Two Months in an Escape 21 -- trip report (long)
Intro
This is a "data dump" of everything I learned while living in my Escape 21 trailer from when I picked it up on April 7 in Sumas to when I arrived home in the Florida panhandle on May 31. It is addressed to other "newbies" with no prior experience in camping and traveling with a travel trailer. As I think of more stuff, I may add to this later. I just noticed that the formatting is screwed up; I don't know how to fix it, so I'm posting as is. Warning: I just blathered on forever here, writing it all down while it's still fresh in my mind. Next week I might forget where I was for the past two months. So here goes: Towing I tow the Escape 21 with a 2013 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab 4WD V6 and a Curt weight-distributing hitch. The total length of the assembled tow vehicle and trailer is 39 feet, one inch, according to the Washington State Ferries, who measured it before I boarded a ferry to Port Townsend. I don't know the total weight of the TV + trailer, or each individual weight. The trailer tows very well; I experienced little sway even in strong crosswinds, and I found braking and acceleration to be adequate for keeping up in traffic. I used the Milenco mirrors recommended elsewhere on this site and they gave adequate visibility. At this point I don't feel a compelling need for a rear view camera; if you are having a trailer built it wouldn't hurt to add one during the build, but I wouldn't bother to retrofit a camera to an existing trailer. Hitching - A backup camera makes all the difference if you're traveling alone. Escape showed me how to hitch up the trailer with the WD hitch, and I had no problems doing so during my trip. I was careful, though. Gas mileage - On the last four days of my trip I made a dash from Badlands National Park to my home in Florida, for no apparent reason other than I had run out of things I wanted to see, and I figured being gone two months was enough for an initial trip. I didn't unhitch the trailer for these four days. It was just like any other road trip except I was pulling my bed behind me and had to find a place to park it at night. During this time I got 14.35 miles per gallon pulling the trailer on mostly Interstates and other highways, but with a few gravel roads thrown in as I looked for a camping spot in Oklahoma. Earlier in the trip I noticed getting about 13 mpg towing. The Tacoma normally gets 20 mpg when not towing, and it's pretty consistent, varying from 19 to 21 mpg. But when towing I got a larger variation, from 13 to 17 mpg, for no apparent reason. It seemed to vary from tankful to tankful. Camping I'm more of a tourist than a camper, at least so far-- I didn't build any campfires or participate in campground activities. I found that the bed in the trailer is quite comfortable and I would have no problem sleeping in it indefinitely. I intentionally avoided campground showers and bathrooms, just to test the capacity of the holding tanks. I found that the gray water tank was my limiting factor; I could go about a week before having to empty it. The fresh water tank would also run dry, but it was no big deal to use a container to refill it while the trailer was parked. I found that rest stops in several states are equipped with dump stations, but in some cases (like South Dakota) they may open late for the season. Most park campgrounds also have dump stations. Storage - I had plenty of storage for two weeks' of clothing, kitchen stuff, tools, etc., with space left over. I brought along a box of books to read (I read one). I had lots of camera gear with me, and I even had an iMac in a big wooden box that I ended up not using; I stored it under the bed. The trailer is equipped with the outside storage bin on the front. I highly recommend it as you can put wet / nasty stuff in it without messing up your trailer. Electricity - my Escape 21 is equipped with the two 6V batteries, LED lights, and the 1500W inverter. It came equipped from the factory with one 95 watt solar panel, and I had another 100 watt panel added in late April by a third party. Since my trailer purchase, Escape has started installing a larger 160W solar panel, which might be enough for most people. Most of my trip was without "shore power", and I did one stretch of 27 days using only solar / battery power. This included about 10 minutes daily use of a small microwave oven. My battery charge stayed above 70% of capacity at all times. I intend to post a separate, more detailed account of my solar power experience. The fridge - There has been a lot of discussion on this website about the Dometic 6.7 cu. ft. 3-way refrigerator that Escape installs in the 21. I'll tell you what I know so far: The freezer compartment seems reliable; it kept food (and more importantly -- photographic film) at around 0 F or below for the entire time I used it, as far as I could tell. I say that because I currently have only a couple of cheap metal thermometers sitting in the freezer and refrigerator, and I have to open the door to see them. I have ordered a remote thermometer to use for further monitoring. The refrigerator section got up into the mid-40s F at times. This happened when I was traveling with the fridge switched to 12-volt operation, so I don't think adjusting the propane settings as has been discussed on the forum would help. Note: Do *not* use the fridge on the 12-volt setting when camped; I found it can draw up to 14 amps! But it seemed okay to leave it on 12-volts when traveling for a few hours; it drew down the batteries, but the solar panels partially compensated for this. So I'm not sure about the fridge yet; I will conduct more experiments as the hot Florida sun approaches solstice this month. Propane - My favorite subject :-). I seem to use a lot of it. I filled a tank six times during my eight weeks in the trailer. The consensus seems to be that this is too much, but I don't know why I'm using this much. I did use the furnace at night for most of the trip, and unlike most people I did stay in the trailer quite a bit during the day-- using the computer, taking a nap, etc. The first few weeks of my trip, especially, were in a chilly, damp climate, so I used the furnace quite a bit then. Laundry - I brought along two weeks' of clothes, and every two weeks I did laundry at a laundromat. Before leaving home I bought a blue Outdoor Products duffle bag from Walmart for about $25, and to my surprise I found that it will hold two weeks' of clothes, plus bedsheets and bath towels. Laundry costs $10-$15, depending upon the machines. Save your quarters. Campgrounds - I stayed in the following locations: Deception Pass State Park, Washington Mora Campground, Olympic National Park, Washington Kalaloch Campground, Olympic National Park, Washington Champoeg State Heritage Area, Oregon AM Solar, Springfield, Oregon Tumalo State Park, Oregon Owyhee State Park, Oregon Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho Antelope Island State Park, Utah BLM campground, Moab, Utah Canyonlands National Park, Utah Dinosaur National Monument, Utah Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming Lake Roubaix national forest campground, Black Hills, South Dakota Badlands National Park, South Dakota Ft. Kearny State Recreation Area, Nebraska Bear Creek Corp of Engineering campground, Kaw Lake, Oklahoma Daingerfield State Park, Texas For the most part I tried to stay in sites without hookups, both to save money and to try out my trailer for dry camping. I didn't stay in any commercial campgrounds on this trip; AM Solar let me stay overnight at their facility after they installed my second solar panel. Camping cost - state parks are nice but more expensive, especially in the warmer months. Beware of parks and federal land that use a concessionaire to manage their campsites: I paid $20 per night to stay in the Lake Roubaix campground with no hookups, which is kind of expensive. Other than our great rally in Moab I didn't stay on any BLM land; I'll try to in the future. National Parks usually ran from $12-$15 per night; Craters of the Moon was only $6 per night, and I'm not yet eligible for a senior discount. I got into Badlands late and ended up at their concession-run campground for $18 per night with no hookups. The next loop over had enormous motorhomes using full hookups for $30 per night (and/or running their generators). There is a free campsite in the western part of Badlands National Park but I didn't stay there on this trip. I was also informed that the National Grasslands land offers free camping. The Corp of Engineering campsite I had in Oklahoma was $13 for water and electric. I'll have to watch for more CoE sites on future trips. I didn't make any camping reservations except for the Oregon state parks and the Moab rally. I got away with this in May but I don't know if it would work in the busier summer months. Many state parks charge a fee for online reservations. Some state parks keep several campsites off the reservation list for first-come first-served "drop-ins". That's how I was able to stay for the entire Champoeg fiberglass trailer rally, and not miss any of the rain. (Just kidding-- it was a nice park and I enjoyed the rally, despite the rain.) Locations - If I had any sense I'd still be in Moab; it was my favorite spot, and is worth at least a couple of weeks in May. I'd also like to spend more time in the Bend, Oregon area (Tumalo State Park), and Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. I may add more detail on some of these places in the "Campgrounds" forum. Problems The only outright failure I've had on the trailer so far is the deadbolt lock. The manufacturer is sending me a new one. Another "problem" is that I seem to use too much propane (see above) but I don't know of a solution to this. Finally, the Dometic fridge may not be cooling sufficiently, but I need more data to be sure. Modifications and Planned Mods Solar panel - I had a second, 100W solar panel added by AM Solar in Oregon. I had planned this all along, thinking I'd need more solar power capacity than Escape provides. Now Escape is using a more powerful solar panel, so I might not add a second one if I were doing it over now. TV and antenna - My Escape 21 didn't come with a TV antenna, and I didn't bring a TV with me on the trip to pick it up. But I am able to watch TV on a laptop using a small USB tuner, so I needed an antenna and mast. I also brought along some ham radio gear that I thought I might use (I didn't) and it would need an antenna mast as well. So at Ham Radio Outlet in Portland I bought an aluminum telescoping antenna mast and fastened it to the metal post that holds the spare tire on the trailer. The mast extends 14 feet, and will collapse to about five feet; it costs around $100. I had a Channel Master amplified TV antenna at home that I like, but couldn't find one in the Portland area, so I bought a Mohu SkyHDTV powered antenna from Frys. It uses 5V USB power and it works pretty well, but it has to be the ugliest antenna I've ever seen. We're talking make-a-freight-train-take-a-dirt-road ugly. I might as well get a plastic skull to put on top of it. I hate to use it on such a pretty trailer, but it does work. When I got home I found the Jensen 12-volt TV on sale at Camping World's website, so I ordered it. I intend to use it at home and on the road, and hopefully use it as a second computermonitor to accompany my laptop while I'm in the trailer. I'm trying to acquire tech that I can use both at home and on the road; I've succeeded with the Millenicom Internet service and with my cellphone (depending upon coverage), and I think I can do this with the 12-volt TV as well. My last hurdle is computing: carrying the iMac around just doesn't work well as it needs line voltage (inverter) and external storage, and my laptop doesn't have enough capacity to use as my sole computer. I guess I'll have to wait until Apple makes a laptop with sufficient storage for my needs. LED lights -- these work well, but I need more light over the dinette bench that I sit at for reading, so I hope to buy two of the "double" LED lights and put them side-by-side over that bench. That would give me four levels of light to read by. Radio - I really need a good radio to install in the trailer, one with good reception. Audio quality is somewhat less important as I can't hear worth a flip anyway. Recommendations appreciated, and I'll search the forums for this topic. Recommendations for those ordering an Escape trailer: - Get the outside storage box. - If you plan on boondocking, get the 6V batteries, LED lights, solar panel, extra 12V outlets, and maybe the 1500W inverter. - The Tacoma makes a perfect tow vehicle for an Escape 21. - Use a weight-distributing hitch. - Whatever tow vehicle you get, make sure it has a backup camera. Or get married. Really like the camera, though. - If there is anything you need an antenna for, ask Escape to install it in the trailer roof at the factory. Avoid hideous aftermarket TV antennas. I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it later. Mike Lewis |
Thanks for the great info. Sorry if I missed it elsewhere - where and how was the additional solar panel mounted?
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Glad you made it home safely Mike. It was delightful meeting you at the soggy Spring NOG!
I really appreciated reading your write-up too!! |
Thanks Mike :)
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Excellent info as our setup will be identical after Felicity (yup, that's the name of our 21) is born at the end of August....
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great post, we receive or 21 in a few weeks. it's nice to hear about the experience you had with yours.
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Unless I have the two panels mixed up (they are the same size), the AM Solar panel is at the back of the trailer, about midway between the trailing edge of the Dometic A/C and the rear of the roof. It is attached to the roof via four metal brackets that are bonded to the roof with some kind of adhesive; they told me what kind but I forgot. It appears that the brackets hold the panel about 1.5 inches off the roof, maybe a little more. The Escape panel is between the front of the A/C and the rear of the roof fan.
Mike Lewis |
Wonderful input for those of us wrestling with our build lists. I have been waffling on the storage box; DW has come out for it. Looks like she's winning. Thanks so much for taking the time to write this all down.
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The only thing I can suggest for the excess propane use is (1) your furnace and/or water heater may be operating while under tow, thereby causing excessive use. Possibly you are not turning these units completely off. As far as the refer, I just towed 3400 miles across country in 90 degree heat, refer on propane, set to setting 4, my freezer range was 20-8 and my refer range was 50-32. Right now, on 1120v @ 86 outside it is 38 in refer and 10 in the freeze. I do have the remotes with hi/lo readings as well as 2 battery operated fans inside the unit.
My gas for the trip averaged 12.5 mpg, with a high of 14 and a low of 11 up/down mountains. This was in the Ram truck. |
Great report---so jealous that you got to travel for two months! Congrats to you!
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