New guy here with questions.

[deputygene]

Hi everyone, I'm new here, do not have an escape RV yet, but have plenty of questions. My history is a 21' Terry bunky pull behind camper, followed by a 27' keystone 5th wheel. No real problems with either, except a cantankerous slideout on the Keystone.
Long story short, the kids are mostly grown, and the fuel cost for diesel a few years ago had us park the 5th wheel, then finally sell it (at a huge loss).
Would like to downsize and travel some more with just the wife, figure one of these smaller molded campers would be great. My tow vehicle is an 03 7.3 Ford F250 that still has low miles.

Fuel cost are a concern, the 5th wheel dropped our mileage down from near 20mpg to 8-10. Anyone with a similar vehicle able to shed light on what kind of mileage they are getting pulling a 19' escape?

Durability. Another reason why I am interested in this type RV. At around 8 years, our Keystone 5th wheel was showing some age. The rubber roof had developed a leak, skylights just dry rotted away, furniture was starting to show age. Do these RV's hold up better? Is build quality that much better?

Resale- I know, from the very few that I have seen for sale, that it is a sellers market, with used trailers going for very near what was paid new. That is great, not limited to the Escape Trailers, Casita and Skamp also seem to hold their value well also.

I like the looks of the 19' model. Is that, in ya'lls opinion, rommy enough for two for 1-2 weeks at a time? Is the solar panel enough power to boondock for a few days? Any other tips for a prospective buyer?

[santacruzer]

The 19 is plenty roomy for the two of us and a 60 pound Elkhound. I tow it with an '07 Tundra Double Cab with the big V-8, and get anywhere from 10-14 mpg depending on conditions. And, of course, no problems with rubber roof rot or leaky skylights. This is my second Escape, had a 17 previously, and I'm a very satisfied customer.

[BCnomad]

Originally Posted by deputygene

My tow vehicle is an 03 7.3 Ford F250 that still has low miles.

Build quality on FGRVs is head and shoulders above the stickie crowd. Needs expected maintenance and replacement of parts that wear out of course. Factory support is amazing, bar none. Warranty work on the rest (appliances etc) of the trailers' items is done locally to you.

FGRV's typically have great resale value. This is prime camping season so pickings will be small anyway. I assume you have checked out fiberglassrv.com?

I have a ton of room in my 21, especially have some juggling the storage compartments.


I have spring weather boon docked for ~4 days and not needed more than dual 6V's.... your needs will vary. As an example, Jon V here can use up towards 50amps a day, but I believe his average is somewhere around the 30A mark. Furnace (fan) use can be a deciding factor in the cold months.


Tips? Go to a rally (look on fgrv.com), see what everything is like "in person". ETI might have someone to you in your area that will show off their trailer. Call them.1-855-703-1650

[Bill and Earline]

Originally Posted by deputygene

Hi everyone, I'm new here, do not have an escape RV yet, but have plenty of questions. My history is a 21' Terry bunky pull behind camper, followed by a 27' keystone 5th wheel. No real problems with either, except a cantankerous slideout on the Keystone.
Long story short, the kids are mostly grown, and the fuel cost for diesel a few years ago had us park the 5th wheel, then finally sell it (at a huge loss).
Would like to downsize and travel some more with just the wife, figure one of these smaller molded campers would be great. My tow vehicle is an 03 7.3 Ford F250 that still has low miles.

Fuel cost are a concern, the 5th wheel dropped our mileage down from near 20mpg to 8-10. Anyone with a similar vehicle able to shed light on what kind of mileage they are getting pulling a 19' escape?

Durability. Another reason why I am interested in this type RV. At around 8 years, our Keystone 5th wheel was showing some age. The rubber roof had developed a leak, skylights just dry rotted away, furniture was starting to show age. Do these RV's hold up better? Is build quality that much better?

Resale- I know, from the very few that I have seen for sale, that it is a sellers market, with used trailers going for very near what was paid new. That is great, not limited to the Escape Trailers, Casita and Skamp also seem to hold their value well also.

I like the looks of the 19' model. Is that, in ya'lls opinion, rommy enough for two for 1-2 weeks at a time? Is the solar panel enough power to boondock for a few days? Any other tips for a prospective buyer?

Deputygene,
My son has a similar 03 F250 diesel, manual, extended cab. Having towed with it, I can say that your truck would hardly notice anything Escape makes. Whatever you get on the highway now, you could probably subtract one mpg.
We have the solar and two batteries and have spent a week or more boondocking with no generator. Everything except the AC will run indefinitely.
I encourage you to check the 21 and the fifthwheel, which is essentially a 21 with more space.
There is a rally in Cherokee NC in mid-October, and we will be with another Escape 21 in the Smokies a few days before that. You're welcome to come to the Smokies or the rally as a day trip.
You could see at least these two and probably more at the rally.
If you can't find anyone closer, you're welcome to come see ours in the Chattanooga area. There's an owners' map on this site, I think is might be under "Community". I'd call Escape, they'll find you someone.

[deputygene]

Thanks for the replies. I did contact ETI and they gave me phone numbers for two nearby owners. I had contacted them earlier and gotten email addresses, but no response. So, I'll try the numbers.
The Oct Rally is a great Idea! Is it at a certain campground? I'll research the rally page.
I like the idea of the escape 5th wheel, but part of our plans are to also haul dirtbikes with us in the back of the truck, so I'm looking at a pull behind. Truthfully, I never noticed a difference in the 5th wheel that we had being easier to tow than the pull behind camper we had, when set up right.
I'll be riding through Tenn on a motorcycle in late Aug, may have to make a side trip to Chattanooga!
Thanks for the replies, I so look forward to seeing these in person.

[oldclimber]

Hi Deputygene--
My husband and I picked up our 19' in May and made a terrific trip back to north Georgia. Arrived home at the end of June with our new treasure. We are not small folks, but found the 19' to be all we need or could ask for. That said, the 21's are roomy and well thought out. As far as fiberglass trailers go, I don't think you can do any better than an Escape. Well engineered and made by people who care about their product. The ability to customize the trailer to one's preferences is an amazing benefit.

We have dual 150 watt solar panels on the roof and have had great success with them. We have camped up to 5 rainy days, with maybe a couple of hours worth of sun, and the two 6V batteries held up well. Ike uses a CPAP machine each night, which strained our batteries in the Casita we had. Not so with the Escape. I was very happy to be able to run LED lights, fans, and water pump, no problem.

We love the maneuverability of the 19' and dry camp with ease. Our tow vehicle is a 2012 Ford F-150 Ecoboost and this trailer tracks like a dream. We plan to spend a lot of time in the Escape and will be out for months at a time. The queen size bed is great and as long as I can still climb over Ike to my spot, all will be well!

Going to a rally is the best way to see different sizes of Escape's, indeed. We have learned so much from others about these remarkable trailers. There is also the annual April "Eggscursion" Egg camping Club rally in Townsend, TN. Several Escape's are usually there. Such fun. If you find yourself in northeast Georgia and still haven't toured a 19', feel free to contact us and drop by for a visit.

All the best to you~Peace~
Gae

[ethanallen2]

Are there any Escape 5.0TA owners out there?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by ethanallen2

Are there any Escape 5.0TA owners out there?

One right here!

[ethanallen2]

We are seniors considering a downsize from a 27ft travel trailer w living rm slide. We feel we can do with less space. TT weight distribution bars/chains are heavy part of hitching up and unhitching... our thinking is the 5.0TA would eliminate the heavy lifting. Does the 5.0TA have electric legs? Just beginning the research @ Escape.com & this forum. Will appreciate your comments/past forum emails on the 5.0TA. -Jacki & Ethan

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by ethanallen2

We are seniors considering a downsize from a 27ft travel trailer w living rm slide. We feel we can do with less space. TT weight distribution bars/chains are heavy part of hitching up and unhitching... our thinking is the 5.0TA would eliminate the heavy lifting. Does the 5.0TA have electric legs? Just beginning the research @ Escape.com & this forum. Will appreciate your comments/past forum emails on the 5.0TA. -Jacki & Ethan

Hi: ethanallen2... Another 5.0TA owner here. Yes the front landing gear are electric. The rear stabilizers are manual crank... but can be done with a cordless drill. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by ethanallen2

We are seniors considering a downsize from a 27ft travel trailer w living rm slide. We feel we can do with less space. TT weight distribution bars/chains are heavy part of hitching up and unhitching... our thinking is the 5.0TA would eliminate the heavy lifting.

I agree. The fifth-wheel setup eliminates the weight distributing hitch that many feel they need with conventional trailers, it eliminates dealing with safety chains, and it eliminates any need to bend down to the hitch area... although you do need to reach into the truck bed area to plug in the electrical cable and hook up the breakaway cable.

Originally Posted by ethanallen2

Does the 5.0TA have electric legs?

Yes, the landing gear legs are electric. They're not the usual style used on larger fifth-wheels - they're tongue jacks - but as far as using them in concerned they're straightforward independently controlled electric jacks.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by escape artist

The rear stabilizers are manual crank... but can be done with a cordless drill.

I think Escape has used two different models of stabilizing jacks in the back, both from BAL. If the trailer has the C-Jack, these can have motors added, so one would not even need to bend down to use a drill on them. I don't think there's a motor available for the BAL Telescoping Jack.

[BCnomad]

Ethan I know you were asking about the fifth wheel, but as a counterpoint the escape 21 with no weight distribution hitch and electric tongue jack would be a compelling alternative. Floorplan preference depending.

Your full size pickup with a relatively light fgrv will be a great combination. I think Jim quotes his 21 at 4300lb fully loaded for camping.

[padlin]

You do have to reach out into the middle of the truck bed to latch the hitch handle latch. The breakaway switch gets clipped to whatever is handy, like a tie down, and the umbilical cord goes in the 7 pin connector either on or under the bumper. I had a second connection put in the truck bed. Might be prudent to wait on such till you have the trailer, I should have had mine more to the front instead of under the loft overhang to save playing Twister.

The hitch itself is heavy if you decide you want to remove it to use the truck bed for other things, In the hundred pound range. The Anderson not so much, but I've had no experience with a gooseneck.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by padlin

You do have to reach out into the middle of the truck bed to latch the hitch handle latch.

Hmmm... or get a hitch with a longer handle? These things can be quite long, so you don't need to reach anywhere near the hitch head.

Originally Posted by padlin

The hitch itself is heavy if you decide you want to remove it to use the truck bed for other things, In the hundred pound range. The Anderson not so much, but I've had no experience with a gooseneck.

Good point Bob - this is an issue with fifth-wheels. On the other hand, it only has to be done once per trip (if that), rather than at every stop.

A ball on the floor of the truck bed (sometimes confusingly called a "gooseneck" hitch setup) can fix the heavy-hitch issue (with a conversion of the Escape pinbox to an extension and a coupler for a ball), but it then means reaching way into the truck box, and hooking up chains, so I don't think it achieves the easy-to-hitch vision that started this part of the discussion.

[Fox hunt]

Doesn't the hitch for a fifth wheel just stay in the truck bed ? I know I couldn't remove it. With my goose neck I have to climb into the truck bed to hitch up do you need to do that with a 5th wheel?

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

Doesn't the hitch for a fifth wheel just stay in the truck bed ? I know I couldn't remove it. With my goose neck I have to climb into the truck bed to hitch up do you need to do that with a 5th wheel?

Depends on the hitch design. Some are permanent bolt on, and others allow you to remove the upper part and just leave the mounting rails by pulling the rail pins.

A gooseneck reaches further down so you can't reach it. Most people with a medium/regular sized truck can hook/unhook a 5er without getting into the bed.

[padlin]

Brian, it's not the hitch arm that's harder to reach, it's a latch pin or some such that keep the arm in the closed position. On the Reese 15k hitch they say to use a padlock, on my B&W there is a locking pin.



Fox Hunt, you certainly do not have to remove the hitch, but you can. I do when I go fishing locally, haul wood or loam, that sort of thing. Won't be too many years before it's no longer an option. Suppose if I had a garage a hoist could be rigged, but I don't.

[ethanallen2]

Thanks!

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by padlin

Brian, it's not the hitch arm that's harder to reach, it's a latch pin or some such that keep the arm in the closed position. On the Reese 15k hitch they say to use a padlock, on my B&W there is a locking pin.

Thanks Bob. Just bad design then...