Our 21' Escape Trailer purchase issues

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by LeonW

This whole discussion reminds me of a story that "Abe Martin", the philosopher of Brown County Indiana told once.

.... Good neighbors and he would hate to leave them. The storekeeper replied that people around Gnaw Bone were just the same way and he would probably have good neighbors if he moved there.

....his neighbors were mean folks.... The storekeeper replied that he expected the people in this area were just the same and the man would have the same sort of neighbors if he moved to Gnaw Bone.

I don't know why, but I have been thinking of that story a lot lately.

That should be the gospel !!

You get back from the universe what you put out. That's Karma...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAO8OMg99qQ

[oldwave]

This thread reminds me of my old friend Howard Louie Bluie Armstrong now deceased. He was a philosophical man spoke a number of languages and a great fiddler and Mandolin player. I quote “To some people life is a disease “ draw your own conclusions

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Who carries a spare 15 amp brick?!

Uh, I do. I plugged it into an empty slot in the breaker panel. I know - I'm a little weird about electrical stuff.

[Perry Butler]

If one wants a reliable camper, purchase a Casita Spirit Standard (not a Spirit Deluxe). We camped with that Casita Spirit for nearly six seasons. The items that never failed were:

• Water pump - didn't have one
• Water heater - didn't have one
• Toilet - didn't have one
• Shower - didn't have one
• Fresh, black or grey tanks - didn't have any
• Dump valves - didn't have any
• Furnace - didn't. have one
• Thermal windows - didn't have any
• Wood trim - didn't have any to speak of
• Awning - didn't have one
• Electric jack - didn't have one
• Refrigerator - worked like a charm
• Stove top - boiled water perfectly

It was a relatively trouble free camper, despite having a salvage title. Every one of those options can and will eventually fail. That's fact, and part of ownership. The question is when.

I had to seal the Maxi-Fan opening when it started leaking, replaced one rivet and all the rivet caps, replaced numerous cabinet buttons, replaced the power center (didn't have a surge protector, but purchased one immediately after replacement), and replaced the tires when worn. None of these repairs were a result of the salvage title. Campers really don't get any more reliable than that Casita Spirit!

This thread was eventually powered by those who's glass is half empty and don't wish the glass to be filled. Our glass is always half full or better. Your choice!

We'll be happily camping with our five year old granddaughter this weekend.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Perry
Your writeup reminded me of the time one of my Boy Scouts looked away as he was pouring soda from a 2 liter bottle into another Scouts red plastic glass. The glass overfilled and ran onto the second boys hand and onto the ground. He did not say anything to stop the overfill. Once noticed and stopped, he said simply “my cup runneth over”. He got a full glass, the wet hand was only collateral damage. Perspective
Iowa Dave

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

If one wants a reliable camper, purchase a Casita Spirit Standard (not a Spirit Deluxe). We camped with that Casita Spirit for nearly six seasons. The items that never failed were:

• Water pump - didn't have one
• Water heater - didn't have one
• Toilet - didn't have one
• Shower - didn't have one
• Fresh, black or grey tanks - didn't have any
• Dump valves - didn't have any
• Furnace - didn't. have one
• Thermal windows - didn't have any
• Wood trim - didn't have any to speak of
• Awning - didn't have one
• Electric jack - didn't have one
• Refrigerator - worked like a charm
• Stove top - boiled water perfectly

It was a relatively trouble free camper, despite having a salvage title. Every one of those options can and will eventually fail. That's fact, and part of ownership. The question is when.

I had to seal the Maxi-Fan opening when it started leaking, replaced one rivet and all the rivet caps, replaced numerous cabinet buttons, replaced the power center (didn't have a surge protector, but purchased one immediately after replacement), and replaced the tires when worn. None of these repairs were a result of the salvage title. Campers really don't get any more reliable than that Casita Spirit!

This thread was eventually powered by those who's glass is half empty and don't wish the glass to be filled. Our glass is always half full or better. Your choice!

We'll be happily camping with our five year old granddaughter this weekend.

Enjoy,

Perry

We’ve owned our 17 ft Casita SD for over 6 years and the only things we’ve done is wash /wax , grease wheel bearings , adjust the brakes
, new tires and replace a couple of lamps !
We have done several mods but that was by choice and not by necessity .
It’s a rather simple , proven design !

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

This thread was eventually powered by those who's glass is half empty and don't wish the glass to be filled. Our glass is always half full or better. Your choice!

Perry

[thoer]

Originally Posted by LeonW

We are on our second Escape. The first one was a 2012 17b ("The Lark"), sold to Fox Hunt), and we currently own a 2014 21. In that time we have managed to sleep at least one night in the trailer in all of the lower 48 states and all the provinces west of Quebec that border the US.

When we got our first trailer, we had very limited experience with RVs and almost no towing experience. As a result, I spent many nights watching the old orientation video (I think it was shot by Baglo) and combing the forum (which had many fewer members and posts) for information. Someone posted a link to the "12-volt side of life", so I spent hours reading that. The folks on the forum answered a lot of "newbie questions", both about the trailer, possible options, whether or not I could pull it with our Toyota Sienna, etc. Even so, the orientation was an overwhelming blur. We spent the first couple of nights at the campground in Chilliwack just so we could check out all the systems and be close to the factory in case something didn't work. The trip home had a few more practical lessons and I learned that it really is better to raise the tongue jack before leaving the campsite. I also provided 20 minutes of entertainment to my neighbors at John Day State Park the first time I had to back into a campsite.

In 2014 we spent a wet spring camping trip mostly inside The Lark, decided to skip "2footitis" and go directly to a 21 ("The Skylark"). We were so confused going home that we had to cross the continental divide 5 times to get to Minnesota. But it sure was fun! And let me tell ya, Glacier Park is beautiful in late September, early October.

We have had a few issues. One of the thermal pane windows developed some fog/dirt on the inside. Escape arranged to ship a new window to us and we had a local RV repair place install it. I had an LED light that wouldn't shut off. I posted about it on the forum and got an email from Reace that evening saying he would ship me a new one. I managed to burn out the electric hot water heater element when I plugged in before I had filled the hot water heater up with water. Now I have an internal switch for the electric element and some painters tape gets put over it when I drain the water system. And then there was the time I tried to get the trailer into a self car wash that was a couple of inches lower than the top of the air conditioner (cost me a new shroud, even though the duct tape worked pretty well). And, when we put the washer on the wrong side of the Anderson hitch elastomer, Bill (of Bill & Earline) got the nut out that had become embedded 1" into the elastomer. Seems like I have an issue with the long tail lights on the top of the trailer every couple of years. I wish I could figure out a better fix for those.

I can't complain too much. My parents bought a $10,000 19' class b motor home when Dad retired. He was always complaining about the refrigerator and always working on some part or another that needed fixing. As he told me when we bought our first home, "you will never be without a job now". So I expected to spend time maintaining my trailer. As Donna says, it is an earthquake going down the road.

This whole discussion reminds me of a story that "Abe Martin", the philosopher of Brown County Indiana told once.

There was a storekeeper back in those hills who had a small store beside a back road near a town called "Gnaw Bone" One day a stranger stopped in and said he was thinking of moving to the area, and wanted to know what sort of people inhabited the area. The storekeeper asked him what sort of people lived in the area where the man currently lived. The man said that folks were friendly, honest, and kind, willing to help out if you needed help. Good neighbors and he would hate to leave them. The storekeeper replied that people around Gnaw Bone were just the same way and he would probably have good neighbors if he moved there.

A few weeks later, another man stopped at the store and asked the same question. And the storekeeper asked the same question -- what kind of neighbors do you have now? The man replied that his neighbors were mean folks who lied and gossiped, looked out only for their own interests etc. The storekeeper replied that he expected the people in this area were just the same and the man would have the same sort of neighbors if he moved to Gnaw Bone.

I don't know why, but I have been thinking of that story a lot lately.

Thanks to everyone who explained to me things like why you want to empty the black tank before you empty the grey tank, and why it is a bad idea to have your griddle too hot when frying bacon under the smoke detector.

Some very fine wisdom there Leon! Hope to see you soon

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Leon
Yes but just think of your skill level now, you’ve become the consummate camper. Hope you can make the Mississippi River.
We will cook bacon and eggs in a paper sack to eliminate washing dishes.
Iowa Dave

[Lisa M.]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

If one wants a reliable camper, purchase a Casita Spirit Standard (not a Spirit Deluxe). We camped with that Casita Spirit for nearly six seasons. The items that never failed were:

• Water pump - didn't have one
• Water heater - didn't have one
• Toilet - didn't have one
• Shower - didn't have one
• Fresh, black or grey tanks - didn't have any
• Dump valves - didn't have any
• Furnace - didn't. have one
• Thermal windows - didn't have any
• Wood trim - didn't have any to speak of
• Awning - didn't have one
• Electric jack - didn't have one
• Refrigerator - worked like a charm
• Stove top - boiled water perfectly

It was a relatively trouble free camper, despite having a salvage title. Every one of those options can and will eventually fail. That's fact, and part of ownership. The question is when.

I had to seal the Maxi-Fan opening when it started leaking, replaced one rivet and all the rivet caps, replaced numerous cabinet buttons, replaced the power center (didn't have a surge protector, but purchased one immediately after replacement), and replaced the tires when worn. None of these repairs were a result of the salvage title. Campers really don't get any more reliable than that Casita Spirit!

I’d have to agree with you, though mine is a Spirit Deluxe. It is 21 years old and I’ve owned it for the last 12 years. The usual routine maintenance: tires, grease bearings, batteries, anode rods, a couple shower drains, AC shroud and propane tank cover, a few rivets and more caps, etc. I’ve never had a repair I didn’t bring upon myself (broken fridge hinge and partial flooring due to leak from missing rivet on roof I could see). Windows don’t leak and no problems with water pump or stove or fridge, (and all are used a lot), but undoubtedly there will come a day. We’ve put money into it by choice: larger freshwater tank, LED lights, flooring, etc., but certainly it has been a very inexpensive trailer to maintain. I’m hoping to move up into an Escape 21 at some point, but I realize with all its modern features my trailer does not have, there may be some issues. I’m plenty willing to chance it but for the time being I will keep camping and appreciating my Casita. In fact, it’s ready to hit the road in the morning!

[escape17]

"They repair a fused link also told about a reset button in the back that Escape.."

anyone know where this reset button is? i'm not familiar with it. Is it in the exterior fridge compartment?

[LeonW]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Hi Leon
Yes but just think of your skill level now, you’ve become the consummate camper. Hope you can make the Mississippi River.
We will cook bacon and eggs in a paper sack to eliminate washing dishes.
Iowa Dave

Yup. Lindy and I will be there! Hopefully the heat will break by then!

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

We will cook bacon and eggs in a paper sack to eliminate washing dishes.
Iowa Dave

Dave, you continue to amaze me with all these things that I've never heard before.

Trying to visualize that but coming up short. Or what I can visualize doesn't have the appeal of bacon and eggs sizzling in a frying pan.

Ron

[Iowa Dave]

The Boy Scouts encouraged a weekend of Utensiless cooking. Breakfast was done one of these four ways. Fire built in a Fire ring with grate and allowed to burn down to coals.
Mud patties were made and used to cover the eggs in the shell. They were placed at the edge of the coals and “turned “ with a green stick till the mud was baked dry. Then the mud was removed and the egg peeled and eaten.
Next a slim green stick was sharpened and bark peeled off the last 5 or so inches. Then an egg was carefully pithed on each end with a Scout knife and the sharp stick pushed through carefully. Roasted very slowly like a hot dog. the egg would bake, be peeled and eaten.
Third egg ( we’re going for the cholesterol home run here) a large orange was carefully peeled around the “equator” after being sliced just through the skin. Then an egg was cracked and either carefully emptied into the orange rhine or stirred with a stick if scrambled was preferred. Back to the fire and watched closely and spun with a stick till solid.
Finally, the piece de resistance: A # 12 paper lunch sack is opened. Slices of bacon are cut in half and woven together in a lattice in the bottom of the bag. Then the bag and bacon are placed on a grate about 8 inches above the coals. Slowly the fat will come out of the bacon but won’t burn. Once the bacon is about 1/2 done, a couple eggs are cracked into the bag onto the frying bacon. When the eggs are “set” a handful of shredded cheese is added and when melted, bag is removed and allowed to cool. Then bag is torn away and breakfast is served. In 1991, at an adult leaders campout, I showed all of these methods. I think I ate 10 or 11 eggs that morning. An adult leader from Iowa City was there. She was a cardiologist. She told me I’d soon die from that kind of behavior. That was 28 years ago. So there you go Ron. bacon and eggs in a paper bag.
Iowa Dave

[Ron in BC]

Man, all the things I missed out on being a Junior Forest Warden and not a Boy Scout.

Ron

[cpaharley2008]

Let's not forget cooking on a shovel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srOM9l7kbq4

[Iowa Dave]

I’m going to hit the pitchfork fondue at Medora North Dakota next month. It was pretty good the last time I was there.
Iowa Dave

[Bill and Earline]

Dave,

That all reminds me of the time in scouts when each of us was given one match, a paper coffee cup, and a raw egg.

Make your own fire, fill the cup from your canteen and boil the egg.
Amazing how paper won't burn with water in it.
Three minutes about did it.

Seemed fine to me.

Bill

[Iowa Dave]

I need to start spending more time with the Dutch ovens. I used to make a cobbler about 10:00 at night and then wake Rita to eat some before it got cold. She called me inconsiderate. The Georgia peaches are looking pretty good at the store right now.
Time for a pie or a cobbler. Ever fry a pilsbury biscuit in hot oil and then put
Cherry pie filling in the center and sprinkle with powdered sugar? Not bad.
Iowa Dave

[Rossue]

Georgia peaches? Let us eat a peach for peace-
Duane Allman.