Been Lurking for a while

[NDNwmn]

I've been looking at small trailers for quite sometime. I'm 63 soon to be 64 single female, I've lots of experience towing sailboats and horse trailers, so I feel semi-educated on the towing aspect. I like the idea of a fiberglass trailer but have questions and concerns. I also keep going back to the Nash 17k because of it's boondocking capabilities and large holding tanks.

I hope to return to the NW where I will spend most of my time and head south for the too cold winters. I'm not sure if I'll be "fulltiming" but I might be.

I'll be reading all these very informative forms to learn.
Thanks

[gbaglo]

I attended an RV show where I looked at Escape and at Nash.
Suggest you open the cupboards on the Nash and look inside. All staples, hope and prayer. That, and the fact that it weighs tons, put me off Nash.

[padlin]

The Nash's are decent trailers, you are right about the tank sizes. Might want to look at the Lance 1985 too, even bigger tanks, less plywood to rot, and about the same weight. Maybe compare them to the Escape 21.

[NDNwmn]

I keep going back and forth on the 19 and the new 5.0ta. What I see as a downside to the 19 is sleeping next to the fridge noise and the downside to the 5.0ta is loosing the storage one would have in the bed of the truck (I plan on putting a small cap on the back for critter and other stuff.

I don't like the bed in the 21 too narrow and an "off size".

Would love to hear about anyone and the fridge noise, Keep in mind I live way way rural right now and it's so silent here...LOL.

I'm leaning to the 19 but like the separation of sleeping space in the 5.0ta .

I won't buy something that doesn't have a good rep with the after market customer issues/support and Escape has the best with Northwoods a close 2nd.

At my age, I want this to be my first and last trailer so I tend to lean towards an Escape.

[LeonW]

I haven't noticed any noise from our fridge. Absorption refridgerators typically don't have any moving parts, other than the coolant, so there isn't any noise. If you have the Texas fan option, that may change, but probably not much since the fans ate behind the fridge.

[Dave Walter]

Furnace and air conditioner, followed by max fan will be the major noise sources. As mentioned, noise from the fridge is minimal.

What keeps me awake at night is usually all of the snoring that is happening.

[dave macrae]

I don't hear any noise from the fridge in our 19, the furnace is a bit noisy and the ac unit is referred to as the "jet" in our family I am a pretty deep
Sleeper and like a bit of background noise when I sleep but i struggle to sleep with the ac on, wife on the other hand is a light sleeper and does not sleep at all with it on .

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by NDNwmn

I keep going back and forth on the 19 and the new 5.0ta.

Hello NDNwmn;
Your list of pros and cons looks almost identical to ours. I ended up making an Excel spreadsheet with 19 vs. 5.0TA in adjacent columns.

What pushed us to the 5.0TA was the "extra bedroom". Out of sight, out of mind, ha-ah. Plus the person with the "old guy bladder" doesn't have to crawl over the sleeping partner twice a night.

But second most significant was the table is next to the kitchen, and my wife likes to make elaborate meals with her "helper" (that's me) sitting close by with the cutting board and the mixing bowl. Third, the counter in the 5.0TA is longer.

Another plus, possibly more on paper than in reality, the truck/trailer combination appears to be shorter than the 19 equivalent (shorter footprint). And I think the "driveability" of the 5th. wheel might be a little better. That's all speculation at this point but by this time next year I will know for sure.

The loss of the truck bed is the big trade-off. Not only is the topper not an option, but the weight of the pin means there is that much less carrying capacity in the truck bed. For our Tacoma that means virtually no load allowed in the bed. Goodies will have to be loaded in the trailer. The 5.0TA will be able to carry 1800 pounds of cargo, more or less, depending on trailer options. Hopefully I can restrain myself and not take everything I own camping.

All that may or may not help, but perhaps it feels better to know someone else is going through the same decision process.

--
Alan

[KarenH]

See Post 13 for a tonneau cover for a fifth-wheel tow...

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...-a-1739-2.html

[NDNwmn]

Originally Posted by alanmalk

Hello NDNwmn;
Your list of pros and cons looks almost identical to ours. I ended up making an Excel spreadsheet with 19 vs. 5.0TA in adjacent columns.

What pushed us to the 5.0TA was the "extra bedroom". Out of sight, out of mind, ha-ah. Plus the person with the "old guy bladder" doesn't have to crawl over the sleeping partner twice a night.

But second most significant was the table is next to the kitchen, and my wife likes to make elaborate meals with her "helper" (that's me) sitting close by with the cutting board and the mixing bowl. Third, the counter in the 5.0TA is longer.

Another plus, possibly more on paper than in reality, the truck/trailer combination appears to be shorter than the 19 equivalent (shorter footprint). And I think the "driveability" of the 5th. wheel might be a little better. That's all speculation at this point but by this time next year I will know for sure.

The loss of the truck bed is the big trade-off. Not only is the topper not an option, but the weight of the pin means there is that much less carrying capacity in the truck bed. For our Tacoma that means virtually no load allowed in the bed. Goodies will have to be loaded in the trailer. The 5.0TA will be able to carry 1800 pounds of cargo, more or less, depending on trailer options. Hopefully I can restrain myself and not take everything I own camping.

All that may or may not help, but perhaps it feels better to know someone else is going through the same decision process.

--
Alan

Thanks for the input, I'll have an F150 so I could store things in the bed of the trailer and the weight issue should be a problem. I'll spend most of my time in the NW and going over Mt. Passes I'd prefer to have that bigger engine.

[NDNwmn]

Originally Posted by KarenH

See Post 13 for a tonneau cover for a fifth-wheel tow...

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...-a-1739-2.html

Thanks, that's cool!

[Donna D.]

There are so many things to consider when deciding to purchase a towable. The biggest (to me) is layout. You can ALWAYS change tow vehicles, but the trailer is yours until you decide on something else. Tow vehicles are found on every street corner, a custom ETI build... get in line!

For those of you long time members... quit reading.

It's not bed size (I'm a single traveler), but where is the dinette? That decided it for me. I absolutely, positively need to sit at a rear dinette and enjoy the scenery while having a meal inside the trailer due to inclimate weather (or bugs). I know what my tug looks like! And as nice as it is... that view gets old. I typically back into a site, over the Pacific Ocean or over a stream/lake, etc. THAT'S what I want to see, why should my bed get the best view when I'm always eyes-shut-tight there?

Best of luck on your decision.

[batcat]

Those are my sentiments exactly, Donna. I originally thought the 19 was best for us, but the more I read the posts here, I realized that I really wanted a rear dinette, not a queen bed in its place. That leaves me a choice between the 21 and the 5.0TA. I love certain features of each, but I am leaning towards the 21. I just don't want to give up the storage of my Tacoma truck bed. Almost everything goes in there now when we travel, leaving the back seat for our Labrador. I know I probably won't like the double bed and hope I get used to it.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by batcat

know I probably won't like the double bed and hope I get used to it.

You really need to follow Norm and Ginny's travels on FiberglassRV. They have a standard 16' Scamp and are out traveling about 11 months of the year. They sleep in a 48" wide bed, Norm is 6'5" tall. They have a King Size bed at home. Good reading, and they are as happy as CLAMS.

[emers382]

True Donna, but Norm is SLIM, we decided we could not give up a queen bed, there would be no room for the dog

[ColoRockiesFan]

I love the setup in my 19. I have a rear dinette which allows me the best views and i had ETI make the front dinette a permanent bed. Its not a queen but there is more than enough room for me. And my head is not next to the fridge. Plus, I also pull with an F150, have a cap on the bed, and have all the storage I need. The best of all worlds!

[jaydjay48]

Just joined the forum. I ordered a 17B a couple of weeks ago to be finished in January. I live in Bandon, Oregon, home of the fiberglass forum annual July outing. I've noticed the Escape population growing every year. This will be my 4th (and hopefully last) fiberglass trailer. I had a Scamp 16, a Bigfoot 21 and a Scamp 13. I love look of the Scamp but hate the fit and finish. The Bigfoot was fantastic, but I had to tow it with my 3/4 ton truck. I plan on pulling the Escape with my 6cyl 255 HP Subaru Outback. Tongue weight is a little high, but I fitted the rear springs with overloads and it will work fine. I added a 2" receiver and brake controller. I towed the Scamp 16 with a smaller Subaru Forester and it worked great.

[gbaglo]

Not sure about that plan.
I weighed the tongue on my 17B when I got home from Osoyoos. Came in at 325 #.

[jaydjay48]

Ah, a naysayer. Actually hooked up a friend's 20' trailer 300# tongue weight and it towed just fine. I ordered my 17B with a single propane. I'm sure the tongue weight won't be anymore than that plus a much lighter trailer. Anyway, I could still fall back on my truck if it's too much. I'll probably do the pickup and maiden voyage with the truck because I've towed more with it, but I'm pretty confident that the Subaru will work well. My 16 Scamp had a 250 # tongue weight. I towed it with my old Forester, no load springs. It handled it no problem.

[gbaglo]

Whatever. Out of curiosity, why did you post? For approval?