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Old 10-18-2013, 01:40 AM   #1
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No AC in the heat question

We are looking to get a 19' Escape. I've been debating on whether to get AC or not. Our vehicle port entrance is only 9 ft tall, and with an air conditioner the trailer would be 8 ft 10 inches in height where without, it would be 8 ft 6 inches. So to avoid taking a saw to the port (2 inch clearance seems scant), we are thinking about skipping the Ac.

So here is my question for owners with Extra Insulation & Thermal Windows, but without the AC: have you camped in weather in the 90 to 100 degree range (32 - 38C)? If so, How bearable was it?
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Old 10-18-2013, 05:50 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nealmccarter View Post
We are looking to get a 19' Escape. I've been debating on whether to get AC or not. Our vehicle port entrance is only 9 ft tall, and with an air conditioner the trailer would be 8 ft 10 inches in height where without, it would be 8 ft 6 inches. So to avoid taking a saw to the port (2 inch clearance seems scant), we are thinking about skipping the Ac.

So here is my question for owners with Extra Insulation & Thermal Windows, but without the AC: have you camped in weather in the 90 to 100 degree range (32 - 38C)? If so, How bearable was it?
Hi: nealmccarter... Last time we camped in those temps, we ran the A/C so much that the outside of the trailer ran water. Even the clearance light on the upper rear door side filled. I wouldn't skip the A/C!!! IMHO.
I'd think about getting an air tank so you could deflate the tires to back into the port and reflate them in there.
It isn't necessarily the temps. but the humidity. Down here, in South Wet Ontario, when there's a "Humidex" reading factored into the temp. for the day, you know it will be uncomfortable!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Old 10-18-2013, 07:05 AM   #3
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I have camped with daytime temps up to 35°C maybe 10 days on two different trips, and it does get fairly hot inside. Every time it fortunately got down to high teens during the night, so a breeze created by the window over our heads cracked, and the Maax fan on a low speed, worked fine.

If I was to do longer trips in those conditions, I would get the A/C installed, but for now we are happy that we don't have it yet. Where we mostly camp, the furnace is the important feature. Last weekend it dipped to -8°C overnight, and this weekend we will be in our trailer again, and expect similar temps.

Besides, 2" clearance is lots. I mean, if it clears it really doesn't matter by how much.
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Old 10-18-2013, 07:27 AM   #4
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and, once you put your "stuff" in the unit, it should drop a little more due to the extra weight.
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Old 10-18-2013, 12:16 PM   #5
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I too, debated whethe to get an air conditioner as I had only camped and intended to camp on the coast and other cooler places. The first trip out was relatively close and 106 degrees! The air conditioner not only kept us cool, I had to set it a tad warmer as it made it cold!
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Old 10-18-2013, 02:36 PM   #6
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Even if the AC is used infrequently it increases the comfort level, probability of resale and value. We primarily use The AC to cool down the trailer before retiring.
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Old 10-18-2013, 07:04 PM   #7
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I would go without the A/C, but my wife would disagree. We don't have A/C in the Boler (no Escape yet), but do have it in a larger trailer and a motorhome, and it gets used in them... even though we rarely see the kind of temperatures being discussed here.

To lower the trailer a bit more storage, if it only goes in and out infrequently (such as for a couple of big trips per year), it is possible to replace the wheels and tires with a shorter set (used only for storage). This is too much work to do often (such as for many weekend trips).
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Old 10-18-2013, 07:07 PM   #8
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The Escape website shows one A/C choice (an 11,000 BTU/hour unit), but I recall discussion of two sizes: is one significantly shorter, and is it available in the 19'? Perhaps the normal optional unit is already as short as they come... it looks quite low in the website photo.
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Old 10-18-2013, 08:01 PM   #9
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We have a 19' with air and it fits through our carport into the backyard with about 1-1/2" of clearance when empty. I made some accurate measurements at the factory to ensure it would fit before we picked it up.
We have used the air conditioner a number of times and have no regrets about adding it to the option list.
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Old 10-19-2013, 11:44 AM   #10
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We camped in July at Tumalo State Park in Oregon's high desert with temperatures during the day to 88 deg F. We had no hookups, no air conditioner. We ran small fans during the day and the furnace several times at night, ran the fridge on propane, and managed quite well. Power came from our 95W solar panel. We do have extra insulation and tinted double-glazed windows. There was a bit of shade on the campsite.

Photo here: Bedouin Camp, Tumalo State Park | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

We were helped by:
  • canopy over the table
  • shade on the fridge and overnight cool temperatures
  • fairly low humidity
  • auxiliar ice cooler to keep drinks
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Old 10-19-2013, 12:53 PM   #11
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I have a 17 with AC. I rarely use it, but I have to admit there have been a few times I have moved out of a really nice no hook up campsite to a commercial campground just so I could use the AC. Again, it is rare, but temperatures over 100°F particularly if it is humid are not much fun...
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Old 10-19-2013, 04:08 PM   #12
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We had some high temps for a few days this year and I was very glad we had the AC. I expect many more such days and would not want to be without it.
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