old 02-05-2016, 10:53 AM   #30
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Very interesting but sad story Carol. Thanks for filling us in.
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Old 02-05-2016, 07:19 PM   #31
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Very interesting but sad story Carol. Thanks for filling us in.
Well the good news is that they have been very much back in biz since 2012 and have hired back many of the original employees. They did though while closed lose a significant chuck of a market that they once held firmly. Escape has cut pretty deep into the smaller fibreglass trailers and for many many years here in BC the only truck camper the serious west coast fishermen wanted and owned was a Bigfoot camper. You could pull into many of the hot fishing spots and the majority of truck campers would be Bigfoots...... while they where out of biz it gave the opportunity for many to discover there is another manufacturer who is producing an equally as nice and leak free truck camper.

Back on topic I am also a bit disappointed in some ways with the current line up of Fiberglass trailers as well. I am looking to change trailers to what I hope will be my last one and it is one that I intend to take much longer extended trips with. I want a trailer that is no longer then 22' has a full sized bed and comfortable seating for 4 (without having to undo the bed) and *lots* of kitchen counter space and storage space and is not excessively heavy ..... as much as I wish I had, I have not found that trailer in the fiberglass world. And yes I have seen an Oliver in person as well as all the Escapes, Bigfoots, Parkliner etc etc. Yup I could get/find what I want in a Bigfoot 21' but the weight of them is over the top for my liking. Take a look at Airstream's line up of smallish trailers and one of them is a 20' and it has everything on my want/need list as well as a separated shower, double kitchen sink and it comes in at 2500lbs lighter than the 21' Bigfoot. Yup Airstreams have rivets but what the heck I currently own a Scamp


I know most of the fiberglass manufactures have tried hard to keep the trailers the same width as the tugs or close to for the improved fuel economy and I wonder sometimes is that is why they can't do much more to improve the layouts they offer. But I have a hunch that someone willing to fork out more than $45,000 for small trailer may not be overly concerned about the a loss of a MPG or two.
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Old 02-05-2016, 07:22 PM   #32
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Just wait for the rumored new Bigfoot 28 footer...or find an old Bigfoot 28' Silver Cloud!
Actually the OP will find all they are asking for in the Bigfoot 21, no need to go another 8' longer....... they just need to be willing to deal with the excessive weight of the Bigfoot.
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Old 02-06-2016, 01:19 AM   #33
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I know most of the fiberglass manufactures have tried hard to keep the trailers the same width as the tugs or close to for the improved fuel economy and I wonder sometimes is that is why they can't do much more to improve the layouts they offer. But I have a hunch that someone willing to fork out more than $45,000 for small trailer may not be overly concerned about the a loss of a MPG or two.
I've wondered also how much difference it would make to mpgs with the egg shape if they were a foot wider. I would guess not much as the curved frontal area displaces air so well. It certainly would make interior design and layout changes possible. Storage and a larger bed comes to mind..........
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Old 02-06-2016, 06:06 AM   #34
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Along with the loss of a few MPG by towing a larger/heavier all-molded-towable, there's usually the need to purchase a new tow vehicle. Factoring in both, and often it's out of the reach of many who are looking to buy just the trailer.
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Old 02-06-2016, 07:12 AM   #35
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To my eye, the wide-body Airstreams are just ugly, misproportioned. I'd hate to see Oliver become that. As said, though, within a narrower profile, there's only so much you can do, layout-wise. No walk-around queen bed, for example, or four-person side dinette. Oliver is a rolling sailboat, while Bigfoot is a rolling houseboat.

What if Bigfoot were to compete with Escape by bringing back lighter, less-expensive 1500-series travel trailers? Seems perfectly possible- no new molds required... What if they abandoned the dealership distribution model in favor of direct factory sales, like the rest of the molded fiberglass industry, along with factory-direct pricing? What if...
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Old 02-06-2016, 07:51 AM   #36
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The end times are nigh when folks are talking about a slide-out on an FGRV.
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Old 02-06-2016, 08:04 AM   #37
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Really, huh?!
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Old 02-06-2016, 08:09 AM   #38
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The end times are nigh when folks are talking about a slide-out on an FGRV.
There are tons of fiberglass trailers with slides... none on all molded towables, that's a huge difference
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Old 02-06-2016, 08:47 AM   #39
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Donna, Donna… I knew what he meant!

I believe Airstream has not only gone wide, but has even caved to market pressure and offered a slide-out. I saw one in a campground last year.

O, wretched excess!
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Old 02-06-2016, 10:05 AM   #40
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...I want a trailer that is no longer then 22' has a full sized bed and comfortable seating for 4 (without having to undo the bed) and *lots* of kitchen counter space and storage space and is not excessively heavy ...
You made me curious, Carol. Here's what I see…
1. Bigfoot 25B21FB: full-sized bed, 4-person dinette, dry bath, 6CF fridge, 4450# dry, 7500# GVWR, base retail price…??? (here's one for $39.5K USD, $55K CAD)
2. Escape 21: full-sized bed, 4-person dinette, wet bath, 6.7 CF fridge, 3140# dry, 4500# GVWR, base retail price $31.8K CAD ($22.9K USD)
3. Airstream Sport 22FB: full-sized (crawl-over) bed, 4-person dinette, dry bath, 4.2CF fridge, 3634# dry, 4500# GVWR, base retail price $51.9K USD ($72.2K CAD)

I guess it's not surprising Escapes are selling so well.
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