Hello! from Olympia, Wa.

[dayshe]

I have been reading the forum and want to join others new to the forum in thanking all of you for your informative and supportive posts. We ordered a 19' Escape and visited ETI about a month ago...stayed over at Harrison Hot Springs...that was fun and so beautiful. We have agonized over fabric and Formica..your pictures are very helpful. I feel like a kid with the"best toy ever". : ). Now, after reading many posts and viewing layouts, we are seriously considering changing our order to the 21'. We may come close to full timing for awhile in the future. The only concern I have is the TV.. We just upgraded from a Ford Ranger to a Toyota Tacoma v6 4x4 to haul the 19'. I have read through the towing thread and remain unsure about towing the 21'. I would greatly appreciate your ideas....

[fudge_brownie]

Welcome to the forum, post number 1 on your part. Having had both models you are considering I can offer an opinion but it helps to know more about your style of camping, distances, frequency of use, number of travelers, pets are all things that make a difference. At the same time what I think are great features will mean nothing to the next person. It boils down to your needs, desires and tastes.

Perhaps more specifics on the Toyota, such as year, equipped with a towing package, any hitch plans, how may travelers.

Sit back, read and take it all in.

[padlin]

Welcome
Taking it you have the towpkg, 630-650 tongue load, 6300-6500 Capacity, 1305 or 1395 payload. The heaviest 21 I see on the real world weight chart is 500 tongue and 3800 total weight. The specs say it'll work, not knowing the truck can't say how it'll do in the mountains, either going up or down.

[dayshe]

Hi, Paul and Janet
Our Tacoma is a 2015 with towing package. We plan on ordering the Anderson hitch. There will be two travelers.

[BCnomad]

My two cents is to spend a week or two in the general vicinity of Sumas getting used to the rig on relatively flat ground, and (relatively) traffic free roads. Build your confidence up.

[Mike Lewis]

I tow my Escape 21 with a 2013 Tacoma 4x4 / V6 and have had no problems towing. So far I have towed the trailer more than 11,000 miles (I find that hard to believe). The truck does downshift going over mountain passes, but it can do the job. I'm happy with the combination.

[dayshe]

Bruce, That is very good advice regardless of whether we choose the 19" or the 21'..thanks...Sheryl

[dayshe]

Mike, Thanks so much for your post. After driving a 1989 Toyota Dolphin motorhome for many miles over passes (downshifting to a max of 35 MPH) this will be a dream!
Sheryl

[fudge_brownie]

I just read the specs for the 2015 Tacoma. There are some nice features with that truck and the towing option. It has a very good gross combined weight rating of 11,000 lbs and the trailer sway control is a nice feature. I just do not see anything, other than uphill power, that should prevent you from switching to a 21. The Tacoma will make it up the hill, it is just going to be in the truck lane, where it belongs anyway.

[drpaddle]

This has been our experience with a 21 and our Nissan Frontier, which has towing capability similar to the Taco. It tows just great... feels very smooth, stable, solid, etc., with our Anderson hitch... but at the top of a steep grade, 4500 feet, we're in the slow lane (driving 50 mph). The truth is, we drive 55 most of the time and stay in the slow lane a lot anyway. And at the top of the grade there have been enough curves that we would probably be driving 50 anyway.

I'm certain that trips over high passes (8,000+ feet, etc.) will have us going more slowly, but that's okay for us -- that's a tiny percentage of our driving. If we were going to be towing in the Rockies all the time, we'd want a beefier tow.

For us, we're very glad to have the mid-size truck instead of a larger one, and we're very glad we have the 21. As others have stressed, YMMV.

[dayshe]

Thank you for going to the trouble to look that up..I am beginning to understand the various weight information..very helpful.

[dayshe]

Thanks Doug and Sooz. My confidence in our TV is rising!

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by dayshe

The only concern I have is the TV.. We just upgraded from a Ford Ranger to a Toyota Tacoma v6 4x4 to haul the 19'. I have read through the towing thread and remain unsure about towing the 21'. I would greatly appreciate your ideas....

We purchased our 21 with plans to be campground hosts for 3 or 4 months at a time. The extra space was the immediate attraction along with the bed at the front, in a somewhat out-of-the-way location.

Our tow is a 2014 Tacoma, 4X4, V6, manual transmission with tow package. I was able to purchase a nice set of aftermarket mirrors to replace the factory standard. My towing experience is limited, having done exactly 1 trip that wasn't 100% on interstate highway coming from Chilliwack. That trip was over Loveland Pass - thru the tunnel - at 11,000'. Going from Denver (5280') to the tunnel took us up long 6 to 7% grades. Using 3rd gear at 4000 rpm I was able to maintain 60-65 as long as the cars in front were doing the same - and they frequently were not. The truck lane, at an average of 30 mph, is a little too slow for my lead foot.

But that said, the engine was working hard and my gas mileage dropped to 12 mpg. A bigger engine would have been happier, but I use my truck for a lot of other driving other than towing and don't want a full size pickup. Other characteristics like braking and steering were just fine. I purchased the Anderson hitch like so many others here and feel it is doing its job as advertised. With a lot of creative cutting with a razor knife I was able to mount the brake controller in the little drawer that rotates out in front of the fuse panel. Its a very short run from there to the plug for the trailer brakes.

Overall, its a compromise to tow a '21 with a Tacoma, but a good one in my opinion. Even my wife who drove it for the first time over (much lower but twistier) Gore Pass said "that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

--
Alan

[dayshe]

Thanks Alan, We use our truck around town every day and wanted the mid size as well. The Colorado mountains were a concern..great info from your experience!
-------
Sheryl

[hillary]

Hi! We're also in Olympia with a 2005 17B that we bought used two years ago. Someday we'd love a 19 or 21 but we just bought a house on 5 acres so that day is not anytime soon! Welcome to the forums, I think that makes 3 of us on here in the Olympia area (Zardoz is in Tumwater with a 19).

[tractors1]

Another 21 Tacoma towing; 6300 lbs tow rating V6 4x4 long bed 4dr, 21 scales in at 4050 lbs loaded for travel. No problems out west in the mountains.

[dayshe]

Hi Hillary, great to know that you are here in Olympia! We have friends who also have a 19'. We will have all models covered here soon. I have enjoyed the pictures of your dogs..they are beautiful.

[dayshe]

Thanks Charlie..good to know!

[Fox hunt]

I'm also in Olympia I have a 17b I bought it used it's a 2012. Might move up to a bigger one someday when I retire but the 17b seems perfect for what I'm doing now.

[dayshe]

Well, you all helped me with my decision-making. Last night I was ready to go 21' and woke up realizing it was just a little too much trailer for me. I will be traveling alone many times and have no hauling experience at this point. The 19' seems more manageable. Back to the heavy duty work of choosing formica!!

______ Sheryl_____