Hunting for our first egg

[Justus C]

Before I put up a Want ad, I thought I'd better introduce myself.

I began using the fiberglassrv boards in November as I began looking into different molded FG trailers. Initially I had an idea of what capabilities I wanted, and the community there helped me narrow it down. Most of this intro is copied over from there, so if you feel like you've seen it before you're not crazy.

My wife and I both love traveling and camping, but her idea of camping is not as rustic as mine. If it doesn't have flush toilets, we don't go! I grew up tent camping, while she grew up surrounded by 40' 5th wheels and toy haulers. To this day nearly every member of her family owns a fancy trailer and truck to go with it. Meanwhile, my parents have been using the same tent for 35 years!

After a few hit-and-miss tent camping adventures together--and more than a few high-priced cabin and lodge rentals--we decided it was time to treat ourselves.

As we started looking at light weight trailers, Scamp was one of the first names we came across. To my surprise, my wife loved the "egg," but I wasn't sold--seemed too expensive and too simple. I researched lighter stick built trailers from Thor and Forest River subsidiaries, which look nice in pictures, but I found a lot of complaints about shoddy workmanship and poor customer service.

I researched teardrop campers including the Sol by InTech, T@B 400 by NuCamp, and Little Guy Max and Mini Max, but the price tags on those are upwards of $20,000 new and there is no used market to speak of.

Finally I circled back around to molded fiberglass trailers. After spending some time on the fiberglassrv forums and having a better look at what each trailer offered, we knew Scamp wasn't the one. We narrowed it down to Bigfoot or Escape. I joined up here to watch for Sale ads, but with spring upon us it's time to get more aggressive!

[cpaharley2008]

Welcome Justus, at first thought the name was referring to the two of you, Just Us, anyway, welcome to our Escape world. Escapes will hold their value and used ones do occasionally come up. with a 6 month wait for a new one, the factory just today released 2 2019 models, a 17 and a 19 foot Escape. what is your tow vehicle?

[Justus C]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Welcome Justus, at first thought the name was referring to the two of you, Just Us, anyway, welcome to our Escape world. Escapes will hold their value and used ones do occasionally come up. with a 6 month wait for a new one, the factory just today released 2 2019 models, a 17 and a 19 foot Escape. what is your tow vehicle?

My dad likes to joke that he and Mom picked it because before me (oldest child here), it was "Just Us."

We have a 2015 Highlander with the factory tow package rated at 5,000 lbs. Last weekend I finished up installing the 7-blade plug and harness for a brake controller. Should have no problem towing a 17B wherever we want to go. I really like the light weight of the Escape (compared to a similar Bigfoot) because it gives us plenty of leftover cargo capacity, and my better half does not travel light!

Since November I have only found two Escapes that fit the bill for us, both in Canada. We're focusing our search on early- to mid-2000s trailers because frankly those are the only ones we're willing to shell out for. One seller told me she preferred to sell within Canada to avoid the hassle of transfer (I know there isn't much hassle but I'm sure she has her reasons); the other wasn't trying to sell until May/June and was 1500 miles away.

[Lisa M.]

Welcome, Justus!
I wish you good luck in your trailer search! You say you are looking for an Escape from the early to mid 2000's. Do you realize that Escape only started manufacturing in the early 2000's and wasn't yet manufacturing a lot of them? They are going to be very hard to find and you will need to be willing to travel quite far if you find one--and have money in hand. Have you considered a Casita? Still difficult to find, it just takes a little time. When I was looking 12 years ago, I decided I was willing to travel anywhere in the western states to pick up. I went to a rally and spread word that I was looking for one. I got a message from someone at the rally a week or so later that they knew someone was was selling and it turned out to be in my price range and only a few hundred miles away. Score! Now I want to move up to something a little bigger, so am eyeing the 21' Escapes. I wish you luck in your search.
Lisa

[Justus C]

Lisa, while I wasn't aware of production numbers, that does explain why I've seen so few come up for sale from those years. We have a certain amount set aside that we're willing to spend on a trailer--but that amount restricts us to these scarce years! It's the same with Bigfoots: very hard to find trailers from those years as that's about the time they went under and then restarted, so production was low.

If I had to pick one thing that is keeping me from a Casita, it's carpeted walls. If I had to pick a second, it's the front bathroom. The designs of both the Escape and Bigfoot are simply superior from a quality of living standpoint. Aerodynamics...maybe not so much! Knowing that we could resell it several years down the road at a minimal loss, we may break down eventually, but for now we're going to keep searching for the "best fit" trailer.

I have a feeling when we see an Escape 21 or 5.0 in person, we'll start planning and budgeting for the upgrade...Maybe you'll luck out with another sale within a day's drive!

[Donna D.]

Justus, you might want to keep an eye on this site too. Not all Escape trailers are sold through the EscapeForum: https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/

[cpaharley2008]

You may want to watch for this rally repeating itself this year, near you
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...0-a-12110.html
there are always plenty of Escape's there for viewing, several being towed by Highlanders.

[Justus C]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Justus, you might want to keep an eye on this site too. Not all Escape trailers are sold through the EscapeForum: https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/

Thanks Donna. I am religious about checking that site. I learned my lesson when I saw something come up, then hemmed and hawed and asked my wife to take a look. Once she gave the OK I contacted the guy...#2 in line. Unbelievable. Next time I'll shoot first and ask questions later.

I am actually using that site in part for a stats project to evaluate the "Big 4 Fiberglass" manufacturers (Scamp, Casita, Escape, and Bigfoot). I never thought I'd be excited about statistics, but I'm looking forward to combing through hundreds of sold ads

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

You may want to watch for this rally repeating itself this year, near you
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...0-a-12110.html
there are always plenty of Escape's there for viewing, several being towed by Highlanders.

By the time the next one happens, maybe we'll be one of those Escape-towing Highlanders!

[Lisa M.]

Originally Posted by Justus C

If I had to pick one thing that is keeping me from a Casita, it's carpeted walls. If I had to pick a second, it's the front bathroom.

Justus, we are both on this forum because we want Escapes, and for good reasons. With that said, don't be too quick to discount Casitas when they might be within your size and price range and more available. The carpet might seem strange, but it does lend a warm cozy feeling to the trailer and you can hang anything and everything using upholstery hooks you just stick into the wall! About the front bathroom...where would you rather it be located? Not too many Burros around with their side bath. The best unobstructed views are often out the back, whereas the front is often blocked by your tow vehicle. I guess you can maybe see people coming and going up and down the road better with a front dinette. Each to his own, just trying to give you food for thought, as others do for me on the forums.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Lisa M.

You say you are looking for an Escape from the early to mid 2000's. Do you realize that Escape only started manufacturing in the early 2000's and wasn't yet manufacturing a lot of them? They are going to be very hard to find and you will need to be willing to travel quite far if you find one--and have money in hand.

If you haven't seen it this is a neat history that ETI has on their website:

The Escape

Our Escape Story

[Justus C]

Originally Posted by Lisa M.

Justus, we are both on this forum because we want Escapes, and for good reasons. With that said, don't be too quick to discount Casitas when they might be within your size and price range and more available. The carpet might seem strange, but it does lend a warm cozy feeling to the trailer and you can hang anything and everything using upholstery hooks you just stick into the wall! About the front bathroom...where would you rather it be located? Not too many Burros around with their side bath. The best unobstructed views are often out the back, whereas the front is often blocked by your tow vehicle. I guess you can maybe see people coming and going up and down the road better with a front dinette. Each to his own, just trying to give you food for thought, as others do for me on the forums.

That's funny about the front-facing window. I'd thought the same thing about the Intech Sol. I guess given a choice between windows all around and windows on 3 sides, I'd rather have them all around. More so for the extra light than the view. I'll keep an eye out for a good deal on a Casita nearby and if something comes up won't rule it out. As we'll need an upgrade as the family grows, it's only temporary!

[trvlrn]

Originally Posted by Justus C

Before I put up a Want ad, I thought I'd better introduce myself.

I began using the fiberglassrv boards in November as I began looking into different molded FG trailers. Initially I had an idea of what capabilities I wanted, and the community there helped me narrow it down. Most of this intro is copied over from there, so if you feel like you've seen it before you're not crazy.

My wife and I both love traveling and camping, but her idea of camping is not as rustic as mine. If it doesn't have flush toilets, we don't go! I grew up tent camping, while she grew up surrounded by 40' 5th wheels and toy haulers. To this day nearly every member of her family owns a fancy trailer and truck to go with it. Meanwhile, my parents have been using the same tent for 35 years!

After a few hit-and-miss tent camping adventures together--and more than a few high-priced cabin and lodge rentals--we decided it was time to treat ourselves.

As we started looking at light weight trailers, Scamp was one of the first names we came across. To my surprise, my wife loved the "egg," but I wasn't sold--seemed too expensive and too simple. I researched lighter stick built trailers from Thor and Forest River subsidiaries, which look nice in pictures, but I found a lot of complaints about shoddy workmanship and poor customer service.

I researched teardrop campers including the Sol by InTech, T@B 400 by NuCamp, and Little Guy Max and Mini Max, but the price tags on those are upwards of $20,000 new and there is no used market to speak of.

Finally I circled back around to molded fiberglass trailers. After spending some time on the fiberglassrv forums and having a better look at what each trailer offered, we knew Scamp wasn't the one. We narrowed it down to Bigfoot or Escape. I joined up here to watch for Sale ads, but with spring upon us it's time to get more aggressive!

With the way you describe things I'm not sure your wife is ready for a wet bathroom. Unfortunately ETI doesn't make anything with a dry bathroom that I'm aware of! It really is something to get used to if you're used to the 40' fifth wheel kind of life.

[trvlrn]

Originally Posted by Justus C

That's funny about the front-facing window. I'd thought the same thing about the Intech Sol. I guess given a choice between windows all around and windows on 3 sides, I'd rather have them all around. More so for the extra light than the view. I'll keep an eye out for a good deal on a Casita nearby and if something comes up won't rule it out. As we'll need an upgrade as the family grows, it's only temporary!

The other thing that nobody mentions about a lot of campers these days, those windows make for miserable cold weather boondocking. Makes me nervous just thinking about all the heat you lose out them.

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Justus
Mark your calendar and gas up that Highlander for the Pikes Peak State Park Rally at McGregor Iowa on May 9,10,11. There will be several Escapes there and even though the rally is on Pikes Peak, the Highlander will pull a fully loaded 21 Escape up there with ease and in style. There will be two Highlander pulled 21s there and a couple more pulled by pickups. Unless one of the owners I know trades for a Freightliner 80 series before May
There’s lodging in the area, walk in camp sites for tents, whatever you need. Let me know if questions. 249 miles for you, just a shade over three hours.
Iowa Dave

[Justus C]

Originally Posted by trvlrn

With the way you describe things I'm not sure your wife is ready for a wet bathroom. Unfortunately ETI doesn't make anything with a dry bathroom that I'm aware of! It really is something to get used to if you're used to the 40' fifth wheel kind of life.

I did ask her because initially we were looking at some stickies that had dry baths. Turns out her main concern is having somewhere private to use the bathroom. This being a starter trailer, at least we'll know if it's a big deal when it comes time to upgrade.

[macsim]

Hello
Just read your message. We have a 2011 Escape 19 that we are going to sell. We tow it with a 2013 Highlander. We are in Alberta Canada. If you are interested in this please pm me
Thanks
Dorothy

[Justus C]

Originally Posted by macsim

Hello
Just read your message. We have a 2011 Escape 19 that we are going to sell. We tow it with a 2013 Highlander. We are in Alberta Canada. If you are interested in this please pm me
Thanks
Dorothy

Dorothy thank you for the offer, but a 19 is going to be outside our budget right now. Down the road I suspect we'll move up to a 19 or even 21, but for the time being we're keeping it small.

[Djs]

Just a note on the carpeted walls...
If you camp in really cold weather carpet might be an issue. I have been a full timer in my 17 b for the past year and am really happy with the vapor barrier that the escape liner system provides. If you get down below 10 degrees f or so you begin to have condensation issues. The vapor barrier that the escape liner system provides will reduce the places where the interior air reaches dew point and things start to get wet. I'm assuming that carpet liner will reach dew point somewhere inside the carpet...hence soaked carpet and mildew. Even with the escape internal vapor barrier I had an issue the perimeter of my mattress being soaked where it came in contact with exterior walls in sub zero f weather. A few layers of reflectix took care of the problem. Imho Internal vapor barrier of Escape beats carpet in cold weather.

[Djs]

If I can find something larger I will probably be selling my 2017 17b . I love it and it fits like a glove...literally ...for me and my 10 lb terrible terrier. I tried traveling with my lady friend for a few weeks, and for 2 people of a certain age it only works if one of you sleeps in the converted breakfast nook. If you need to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom you have to climb over your partner, which isn't very convenient. Just something you might want to consider.

[stratos175]

I like what your mom said about 'Just Us'. LOL

I would 2nd and 3rd the consider a Casita, we loved ours the 5 1/2 years we owned it but plan to more full time at some point and have two grandchildren now so wanted the extra space a 21' Escape gives you. There will be WAY more Casitas to choose from and I also suggest you search every place possible, we bought ours off of Ebay.
I would also suggest if you have not done it yet to list an add on all the forums that you are looking to purchase ......, most have sections for this on their website. That is how we got our Escape, it found us .
Also you are right, with any fiberglass trailer the cost of ownership should be very little since they hold there value and sell pretty quickly. Our Casita after almost 6 years of ownership I sold it for $500.00 less then what I paid for it and that was because it was by business partners fiance.
Hope you find what you are looking for.

Enjoy the journey.

Steve