If You Could Design My new Trailer and Pick My Options......

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Glennrose

Hi Jim,

Since the storage hatch is standard on the 19, our new unit will have one, but we were concerned that it might be a bit small to fit things like chairs & tables. You say you enlarged yours - how did you do this?

Waiting - 2 1/2 weeks to go & counting,
Rosemary & Glenn

HERE is my post showing what I did. Unfortunately, one this size cannot be retrofit into the newest 19's, as the awning support arm (and the whole awning) has been moved over to the right so the door does not hit the right side arm when opening.

We fit our 4' table into the old one with no problem at all. Our quite large chairs were a bit tight, but would go in. It is just way easier with the larger access.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Is this what you're looking for? http://escapeforum.org/index.php?topic=1806.0

You are much quicker than me, I should have read on.

[J Mac]

I stand corrected! The rear storage compartment in my 17' holds very little due to interior battery compartment and added bench supports. I guess the 19' has an additional 2' to us as storage. I use, for the most part, my truck bed for storage. BTW, nice job on the large hatch mod!

[dave macrae]

Thanks Jim and Donna, unfortunatly with new new location of the awning i won't be able to do this mod. It certainly would be nice. Thanks

[Glennrose]

Thanks! That sounded like a scary project for those of us not so experienced with tinkering; it's probably just as well it's not possible for our new 19 or we'd want to try. You made it look easy
Do you think the new front storage pod will carry most of the items you might have fit in the bigger hatch? (Not likely the 4' table)

[BCnomad]

Originally Posted by daveandsandyc

run down jeep trails hauling dead moose. I do not think any trailer built can hold up to that.

The Aussies have some interesting off road caravans but of course the $ to import one would be prohibitive.

[daveandsandyclink]

I stand corrected! Nice trailer. Looks like the frame and suspension could with stand rough roads. I am not sure about the rest of it.

Thanks for the info.
David

[Jim Bennett]

The 4' table (actually only 43") we have folds down to 43' long, and about 5x8" square.



We are not going with the front storage box ourself, as we don't find we need the space at all. Could be some day when finally retired, and on the road for a few months at a time, we might opt for one, but for now between the Pilot and available storage in the 19, we still have space left over.

[dave macrae]

We have found that with the 2 6 volt batteries in the front storage box and the unique shape our chairs and table won't fit. I agree with Jim that the box is not needed as there is ample room in the rear storage area, however i do like have the outside box for the hose, cord, wheel chocks and items like that. I like having all the items that can get a bit grubby in the box, I imagine this would track considerably less dirt into the rear storage area. Although it is a bit of a pain in the butt taking the propane cover off every time to get the lid of the storage box open and closed but I am getting used to it.

[DonM]

Thank you All for your Ideas and Suggestions.

I have received a LOT of actionable ideas and course corrected my option list. I intend to publish the COMPLETE LIST of Options, Factory Modifications, User Additions, and Store purchase ideas we have gleaned from the many posts and other Forum contributions.

Before this planning time window closes and our trailer goes into production please help me with your Non Factory modifications and Gear purchases. I am most curious to know about the "personal touches" that have made your Escape unique and more funtional / pleasurable.

PS - our trailer is getting very expensive......

[RickM]

I don't take the propane cover off to access the storage box. I just pull the propane cover sightly forward.

[gbaglo]

3M Command Strip coat hooks. First I bought the cheaper white plastic hooks and later replaced them with the much more expensive brushed nickle. They look great, hold up to five pounds and are easy to remove and reposition if you decide the location doesn't work for you ( try that with screws ). The caveat, read the instructions and save them so you can remove the hooks without damaging the surface.
Each package comes with extra adhesive strips and you can buy them separately.

Extension cords for the 12V plugs so I can put my iPod dock, TV, DVD player and/or satellite radio wherever I want ( including running the cord out a door or window. I got mine at The Source ( maybe Radio Shack in the U.S.? ). Cost about $6 or so and you get to laugh when the sales guy asks if you want to buy the extended warranty.

baglo

[Janet W]

Hi Don! I think your 19 is due the week after ours. There will be 2 new 19 s in Port Moody I am quite excited and a bit overwhelmed with all the choices and decisions.We have sent in our build sheet but there always seems to be another something to add. Thank goodness for this forum and all the help from everyone who hangs out here! This is like waiting for Christmas morning!

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by gocamp

cpaharley,

one of your posts you were unsure if the polar cub was big enough. Were you able to test it out enough this hot summer and see if the polar cub was adequate or if you now wish for the 11,500 Dometic? Thanks.

The polar cub 9200 is perfect for the 19', it does not freeze you out while running, and does not shut down every 5 minutes to turn on again in 5 minutes like the oversize units with the big temperature swing but keeps the interior dehumidified and cool consistently and effortlessly. Operates off the 2000 watt Yamaha without effort. The other Escape 19 that camped next to us had the Dometic 11,500 unit and it was a lot louder, both inside and outside. You can hardly hear ours running outside.
I also agree that the cover can be moved slightly to allow the cover to shut, there is an adjustment underneath the box that controls the angle of the box. Perhaps if you tilted it back an 1" or so it will be easier. Just raise the threaded bolt underneath. It is tilted so that it does not hit the trailer open, but there is some room for adjustment.
The box is perfect for my chairs and other grungy items like my water and electric. But I saved room by having only one group 31 battery that is charged by 9am daily by the solar. Did not think the extra 6 volt was needed and wanted the extra space for my chairs.

[Sandra L]

One of the many things I had done for me was to put a door beneath the large dinette bench. Even though I had a hatch placed on the outside, the underside can be reached without disturbing the "bed". I also had a floor level small door put on the side of the wardrobe so that I could reach for items such as dog leash, gloves and plastic bags from outside. On the 19' this would be on the sink side. I also had a GFI outlet put under the cooktop for electrical appliances (to avoid a traipsing cord) and to power a hairdryer for use in he adjacent bathroom. I don't know if or where an outlet could be placed for the latter use in the 19'. Had I thought of it, I would have put a drawer in the wardrobe in addition to the shelves. Enjoy!

[dave macrae]

I was told by Dave at Escape when we pick up our trailer and when ordering it that because I got a electric tongue jack it makes the removal of the propane cover nescecary to open the storage box lid. I can actually just slide it up to open the lid but it has to come so far up that it is just easier to remove it, I was led to believe that with a manual crank jack there is a bit more room. But i have always wanted a electric jack so dam it I have one at all cost

[Yukon Escape]

It has been mentioned in a previous post to have all LED'S for lighting inside and out.

It is also good to have signal, Brake, and running lights installed on either side of the rear window.
Reason being the standard lights are low and if you have storage mounted on the rear hitch they are out of site.
Also I have found on muddy roads they get covered over, not so with higher lites.

Doug

[medora]

We just returned from a 17 day trip, our first long sojourn in Oliver, the 17B which we got this spring. We had a tremendous, trouble-free voyage, thanks in no small part to all the help we got from this forum. This topic gives me the chance to post notes on some of the modifications and choices we ended up making, and how they worked for us. This is long but hopefully will be helpful to someone.

Possibly the best choice we made was to get the solar panel. It seemed to charge us up even in mostly shady conditions. We NEVER have to worry about running out of juice, even though we charged multiple iPads, phones, and a computer -- with the MaxxFan running all day in some cases. That said, we did have very good weather ... I suppose in days of rain we may have had trouble but mostly we were surprised at how little light it seemed to take to charge us back up. There seems to be NO reason to plug in unless you are using the AC (or maybe watching TV or using a microwave, which we don't ever plan to). Paying for powered sites seems like a waste to us.

We went a full eight days running our fridge on 5-6 and still had not kicked over to our second propane tank. We didn't use the heater much, and the hot water heater heats so quickly -- and stays hot so long -- that we never had it on more than 30 minutes at a time. Getting the electric option would have been silly.

We had Reace put in a small cubby/shelf that is attached to the bottom of the cabinet over the wardrobe. This ended up being a great space to put things we needed to grab quickly -- and kept the wardrobe counter clear.

We had four drawers installed in the wardrobe cabinet. We wouldn't be able to operate without these. One drawer holds all our little necessities (pens, screwdrivers, paper, tape, scissors, rubber mallet, batteries, etc etc). The second covers all our toiletries, and the bottom two hold an astounding amount of clothes. There's no way we could store nearly as much in this space -- and with such easy accessibility -- without the drawers. They're amazing and well-built (thanks, Reace!).

The storage bin on the front of the camper allows us to put nearly everything we need for outside use OUTSIDE, freeing up even more space inside the camper and inside the car.

The larger fridge holds an amazing amount -- totally worth it, and kept us from having to run to store as often. We did notice a hum from the unit when we slept that was slightly annoying; guess this is normal though.

We changed out the showerhead to a Oxygenics Body Spa handheld unit (recommended by someone on the forum). And it is MUCH better, with a shutoff valve that allowed us to be super efficient with our showers.

http://www.amazon.com/Oxygenics-Body...dp/B005G4EO66/

A mobile grey/black dump tank (sold to us by a very generous forum member) -- and two 5 gallon water tanks (recommended by said forum member) came in hugely handy. Together they meant we didn't have to leave our site to dump even when staying put for a week.

We had Reace add a switch inside the camper so we could flip our "porch light" on from inside ... and we also had him add extra brake lights above the back window of the camper so that people could see our brake lights even with bikes/rack on back. Both very helpful.

Speaking of …. we are NOT thrilled with our Swagman bike rack, which seems a little flimsy for the job (and also scratched our bikes up a bit). Our bikes are pretty heavy, and are at the weight limit for the rack; this may have something to do with it. Still, I wouldn't recommend it.

We had Reace put in a 12 volt outlet that sits inside the wall of the shelf that is in the front of the camper. This allows us to put our iPhones and iPads up on the shelf to charge without having cords running all over the place. We do wish we had Reace move the other 12 volt outlet that's on the fridge side of the bottom of the dinette bench ... anything plugged in here means that there's a wire hanging out under your feet if you're sitting there, and if you try to get out you might just trip over the wire (don't ask us how we know this).

We bought a CGear Multimat from REI.

http://www.rei.com/product/819304/cg...ultimat-medium

These are ingenious because they allow dirt and sand to sink back through weave of the mat and keep your entryway relatively clean. This was great for our two 80 pound dogs, who, by the way, slept on the bunk formed by the front dinette. Some of you may remember we had a lot of anxiety about fitting the pups in with us but in the end it's working out great.

We did take down and set up the bed every day in back; this was helped greatly by using an REI sleeping bag (which we checked to make sure had dimensions that cover the bed space in the 17B)

http://www.rei.com/product/808845/re...e-sleeping-bag

Therm-A-Rest Tech blankets

http://www.amazon.com/Therm-a-Rest-T...dp/B0014HAINW/

and Cocoon sheets

http://www.amazon.com/Cocoon-CMT35-C...dp/B001DX8NJ8/

We stuff all our bedding under the bench next to the fridge; quick up and down. Totally comfortable. As a result though the external storage access we had here isn't used (why would we need it when that hatch only accesses sleeping bags?)

Hook racks? Thumbs up. UMBRA. We have three of these, installed by Reace (we sent them up to the factory).

http://www.amazon.com/Umbra-Flip-Wal...dp/B0000CAPEF/

Pull out spray faucet in the sink? Excellent. Great for washing clothes. Worth it (we had this sent up too).

TV hookup? A mistake. I don't think we'll ever use it.

We thought about nixing the bathroom sink -- that would have been really silly. We use it all the time -- Dan cooks breakfast while I get ready in the morning, then he gets ready while I clean up. We get on with our day faster without getting in each other's way.

Extra insulation? Invaluable. Very little condensation -- amazing, really (we also got the extra "bottom" insulation which I think is helping too -- it is VERY quiet inside, btw).

An inexpensive digital thermometer with a wireless sensor helped us monitor the fridge. Super helpful; the fridge does need a lot of adjustment depending on ambient temp. I didn't realize how important this was until we started having fridge problems this spring.

We hate our camp toaster!! Does anyone have one they really like (not those circular ones that rust)?? (I'll be looking on the forum for one later no doubt)

http://www.amazon.com/GSI-Outdoors-G...dp/B001DHMKV6/

We finally got to try our Fox Hill Oven!

http://www.foxhill.net

It made swell brownies and frozen pizza on the cooktop inside the camper. Here's the thing though, we got the double oven and it was very difficult to maneuver under the fan about the stove - it was a little bit too tall and unless you have a large silcone mat to sit it on when you're pulling things out of it it will NOT be easy to get your chow out. If the dimensions on the single are shorter that might be a better choice, just remember that you may still need to move the unit off the cooktop to pull stuff out of the top ... and if that's the case you need somewhere to sit a very hot box. If you aren't wanting to make frozen pizza, ultimately the Omnia oven may be a better choice for inside use.

Enough!! Thanks to all of you for getting us started on a lifetime of happy camping.

[Klimptaks]

Well, since we didn't notice these modifications commented upon yet...

Aubergine was just at the factory for her "day(s) at the spa", & we had the opening bathroom window installed - love it! Really makes the bathroom appear larger...

The mudflaps are a nice touch, too - keepng our most-accessed rear hatch a little cleaner is wonderful!

We spend half the year boondocking - our longest trip so far was 2.5 weeks, in heavy rain, but thanks to the solar panels trickle-charging, our batteries never died.
The other half of the year, we treat Aubergine as a little cabin, hooked up to power/water/sewer/cable.

We're very happy with our 19' - it's a perfect size for our family, & works well in both city & country conditions.
For a full list of our options, please look up Aubergine on fiberglassrv.com

Natalie & Frank

[Kærnehuset]

We just got our 15A. I recommend the following:
Solar panel,
LED Lights (interior / exterior),
6 Volt batteries x 2,
Insulated windows,
Extra insulation in walls and underneath ( if you want to camp outside of the summer season),
twin propane tanks,
Extra set of tail lights mounted above the rear window.
Extra window above the sink (as we did not go for the vent above the stove as the Max Fan will suck everything out),
Tool box ... keeps the batteries out of sight, as well is a place to store wheel chalks, wood blocks, the jack handle, our coleman stove, water hose, BBQ hose, power cord, tools box, torque wrench etc. Yes, I agree it will not hold your camp chairs but it is a great place to keep all those little things in one spot.
26 gallon grey water tank,
Bike rack ready

Regards

Scott
With the interior lights, get them to instal two LED reading lights above the bed. Nice touch if you want to rad at night without bothering your better (or worse) half!!!