$200 per night sound about right for total cost?

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Credit Cards......
I have a bad habit of taking advantage of those offers like, "no payments, no interest for 12 months" which appear frequently in my statements. I normally do not carry any monthly credit card debt so that must be the reason. My point, it gives me a reason to travel since they are giving me an interest free loan for 12-18 months. So if you run into me at the Sage Pub in Osoyoos on Thursday night, I'll more than likely buy you a beer as I'll have 18 months to pay for it..................

Who’s that good looking stud setting in the booth with you and the doll on the other side is a knockout. I bet she can cook too. I am missing seeing you this fall I’ve got poblano peppers, some bulls horns and picked half of 50 spaghetti squash last night. Zucchini are about done. But look out next year, you’ll be eating so many vegetables you’ll think you’re a coyote in a watermelon patch. Take care of yourself Jim and don’t push it. Easy does it.
Iowa Dave

[h2owmn]

Dave, do you cook/shred/freeze the spaghetti squash?

[Tom&Joan]

So many uplifting comments here! Too many to quote. I for one would never bother with cost of ownership or per night cost of camping. It would never occur to me or my wife. I would like to add however that owning an Escape could be considered an insurance policy in the event of an impending disaster, as it would be a place to stay should you need to get out of Dodge in a hurry.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by h2owmn

Dave, do you cook/shred/freeze the spaghetti squash?

We usually cut the squash in half the long way and remove the seeds. Then we sprinkle some olive oil on the pulp side and bake it. Then shred the insides out and use it like cooked spaghetti with meatballs and sauce. We had on the other night that was real good. It was a Taco bowl spaghetti squash recipe that turned out real well. We are going to make it again.
Here it is
Taco Spaghetti Squash Boats Recipe | EatingWell
They are easy to grow and really vine out all over the place. The vines will grow a foot a day we planted 4 or 5 hills thinned to two plants in a hill and got about 70 squash total. They are like zucchini, they get hard to give away. It will tear me up by about February to have to buy one in the store. With the pandemic we decided to plant a big garden but I think I overdid it in a few areas. 14 pepper plants and 20 tomato plants are too many for just an old married couple.
I have a younger (69) brother who is a real gardener. I’m not that into it but once I got started I couldn’t stop. 500 sweetcorn was a few too many also.
And the gardeners promise like some sports teams rings out “Wait till next year”
Iowa Dave

[emers382]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

So many uplifting comments here! Too many to quote. I for one would never bother with cost of ownership or per night cost of camping. It would never occur to me or my wife. I would like to add however that owning an Escape could be considered an insurance policy in the event of an impending disaster, as it would be a place to stay should you need to get out of Dodge in a hurry.

Or when a family of six descends on you as our son and family did last week when their basement flooded. We gave them the house and slept in the trailer.

[h2owmn]

That sounds great, I will try it. I usually do as you do, or with italian sausage, and sometimes pesto instead of red sauce/gravy.

I wasn't clear in my question...I meant do you need to cook/freeze to preserve, or just keep whole in a cool place and use as you wish. Sounds like the latter.

[Mike G]

When I was a kid, mom would blanch the extra sweet corn and then she and I would cut the kernels off the ears, package them up in plastic bags and freeze them. All winter we had our own garden corn to eat. Heated up with a little butter, that was good eatin’. Blew the store-bought stuff clean away for flavor.

[littleredtj]

We didn't buy our escape to save money on hotel rooms but to give us the freedom to go wherever we want. Living in a suburb of Vancouver BC, there is an endless amount of places to camp for free or nearly free. ......and after Labor day, provincial campgrounds are half price for seniors. Most places we camp do not have motels or hotels nearby. We have travelled quite a bit through the states as well and have stayed free of charge at rest areas, casinos, etc. We also enjoy being able to stop at a lovely spot....pull out our chairs, and enjoy a nice lunch instead of hunting for a restaurant .

[Toddybegood]

Memories are priceless.
As long as you dont go into hock over the trailer or lose sleep being too fastidious over it it's a win win imho.

[dlakeman]

What does it cost to stay in a hospital with COVID-19 while in a coma and plugged into a respirator! I bought 21C because I won't fly (former pilot and aircraft mechanic if that tells you anything), and I won't stay in gross hotels. Even the expensive ones are not disease free. Before I purchased my 21C I figured I could stay in a hotel for 376 nights to break even. Then I thought, as one person said, you can't get the views from a hotel room you can from your Escape!

[rjreeves]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I've purchased a number of things in my life, that if I considered 'per use' cost, I'd probably have a stroke.

Ha! welcome to my world!

[Seneca]

To succinctly and respectfully answer the original poster--
No, you are not about right. You need to justify your various assumptions (or acknowledge that you made them up), since your analysis can be no better than the assumptions you start with (unless you scrub them, in which case, how did you do that?).
And, rather than a point estimate, you need to offer a range, and explain why you have confidence in that range--the high, the low and your median. That way you avoid the illusion of false precision.
I know it's more fun to throw numbers around like you're an expert or something. But you risk bullying people who are impressionable when you do that. And nobody wants to be a bully.
OTOH, your arithmetic is accurate.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

I would like to add however that owning an Escape could be considered an insurance policy in the event of an impending disaster, as it would be a place to stay should you need to get out of Dodge in a hurry.

Or if you stay put. Before Hurricane Sally arrived last week I cooled down the trailer's fridge and filled its fresh water tank, both to weight it down and provide water in case mine became contaminated. My power went off for thirty hours (not bad, really) and I moved food to the trailer fridge for storage. Didn't need to use the water from the trailer, though. Trailer as lifeboat.

[1Oldman]

Originally Posted by mfschu

I'm estimating the total cost for an Escape 21 and would like your input on if this accurately represents the cost to own and use the trailer. We are figuring on using the trailer 25 nights per year. We are coming up with a Cost to Own of about $4,000/year. Based on using 25 nights per year that's around $200 per night. I have not included Opportunity Cost for the ~$35K purchase price which would add another $50-$80 per night.

Like any activity or hobby we choose to engage in for pleasure and enjoyment there are some things I don't want to know if it spoils the fun. Ask someone who fishes how much the fish cost per pound and they really don't care to know. If I can enjoy traveling with my wife and see places that we both enjoy then the value is of the activity is priceless.

Dan

[RonB]

While being responsible with our retirement funds, worrying about the cost of every trip in our Escape is a non-starter for me. We look forward to spending time in the great outdoors and enjoying God's creation wherever we go. As others have said, it's the memories that count more than anything else.

And, no one has ever seen a Brinks truck following a hearse to the cemetery.

Ron

[rjreeves]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

owning an Escape could be considered an insurance policy in the event of an impending disaster, as it would be a place to stay should you need to get out of Dodge in a hurry.

Bingo!



The LNU lightning complex fire of 363,220 acres burned to within a mile and a quarter of my home just a few weeks ago. Suffice to say I was hooked up and ready to roll for more than a few days. On the List of Justifications that eventually swayed me to order my E21 this was number one or two. Classy Tiny White Box to live in while I wait for the insurance to pay out..

[Losangeles]

just stumbled upon this article - for what it is worth

https://rvlove.com/2020/09/20/what-h...ll-time-rving/

[SHolderfield]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I've purchased a number of things in my life, that if I considered 'per use' cost, I'd probably have a stroke. We often talk about priceless memories. IF Ten Forward gets me to places I can make those memories, why should I be concerned with the cost? I can't take it with me, I plan on spending it and enjoying it to the maximum.

My Mom passed at age 92. She told me at about age 85 you'll probably stop making new memories... other than those involving friends/family. She was talking about traveling. I plan on adding a LOT to my memories. Money in the bank doesn't give me any . Ten Forward costs me money every day it sits. Storage fees, insurance and the tires are aging. I'd truly like to wear it out!

Bravo! That’s the right attitude and plan.

[75thRanger]

Who cares what it costs? If I want it and can scrap the money together, I'll do it, If I can't, I won't .

[Deb1967]

Not including the cost to purchase/maintain, we have taken a number of long trips and on average we spend $80-100 per day on fuel/food/camping, etc. A bit less on longer trips and if we don't pay to get into parks/museums, etc.