Hi I'm Betsy - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-17-2016, 11:49 AM   #1
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Name: Betsy
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Illinois
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Hi I'm Betsy

Hi I'm Betsy and I'm interested in possibly full time RVing in the future. I've gotten very interested in the Escapes, but have wondered if I would prefer the dry bathrooms available in an RPod or Winnie Minnie 1801FB. Really want to be as economical as possible and want to keep it simple by not getting caught up in lugging a BIG trailer.

Betsy
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Old 09-17-2016, 02:51 PM   #2
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Hi, Betsy. Do you have any camping experience? Do you have any RV experience? I haven't any RV experience, but I do have 50+years camping experience, tending toward the ultralight side of backpacking/canoe camping.
Most people here on the boards suggest you stop by a rally, if at all possible, to see the wide variety of FG trailers available. And if you've never camped before, renting an RV for a short trip is a real good introduction. If you've never rved before, better to find out you absolutely hate it when your only financial outlay is for a rental versus a bought-and-equipped- deal.
I liked the looks of the RPod too- until we saw it in person and I felt very strongly it wouldn't do for us!
But welcome aboard!
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Old 09-17-2016, 03:37 PM   #3
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Betsey having owned both a dry bath and a wet bath trailer in the past I would suggest the answer to your question may depend on where do you plan on full timing? If you are going to be doing it at a location that has showers then you might not use the shower in the trailer enough to compensate for the loss of space that takes place when you have a dry bath.

My Scamp had a small wet bath and I was pretty sure when I purchased my new to me trailer I was going to try and purchase a layout that had the dry bath. I do a mixed bag of camping so I do use the shower in the trailer on a fairly frequent bases. That was until I figured out what was given up in that layout to accommodate a dry bath - was going to be giving up a larger more comfortable bed! The good news is the new to me trailer has a larger shower/bathroom than my old Scamp did making showering in it a more pleasant experience. Used it about 25 times this summer. No more having to sit on the toilet while showering as I did in the Scamp, can actually stand up! LOL

Do not know which model of Escape you are considering but they also have a somewhat larger bathroom than the Scamps.

If you set up the bathroom well - its may as mine currently is simple a matter or removing any cloth mat you have on the floor - the shower curtain pulls across and protects the TP and spare towels etc from getting wet. I can even pull the shower curtain away from the wall and drape it over the head as well if I do not want to get it wet. Using an old towel to whip it down after and turn on the roof vent and if the weather is warm it will be dry very fast.
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Old 09-17-2016, 04:00 PM   #4
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Name: Charlie Y
Trailer: Escape 21 - Felicity
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Absolutely go to a rally, or at a minimum use the manufacturers website and get a referral to owners of fiberglass trailers in your area so you can visit the brand. Present owners volunteer to show their trailers as they get a reward check from the manufacturers if you turn in their name when you order a new one.

Fiberglass trailers are sold direct, not through dealer networks. Most can be customized to have the features you do or do not want. They also hold their value far more than a stick-built trailer, so if you start small and decide to move up later for full-timing you will get most of your $ back to invest in a new rig.

My big pickup camper worked great when I was under 40, then I got a stick built which leaked the 2nd-4th years I owned it. Then I got a Casita 17LD which was great for years until we both retired and elected to travel for weeks with 3 small dogs, so we upsized to an Escape 21. Definitely the last rig we will need to buy. Weighs 4200 lbs on the road, so I can pull it easily with a Tacoma rated for 6400 lbs.
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Old 09-18-2016, 06:53 AM   #5
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Betsy, only you can decide if a wet bath will suffice for long-term use. By many accounts (mine not included, as we don't have a bath nor plan to full time), the post-shower dry-down routine is not that difficult or time-consuming (and you're cleaning the bathroom each time you do it). I agree that getting inside an Escape is a good first step.

As you're weighing the pros and cons of molded fiberglass versus conventional trailers, one big difference often overlooked is resale value. The difference can mean thousands of dollars after just a few years of ownership. Of course, no one buys a trailer intending to sell after a few years, but life has a way of changing.
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Old 09-18-2016, 07:20 AM   #6
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Welcome Betsy!

Lots of good advice so far. As one who rarely uses the shower in the trailer, I appreciate the space savings that a wet bath provides in a small trailer. It leaves more room for storage, or just leaving the trailer feeling larger inside.
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Old 09-18-2016, 03:49 PM   #7
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Whatever model you consider, you seriously should find an actual trailer and attempt to get into the bath--I got stuck in the RPod toilet room and knew instantly it wouldn't do for us, not even for an occasional midnight visit, let alone a shower.


We found another rig and another way.


Best hunting for your right trailer!


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(Kathleen near Renton)
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Old 09-18-2016, 05:30 PM   #8
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Funny situation, those showers in the trailers. Most molded FG trailers have a fairly small fresh water tank, in the 10-15 gallon range. If you're not in a place where you can be hooked up to water (and maybe sewer, too) then for all practical purposes you're probably limited to something like a 'navy shower'...using as little water as possible. But if you are in a place with hookups, chances are there is a bath house and you can get a more satisfying shower in there. So, from my standpoint anyway, the on-board shower is most useful when one wants to boondock outside of campgrounds or else camp in places without bath houses (forest CGs, for example).

The question is, where and how do you envision yourself camping? And the next question: how often do you expect to shower in the trailer? If that shower will see frequent, regular use, a dry bath might be higher on your list of importance than if you only end up using it, say, 10-15 times per year. A separate shower space that is seldom used will be space that's wasted the vast majority of the time, and it will require a larger trailer (than is otherwise necessary) to contain that space.

Only you can decide which way to go; plenty of campers are happy with each type.
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Old 09-19-2016, 08:04 AM   #9
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Name: Walter
Trailer: 2017 Escape 17B
SW Virginia
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Welcome Betsy. As you can tell by now, there's a wide variety of opinions on the shower.
In my move up from tent camping to my first trailer, It took me about a year to get around to trying the shower in my wet bath. Now I use it all the time. so much more convenient than having to shlep everything to the bath house and then realizing you forgot the shampoo or whatever.
Wiping it down after takes all of one minute, just like wiping down my glass shower door at home to prevent mineral buildup. and I know it's always clean.
For perspective I'm 6', 190 lb.

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Old 09-20-2016, 11:23 AM   #10
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Name: Karin & Don
Trailer: 2012 Scamp 13Ft
Maine
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Welcome Betsy, as has been mentioned there are a lot of different opinions on the bath. We have a Scamp 13 with a wet bath and while we never use the toilet (I think that if I ordered again I would just get a porta-potty) I really have problems with a public shower and love having my own (very easy to clean) shower. Of course, just my opinion. Karen
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