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02-15-2015, 06:40 PM
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#21
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Windham, CT, Connecticut
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21
Posts: 188
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When we were shopping, we actually looked at a camplite 16 and Escape 19 on the same day. The camplites were at a dealer in New Hampshire and we were there on a cold October day. We had been researching both brands so I was prepared to like the camplite, but the aluminum skin and floor gave it a really cold feeling. I don't think I would have wanted to camp in it in October. That same dealer had a used Bigfoot on the lot, which was a lot warmer and we spent more time looking at the Bigfoot than the Camplite. Later that day we looked at the 19, and called Escape the next day to put a deposit on a 21.
Also, if you follow the Livinlite forums, you'll see some customer service probllems, which is an area Escape wins hands down.
__________________
Bill and Ann-Marie
Most injuries injuries in old men occur because they think they are young men!
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02-15-2015, 06:58 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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Several threads over on Fiberglass RV discussing pro/con of aluminum trailers- here is one
What EGG brand is the highest quality? - Fiberglass RV
basically you have to worry about the metal walls transmitting the cold to the interior, with fiberglass only the metal window frames are an issue, hailstorms and dents and finally leaks around the roof and side seams which will leak eventually are prevalent in the Campsite type trailers.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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02-15-2015, 08:06 PM
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#23
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Commercial Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
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I think the Carefree awning ETI uses is absolutely mechanically one of the best and sturdiest designs I've ever owned. Don't really care what it looks like.
__________________
Charlie Y
Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
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02-15-2015, 08:11 PM
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#24
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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I'm not sure what an awning is supposed to look like, if not an awning.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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02-15-2015, 08:22 PM
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#25
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Denison, Texas
Trailer: 2015 21'; 2011 19' sold; 4Runner; ph ninezero3 327-27ninefour
Posts: 5,136
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkA
Thanks to all for all the replies and advice! Only concerns I have with the Escape 19- not a dry bathroom and ceiling height in there is only 6 feet / awning seems very dated and not in line with such a nice trailer. Price wise the Escape would be close or slightly more.
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I suppose in our 19', we could put a shower curtain next to the toilet which is up a step and the sink wall, and have a partly dry bath. Never thought of doing that but then I have only rarely used the shower. If we use it more, might do that. We have a curtain along the door side only.
__________________
Cathy. Floating Cloud
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.... "
Emerson
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02-15-2015, 09:16 PM
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#26
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Pensacola, Florida
Trailer: 21' Escape (June 2014)
Posts: 325
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My good friend has the Camplite 16BHB, and in a little over two weeks he is joining my wife and I, along with Alf and his wife, (from this forum), at St. Andrews State Park, here in Florida. I have been in my friend's Camplite a couple of times and I can report that it looks very well made. It does seem to be a bit dark inside due to small windows, and with all the metal inside it does have a bit of a stark "industrial" look about it. My friend didn't care much for the "European style" windows, but I don't remember exactly why. My friend took it to Wyoming last year and reports that it towed beautifully. The only complaint he had was the metal floor and walls didn't offer any insulation and became very cold, very fast. He has also had a bit of trouble with the heater, but that was just a thermostat acting up. I read somewhere that the original developer/owner of the company sold out to one of the larger RV companies, (for what that's worth). All-in-all, I think that the Camplite is a very well-designed, well-built trailer that would serve you nicely, as would an Escape - no wrong decisions as far as I can see.
Oh, and the Escape 19 advertises interior height at 6'5", although, having been in one, I think it's really about 6'4".
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02-15-2015, 11:45 PM
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#27
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: O town, British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 "Lightning"
Posts: 1,467
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P
Slide? If you mean the optional street-side bed, that's a "tip out" (or fold-out): the upper part of the wall folds down to become a bed platform, covered by a tent section like one end of a tent trailer (or "pop-up"). This make it "hybrid" in common travel trailer terminology.
True, none of the moulded fiberglass travel trailer manufacturers have any kind of extension (slide or fold-out), in part because the shell is the structure so large openings are structural problems.
A smaller model might be, but the 16DB is the same size as an Escape 19-foot. Like most RV manufacturers, Camplite designates their trailers by body length, rather than by overall length.
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In my ipad induced haste, yes, I was refering to the __DBS Camplites. I was also poking around the smaller models and found the 11's and 13's to be a nice size for those that like smaller trailers.
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02-16-2015, 12:58 AM
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#28
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray N
The only complaint he had was the metal floor and walls didn't offer any insulation and became very cold, very fast.
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The material of the outer skin doesn't matter much to insulating value, and Livin' Lite puts a substantial thickness of polystyrene foam in the walls. The problem in the walls would be the aluminum framing (square tubing) which essentially shortcuts heat flow past the insulation in a substantial number of significant (1.5" wide?) strips; the more nearly continuous insulation coverage of Escape's moulded fiberglass shell and lining is an advantage here, even though the the Camplite's foam is much thicker than the Escape's. The Camplite floor, on the other hand, is fundamentally hopeless if it is uninsulated, and their specs specifically mention insulation in the walls and ceiling only. That seems crazy to me.
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02-16-2015, 12:27 PM
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#29
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P
The Camplite floor, on the other hand, is fundamentally hopeless if it is uninsulated, and their specs specifically mention insulation in the walls and ceiling only. That seems crazy to me.
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I agree. They do offer floor insulation as an option though, according to this options list:
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
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02-16-2015, 12:43 PM
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#30
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkA
Thanks to all for all the replies and advice! Only concerns I have with the Escape 19- not a dry bathroom and ceiling height in there is only 6 feet / awning seems very dated and not in line with such a nice trailer. Price wise the Escape would be close or slightly more.
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Mark, if you want a very compelling reason why we and others chose an Escape, check out post #3 on this thread, then ask yourself if you are going to get THAT kind of customer service with another brand.
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...html#post82693
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
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02-16-2015, 01:22 PM
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#31
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: Trying to decide on a trailer!
Posts: 6
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Thanks for all the info and comments. Look forward to hearing from Ray N on return from your trip in a few weeks. **Had a few laughs reading the very lengthy thread on the shower issue and it was very entertaining**
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02-16-2015, 03:32 PM
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#32
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Commercial Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
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Wonder how this would work on a trailer floor. Wifey loves her heated tile bathroom floor in the house.
I'm sure you'd have to order the trailer without flooring and put it in yourself.
peelandheatcomplete.com
__________________
Charlie Y
Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
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02-16-2015, 05:57 PM
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#33
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
Posts: 743
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We had an aluminum tent trailer by the same company before our Escape. We had foam floor tiles down to keep the feets warm (actually, done by the previous owner) -- worked quite well.
__________________
Doug
2013 Escape 19 ("The Dog House") , 2018 Ford F150
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02-16-2015, 07:25 PM
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#34
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tractors1
Wonder how this would work on a trailer floor. Wifey loves her heated tile bathroom floor in the house.
I'm sure you'd have to order the trailer without flooring and put it in yourself.
peelandheatcomplete.com
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Interesting, but I don't think that this particular product would be practical on either an Escape wooden floor or a Camplite aluminum floor: it is to be covered with thin-set mortar over a rigid floor, which is fine in a house but seems like a bad idea in a lightweight vehicle.
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02-16-2015, 07:37 PM
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#35
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P
Interesting, but I don't think that this particular product would be practical on either an Escape wooden floor or a Camplite aluminum floor: it is to be covered with thin-set mortar over a rigid floor, which is fine in a house but seems like a bad idea in a lightweight vehicle.
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This one is designed to work under vinyl or laminate. I wouldn't even want to think about the price. Seems like overkill in an Escape, but then again, I don't live where it's often cold.
Black Gold Radiant Floor Heat for Laminate and Carpet
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
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02-16-2015, 08:20 PM
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#36
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 11,023
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Warm floors? Isn't that why "slippers" were invented? Maybe I'm confused....
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
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02-16-2015, 08:32 PM
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#37
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
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Cork floors are nice..... just sayin'.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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02-17-2015, 05:42 AM
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#38
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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Wonder how our ancestors survived in those caves with the cold rock floors? Probably warmed their feet sitting around a fire.
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
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02-17-2015, 11:09 AM
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#39
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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Quote:
Originally Posted by C&G in FL
Wonder how our ancestors survived in those caves with the cold rock floors? Probably warmed their feet sitting around a fire.
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With woolly mammoth rugs.......
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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03-07-2015, 04:47 PM
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#40
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Pensacola, Florida
Trailer: 21' Escape (June 2014)
Posts: 325
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkA
Thanks for all the info and comments. Look forward to hearing from Ray N on return from your trip in a few weeks.
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After the second day my friend with the Camplite said he would sell it and buy my Escape from me if I was willing to sell it, (I'm not).
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