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Old 09-02-2013, 04:54 PM   #21
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Hi folks,

We will be picking up our 21 November 7th and the time is flying by. So many ideas! We are headed up to the factory tomorrow to go over our final (?) decisions. I guess the big things are solar with 2 6V batteries, thermal windows and insulation, gas/elec water heater, oven, custom formica and upholstery, bike receiver, high mount brake lights, kitchen counter extension, 2 extra 12 v outlets, LED lights, front storage box and stainless sink. Dave is on the fence about the detachable power cord and outside shower and now Jon has mentioned the amplified cell phone antenna! I like the idea of a pressurized shock to hold up the mattress cover - thanks!

Other than that we really feel like we need to sit in the trailer and think about where the outlets are and where we want shelves, hooks, extra lights - maybe an inside switch for the porch light. Will turn in our report from Chilliwack later this week.

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Old 09-02-2013, 06:03 PM   #22
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coming from an Escape 19' I can say no to the dual 6 volts, the oversized 12v option is adequate and saves you about 50lbs, no to the electric water heater as 1 hour on propane is all you need for hot water, no to bike receiver as it shakes all over and I ended up putting bikes inside, there are no kitchen counter extensions option and I have never used the outside shower in 4 years. The other options are practicable. There is no need for high brake lights, they are standard on the 21 model.
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Old 09-02-2013, 06:14 PM   #23
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We use the outside shower often, for a quick shampoo. Also useful for kids and dogs.
I concur on sticking with propane water heater. Turn it on for half an hour in the morning and it's hot all day. If you're gonna take a shower, add 15 minutes heating just prior.
Many decisions are based on the question, 'are you going camping? or are you going parking?' - lining up in a row with dozens of motor homes and full service.
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Old 09-02-2013, 06:46 PM   #24
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The way you camp has a major impact on your choice of options. Think about how/where you camp, and what you wish to have with you when camping. No one else can tell you what you need, we can only tell you what we have chosen, and why.

We consider a coffee grinder all but mandatory, hence an inverter.

We don't bake much when camping, hence no oven, but will add electric ignition to our cooktop (as a mod - not factory available.) And we are including a microwave and large fridge, because we want the convenience and capacity. (We can run the microwave off the battery/inverter for short periods but also have a Honda 2000i.)

Although we prefer to go places without electricity, we do sometimes have electricity - so using the "free" electricity instead of "our" propane leads to our choice to get the electric/gas water heater.

Our dry camping preference makes the dual 6V (or dual 12V) batteries and the solar panel highly desirable options for us.
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Old 09-02-2013, 08:10 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamman View Post
We consider a coffee grinder all but mandatory, hence an inverter.
I too grind my coffee just before every brew, but I use a good manual grinder. I actually enjoy the routine of grinding in the morning, and no dependence upon power at all.

I for one like the dual fuel heater, though only have used it maybe 10% of the time, but when we do it is great. Minimal upcharge for it too.

Bike receiver for us works great. Through trial and error I learned that you should definitely buy a good rack that uses a 2" mount, not a 1 1/4" with adapter. This combined with a good anti-rattle pin, and things are solid as a rock. I have put the bikes inside for short trips where we only set up once, otherwise for us it is too much of a pain to get around them, and putting them in and out is a bother too.

I could go on and on, but others have made good suggestions, some I did or would do, and others that would not fit my style of camping. There is no one right setup to fit all, we all have our own styles. The main thing is that regardless of options, in fact you could choose none, it is always possible to enjoy your experience traveling using your Escape.
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Old 09-03-2013, 05:32 AM   #26
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I will pick up my 21 in March and enjoying everybody's input on their choice of options. I am visiting the factory in two weeks to go over every possible option and hopefully make the decision on each one.

Thanks
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Old 09-03-2013, 09:43 AM   #27
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Escape 21

To all, this is a great forum, I like this almost as much as see you all at the fiberglass gatherings.
Jon, I thought the conduit idea for the HDMI cable was a great one. Reace however, will not do conduit. Going from the Dinette area to the short cabinet area (behind the fridge and closet - about 48") is not a straight line. With leaving some extra cable at each end Reace suggested providing 16' of HDMI cable. Hope the cable never goes bad! Also, I loved your travel pictures. You really get out there, good for you. The pictures of your modifications are also great. The mods are well thought out and installed with quality in mind.

Don & Kathie, Reace hasn't had time to investigate the use of a pressurized strut to hold up the bed opening, so I'll be doing my own when I get the trailer on 10-14-13.

I was going to order the EZ-Lube axles until I found out that with the aluminum rims I'll have to take the tires off each time (the center cap mounts behind the rim).

The bathroom window with the jamming issues has been replaced with a slider type (I think the same as what we had in our Casita), so the jamming issue should be taken care of.

I upgraded the antenna/power amplifier option with a Jack antenna. Reace told me that many poeple were asking for it, and some who had the omni-directional antenna were upgrading.

Just a heads up, Reace says that they rarely move the AC outlets, if so it costs the same as an extra AC outlet would cost. He will however move the AC outlet in the bedroom without charge.

Good luck all you new 21ers
Tom
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Old 09-03-2013, 11:50 AM   #28
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Guess I should weigh in here since we have one of the 6 soon to be Washington 21's Tom referred to in his first post.
Our completion date is January 22, 2014.
The option list so far is:
3 Burner Stainless Steel Stove & Range hood
Air Conditioner
Aluminum Rims
Bike Rack Ready
Dual 6V Batteries
Exterior Propane Quick Connect
Exterior shower added to interior shower pkg
Extra Insulation & Thermal Windows
LED Interior Light Package
LED Exterior Porch
LED Captains Reading Lamps - one on each side of dinette
Opening Window in Bathroom
Screen Room
Stainless Steel Sink & Chrome Faucet
Stereo/DVD Player
Stove Cover
Surge Protector
Cable Ready two locations-dinette o/h street side and night stand o/h
Wall Mount Extendable TV Arm
2 - 12 Volt Outlet In o/h cabinet above the bed driver's side, at wardrobe facing bed b/s 120V
95W Solar Panel
Custom Formica
Custom Fabric
Still agonizing over the storage box - just not a fan aesthetically, don't have one now, shouldn't need one with more outside accessible storage than our 17B.....

We'll be visiting Escape to finalize cabinet, drawer & outlet placement on the 17th.
This willing be our first factory new trailer since our teardrop years ago...this thread and others have been very helpful in filling out our build sheet.
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Old 09-03-2013, 12:30 PM   #29
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Washington 21 build

Finally, a fellow Washington owner, soon to be a 21 owner. We live in auburn and hope to see you camping or at a gathering some time.
We also opted to place TV jacks in both the Dinette and over the night stand. We opted for the Jack directional antenna after talking to Reace. We also added a DC outlet in the bedroom area. I think it'll come in handy. Reace will only move one AC outlet, the one in the bedroom, so we moved it next to the bathroom wall along with the DC outlet. We also added an AC outlet next to the TV port being installed in the dining area.
Anyhow, it's good to hear from another Escape owner that lives in Washington.
Tom
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Old 09-03-2013, 02:38 PM   #30
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We live in Spokane and our 21 hatches Jan 28. I am enjoying reading about everyone's choices. We are making a factory visit Sept 13th to have a look. Maybe we should start a WA state group on this site - like the Texans did!
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Old 09-03-2013, 02:51 PM   #31
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Washington Escape group

I like the idea of a Washington group, that's kind of why I started the thread. When we receive our 21, I'll be adding it to the map. Another cool idea someone had!!
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Old 09-03-2013, 03:02 PM   #32
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We'll be at a couple gatherings next spring:
Spring NOG at Champoeg (Oregon) in April (I believe there will be 2 other 21's there):
OR April 24-27, 2014: Spring NOG 2014 – Northern Oregon Gathering - Fiberglass RV

and Maryhill in May (We sorta semi host that one):

WA May 16- 18, 2014: Maryhill (SP) in May - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-03-2013, 05:57 PM   #33
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[QUOTE=TAfraser;31795]To all, this is a great forum, I like this almost as much as see you all at the fiberglass gatherings.

I was going to order the EZ-Lube axles until I found out that with the aluminum rims I'll have to take the tires off each time (the center cap mounts behind the rim).



I contacted Escape today and Reace said he has found a new aluminum wheel supplier that has an opening in the wheel for the EZ lube feature.
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Old 09-03-2013, 07:52 PM   #34
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New aluminum rim supplier

WOW, that's good to know. Did he provide a picture of the newly available rims? If not did he say if they looked the same? I had resigned myself to packing the bearings the old fashioned way. That taking the wheel and drum off would allow me to inspect the breaks, etc. With the Casita, I got lazy, repacked the EZ-Lube bearings and skipped inspecting the brakes. Reace suggests repacking the bearings every two years. Not too bad! So now I'm torn.

On another note; I seem to remember a post on here about a high-lift axle being ordered. If anybody knows about it, light high and for how much, I'd sure like to know. I had the high lift axle on my Casita and it cam in very handy, just getting up the curb into my driveway. I believe the Escape sits lower than my high-lift Casita??
Tom
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Old 09-03-2013, 07:55 PM   #35
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No high lifts anymore, there may have been was one on the 5th, but the 17/19/21 basically all have the similar axles/bearings, and wheels with different specs.
I believe the wheels will look the same, with a removable center cap for lube purposes.

My question is re: bath window, sliding vs awning. Where did you hear that the bath window is a slider now?
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Old 09-03-2013, 07:56 PM   #36
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There is now a Washington State owners group in the Escape forum. Add yourselves to the group!
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Old 09-03-2013, 08:07 PM   #37
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High-lift axles

Thanks Jim, that saved me an email to Reace. I'v already bothered him enough. I will however have to ask him about the new rims along with the antenna with TV ready option.
I'm having the Jack antenna with amplifier option installed in our trailer. Along with that I'm having two antenna ports put in, one in the dining and the other above the short chest of drawers.
We just finished a 3000+ miles adventure in our Casita and found that many private parks provid free TV at the power pedestal. My question; is the Escape wired for that type of input? At the antenna port, is there also a cable port? I wonder if, with the two antenna ports, will there also be tow cable ports?
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Old 09-03-2013, 08:12 PM   #38
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I got the information about the slid window direct from Reace himself on Monday the second. They've been installing the slider for about two months now with no issues.
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Old 09-03-2013, 08:17 PM   #39
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Where is the slider window being installed?
The Jack antenna is standard in the Escape now and it will allow you to receive over the air digital tv signals, you also have a cg cable hookup on the outside of the your Escape (you will need to carry some coaxial cable) that allows you to view the cg's cable tv, you have to turn off your antenna booster, reprogram the tv to cable vs air reception and you are done.
Escape will install a splitter to allow 2 locations of your antenna and cable, just like your house has multiple locations.
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Old 09-03-2013, 08:30 PM   #40
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Where did you hear that the Jack antenna was standard? I'm getting charged extra for it, as of yesterday.
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