New 21' build sheet options "BlackJack"

[TAfraser]

Jim, you mention an insulated door and window in your build sheet. I take it from this that ordering the extra insulation and windows doesn't include the door? Did they agree to this, and what did they charge? Did they let you know what it would look like? When is your trailer scheduled for delivery?

[Jrn56]

I think all the doors are now insulated.

[cpaharley2008]

Yes, all the doors are standard insulated, I specifically asked for it in the new build since my 2012 Escape19 did not have it, it just had the double pane thermal window.

[J Mac]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Just finished speaking with Kim @ Escape, they have made some changes in the new 21 since my 19 was made and had to make some alterations: Here is my tentative final build sheet:
11,000 BTU a/c
digital thermostat for a/c and furnace
4 aluminum rims
group 29 battery with battery cut off switch
extra insulation and thermal windows
LED interior package
4 extra captain lights-dinette corners, over night stand(closet wall), by door(end of kitchen cabinet)
2 standard captain lights over bed corners,microwave ready with electric and cabinet door
opening window in bath
black drop in oven, 3 burner cooktop w/cover, black hood
removable power cord
ss sink and faucet
front storage box
surge protector w/remote
95 watt solar
spray foam insulation-black
TV ready with Jack antenna- 2 locations-dinette o/h street side and night stand o/h
4 additional 12v outlets-dinette oh curbside,streetside oh next to tv,under dinette,next to 120v at end of bed
1 12v standard outlet included-nightstand side-install next to tv in o/h
5 included 120v outlets-over bed,nightstand,kitchen counter end, kitchen counter middle,dinette
2 additional 120v outlets-under dinette opposite standard, under bed on corner piece
use dark brown on counter top trim
EZ lube axles
EXZwinterizing “T” valve with 18” fill hose
MaxxFan upgrade 7500R
reinforce bathroom/bed wall and fridge/dinette wall
2 LED lights under bed (1) by each hatch opening
toilet cut off valve,insulate door and door window, all 3 exterior lights amber
cut mattress 2” smaller on exterior wall side,exterior hatch on street side, interior hatch by night stand
tire levee
Black graphics trailer name “BlackJack”
front light over storage box with amber lens/additional switch for interior ceiling lights/3 exterior lights on switch with individual on/off switches
extra set of cushions for "U" dinette configuration

Sounds like you intend on spending a lot of time inside your trailer with the door closed!?

[cpaharley2008]

Yes, we camp year round, will be camping for the Superbowl in West Virginia in February!

[cpaharley2008]

90 more days til it is hatched.......

[barry]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Just finished speaking with Kim @ Escape, they have made some changes in the new 21 since my 19 was made and had to make some alterations: Here is my tentative final build sheet:
11,000 BTU a/c
digital thermostat for a/c and furnace
4 aluminum rims
group 29 battery with battery cut off switch
extra insulation and thermal windows
LED interior package
4 extra captain lights-dinette corners, over night stand(closet wall), by door(end of kitchen cabinet)
2 standard captain lights over bed corners,microwave ready with electric and cabinet door
opening window in bath
black drop in oven, 3 burner cooktop w/cover, black hood
removable power cord
ss sink and faucet
front storage box
surge protector w/remote
95 watt solar
spray foam insulation-black
TV ready with Jack antenna- 2 locations-dinette o/h street side and night stand o/h
4 additional 12v outlets-dinette oh curbside,streetside oh next to tv,under dinette,next to 120v at end of bed
1 12v standard outlet included-nightstand side-install next to tv in o/h
5 included 120v outlets-over bed,nightstand,kitchen counter end, kitchen counter middle,dinette
2 additional 120v outlets-under dinette opposite standard, under bed on corner piece
use dark brown on counter top trim
EZ lube axles
EXZwinterizing “T” valve with 18” fill hose
MaxxFan upgrade 7500R
reinforce bathroom/bed wall and fridge/dinette wall
2 LED lights under bed (1) by each hatch opening
toilet cut off valve,insulate door and door window, all 3 exterior lights amber
cut mattress 2” smaller on exterior wall side,exterior hatch on street side, interior hatch by night stand
tire levee
Black graphics trailer name “BlackJack”
front light over storage box with amber lens/additional switch for interior ceiling lights/3 exterior lights on switch with individual on/off switches
extra set of cushions for "U" dinette configuration

Well, by the time you order your new 2015 5.0 you should have it right. :-)

Barry

[cpaharley2008]

Final 21' build sheet: 9/28/13

Air Conditioner (11,000 BTU)
digital thermostat for heat and a/c
4 Aluminum Rims
Group 29 Battery
Extra Insulation & Thermal Windows
LED Interior Light Package
LED Exterior Porch
6 LED Captains Reading Lamps ($40/each) (2) Standard over Bed) (2)each side of dinette in corners (1) entry door on side of o/h cabinet (1)mount on closet wall over night stand same height as kitchen wall light
Opening Window in Bathroom
Oven with Three burner Cooktop and matching exhaust hood vent
Removable Power Cord
Stainless Steel Sink & Chrome Faucet
Storage Box
Surge Protector
JACK Antenna with power amplifier (Includes TV Ready) 2 locations -o/h cabinet driver side dinette and o/h cabinet above nightstand
4 Additional 12 Volt Outlet (1) beside coaxil cable o/h cabinet driver side 2) o/h cabinet on pass side 3) beside 120V at bed o/h cabinet 4) beside coaxil hookup above the nightstand 5) dinette back bench
2 Additional 120V outlets - dinette pass side (std) 1) on face of bed angle and 2) dinette driver side
95W Solar Panel
Spray Foam Insulation - black
Use BROWN trim on counters
Trailer Delivery
EZ Lube Axles
"EZ winterizing ""T"" valve with 18" " fill hose"
Water cut off for toilet
Amber Porch Lights - both sides and front
insulate door and door window
"cut mattress 2"" smaller on exterior wall side"
Maxx Fan Upgrade with 7500K SMOKE
Access hatch on driver side front
Reinforce bathroom/bed wall and fridge/dinette wall
2 LED lights wired for under bed at hatch openings, lights to be installed by owner (put in drawer)
Privacy curtain support
Storage cubicles between bath and door
additional interior switch for ceiling lights s
Wire all exterior lights to interior switch, each to have switch
U Shaped dinette - make table slide front to back - not side to side
2 Counter extensions - one on fridge wall and one on stove wall in dinette area - centered on wall - same height as table

Black Grahphics Trailer Name BlackJack

already purchased and ready to install:

1000 watt electric wall heater for installation under the bed facing bath door
2 x 12v LED 19' digital tv's with DVD player
2 swing arm wall mount for tv's installation
2 adjustable LED lights for kitchen o/h
condensation mat for bed
new Rand McNally 7" GPS for the RV= #7720 includes bluetooth and wi/fi with weather overlays
Andersen w/d hitch #3324
oven stacking cookware

[Ruthe]

Reading these build sheets is making me rethink the Group 29 battery thing and I'm searching with limited success for threads where it is compared to the two 6 volt. We'll have the larger frig and tend to stay in national parks with no hookups for up to two weeks. We'll also have the solar panel and we can be frugal with electrical use -- Any thoughts?

[kstock11]

Ruthe,
Check out post #6 in Standard Battery with Solar. It gives amp hours of standard 12 volt, Group 29 12 volt and 2 - 6 volts.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Ruthe

Reading these build sheets is making me rethink the Group 29 battery thing and I'm searching with limited success for threads where it is compared to the two 6 volt. We'll have the larger frig and tend to stay in national parks with no hookups for up to two weeks. We'll also have the solar panel and we can be frugal with electrical use -- Any thoughts?

Ruthe, you may find value in this thread, it addresses converters, batteries and solar: http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tion-2544.html

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Ruthe

Reading these build sheets is making me rethink the Group 29 battery thing and I'm searching with limited success for threads where it is compared to the two 6 volt. We'll have the larger frig and tend to stay in national parks with no hookups for up to two weeks. We'll also have the solar panel and we can be frugal with electrical use -- Any thoughts?

In a nutshell, you calculate your 12 volt need requirements from 6 pm to 6 am, for example, lights, pump, fan, furnace, tv may draw 30 amps from your battery. Your bank with a group 29 single battery has about 50 amps available to use. But what happens is the next morning, when the sun comes up, your solar will start recharging your batteries, so by 9 am, your battery has been recharged back to full, to repeat the same cycle each night/day cycle. If you went the dual 6 volts, you will have about 85 amps available to use before needing to recharge. Unless you need them, you may never use the full capacity of the dual 6 volts. So you have spent another $150 plus you are carrying around another 50 lbs of weight attached to your trailer. You need to determine your battery needs and then set your battery capacity accordingly, but remember it comes with additional costs and weight which you are having to pull behind you.

[Ruthe]

Thanks for these reminders.

[fudge_brownie]

What if the sun does not come up for three days? Does the single Group 29 give you enough power if you are camped in the dark forest with little or no solar? I like the reduced weight, guess there is not much savings in cost, just want to play "what if.".

[dbailey]

Depends on how much power you need... Will it suffice to run LED lights and fridge electronics? Yes, certainly. Will it also suffice for running the ceiling fan on high or furnace constantly for 3 days? I'd guess not.

Even in heavy cloud or deep forest you get a bit of charging from the solar. Probably enough to run a reasonable amount of LED lights indefinitely. But fans take more power.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by kstock11

Check out post #6 in Standard Battery with Solar. It gives amp hours of standard 12 volt, Group 29 12 volt and 2 - 6 volts.

Just to save others the search...
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...olar-2629.html

[kstock11]

Originally Posted by fudge_brownie

What if the sun does not come up for three days? Does the single Group 29 give you enough power if you are camped in the dark forest with little or no solar? I like the reduced weight, guess there is not much savings in cost, just want to play "what if.".

Okay, to play devils advocate - what did we do before we worked with a company like Escape that will provide solar as an option? Most people made a choice if they boon docked - use as little juice as possible.

[dbailey]

kstock -- always happy to argue with the a devil...

"use as little juice as possible" -- that's an option. When heading out in unpredictable weather, I like to say I always have a backup plan in case it rains: I plan to get wet.

It's before you go out that you have a choice: you can choose to risk getting wet, or you can choose to carry a coat. But making a sensible choice requires information. How wet are you likely to get? What are the odds of rain? Or, to drop the analogy, is it possible to run <whatever minimum appliances you desire> after 3 days in bad weather with a standard battery?

What we did 20 years ago is only relevant if things haven't changed. If there are new options, there's no reason not to consider them. But we need to learn about them to make a good decision, and since the new options are new, there often isn't any "conventional wisdom" to follow. Hence discussions like this where people explore the boundaries of the new options, trying to figure out what works and to create what, in 20 years, will be the conventional wisdom.

Or, to put it more succinctly, doing the same thing we did 20 years ago because it worked then so it's good enough for now is just a sign of getting old and tired, and get off my lawn dagnabit!

[kstock11]

I'm in agreement with your comments. To me it's about what will be the norm. If you expect to spend a lot of time in a rainy environment, then plan for that. If you expect to camp in sunnier spots, then you can save some money and conserve when your solar isn't charging.

[Ruthe]

Doug, you made me laugh out loud. I'm one of those who has been thinking that we'll use our trailer the same way we used a trailer 20 years ago when we had no laptops or cell phones AND we had lots of children so we went to bed early. The truth is that the laptops are what will allow this family to stay on the road longer -- telecommuting is part of our life -- AND this time around we might want to read in bed at night -- a luxury we never had before.