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Old 03-08-2015, 07:36 PM   #1
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Location: Milam, Texas
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Questions for 21' owners

We are looking at a Escape 21 [17' Casita now] and was curious about owner experiences.

First off, for those of you who had a 16'-19' fiberglass trailer before getting the Escape 21, how do you compare the way the 21 tows? How much harder is the parking? Sometime we tow with a F-150 and sometime with a Toyota Tacoma.

Has anyone used their 21 in southern, HOT climates that put a lot of stress on a frig? At temps above 95 degrees, will the frig keep food acceptably cold? Is the "Texas fan" option actually helpfull?

Any feedback will be appreciated.
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Old 03-08-2015, 08:01 PM   #2
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We had a Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe. Our 21' is pretty loaded up. I would say we lost about 1 mpg with the 21'. Handling is similar since we run a Silverado with tow package and a Reese weight distributing hitch with sway control. It handles the 21' effortlessly. We did have to add clip on tow mirrors.

Parking the bigger rig is noticeable but not awful. Can't say on the frig yet since we have not had in real warm weather.

The 21' is like a mansion inside compared to the Casita. Two people can move around a there is no need to crawl over your partner at night to visit the bath. Moving up was like night and day and glad we did.
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Old 03-08-2015, 08:16 PM   #3
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Can not speak to questions but 21 tows like a dream with andersen hitch here.

Backing into fake spot at wide open parking lot was easyand controlled.
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Old 03-08-2015, 10:48 PM   #4
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Had a 17LD and tow the 21 with the same Tacoma (6400 lb rated) and I think it tows far better than the Casita in terms of stability, and backing up is much easier as the center of the dual axles is further away from the hitch. Makes backing into a narrow space simple as the rear end swings less when backing up - easier to not overshoot your target. It's 8 inches wider than the 17 Casita but not so wide I have to add extension mirrors on my Tacoma. Dunno about the fridge in your part of the country, works ok on the West coast and NW.
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Old 03-08-2015, 11:33 PM   #5
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Welcome to the forum. I think you'll be thrilled with the 21.

You will definitely want the fan behind the fridge. As to the fridge performance, this will be the first summer camping season with owners of the new Dometic RMD 8555 double door fridge, so there is no historical data to go on. This fridge replaces the previous model RM8555, a single door. Many owners experienced problems with the performance of that fridge in hotter climates. The new one works better, although how much better is still hard to qualify. We will know after this summer for sure.
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Old 03-09-2015, 04:21 AM   #6
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Had a Casita and now have a 21, no. 16 built. Pull with a Ridgline as I did with the Casita. Pulls more stable than the Casita. I use only a sway bar and have no problems. MPG is probably not quite is good. Fridge has worked fair in hot weather. Works fine as long as you don't open the door for any length of time. It is slow to recover if you do leave it open. We have had the trailer a year this month and can tell you it is the best decision we could have made. I have not had any trouble backing at all, the duel axils makes it easier as for as I am concerned. The room we have for storage and living inside is so much more enjoyable. You should be able to tow with both of your vehicles. Our Ridgline has a 5000 lb tow capacity and does fine. We don't win any races in the mountains but we don't need to be in a hurry any more.
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Old 03-09-2015, 08:45 AM   #7
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We had a Casita FD for 8 years. Loved that little guy. Now have the 21 and wouldn't go back. No more crawling over each other in the middle of the night. It feels very spacious inside. Tons of counterspace. We can walk by each other in the aisle and the rear dinette is huge. So nice to lounge around back there and look out, eat, play cards with friends, watch a movie, you get the picture. Tons of storage. We used to have to schlep all the stuff we couldn't fit in the Casita and fill the 4runner with it. Now we only have a few things we throw in and we're ready to roll! Easy to tow - who knew the tandem would be easier to tow? The refrigerator funtions as well as the Casita frig in extended hot weather. Heard the new frig is better.
Good luck, head over to a rally and or call Escape and check one out.
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Old 03-09-2015, 11:34 AM   #8
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We had a escape 19 for two years and now a 21. I thought the 19 towed great, however the 21 is even better, although now have the Anderson Hitch and just a conventional wdh with the 19. I have not noticed any difference with added width or length and this was something that I was concerned with. I did not want to back to towing something that felt big and cumbersome. I tow with a Gmc Yukon xl so both trailers are well under the capaicty of the truck . I can not feel any difference in power or notice and difference in fuel mileage. backing up is a bit easier as its not quite as twitchy although generaly a longer trailer is easier to back up as it responds slower to driver input.
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Old 03-09-2015, 11:45 AM   #9
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Ten years ago we towed a Casita 17 with a V8 Ford Supercrew, didn't notice it back there, used a single bar WDH and we liked the trailer, better than the 13 Scamp from 1980 with 4 of us. In 2010 went to the Escape 19 and Jeep GC/Hemi, we thought that was perfect until the 21 Escape in 2013. Now we say again this is our last RV.
We go speed limit plus and the switch from the 19 to the 21 we lost about 2mpg, result of 4" wider and 500# more weight. The 19 had bar type WDH, the 21 has the Andersen and I like it the best.
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Old 03-09-2015, 01:11 PM   #10
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We had the 17' EggCamper and would start going stir-crazy when camping after a week or so; in the 21' Escape we were still enjoying ourselves after the nearly four week long trip home from Chilliwack. We towed both with our Tundra and don't see any difference in towing except the Escape gets about 13 MPG and the EggCamper got closer to 14 MPG. We didn't have a WD hitch or sway bar with either camper and don't see a need for one with our truck. We haven't noticed any difference in backing up, but haven't had a whole lot of experience with it yet. We make it a rule to avoid camping when the temperature will be above 85-90, so we haven't had any problems with the fridge, but we did get the Texas fan, just in case.
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Old 03-10-2015, 01:33 PM   #11
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This is all good feedback, and very helpfull. We are going to be at the Bluebonnet rally this spring and it appears there will be one or two 21" Escapes there so we can get a first hand look.

But looking is not towing so I am glad you folks are taking time to post personal experiences.
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Old 03-10-2015, 04:53 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray N View Post
We make it a rule to avoid camping when the temperature will be above 85-90, so we haven't had any problems with the fridge, but we did get the Texas fan, just in case.
Well Ray, that just about eliminates 4-5 months from the camping season down south, doesn't it?
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Old 03-10-2015, 09:19 PM   #13
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Hi Thumper- you should just order a 21 now; odds of regrets are slim to none!
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Old 03-11-2015, 06:57 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
Well Ray, that just about eliminates 4-5 months from the camping season down south, doesn't it?
Yes, pretty much true,...
...here in Pensacola there are four months with average high temperatures over 85, and two of those months have average temps over 90, (but just barely). July averages 90.7 and Aug averages 90.1. Even in those months there are many days well below the average, (of course there are also days above the average). Now, if you're talking about non-coastal areas like down in Orlando, I would not only have to agree with you, but probably even add a couple of more months.
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