Just put a deposit down on a 17B

[Slipshod]

Hey folks. At the boss's direction I've been looking at camper trailers for a couple of months. Our last couple of tent camping trips this year were less than satisfactory for her, so we're getting some rolling beds. And a bathroom.

I was _this_ close to ordering a Casita before I really dug into the Escape 17B, and boy am I glad I did. Just put the deposit down today, and am on the "Jan 2023" slot that was the earliest, which sorta makes me wonder if it's going to be winterized at pickup?

Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself.

Cheers,
Tash

[Oldtimer]

Congrats we were also on the verg of getting a casita when we found the Escapes. I hope yours is trouble free when you pick up your rolling bed n bathroom.


David

[Iowa Dave]

Hmm
Congrats on ordering an Escape
Your comment about a rolling bed gave me an idea for a trailer name. Which probably means someone else has used it for 10 years.
Bed-Bath and Beyonder.
Have a good weekend
Iowa Dave

[Slipshod]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Bed-Bath and Beyonder

That's hilarious, and yeah probably in use. But might be fun anyway, could print up mailers.

When I was telling me wife about it then first time I kept calling it "Ess-cop-ay" until she got it.

That's gotta be taken too - Nemo was a popular movie.

[Mike G]

I'll have one eventually. I plan to call it, "the trailer."

[DT6]

We had Escape store our trailer (19' finished in December) over the winter as we could not get there until May and it was fine. They store these outdoors (mostly) so if it is winter they must winterize it as needed.

I highly recommend you do a very thorough inspection when you pick it up as I've read several posts over the past year about minor leaks because a clamp was not properly tightened or some accessories missing, and one where they did not vacuum out the cabinets and all the construction dust etc. was still there.

If it were me, I would tell them in advance that you want to be able to inspect the plumbing (under pressure) on pickup. We have a 19, so in our case I would now tell them to not put the bed in until I got a chance to look at it (a good bit of the plumbing on a 19 is under the bed). I'm not positive where most of the plumbing is on the 17, but since there is no queen bed you have to move around, you may not have any trouble accessing it.

Also, check the levels in the gray and black tanks. If empty (they should be, but as I mention above they have left them full on occasion) run several gallons of water into each. As you are filling the black tank check the water inlet to the toilet to ensure there is no leak and then when filling the grey tank, check under the kitchen sink to ensure the water lines in, and the drain going out are secure (at least once fill the sink with a stopper and let it out after full so you can test the sink drain.

Then, get under the trailer and have them show you where the drain lines go and give them a quick visual for any drips. Finally remove the sewer drain cap and check to see that there is no water coming out. This will ensure your grey and black valves are working properly.

For the majority of customers all will be just fine, so why do all this? As much as they will try to stick to a schedule and get you out of there, once you take delivery across the border, getting the unit back to have it serviced could be a major pain. Having Escape pay an RV service center will also be time consuming and a pain to do if they agree to it at all. Everything I mentioned here does not really take that long to do and they should be glad to do it. Don't let them rush you.

Remember the plumbing, the frame, and the body of the trailer is pretty much all they are responsible for warranting, and really only the plumbing is something that may have an issue. They are pretty good at fiberglass moulding and they use a good frame as well, so that leaves all the manual work on the plumbing being the most susceptible to error during assembly. Also check each cabinet door and drawer to make sure they open/close easily as intended and no construction junk is left over.

Everything else is up to the manufacturer of that accessory (windows, fans, AC, stove, oven, furnace, etc) and pretty easy to have addressed at any RV dealer that works with Domestic, Coleman, etc. which is most if not all. So my recommendation is to spend some time inspecting the things that Escape will actually be responsible for before you "drive it of the lot".

[Slipshod]

Originally Posted by DT6

I highly recommend you do a very thorough inspection when you pick it up as I've read several posts over the past year about minor leaks because a clamp was not properly tightened or some accessories missing, and one where they did not vacuum out the cabinets and all the construction dust etc. was still there.

Thank you so much for the advice, that totally makes sense. I wonder if they could do an air-pressure blowout for me after that to re-winterize for the drive. Though I guess if I do it in the morning it may not matter too much as I'll be heading straight south immediately.