2019 Pineknot Rally, Grapeland, TX

Cslcs25 · 07-23-2019, 03:19 PM

Registration is now open for the Pineknot Rally to be held October 23-27, 2019 at Salmon Lake Park in Grapeland, Texas. For details and to register go to Pineknot - Home. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this rally, it is for molded fiberglass trailers and last year there were about 90 trailers...Casitas, Escapes, Bigfoot, Olivers, Scamps, and others. Dave and I are taking over as rally hosts this year, with lots of help from George and Sandy Childs who hosted this rally for the previous five years.

Oldtimer · 07-23-2019, 05:32 PM

Looking forward to being there

Steven M · 07-24-2019, 09:03 AM

Interested in going but I won't know until mid September if we are able to attend. How late can someone sign up to attend?

Karl@Escape · 07-24-2019, 01:01 PM

Timing is perfect. We are booked to attend. Going to take a 21' along for the ride.

Cslcs25 · 07-24-2019, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven M

Interested in going but I won't know until mid September if we are able to attend. How late can someone sign up to attend?

Hi, Steven:
Salmon Lake Park has a pretty good capacity and we do not anticipate having to cut off registrations. Feel free to register now but just let us know if you need to cancel. There is no need to pay for anything until you get there unless you will get in after noon on the Thursday of rally (that is cutoff for paying for BBQ dinner that we have on Saturday). Hope that makes sense! Let me know if you have any questions. Would love to have you there!

Linda (and husband Dave).

Cslcs25 · 07-24-2019, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldtimer

Looking forward to being there

Great! This is our first time hosting so we are a little nervous. But I don’t know why because it is always such a great group of people!
Linda

Kyther · 07-25-2019, 10:27 AM

Signed up and looking forward to it!

Steven M · 07-25-2019, 10:42 AM

Thanks for the answer to my question. Signed up and we too are looking forward to meeting friends, old and new.

Red Dog · 07-26-2019, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven M

Thanks for the answer to my question. Signed up and we too are looking forward to meeting friends, old and new.

Dang!

Wish we were going. Pine Knot was our very first rally and holds a dear place in our hearts.
Hope you can make it!

Fred M.

tdf-texas · 07-28-2019, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Dang!

Wish we were going. Pine Knot was our very first rally and holds a dear place in our hearts.
Hope you can make it!

Fred M.

Whats up with you not going? Dave is going to be there (of course) and so will Unie and I.

Looks like its going to be a lot of fun - quite a number of Escape owners are going to be there and registration is just starting.

Red Dog · 07-28-2019, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Whats up with you not going? Dave is going to be there (of course) and so will Unie and I.

Looks like its going to be a lot of fun - quite a number of Escape owners are going to be there and registration is just starting.

Time will tell. But, at this time, there will be two reunions and a wedding that are booked at the same time.

 Wah!!! 

thumper-tx · 09-02-2019, 06:33 PM

We have not been in many years, but we are going this year. Looking forward to it.

JStelly · 09-03-2019, 07:39 AM

We will be there. Looking forward to it.

Red Dog · 10-22-2019, 09:48 PM

So, is ETI still going to Pine Knot to show their latest trailer?

Fred M.

Steven M · 10-23-2019, 07:40 AM

Fred; Karl and David will be here, but the plans changed and they are flying in and giving the presentation.

cpaharley2008 · 10-23-2019, 10:11 AM

That is a shame, nothing sells like seeing it first hand. I remember Oliver coming to the Tennessee Rally with the new units, quite a show.

Steven M · 10-23-2019, 10:21 AM

Not sure why they aren't bringing trailer, there are 7 21s he6at the moment.

JStelly · 10-23-2019, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven M

Not sure why they aren't bringing trailer, there are 7 21s he6at the moment.

We are headed your way shortly. Since you are there, is there a TV somewhere to watch the World Series?

Steven M · 10-23-2019, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JStelly

We are headed your way shortly. Since you are there, is there a TV somewhere to watch the World Series?

Really not sure on that, maybe a bar in town.

davidmurphy02 · 10-25-2019, 11:32 AM

Having a great time at the Pineknot rally. Lots of Escapes, 21's outnumber the others by far.

Karl Kinney and David Desjardins from ETI gave a long presentation and Q&A session yesterday. They laid out their vision for ETI for the future - lots more details than I can cover here but I'll try to hit the high points.

They have a LOT of ideas, and a clear long term plan for ETI. They absolutely intend to keep the direct to customer, build to order with lots of customization model that has made Escape so popular. They are looking, as ETI has in the past, at incorporating frequently requested items as standard or ETI-supplied options, like the Springfield pedestal and Zamp external solar connection. There will be even more options and packages of options, also looking at a more robust off-road 17. Karl and David toured a lot of trailers and probably came away with even more ideas for improvements and additions.

While nothing is final, they are planning on a US Escape rally in 2020, likely in Texas. They also want to have a US delivery and orientation facility open in 2020, again looking at Texas, and then also to provide service and warranty work at that facility. The ultimate goal is to have a US production facility.

Lots of questions about the new 21 floor plan and new 23 model. The new 21 plan specifics will be coming out soon. Details of the new 23 are still being worked out...with a new mold costing roughly $100K, everything needs to be well thought out before finalizing that. Plan is to have a walk-around queen in the front, dry bath and kitchen in the middle, and rear dinette. Lots of logistics to work out with the plumbing, electric, working around wheel wells etc. It will be 8 feet wide and that also presents engineering issues with the shell. Tanks and drain plumbing may be enclosed underneath, different from the current spray foam setup.

Escape's marketing in the past was pretty much exclusively word of mouth. David is building a marketing plan on many fronts, we'll see a lot of new things in the coming months to build brand awareness.

Overall my impression is that ETI is in very good hands. This is looking like a rare instance of a small, unique company expanding significantly while still keeping the quality and culture that made them so successful.

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