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Finally in Possession
We finally picked up our Escape 19 last month ( June 2019) that was finished last December. I'll post an issue separately in Towing - but I wanted to mention here that our Escape came OFF the ball shortly after pulling out of the parking lot where the transfer takes place. I've posted a more detailed description of this in the towing section of the forum, and in the end we worked everything out with Escape and they have changed their trailer hookup procedure.
Regarding the trailer, we really to like it and probably don't have much to add over what other new owners say, so I thought I would post a few recommendations for prospective new buyers:
1. So in general, assuming you can afford it, I would go for every option that cannot be installed later. For example we had the extra insulation installed (wonderful as it insulates and helps deaden sound), but did not have the floor insulation installed as it can be done later at the factory or by yourself as some have posted in the forum here.
2. We ordered the manual awning and saved quite a few dollars doing so - but something I did not consider is that the electric awning leaves more room for you to get in/out of the awning area as the manual has bracket support. The brakets are a great way to knock your head (bell rung twice already), and it is much more difficult to get your car/truck bed under the awning in times of rain. So we saved $$, but there is a convenience factor to consider.
2. We ordered the solar package, but would make changes if we could start over. So the base configuration works fine if you are sure that is all the power you will need. However when I inquired to an independent RV solar installer here in Oregon about adding another panel and he said that it would have been better if Escape had used 6 or 8 gauge wire for the solar instead of 10 gauge (if you want to add an additional panel). With the standard 10 gauge wire, if we chose to install another 180W solar panel, he was recommending a new charge controller that would help with charging efficiency. This will add several hundred dollars more to the cost of the second panel upgrade which could have been avoided with a bit better wire in the first place. So lesson learned is that if you choose the solar option, ask for heavier gauge wire in case you want to add more solar panels later. (note: I'm not implying that the 10 gauge won't work, the factory installs second panels all the time with the stock configuration. The point is that you loose some charging efficiency over what is possible because you begin to max out the capacity of that gauge wire).
3. We did not want any TV options, which in retrospect was probably a mistake. Not for TV for us, but we have noticed that a lot of the campgrounds out west often have terrible cell phone reception. We are looking to have a cell phone booster installed, and apparently it would be much easier if the TV cables were available to tap into.
4. One of your first priorities please consider decontaminating your fresh water holding tank. For the first two weeks I wondered why I felt some stomach discomfort, but my wife did not. Since we eat most of the same stuff it came down to she had not consumed any of the fresh water from the trailer while I had.
Finally, if you are new to RV's, travel trailers, etc. like we are, when you go through your orientation, do as much of everything yourself as you can. After Escape walks you through their lab setup inside, have them walk you through it again on YOUR trailer. It will help with the familiarization.
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