For the Suggestion Box: An Options Pros and Cons Forum?

[AuthorSP]

Hi folks, as a newbie with my deposit in for an E19, I am devouring the posts here. It occurred to me that many of my questions, and I imagine other folks', might be best gathered in one forum of Pros and Cons for Escape options, to help us get a better idea of how to choose items for our build sheet.

If not, I'll just post in the general forum.

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Sean
There was a post in the past year that was predicated on what owners who had been owners for a while felt were their three or so favorite, most used, best value etc options. It went on for a while and of course there were a wide variety of opinions. If someone knows what this thread was called you could find it and do a physical or mental matrix to help prioritize your choices.

As I see it “ worth the money” options that we have and like are as follows.
1. Roof Mounted Solar with dual six volt flooded batteries.
2. Internal surge protection
3. Front storage box
4. Air Conditioning
5. Power front Jack
6. Power vent in the bathroom
7. Opening window in the bathroom
8. Additional external hatch to storage, rear, drivers side.
9. Awning light strip
10. And though far from necessary I like the shiny wheels.
11. On the 19 we had an attached power cord, on the 21, removable. Either one is fine for me. The ability to coil up the removable and store it in the rear hatch.
drivers side (DS) is probably preferable from a “saves space stays neat” standpoint.
The only thing we had factory added after we bought the 21 was the Solar.
Everyone camps a little differently so some options appeal to them differently.

Of the few things we don’t have that I would like to have is a light over the front box.
I get by with a 300 lumen head lamp or a small flashlight.

As accessories that we use all the time that we either got from the previous owner or bought for trailering the following
1. Entryway mat
2. Ball X Chocks
3. Chocks
4. Spring loaded refrigerator bars
5. 11 lb upright propane tank to eliminate the use of the 1 lb. cylinders
6. Sun screens that hang off the manual awning. One across the front and one for the side ( depending on sun angle.
7. Cube Heater
8. Toaster oven
9. Comfortable lawn chair
10. Bottle opener.

Hope this helps. My sincere invitation for other posters to post their opinions. Have a safe and sane Fourth of July.
Iowa Dave

[AuthorSP]

Thanks, Dave. Good information. I think it would still be useful to have a forum just for the pre-buy/build sheet process, so people could ask, for instance, pros and cons between the two different AC's, or for the option to raise the dinette floor 3", etc. It would be easy to find up to date info on the options from people who have gotten them.

Regarding your list:
For the aluminum wheels- any advantage other than looks? And disadvantage other than cost?

Would the 11 lb upright propane tank be unnecessary if we got the optional propane feed that ties directly to the regular propane tanks?

[Centex]

Originally Posted by AuthorSP

... For the aluminum wheels- any advantage other than looks? And disadvantage other than cost? ...

IMO for all the following:

• The answer is "no"
• Both will eventually show 'age' but in different ways ... steel will inevitably show rust-spots, AL will inevitably suffer degradation of clearcoat.
• Any weight difference is insignificant in this application.
• Both are more-or-less equally subject to damage, the nature of the damage may differ but it takes a lot of trauma to hurt either.
• Long-ago concerns about tire changing dings on AL wheels no longer apply - they're pervasive and all tire shops now have proper 'touchless' equipment.
• Go with the looks you like (I paid for AL, but that's me, I've got trailers more than 10 years old with both types)

[Iowa Dave]

I agree with Centrex 100% on his wheel comments. I too have trailers with both painted and aluminum wheels. Full disclosure, my wife keeps the trailer washed waxed and the wheels shiny. When I rotate the tires, when the wheels are going to be off, I let her know and pre-spray the wheel wells for her with bug and tar remover. What a guy, huh?
On the propane tank, in the west there are often Forest Service sites where the picnic table is a little ways from trailer, often stationary, and at a different elevation. While my wife prepares a salad at dinner, I take the grill, tank and hose to the table on the first trip and some beer and the table cloth etc. on the second trip. I cook the main course on the Weber, drink a beer and survey the landscape in the cooling remains of the day. She brings the salad out and we eat outside. Then I put the stuff away. It’s worked for 51 years. Just because I’m big don’t mean I’m dumb and didn’t know how to marry up, way up.
Iowa Dave

[AuthorSP]

Great information, both of you, and thanks!

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by AuthorSP

Hi folks, as a newbie with my deposit in for an E19, I am devouring the posts here. It occurred to me that many of my questions, and I imagine other folks', might be best gathered in one forum of Pros and Cons for Escape options, to help us get a better idea of how to choose items for our build sheet.

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

There was a post in the past year that was predicated on what owners who had been owners for a while felt were their three or so favorite, most used, best value etc options. It went on for a while and of course there were a wide variety of opinions. If someone knows what this thread was called you could find it and do a physical or mental matrix to help prioritize your choices.

These threads might help...
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ons-14902.html
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...9-a-10011.html
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...9-a-16065.html
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ons-11198.html

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

These threads might help...
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ons-14902.html
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...9-a-10011.html
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...9-a-16065.html
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ons-11198.html

Thanks for posting these thread leads. I knew they existed but I’m not too good on searching for old articles. Thanks again
Iowa Dave

[Radar1]

I agree with 7 of the first 10 items Iowa Dave mentioned!

As for the raised dinette, we got it in our 19' and it seems to help visibility, especially when height challenged people visit. It also provides extra storage height under the benches.

The Coleman Mach 10 NDQ is quieter than the Dometic, but it seems availabilty changes weekly, so this will be a rapidly changing topic as you go through the build process. I now wish we had just got two fans and bought one of the Houghton units aftermarket since we couldn't get the Coleman.

I prefer carrying our 11 lb tank since I can carry it over to the picnic table, or place it closer to the Clam in the winter when we run our Little Red Campfire inside. You don't have to worry about modifying some of the grills that won't accept the low pressure from the trailer quick-connect.

Have fun devouring the posts! I did that last year and I'm still devouring posts!

[Iowa Dave]

I’ve run the campfire in the can from the 11lb. Tank a number of times. I took its quick connect fitting off and just use the hose that came with it. I have used the campfire with the quick connect too. Takes me longer to find the fitting than it does to change it. The campfire is not run anywhere near full bore so the tank lasts quite a while, several fires. Also as long as there’s propane in the 11 you can discount the fleeting fear of running completely out of propane for the inside appliances some night after you forgot to check the tanks and the switchover..
Iowa Dave

[Bobbie54]

I like the forum idea. Having each option have its own thread, added to over time, would be quite helpful and avoid a lot of repetition when reading such threads. Start each with a poll so that at a glance the popularity of the option was obvious.

[AuthorSP]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

I like the forum idea. Having each option have its own thread, added to over time, would be quite helpful and avoid a lot of repetition when reading such threads. Start each with a poll so that at a glance the popularity of the option was obvious.

A running poll is a great idea.

Trying to weed through all the posts is not easy, especially as things change over time, or trying to find the right keywords instead of getting every single post that mentions fridge when you want to know just the pros and cons of a compressor fridge.

[lbrower]

We live on salt water (intracoastal waterway) with a small strip of the barrier island in front of the ocean in Florida. The aluminum wheels are a must for us because of rust. In the past, the degradation of steel wheels was too fast, and quickly ugly. If we lived under different conditions, we may not have ordered the aluminum.

[cpaharley2008]

The only problem I foresee is unless you have owned multiple Escapes it would be hard to express the benefits of each option.....

[azjack]

A number of years ago we rode our motorcycles down to key west and spent a few days. Rain and flooding in the street where we parked the bikes. Nancy's bike had
aluminum wheels and mine had spokes, stainless with chrome rims. It took a lot of effort to clean the wheels back to original condition like they were in AZ. We now are using steel painted wheels with a chrome center cap and a old fashioned stainless beauty ring on our Escape. Available anywhere.
AZjack