New offroad Escape?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

New trailer in the ETI showroom. It's the kind of trailer I wish I had when driving in Baja. But not the kind of trailer that I'd want when set up on the beach. Can't have it all. Sure is one rugged trailer.

It appears to be an Off Grid Trailers Expedition 2.0, presumably from Lead Dog Motorsports.

The water heater cabinet is interesting... I guess that's what you do when you're using an inherently unsuitable appliance, but I do give them full points for making it work. It should be interesting to see what happens when someone closes the cabinet door without turning the heater off...

The design in general is far more functional than a traditional teardrop, so I like it... but it doesn't suit our current camping style, either.

[John in Santa Cruz]

yeah. if it doesn't have a bathroom, fergitaboutit. and due to my astronomy hobby, I need a trailer that will stay cool inside til at least noon without power so I can sleep in after all night star gazing.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

It appears to be an Off Grid Trailers Expedition 2.0, presumably from Lead Dog Motorsports.

The water heater cabinet is interesting... I guess that's what you do when you're using an inherently unsuitable appliance, but I do give them full points for making it work. It should be interesting to see what happens when someone closes the cabinet door without turning the heater off...

The design in general is far more functional than a traditional teardrop, so I like it... but it doesn't suit our current camping style, either.

It’s an on demand heater, doesn’t go on unless there’s a demand, you turn on the tap. They also have built in flow sensors, no water moving means no flame.😎

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Chotch

It’s an on demand heater, doesn’t go on unless there’s a demand, you turn on the tap. They also have built in flow sensors, no water moving means no flame.😎

Yep, so if you leave it set on, close the cabinet door, then go to the sink and turn on the hot faucet, the burner fires up... in a closed cabinet with no intake or exhaust vents.
Maybe they wired in a safety switch on the door which is not apparent.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Chotch

It’s an on demand heater, doesn’t go on unless there’s a demand, you turn on the tap. They also have built in flow sensors, no water moving means no flame.😎

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Yep, so if you leave it set on, close the cabinet door, then go to the sink and turn on the hot faucet, the burner fires up... in a closed cabinet with no intake or exhaust vents.
Maybe they wired in a safety switch on the door which is not apparent.

First it'd call for a double mistake by the user; forgetting to turn it off before closing the door and then, secondly, turning on the hot water without opening the door. I'm calling it, I give the operator the benefit of the doubt that it's not a problem.

Besides, I've had these types of hot water heaters for years, still do, and when they fire up the sound is quite audible and it'd remind someone to open the door. Wouldn't be much harm to it running a few seconds until the door was opened. And if they didn't do that it'd be strike three, their problem for being slow learners.

Ron

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Yep, so if you leave it set on, close the cabinet door, then go to the sink and turn on the hot faucet, the burner fires up... in a closed cabinet with no intake or exhaust vents.
Maybe they wired in a safety switch on the door which is not apparent.

Any propane device would use a thermocouple to verify ignition, no air no combustion, no propane 😁

[Chotch]

Along with conventional propane safety features built into the heater the water pump control is also in the cabinet. Gotta open door to make it work.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Chotch

Any propane device would use a thermocouple to verify ignition, no air no combustion, no propane 😁

Originally Posted by Chotch

Along with conventional propane safety features built into the heater the water pump control is also in the cabinet. Gotta open door to make it work.

There's enough air in the cabinet that it likely would fire up but, yes, it would probably starve from lack of combustion air. Or maybe the door would warp from the heat and it would leak air.

The water pump switch in the cabinet, well that would settle this little debate.

Ron

Ron

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

First it'd call for a double mistake by the user; forgetting to turn it off before closing the door and then, secondly, turning on the hot water without opening the door. I'm calling it, I give the operator the benefit of the doubt that it's not a problem.

There is a current discussion in another thread about people who have burned out conventional water heaters by turning them on without water. People make mistakes - even Escape owners; systems should not be designed to encourage mistakes, or to be intolerant of them.

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Besides, I've had these types of hot water heaters for years, still do, and when they fire up the sound is quite audible and it'd remind someone to open the door...

It might not remind you to open the door if you forgot that you closed the door, which could have been hours ago, or even the previous day.

This is a huge sidetrack from the thread subject, but at least I didn't start it. This just seems like a poor design feature, done to avoid having to package a water heater designed for the purpose or to save component cost.

[Ron in BC]

Actually if the water pump switch was in the heater cabinet I wouldn't think any more is required. Also, after you finish using it and close the tap water remains in the system so it isn't firing up without water in place.

Yup, a huge sidetrack from the original thread, which was the installation of the drop down step. But since that's done and finished, what else can we debate?

Ron

[Chotch]

Hmmm, maybe someone should start a new thread on these rugged little trailers. From what I see it’s a very nicely designed trailer with serious off road capabilities. Don’t see anything inherently wrong with it. If I where 15 or 20 years younger that trailer and the style of camping that goes with it would be very appealing. Today , not so much. 😎

[cpaharley2008]

These posts were moved from another thread..

[Upfisk]

In AZ the jeep crowd loves these off-road trailers. Locally, turtleback is the preferred brand.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Upfisk

In AZ the jeep crowd loves these off-road trailers. Locally, turtleback is the preferred brand.

I'm sure the jeep guys appreciate that the Turtleback Expedition is only 74.25" wide versus the 89" of the Off Grid Expedition 2.0. When getting into extreme areas having the trailer match or slightly less than the overall width of the tow vehicle certainly is key. A Jeep Wrangler overall is about 74" wide. I'm sure this is not coincidence. Of course there are trade offs. You can sleep inside the Off Grid 2.0 with close to a queen. With the Turtleback the sleeping is in the rooftop tent only.

[caddoster]

We have one of those "offroad trailer" before we got the Escape.. It was a custom military trailer convert.. a bit narrower than the FJ so it tracks really well with a lock-n-roll hitch.

It depends on where you intend to camp. We can drag that trailer down a trail into the middle of nowhere in Death Valley and set up a base camp there, but we won't be able to take the Escape into the same spot.. However when it's raining and windy (sometimes 100+ mph) it's was not fun being inside the roof top tent. I can't imagine being in a small enclosed space would be any better either.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

These posts were moved from another thread..

Okay, but if my name is going to be on the thread as if I created it, could the typo in the title be fixed, please? And about that title... neither I nor Ron suggested that this trailer is an Escape - he just saw it at the Escape factory.

How about "Off Grid Trailer at Escape factory"?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

I'm sure the jeep guys appreciate that the Turtleback Expedition is only 74.25" wide versus the 89" of the Off Grid Expedition 2.0. When getting into extreme areas having the trailer match or slightly less than the overall width of the tow vehicle certainly is key. A Jeep Wrangler overall is about 74" wide. I'm sure this is not coincidence. Of course there are trade offs. You can sleep inside the Off Grid 2.0 with close to a queen. With the Turtleback the sleeping is in the rooftop tent only.

Yeah, the Expedition 2.0 makes no sense to me. I get the idea of a Jeep-width trailer with a narrower body on it, leaving tires sticking out - some people build teardrops this way just to simplify construction (frame width = body width); they live with tires sticking out and destroying aerodynamics, but at least they can see over them with their mirrors. But this is a wide box with stuff stuck to the full height of both sides (and the ends), making it wide on the trail and wide bashing through the air. A bit of design work to integrate the parts (still boxy, of course ) would produce a more functional trailer... and more like the many expedition / off-road camping trailers in production by many manufacturer (more in Australia than here).