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Old 08-29-2020, 09:49 AM   #21
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Escape 21 & Jeep GC 5.7 (Previous 2012 Casita FD17 & 2010 Audi Q5)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackie in Indiana View Post
Can I ask why you prefer the manual awning? We are getting an Escape 5.0TA and my husband is super excited about the power one since it will retract on its own if needed... Eager to hear your experience!
My personal experience with the power awning has admittedly been limited because the first time we deployed it it filled with rainwater and threatened to fail.

I mistrusted the power awning and requested the manual one when our Escape 21 was built in late 2017. However, we apparently fell into a narrow window of time when Escape would not provide and install the manual awning, although they apparently did this both before and after our build.

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...tml#post772107

I fundamentally mistrust the "cantilever" structural attachment to the trailer reasoning that a high wind or rain load could damage the trailer or the awning.

I now will occasionally deploy the awning about three feet to serve as a "porch roof" over the door, but I rarely extend it any further.

I have seriously considered going to a manual awning or a keder rail style, but won't be able to pursue this until next year due to the number of other projects I currently have on my plate.

I've also read recently on the Escape trailer forum how one of the manual awning's support rails can interfere with opening one of the awning windows; I'm not clear what trailer model or windows this issue affects.

I suggest researching the issues on the Escape forum.
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Old 09-04-2022, 08:10 PM   #22
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Name: Dmitry
Trailer: 2023 Casita Spirit Deluxe on order.
Rhode Island
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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
I agree... about small. I thought it odd you were cross-shopping Escape and Armadillo, since Escape hasn’t made anything under 17’ for years (and very few when they did).

My personal objection to the original Armadillo 13’ is the lack of windows: none in front and only a small porthole in back. The slightly larger Backpack model solves that problem.

The 13’ no-bath trailers feel amazingly roomy inside, more than the footprint would suggest. All-around windows add greatly to the feeling of space. One person remarked that a 13’ Scamp actually feels roomier than a 17’ Casita. Of course, the Casita has a lot more features and storage, so it’s apples and oranges, but open space in the Casita is tight, and the front bath blocks the forward views.

Our whole crew of four can comfortably hang out inside our 13’ Scamp on a rainy afternoon. More than a few hours, though, and we’re looking to get out, and it wouldn’t matter if the trailer were twice the size. A rainy day for us is a reason to take a day trip to a nearby town or don raincoats and take a hike.

Adding a wet bath changes the feeling of a 13’ trailer quite a bit, and (for me at least) would push me into a larger trailer. If you can get by with campground bathrooms or a porta-potty and washcloth, if you don’t mind converting beds to seating daily, if camping is mostly about being outside, and if you can resist the urge to bring a lot of stuff- then 13’ers are wonderful.
Excellent post, brilliant! I read it twice!
I think the duration of the trip and the climate make a difference as well.
I'm torn between a bath and no bath, not having ever owned a trailer, and only tent-camping still. Galley is easy, we use the propane camp stove and need another 2 feet of counter space for cooking a delicious meal, but the bathroom is another story. We obviously never had one in a tent.
Through graces of hard work, we can afford a more expensive trailer, but, as a novice trailer camper, I don't see myself in a $60,000 fiberglass unit, or, even worse, in a shiny Airstream.
So we are still in the decision stage. Luckily, while I'm the impulsive type, my wife is the polar opposite. As it happened, we both grew up in rather strained financial circumstances, not having parents of serious means. For instance, until age 18 I lived in a 300 sf apartment with four other people, and a couple of thousand books.
Living modestly is no problem for us, but age willingly lends herself to the seduction of comfort. A porta-potty would be nice, but of all the places I could bathe, campground showers are the most appealing choice, as opposed to squeezing my ageing frame into a coffin-like fiberglass tub in a trailer. I'd rather have a large picture window and a comfortable armchair than a bathroom...but we shall see.
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Old 09-04-2022, 09:50 PM   #23
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
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Originally Posted by greentravels View Post
Thanks for the link to the Armadillo FB page! I am thinking that we might be more in the market for a used FG trailer. There doesn't seem to be too many on the market in Ontario right now. Maybe once September comes people will decide they want to sell? Just a thought. Thanks again to everyone who replied to the thread
Used FG trailers are hard to find regardless of time of year. Demand greatly exceeds supply.


And used tend to sell for very close to new ones. You avoid the two year wait, but you don’t save $$$.

Molded FG trailers are NOT interchangeable. Each has its own advantages/disadvantages/flaws/compromises. Figure out what features are the most important to YOU. Bathroom drives size as a bathroom takes up a lot of space in these small trailers. Manufacturers use terms for beds, like calling a 22 inch wide bed a twin, or calling a small double bed a “big bed”.
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Old 09-05-2022, 07:52 AM   #24
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Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmitry View Post
So we are still in the decision stage. Luckily, while I'm the impulsive type, my wife is the polar opposite….

Living modestly is no problem for us, but age willingly lends herself to the seduction of comfort. A porta-potty would be nice, but of all the places I could bathe, campground showers are the most appealing choice, as opposed to squeezing my ageing frame into a coffin-like fiberglass tub in a trailer. I'd rather have a large picture window and a comfortable armchair than a bathroom...but we shall see.
Start with the beds. A comfortable night’s sleep is arguably the most important function of a camping trailer.

We had some trouble getting the beds in a 13’er to work for all of us comfortably due to the small size of the main dinette bed (45”x76”). My wife did not like the confined feeling of sleeping against the back wall, and I was too tall to take the back due to the curved corners. We ended up with her sharing the main bed with our younger daughter at the back, sleeping head-to-toe for more room, and I split the front bunks with our older daughter. The lower bunk is pretty snug, but I like being able to get up to use the bathroom without disturbing anyone else.

Some important bed questions include (1) shared or separate, (2) size- what does each person need to be comfortable, (3) access- can you handle crawling in and out, over each other, nighttime bathroom visits, and (4) mattress comfort- beds that convert to seating are necessarily firmer than full-time beds.
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Old 09-05-2022, 03:52 PM   #25
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Escape 21 & Jeep GC 5.7 (Previous 2012 Casita FD17 & 2010 Audi Q5)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmitry View Post
I'm torn between a bath and no bath, not having ever owned a trailer, and only tent-camping still. Galley is easy, we use the propane camp stove and need another 2 feet of counter space for cooking a delicious meal, but the bathroom is another story. We obviously never had one in a tent.

<snip>

I'd rather have a large picture window and a comfortable armchair than a bathroom...but we shall see.
Two feet of counter top is not necessarily easy to find, whether in molded fiberglass or in conventional trailers. I think the industry figures that you'll use the dining table as counter space, if they give it any particular thought at all. I am continuously surprised by the cramped kitchen layouts we see in trailers much larger than ours; I think we have 21-inches of countertop between the sink and cooktop, and we enjoy it greatly.

When we had a Casita Freedom Deluxe with its too-small table-top located between two little swivel chairs, I would occasionally set a small Formica-surfaced "countertop" with 6-inch legs on the area which was used as a "permanent" double bed.

But, in general, we prepared meals and ate outside. This was something of a blessing when it was nice out, but also imposed the inconvenience of carrying foodstuffs and cooking gear back and forth between the trailer and the picnic table.

In turn, we now find ourselves inside a great deal more in the Escape 21 as it's so convenient to cook and eat in the trailer. So, these conveniences can cut both ways.

I also think the industry is highly focused on providing/marketing as many beds as they can. For this reason, dining and seating areas in smaller RVs are typically built with right-angle surfaces and a few inches of foam which provide very uncomfortable seating, but which can be readily reconfigured as (uncomfortable) beds.

Regarding the toilet facilities, we did not use ours for some seven years or so, and we still maintain a preference for using the restroom and shower facilities at campgrounds. However, on our last trip we began using the toilet for the middle-of-the-night bladder calls rather than continue the practice of hurriedly dressing and walking to the campground facilities.

The senior travelers I have connected with through the years have consistently indicated that using the trailer's facilities would become a virtual necessity over time. So, I guess this is just one more sign that we are entering the "young at heart" phase of our lives!
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Old 09-05-2022, 03:54 PM   #26
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Boler13/trillium4500/buro13
Ontario
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Start with the beds. A comfortable night’s sleep is arguably the most important function of a camping trailer.

We had some trouble getting the beds in a 13’er to work for all of us comfortably due to the small size of the main dinette bed (45”x76”). My wife did not like the confined feeling of sleeping against the back wall, and I was too tall to take the back due to the curved corners. We ended up with her sharing the main bed with our younger daughter at the back, sleeping head-to-toe for more room, and I split the front bunks with our older daughter. The lower bunk is pretty snug, but I like being able to get up to use the bathroom without disturbing anyone else.

Some important bed questions include (1) shared or separate, (2) size- what does each person need to be comfortable, (3) access- can you handle crawling in and out, over each other, nighttime bathroom visits, and (4) mattress comfort- beds that convert to seating are necessarily firmer than full-time beds.
Agree with Jon the most important thing in a small trailer will be the comfort level of your bed ,if you can not fully stretch your legs in the bed you will be miserable especially if you are sharing that bed so it’s not only the width but also the length and inches can make a huge difference. The bed in a armadillo will be very similar to a boler or scamp or older 13 ft Bigfoot as that is what the mold is .
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Old 09-06-2022, 09:59 PM   #27
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You said that you are in Ontario but not what part (it’s big). One way to check out a variety of trailers (especially Escapes) is to visit the Niagara Wine Escape rally in Niagara Falls next weekend — September 16-18.
There will be an Open House on Saturday morning.
Check it out in the Rallies section of this forum.
Lots of different trailers and owners that love to chat about trailer life.
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