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Old 03-13-2018, 11:33 AM   #41
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Originally Posted by MyronL View Post
when I saw this trailer I nearly fell down.
Yah, and I almost fell out of my chair.

Love it, especially the original one with the wood interior. I'd love to refinish an old one with a yellow cedar interior.

Two things caught my eye. One, the vee berth up front. Had them in boats for years until we got a boat big enough for a "proper" rectangular berth. I'm not a fan of vee berths and at the price I think that I'd want a better size bed.

Secondly, for all its' beautiful curves I find the area over the door quite jarring. OK, OK, maybe I'm just being picky because I'd couldn't ever bring myself to pay that much for a travel trailer.

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Old 03-13-2018, 11:55 AM   #42
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looks beautiful. I cant see a big difference between the 100k version and the 200k version? but some nice features and low weight
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Old 03-13-2018, 12:14 PM   #43
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Very pretty and surprisingly light. The name choice of Bowlus seems unfortunate to me, though. It could similarly have been named Pewp or Feesees, as all three go to the same file in my brain.
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Old 03-13-2018, 12:34 PM   #44
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Trailer on a trailer

I am often on interstate 80 between Des Moines Iowa and Fort Wayne Indiana. As the weather warms I rarely make the trip without seeing something interesting being towed as a load on a trailer or loaded on a flat bed truck. Usually it’s a “barn find” antique car but every once in a while it’s a very old airstream trailer, an airstream clone or an obscure fiberglass camper. My comment is always “ they are out there”. I usually wonder what shape the camper interiors are in or on the cars whether or not it has an engine, transmission etc. In the mean time, if eastbound, while still contemplating what I’ve seen I meet about 10 new stick builts, coming out of Elkhart, and wonder how many will be restorable in 30,40 or 60 years? In the 400 miles from our home to my daughter’s home my personal record is 153 new campers being delivered by the guys and women who do this for a living. Fridays and Sundays are good days seeing lots of hot rods, Corvettes, Mini Coopers etc going to rallies. I’ve encountered the Escape delivery truck three times but twice was in Montana and once in Iowa. I also saw him once ready to go out at the truck stop right near the factory.
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Old 03-13-2018, 06:35 PM   #45
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And where and what is the 10000 btu AC? I don’t see anything on the external pics.
The air conditioner is somewhere inside the shell... like Winnebago Class A motorhomes until a few years ago (installed under the floor), and like the original Escape installation (in an upper cabinet of the 17').

The propane tanks are concealed, too, which is normal for motorhomes and fifth-wheel trailers (including the Escape 5.0 and 5.0TA) but unusual for tow-behind travel trailers.
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Old 03-13-2018, 09:05 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
The air conditioner is somewhere inside the shell... like Winnebago Class A motorhomes until a few years ago (installed under the floor), and like the original Escape installation (in an upper cabinet of the 17').

The propane tanks are concealed, too, which is normal for motorhomes and fifth-wheel trailers (including the Escape 5.0 and 5.0TA) but unusual for tow-behind travel trailers.
Brian: I can tell from the specs that it has a permanent mount underbody propane tank (ASME 6.7), but can’t find much of anything on the A/C. Not even a picture showing the thermostat. Only thing I did see was a post in the Airstream forum where a Bowlus owner said he it was an 8,000 BTU unit by Soleus Air. Seems surprising since they appear to make normal window and portable A/C units. Current specs on the Bowlus website say 10,000 BTU used now. Maybe Soleus makes them something custom?

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Old 03-13-2018, 10:51 PM   #47
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... can’t find much of anything on the A/C. Not even a picture showing the thermostat.
I couldn't find an illustration, either... just lots of consistent references to a location within the body.

Quote:
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Only thing I did see was a post in the Airstream forum where a Bowlus owner said he it was an 8,000 BTU unit by Soleus Air.
That's more than I found.
The type of cabinet-mounted air conditioner that Escape used, and has been used in many travel trailers, was essentially a window-mount unit in a different box. Perhaps the Soleus for Bowlus is a similarly repackaged unit?

A Bowlus owner in a forum mentioned "It's built in and has an exhaust to the outside right behind the unit", so it must be under the rear ends of the beds. Judging from photos of the rear, the exhaust (and presumably intake) must be through the floor.

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... it has a permanent mount underbody propane tank (ASME 6.7)...
A strange choice. An enclosed compartment for portable cylinders would work fine, but I think some travel trailer owners will be annoyed by the inability to refill without breaking camp and hauling the trailer to a propane station. It's expected in a motorhome (which is usually not accompanied by another vehicle to use for a trip to a propane dealer), but not in a travel trailer (which always has a tug available for utility service). A built-in must have been the easiest way to fit in a horizontal cylinder; there are some very small-diameter ASME cylinders intended for small Class B units, particularly VWs (the Westfalia had a 3-gallon tank!). A forklift cylinder (aluminum, of course) might be a nice alternative, but topping up before camping would all but very long stays.
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Old 03-14-2018, 12:21 AM   #48
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This will probably get some folks bent out of shape, but aside from the fact that it's ridiculously priced, I find the Bowlus' shape rather ugly. I can see the retro appeal, but it doesn't do it for me. Perhaps it's the front vs the back. As the shiny ones go, check out a 1950's Silver Streak Clipper - that's a classic trailer.
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Old 03-14-2018, 12:23 AM   #49
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The Silver Suppository?
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Old 03-14-2018, 12:42 AM   #50
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Old 03-14-2018, 02:54 AM   #51
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This will probably get some folks bent out of shape, but aside from the fact that it's ridiculously priced, I find the Bowlus' shape rather ugly. I can see the retro appeal, but it doesn't do it for me. Perhaps it's the front vs the back.
At least the Bowlus makes aerodynamic sense. The rounded tails of Airstreams (and most moulded fiberglass trailers) are aerodynamic messes; a tapered tail done properly (and this appears that it might be) actually works, and the blunt rounded front works, too. The position of the door on the front is weird, but the designer wanted to avoid a protruding side door (for aerodynamics) or a side door that wraps almost to the centre (as the very rounded top would require for full standing height).

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As the shiny ones go, check out a 1950's Silver Streak Clipper - that's a classic trailer.
The Silver Streak's rear taper is not nearly fine enough, so flow will separate and it will be poor aerodynamically. The slightly pointed front looks good, but in the space behind the tow vehicle it won't help much, if at all. If all that matters is appearance... then whatever suits individual aesthetic preference is fine.
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Old 03-14-2018, 07:33 AM   #52
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The position of the door on the front is weird, but the designer wanted to avoid a protruding side door (for aerodynamics) or a side door that wraps almost to the centre (as the very rounded top would require for full standing height).
The shape and layout does not support a rear door like the Nest or Happier Camper concept, but another benefit of the front door is that it does allow for long items to be carried in the trailer. Nice touch, but I wonder how many buyers of a Bowlus are taking along a kayak inside?
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