Hi I am

[Betsy in Sausalito]

Hi I am Betsy from Sausalito . Our Home is Chico Ca…
Our Boat in Sausalito.

I grew up camping.. not ready to give it up yet but we are at an age we need a few more comforts than a tent affords. My husband and I live on our boat about 6 months a year so are used to small space living.

We are currently shopping for a small trailer and think a Casita might be a perfect fit… but have not found one to actually go inside .

I stumbled across the upcoming event in Bodega Bay and am hoping we might be able to drive up for the day for a visit and perhaps get to see inside one while there. Lord Willing and Good Weather I hope to meet some of you soon!��

[cpaharley2008]

Welcome Betsy, to our little fiberglass world......:")

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome, Betsy! You seem to be doing exactly the right things to start your small, molded fiberglass journey.

Casita is a popular snd solid choice, but beware tongue weight. A Casita 17’ deluxe will typically weigh around 3000-3200# optioned and loaded for travel with a tongue weight around 425#. Casita recommends a tow vehicle with a minimum 5000/500# tow rating.

Given your location, you might also look at the BC-made 17’ Escape.

[jerrybob]

Welcome.......Casita's are great little trailers....we love ours. Most fiberglass owners love talking about their trailers and are willing to show you inside......just ask and bring a beer or bottle of wine. Good luck in your search.

[Betsy in Sausalito]

Thanks for the greetings and idea of the Escape..we will look into it.

The only thing we are concerned about is the material on the walls.
We have little grandchildren that would drive Papa nuts if they get their peanut butter and grape jelly on the walls.

We are considering a cross county trip with son wife and 3 year old twins.
So that could be an issue if they come over to our trailer to hang out so mom and dad can have some time together. ��

[Jon in AZ]

Escape has washable, smooth vinyl over closed cell foam on the walls. They also have an option for you to supply your own upholstery material, so you could use a stain-resistant Sunbrella-type fabric if you wanted.

If you want room for a larger group to hang out or eat together, I believe you can order a 19' Escape with a 4-person dinette on both ends, both of which convert to double beds. The standard configuration is a permanent bed in back and a dinette in front. It is still towable by a midsized 5000# SUV.

[Betsy in Sausalito]

Thanks for info on Escape…. We are definitely looking into it.

Since our kids are thinking about one of the monster RVs .meal times would be with them or eating outside unless raining . We think the little dinette is ok for us.

We want to store it inside our shop..
9ft is our max and even then we may have to let some air out tires to skim it in.
😊

[Jon in AZ]

Makes sense. Be aware that height specs on websites and brochures may not include the height of roof A/C. Make sure you clarify that with the seller or factory. Also, some models like the Casita are (or were) available with different suspension heights, so that could also affect garageability. 9' covers a lot more than the standard 7', but not all. We also have a 9' garage. Our 13' Scamp fits easily, but a Chevy Roadtrek we used to own was a few inches too tall.

[Betsy in Sausalito]

Hi..

I looked on line at the Escape… the smallest trailer says “Exterior “ length is 22ft.
The Casita says “ Overall “ length is 17.

Maybe a dumb question but..
Are both of these measurements including the hitch as well?

The Escape sounds great with washable interior but I think it’s to long for where we need to store it.

I have put our name into the company to have a call back from a owner but so far have not received response.
Betsy

[Jon in AZ]

I couldn’t find a spec sheet on Escape’s website, but I’m reasonably certain the overall length of their smallest 17’ model is right at 17’. And yes, both the Casita and the Escape are 17’ total length, tongue to bumper.

Here’s a link just to be sure we’re talking about the same trailer.
https://escapetrailer.com/the-17-foot-escape-b/

[Betsy in Sausalito]

Hi .. Thanks for info.. I couldn’t find specs on Escape website either.

I did find the floor plans and these specs at K Z Recreational Vehicles.
Sorry I don’t know how to link it to this reply.

2023 KZ RV Escape E17 HATCH Travel Trailer Floorplan
E17 HATCH
Gallery
UVW - 3,320
Exterior Length - 22'
Sleeps - 4
😊

[Jon in AZ]

KZ Escape is a completely different company with an unfortunate similarity of names. Conventional (non-molded) manufacturers designate their models by cabin length, so yes, the KZ E17 is a bigger trailer (and heavier) with a 17’ cabin and a 22’ overall length.

The molded Escape 17B I linked is around 17’ total length with a 14’ cabin. They also make a 19’ and a 21’, with a 23’ on the way, as well as a fifth wheel. Again, those are overall lengths, because that’s how all the molded fiberglass manufacturers do it.

Links are easy- just copy the URL from your browser and paste it into your post. However, I believe new members have to make at least 10 posts before they’re allowed to post links as an anti-spam policy.

[jgilliam1955]

Get one with twin beds. No climbing over each other. There is a year wait. Look at all the fiberglass campers including truck campers. When we bought ours we thought Scamp and Casita were the only ones. Afterward found the Escape & Oliver campers. But we love our Casita.

[Candolina]

What sold me on my Casita was the size of the bathroom. Very important to me to be comfortable. I had previously rented an Escape with a bathroom in the front and found it very claustrophobic.

[bobblangley]

Take a look at Bigfoot 17 trailers.

They are larger inside than Casitas, etc. and don't weigh all that much more.

They are somewhat less aerodynamic though.

[felix2]

Escape Trailer Industries in Chilliwack BC is a molded fiberglass trailer, not the stick-built Escape model you found. They are extremely well designed and built, as others indicated. They’re more expensive than Casita but much less than Airstream.

We own the NE21 model, and have had zero issues in the 2 1/2 years we’ve owned it, which includes around 8 or 9 months worth of nights in it, and maybe 15,000 miles of travel. We went to the factory to look at floor models, interested in the 17’, but were immediately impressed with the extra room in the 19. Then we were shown the new 21NE model which weighs not much more but gave us an enormous seating area by comparison, and we’re sold.

They only sell factory direct, which we appreciate as it removes all sales tactics and pressure. A very comfortable experience and they will even deliver it to you if you desire.

Good luck!

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by Betsy in Sausalito

Hi .. Thanks for info.. I couldn’t find specs on Escape website either.

I did find the floor plans and these specs at K Z Recreational Vehicles.
Sorry I don’t know how to link it to this reply.

2023 KZ RV Escape E17 HATCH Travel Trailer Floorplan
E17 HATCH
Gallery
UVW - 3,320
Exterior Length - 22'
Sleeps - 4
😊

KZ brand Escapes are stick built, and not fiberglass. The Escape trailer mentioned in the prior post is from Escape Trailer Industries. Currently, the 17' model is the smallest they make, and here are the measurements you were asking about.
We have the 19' version, which we love, but the 17B would have worked for us too. Either one is bigger than the 16' Scamp we had, which we also loved, but wanted more space for potential full-timing.

[Mr Lynn]

Just to add what others have said, Escape Trailer Industries makes six different models, in three (overall) lengths: 17, 19, 21.

You can compare them here:

https://escapetrailer.com/comparison-chart/

You can download the whole catalogue here:

https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/h...PE.CATALOG.pdf

The Escape 17B is 8'8" to top of AC unit, without the optional lift kit, which raises it 2 ⅝". Completion lead times for most models (not the fifth-wheel 5.0) is June, 2023.

[Betsy in Sausalito]

Thanks for all the very useful information from everyone!

We are committed to something in the 17ft range because of wanting to keep it inside our barn. We live on a sail boat 6 months a year. Our boat is a lot bigger than the RV’s we are looking at. We are used to concept every area and item must be multifunctional or it is taken off. Most of the time we find ourselves lounging on the beds rather sitting in the salon area… and boats are notorious for tiny bathrooms!

Pretty much when you live on a boat…. you are in/on your boat 24/7.🙃

Thanks everyone for your input and hope to meet some of you at Bodega Bay !!
😊

[Rebecca G.M.]

When is the event in Bodega Bay? Would love more details, I live in the area but haven't seen anything and looked on the calendar on this site and did not see it there either.