19 or 21???

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Floating Cloud

I have seen people say aisle size before. It should be noted that most people can pass each other in a 19'. At least, that is what I think. Without having measured, my impression is that the 21' aisle is wider. Maybe some want to measure those just for comparison.

They can pass, and quite easily too. Even the 17 being smaller yet, allows enough room to pass. This is assuming not too many extra pounds, of course.

[Super Dave]

Wow, lots of feedback on this everyone!
Someone suggested, because we live in Chilliwack to go down there and have a good look at the two options. I think they said that we should pretend we are camping and think about how we would use each trailer.
That's good advice so that's what we will do. I will say that we currently own a pop-up (tent trailer) and we are probably leaning toward the 19'. Also, most of our camping in the past has been boondocking so I have a feeling the smaller trailer might fit our needs better.
It's fun making the decision though. Too bad we will have to wait so long once we place an order!

[thoer]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

They can pass, and quite easily too. Even the 17 being smaller yet, allows enough room to pass. This is assuming not too many extra pounds, of course.

That's a large assumption....

[Jim Bennett]

No way Dave, you have to now buy one of each seeing you are filled in on all the merits of both.

While tent trailers are great, I had one for many years and the bed sizes and simple layout was fantastic, setting up and tearing down can be a pain especially in bad weather. Plus, they don't hold heat as well. You will enjoy whichever one you choose.

[Greg A]

Be careful Super Dave. I've seen very similar comments before touring the models at the factory and they walk out with a 5.0 TA order.

[float5]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

They can pass, and quite easily too. Even the 17 being smaller yet, allows enough room to pass. This is assuming not too many extra pounds, of course.

I always thought that the fact that two people could pass in the aisle was one of the selling points of Escapes over other brands.

[float5]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Standard features.

On the refrigerator for sure. You can get the new 6.7 in a 19' but need to pay for it. I really like the 6.7 but never had the 4.3 so cannot compare but have heard the complaints. The 19' refrigerator that we had is discontinued.

Ruthe, do you have the 6.7? We can at least put a loaf of bread in the new freezer which there was so little room for in the last one. After cooking for seven, I'm surprised you cook for anybody!

[float5]

Originally Posted by Super Dave

Wow, lots of feedback on this everyone!
Someone suggested, because we live in Chilliwack to go down there and have a good look at the two options. I think they said that we should pretend we are camping and think about how we would use each trailer.
That's good advice so that's what we will do. I will say that we currently own a pop-up (tent trailer) and we are probably leaning toward the 19'. Also, most of our camping in the past has been boondocking so I have a feeling the smaller trailer might fit our needs better.
It's fun making the decision though. Too bad we will have to wait so long once we place an order!

The 21' is one foot eight inches longer than the 19' and four inches wider. The problem could be tow vehicle capacity for several hundred more pounds. Their general size is practically the same but the interiors are not.

For boondocking, tank size is 50% greater for fresh water on the 21'.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Floating Cloud

The 21' is one foot eight inches longer than the 19' and four inches wider. The problem could be tow vehicle capacity for several hundred more pounds. Their general size is practically the same but the interiors are not.

For boondocking, tank size is 50% greater for fresh water on the 21'.

Cathy that 20 in more in length and 4 in in width can be a problem for some in where it is going to be stored . Also for adding to the length of your tow vehicle for us the truck is already almost 19 1/2 feet , add the trailer we are now 39 feet . Pat

[JaneM.]

I really appreciate this thread... We've just sold our 19 and are anxiously awaiting the birth of our 21 (June 23rd). We bought our lovely 19 lightly used and loved it -- we planned on buying the 21 when I retire (several years from now). However, after losing a few friends last year we decided we didn't want to wait and ordered the 21. For us, deciding factors include the layout (we love the size of the 19, so it wasn't size for us), the orientation of the bed (scootching not climbing over), the ability to go custom (fabric and Formica! I don't even buy new cars so this feels really decadent!), the extra space in the kitchen area, and the U shape dinette (also available in the 19, but not in ours). It really is personal preference as they're such great trailers and you'll love whatever you select! Cheers!

[float5]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Cathy that 20 in more in length and 4 in in width can be a problem for some in where it is going to be stored . Also for adding to the length of your tow vehicle for us the truck is already almost 19 1/2 feet , add the trailer we are now 39 feet . Pat

Yes, anyone needs to look at their storage situation if it happens to fall right at that range.

This is one of the advantages of some tows over others: we can fit in two parking spaces with the 21' whereas many could not depending on their TV. But wherever we park in two spaces, there is usually room around for anyone to park who has a longer set-up. I knew we did fit in two when looking at our 19' set-up for that, as we had some extra space. That would probably not be the case if get another TV. But not a big deal.

But it can be for storage. We see a lot of fiberglass owners taking the wheels off of their units to get them into the garage and it is a height matter.

[Loren & Cathy]

The biggest mistake that we made in choosing a trailer was that we let the years go by. When we were bringing the trailer home we must have asked each other every night, why didn't we do this sooner?

I will never forget the elderly couple we met coming out of the Casita showroom, sadly shaking their heads and saying that they had waited to long. Choose that trailer, place that order as soon as you can, and go for it. Time's a wasting. Loren

[Rossue]

19 is a great design; we could have been happy with one with a permanent double in the front and u shape dinette in rear.

Interesting to note: how many 19 owners have gone to a 21 vs the other way around?

[Ruthe]

Ruthe, do you have the 6.7? We can at least put a loaf of bread in the new freezer which there was so little room for in the last one. After cooking for seven, I'm surprised you cook for anybody! Cathy

Cathy, you got it -- My experimenting with food days are over.

We have the 6.7 and it was absolutely necessary but I miss the shelves that would have been there. I think we did have a loaf of bread in the freezer and it lasted awhile because I don't eat wheat. Mostly it was filled with meat because I didn't know if we'd find any grass fed.

[Super Dave]

I've also considered the 5.0 as I have a brand new 2016 Toyota Tacoma but I want to put a cap on the bed and don't want to remove it when I tow the trailer. I've also got a few tricks up my sleeve from pop-up camping.
I've got ........
* A 25 gallon portable water tank that I hook up a 12v pump to which goes to A) a propane instant hot water heater for endless hot water showers and B) on-demand water in the trailer.
* Solar panels
* LED lights throughout
* 12v/120v inverter
* 1000w Honda generator

Actually, now that I think about it, I've only ever camped with hookups once in the last 5 years.
There will be several mods to the Escape once I get one.

[thoer]

Jon V posted a very handy spreadsheet with real world weights of a range of brands and sizes of fiberglass trailers. I thought these numbers might help with folks pondering between the 19 and 21.

The average total weight of Escape 19's was 3685#
The average total weight of Escape 21's was 4012#
A difference of 327# average between 19 and 21' Escapes

The lightest 19 was 3130#; heaviest 4140#.
The lightest 21 was 3600#; heaviest 4331#

Tongue weight for 19's were 220# to 480#; average 358#
Tongue weight for 21's were 380# to 500#; average 445#

I think I've got those numbers all correct - please feel free to check my math!

(Edit) I just noticed that the heaviest 19 is over the Escape stated Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 4000#

[cpaharley2008]

BlackJack was 3800# axle and 500# tongue- total 4300# coming back from Osoyoos in 2014, maybe a little more now.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by thoer

Jon V posted a very handy spreadsheet with real world weights of a range of brands and sizes of fiberglass trailers. I thought these numbers might help with folks pondering between the 19 and 21.

The average total weight of Escape 19's was 3685#
The average total weight of Escape 21's was 4012#
A difference of 327# average between 19 and 21' Escapes

The lightest 19 was 3130#; heaviest 4140#.
The lightest 21 was 3600#; heaviest 4331#

Tongue weight for 19's were 220# to 480#; average 358#
Tongue weight for 21's were 380# to 500#; average 445#

I think I've got those numbers all correct - please feel free to check my math!

(Edit) I just noticed that the heaviest 19 is over the Escape stated Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 4000#

A little history of "Trailer Weights in the Real World".

The spreadsheet was started by actual weighing at various fiberglass rallies by Frederick Simson & posted at Fiberglass RV. Frederick retired, and no longer had access to the scales he brought to rallies. It was difficult to add weights supplied by self measuring (shared) & the list got large enough that it was getting unwieldy since the actual spreadsheet could not be posted at the forum.

With Frederick's permission, I took his original spreadsheet & made it available at LakeshoreImages.com. I have been adding self measured weights to the list since I started it. If any of you have accurately weighed your trailer, and it is not already added to the list, please let me know by PM or at vermilye@oswego.edu (the email address is out in the world enough that I don't mind posting it).

Steve LaBroad added a neat macro that lets you filter by size, brand, or any of the fields, and gives you averages, etc.

[Rutterslo]

We spent over 8 weeks in our new 19' this year and found we had plenty of space, even with a dog and cat for company. The deciding factor was the bed. I'm a big guy and felt much more comfortable with the 19' bed arrangement. The bed's the thing. Afterall, except on rainy days that's where you spend most of our time in te trailer.

[JaneM.]

Originally Posted by JaneM.

I really appreciate this thread... We've just sold our 19 and are anxiously awaiting the birth of our 21 (June 23rd). We bought our lovely 19 lightly used and loved it -- we planned on buying the 21 when I retire (several years from now). However, after losing a few friends last year we decided we didn't want to wait and ordered the 21. For us, deciding factors include the layout (we love the size of the 19, so it wasn't size for us), the orientation of the bed (scootching not climbing over), the ability to go custom (fabric and Formica! I don't even buy new cars so this feels really decadent!), the extra space in the kitchen area, and the U shape dinette (also available in the 19, but not in ours). It really is personal preference as they're such great trailers and you'll love whatever you select! Cheers!

Oh, and larger tanks - we dry camp the overwhelming majority of the time and the larger tanks will be much appreciated.