Casita vs Escape

[Rob M]

Hi everyone,
I am looking for some input from members that have a Casita (17' SD) or Escape or seriously considered either.
I really like the Casita but also like the Escape and am trying to decide which is the better choice for us.
Some concerns I have with the Casita are the carpet on the ceiling and layout for a family of 3. But I love the
looks of the Casita and the price is a bit more reasonable and they have a large following.
The concerns with the Escape are the price and the outside styling, but the interior is great with a excellent layout
and the option of a bunk up front with window (perfect for our toddler) and you can have them personalized from
the factory (at a $).
I have been at the Escape factory but not at the Casita factory (yet) so I don't know how the Casita is built.
Looking forward to hearing others opinions and or recommendations.

[Chester Taje]

I also visited the Escape factory. I have been lucky and have seen A number of Casitas and the Escape. I find the Escape too me seems much more roomier with good storage. Either one imho is built well and it will come down to personal choice. To try and compare the two is fairly hard. I guess there are pros and cons to both of them.
The Escape pretty well suits what my wife and i were looking for. We can have the main bed made up all the time and have other end as a table. My wife gets up during the night so she will not disturb me as i sleep away.
The bathroom model is what we ordered and that also has what my wife wants.
I also ordered the A/C. I like it in the inside. I think it gives a better looking profile. The regular type on the roof RV air conditioner looks out of place to me on these small units. Thats my thoughts.
Good luck in your choice.

[Brian B-P]

The regular type on the roof RV air conditioner looks out of place to me on these small units.

An air conditioner stuck on the roof looks like an ugly wart to me, whether it is looming over a tiny egg or is one of a row of five sprouting from the top of a million dollar rockstar tour bus. Obviously, this is only a personal opinion, as is the case for any statement on appearance.

[Charlie C]

As stated above, the differences between the 2 come down to a lot of personal preference items.

We own a Castia 2000 17SD and it is a great trailer, so my comments are not intended to shortchange it. Previously we owned a Trillium 13 and I have had a pretty good look at the Escape 17.

The more vertical shapes and wall slopes of the Escape 17 are virtually identical to the Trillium 13 which we found to give a sense of more openness on the inside of the trailer, even though the width at the beltline of all the Trailers is virtually the same.

Another major design plus of the Escape is that all of the interior work is attatched to cleats mounted inside the trailer rather than drilling holes throught the structure to fasten things together. These rivets which go right through the structure on the Casita have been known to pop and leak, although through regular monitoring of these have not caused me any more than a couple of small leaks which were remedied before any serious problems occured.

I like the layout of the Escape better because of the design that includes a front window at the front dinette. The only short coming of the Escape in my estimation is that the width of the bed in the rear dinette section is about 6" narrower than the 54" bed in the Casita.

Your preference on the shower / bath variations will probably be based on how much you use the facilities for what. The Casita shower is slightly roomier, but not much. In our case we usually use park showers if they are reasonably clean, so the shower in the trailer is not used that often, for pottie service, one probably works just as well as the other, which is what we use the bathroom for the most. In the Escape I would get the finished shower though, we find it handy for quick dog washes etc, as the parks really frown on pets around the shower and washroom facilities.

Right now, for a Canadian, the price on a Casita has a slight advantage because of the $ difference. We bought ours used about 3 1/2 years ago when the $ was the other way and we didn't know of the Escape at that time. If I had it to do over again, I think I would choose the Escape if there is some way that the design could be adjusted to get just a little more space in the bed.

There are a few small design features in the Escape that most people don't even know about which will help the longevity of the unit. The Trillium, Casita and Escape all have full molded fiberglass underbellies. but only the Trillium and the Escape have drainage channels around the perimiter of the body to carry away any moisture that may inadvertantly get into the unit. Escape also seems to have done a better job of prepping their body to accept the appliances that they install.

I am inclined to agree with others that the inside A/C unit (which could likely be upgraded to a small heat pump unit) creates a much cleaner external appearance, and probably runs quieter than the roof mount units. If the Escape A/C breaks down, they can also be replaced for a lot less money than the others.

The Casita has the combined door & screen unit which is nice. I have a preference for the finished appearance of the beltline joint on the Escape over the Casita-Scamp-Boler style of joint.

[Thane]

I like being able to curtain off the front of the Escape with a spring loaded rod so the kids have their own sleeping and play area and we can stay up later. The increased bunk capacity of 120 pounds compared 80 for the Casita makes it a better match for our family of four. With only one child you don't need the bunkbed but I suggest you consider it as the extra bed may come in handy and the extra shelf space is a nice thing to have.
Here are some links that may provide some additional info for you.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...5&hl=escape
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...c=19447&hl=
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...c=19442&hl=
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...c=19446&hl=
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...c=19445&hl=

[Jen'nBarb]

I can't comment on the Casita because I don't know it too well. That said, we have an Escape and are very pleased with the quality. Yesterday when I took it to the tire place to have a leaky tire repaired the fellow doing the work was immediately impressed. His second comment after first saying what a nice looking trailer, was "he uses good quality tires." He then jacked it up and looked underneath. He liked the suspension and even knew what kind it was. Yes the bed is "cozy" but the shower is plenty roomy for us. We have no complaints :-)

[Bill MacDermod]

I agree with Charlie C on all points and will go even a bit further saying the attention to detail on the Escape is noticeable and I would lean towards the Escape if I were looking for new. But, we love our Casita and it has served us well with very few issues for 5 years and 30 odd thousand miles and did I mention the 99 Casita's still had the Porcelain toilet

[Steve R.]

The few Escape owners that I've talked to regret not having a roof mounted AC and would prefer using the space occupied by the inside AC for storage or a microwave. I would bet that given the option, most owners and prospective buyers would prefer the AC on top.

[Mary F]

>more up to date AC on top.

I don't see anything "more up to date" about having the AC on top. Some do, some don't. We don't. We could've in our Casita, but we weren't willing to lose the vent over the bed... and, in the words of the Casita salesman, that top mounted AC unit "spoils the look of the trailer."

Another problem with the top mounted AC is when the gasket gets old...

[Bigfoot Mike]

AC on top or inside is personal Preference. I have mine on top because I believe it gives better circulation and like the additional storage in the front closet.

That said, I like the look of Casitas with out the AC on top. I further contadict myself with a Sat. TV antannea on top too. Bottom line is form follows function.

I have changed the AC gasget on an AC and it is cheap and easy. I found it to be NO big deal. The one I changed that had started leaking was 10 years old.

So, what sounds good to you? That's what you should do.

[Steve R.]

>more up to date AC on top.

I don't see anything "more up to date" about having the AC on top. Some do, some don't...

How many currently manufactured trailers have the AC on top versus another location? Subtract legacy designs from the later and the remaining will be very few and far between me thinks.

[Donna D.]

Roof top A/Cs are noticable.... not so much the downlow models. I'm not a betting person, but I bet you'd find the rooftop A/Cs are very popular on BIG RVs and not so the downlow A/Cs. But the smaller trailer, of all brands, quite often put the A/Cs in a closet, etc. I think the reasoning is trying to be garagable. And I'd bet Reace was listening to his customers when he thought to put the A/C other than on the roof. Bunches of West Coast buyers take Ferries where height of a vehicle is the deciding factor on what something costs. In that case, it's A/C in the closet or none at all. And that's why there's Scamp, Casita, Escape, BigFoot and Trillium. Each are just different enough to appeal to THEIR customers.

Opinions are just that, take mine for what it's worth.

[Roger H]

How many currently manufactured trailers have the AC on top versus another location? Subtract legacy designs from the later and the remaining will be very few and far between me thinks.

Some of that undoubtedly has to do with the planning necessary to mount an A/C unit in some other location. With a roof mount, you cut the hole, run the wiring, anchor the thing down, and presto-chango... instant A/C with the condensation running down the sides. Placing the A/C inside the trailer, however, is a design challenge. Placement for maximum cooling... proper venting to the atmosphere... adequate heat exchange... and then dealing with the condensation all take some thought. In other words, the A/C has to be designed in.

Although the roof units may be more expensive to purchase, they're just plain easier to install from a manufacturing perspective.

Roger

[Steve R.]

Some of that undoubtedly has to do with the planning necessary to mount an A/C unit in some other location. With a roof mount, you cut the hole, run the wiring, anchor the thing down, and presto-chango... instant A/C with the condensation running down the sides. Placing the A/C inside the trailer, however, is a design challenge. Placement for maximum cooling... proper venting to the atmosphere... adequate heat exchange... and then dealing with the condensation all take some thought. In other words, the A/C has to be designed in.

Although the roof units may be more expensive to purchase, they're just plain easier to install from a manufacturing perspective.

Roger

Maybe not that simple Roger. I thought that earlier Scamps and Casitas didn't have roof mounted ACs because they were not structurally designed for them. Same for the Escape according to Reece.

[Jen'nBarb]

Oddly it's one of the things that people comment on when they ask for a tour of our Escape, and so far those comments have always been favorable. Having never had the AC anywhere else we don't know why people are pleased, but probably half the people who look at the trailer comment on liking to see it in that wall rather then on the roof.

What I can't figure out is why people want to have microwaves with them. At home we use it for defrosting dinner and reheating coffee. In the trailer we pick up fresh groceries as we are going, drink our coffee in the morning and are out and about during the day.....

jen

[Roger H]

Maybe not that simple Roger. I thought that earlier Scamps and Casitas didn't have roof mounted ACs because they were not structurally designed for them. Same for the Escape according to Reece.

Actually, Steve, it is that simple. You apparently just haven't been around RVs very long. A/C has only been standard equipment on these fiberglass trailers since the late '80s in most cases. Before that, it was only available on the higher-end conventional construction trailers, and only then widely available as an option since the mid-'70s.

The original designs of some of our earliest fiberglass trailers have had difficulty supporting a snow load in the winter, much less roof A/C. However, as buyers demanded to have air conditioning in them, it was necessary for the factories to figure out how to retro-fit A/C into their existing product. The demand for A/C units has grown exponentially among consumers in the past twenty years. I doubt there are many trailers still ordered without A/C. All the while, roof A/C has become more and more efficient and lighter weight. Eventually the consumer demand for roof-air units and the eventual redesign of molds proved more cost-effective from a manufacturing perspective to mold the roof supports in and use roof air.

I don't, of course, speak for any of the manufacturers, but I've been around these things long enough to see some evolution in them, and I thoroughly researched and nearly re-opened a closed marque a couple of years ago. I didn't do it because I didn't have the time to devote to make it successful.

Today using a residential unit for A/C in a new unit is a choice of the manufacturer, not the only solution as it was before Scamp and Casita began glassing in support for their roof units. You can rest assured that since the other established large manufacturers have almost all exclusively switched to using roof air after using residential window units (with the exception of a couple of notable startups), it's either consumer demand driven, or it's less expensive in some fashion for them to do it.

Roger

[Rob M]

I prefer the Escape, but I think we will go with the Casita just because of the cheaper cost to purchase, or if
someone is interested in selling their used Escape!!!!!
Rob.

[Robert and Laura]

Read this entire thread as my husband and I both are undecided between an Escape or a Casita (17'). Just realized the dates on this is back in 2007! So what did "Rob M" ever settle on - Casita or Escape? We like the idea of the dining area and bed on either side with the Escape. With the Casita, the small dining area is on the side across from the kitchen. However, we never even considered where the A/C was at until reading this thread. If the A/C is inside, is there a problem with condensation inside the unit? Is it better than to have it up on top? Thank you for sharing so much info. Would love to buy a product in the USA but also want the best product out there!

[Donna D.]

We'll probably never know Rob's decision, or even if he bought an all molded trailer: Last Activity: 10-19-2011 08:35 PM

Best of luck on YOUR decision.

[Thane]

My older Escape has the wall mounted unit and I have no problems with condensation. That side of the AC is sealed from the inside of the trailer and has an exterior drain.