Deposit paid!

[Asphere]

Hi All,

I've already asked a few questions on this forum but today I am officially a future Escape trailer owner - deposit paid and build sheet almost complete.

We opted for a 21C that is just about fully loaded. Some atypical extras are probably just an extra solar panel and a box on top to plug in the cable from a weboost antenna.

My work has moved to full remote, as have many companies in my field, so we've decided to sell our condo, move out of the expensive city that we had to live in, and hit the road for the next year or so while we save money and look for the next place to to live. When we tell people this they always worry about how we will do with the size, but this is a plan that has been 5 years in the making and we have done some preparation. Namely, our condo is a tiny studio apartment and we've had no problems living in it in terms of size. We have also rented several RVs and spent weeks simulating living in them rather than just taking typical vacations.

We plan to boondock as much as we can. For internet we are planning to use a we boost system, wifi extender, verizon mobile hotspot (we will try to find an unlimited plan to rent), our t-mobile phones and if all else fails I will go try to find a starbucks or a library. But we are welcome to some other ideas here.

Currently I have started to shop around for accesories that I must have. Like a weight distribution hitch and sway bar. Any other recommendations?

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

congrats on the new trailer order.



On the hitch the fastway that Escapes sells is very popular. If you check the price its right in line with others. one advantage of buying it from them is you just measure you truck receiver and they will set it all up for you.

[cpaharley2008]

Congrats Jericho,
My 2019 E21 is my 4th Escape and I have learned what is used and not used over past 10+ years. We love helping people with their build sheets. Start your questions...

[frank_a]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Congrats Jericho,
My 2019 E21 is my 4th Escape and I have learned what is used and not used over past 10+ years. We love helping people with their build sheets. Start your questions...

Jim, do you use anything other than your regular hitch? I have an F150, 9800# tow capacity and am wondering if I need more than just my 2 inch ball mount?

Frank

[UncleTim]

Congrats! These are really great trailers.



Welcome to the group! There is so much to learn and you are in the right place!

[steve dunham]

Congratulations ; Ask questions and you will get some good advice on this forum ( Think Jim N )
My only caution is that full timing is far different than weekend camping and boondocking without hookups is far different than parking at a KOA
What is a minor irritation or problem when weekend camping can turn into a major issue when fulltiming .
Trying to make major modifications to a trailer when it’s your fulltime home is far different than when it’’s your weekend castle parked in your driveway
I am a poor source of advice when it comes to making out a build sheet so I will end my comments here .

PS ; I will admit their are many options on our Escape that looked good on paper but in reality we seldom or never use and other options we did not get to save a couple of bucks and regret our attempt at frugality

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by Asphere

We plan to boondock as much as we can. For internet we are planning to use a we boost system, wifi extender, verizon mobile hotspot (we will try to find an unlimited plan to rent), our t-mobile phones and if all else fails I will go try to find a starbucks or a library. But we are welcome to some other ideas here.

Hi Jericho. We are not full time but did travel quite a bit last year. My wife works in the trailer when we are on the road. We have a Verizon MIFI unlimited plan.

I am not that technical but will give you the information as we have experienced it.

It is truly unlimited, but the speed can be cut back when the tower is busy (as I understand it, that is more likely near cities than rural).

We were lucky as the timing was right to get this Verizon plan. It is $65 and only available as a prepaid plan. Shortly after we got it they discontinued it, but I understand they do offer these types of plans regularly. If you find something jump on it as they just up and discontinue offering it.

I am not sure, but our internet connection only seems to work on a 4G signal. We have gotten 3G before but couldn't connect to the internet. We do have a WeBoost, but so far have only found it to be most beneficial in boosting the 3G signal.

We also stream our our television and that has been quite successful with only a few instances of encountering buffering problems.

I bought an antenna and it seems to boost just as well as the WeBoost.
Netgear 6000450 MIMO Antenna with 2 TS-9 Connectors https://www.amazon.com/gp/your-accou...093237-9635407.

Colleen works 3 days a week when we are on the road. We very seldom use commercial campgrounds and have had great luck getting connected. I do believe that the country is getting more saturated which might be why we haven't seen the benefit of the WeBoost for internet (calls might be a different story).

So far in our travels we have had two instances of not getting internet. Once in the Shenandoah Mountains, we were just passing through for one night, the streaming was sporadic. The other time was in Montana, we pulled the trailer 22 miles up the mountain each morning to get a signal. With the WeBoost we were getting a 3G signal much sooner but we couldn't get onto the internet. This is where my belief that you need a 4G for internet comes from. Once we reached an area where we had a 4G signal we no longer needed the WeBoost to use the internet.

Again, I am not that knowledgeable in these things, just giving you our experiences.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by frank_a

Jim, do you use anything other than your regular hitch? I have an F150, 9800# tow capacity and am wondering if I need more than just my 2 inch ball mount?

Frank

Frank,
At current I do not use any w/d set up. I have used the Andersen in the past but sold it with the trailer. I do have air bags in the truck rear to keep the truck and trailer level. That said, if I could find one reasonably priced I'd be tempted just for an extra safety measure on cross country trips.

[Asphere]

Thanks all!

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Frank,
At current I do not use any w/d set up. I have used the Andersen in the past but sold it with the trailer. I do have air bags in the truck rear to keep the truck and trailer level. That said, if I could find one reasonably priced I'd be tempted just for an extra safety measure on cross country trips.

Hey Jim do you, off hand, remember what you typically fill your air bags to?

I got mine at about 50# right now. Different truck, different settings.

I got a WeBoost too. I have found, so far, that once you get two folds into the mountains of Colorado (Front Range), cell signal is toast! Not gonna happen unless you find an isolated node somewhere in the canyons or a high point. Highlands may be different.

Major areas are different, RV parks are an oasis. Boondocking seems to be the best way to see the really great isolated areas, but no signal at all. So far not many hookups available.

Just got back from Poudre Canyon and nothing up there except isolated spots.

[frank_a]

Good website for a WDH discussion: https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/blog/...ribution-hitch

My F150 crewcab has a tow capacity around 9500#s. One of the things I read about is air bags for the back of the truck. Will be very interesting to see how it goes.

Frank

[cpaharley2008]

UncleTim:
I keep about 10 psi empty and increase it to 20 for towing. These are my second set, called Airride, had Firestones in my first Ram and those were closer to 35 psi. Ram coil rear suspension is too car like and soft. These fit inside the coil.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

Hey Jim do you, off hand, remember what you typically fill your air bags to?

I got mine at about 50# right now. Different truck, different settings.

I said 50#, I meant 20#.


Thanks Jim.