Escape 5.0TA 21 v Oliver Trailer

[float5]

I love the Oliver interior because it is such a clean look. The king bed, when a lounge, is quite impressive with beautiful fabric. Therein lies another problem though, which is not having a dedicated sleeping area and lounge. Left with a little two-person dinette. In addition, need the bigger tow. I do also like the very nice bathroom though.

[easytravelman]

Hello, I definitely want to see it when I return which probably first week Nov. Thank you for the offer.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by float5

I love the Oliver interior because it is such a clean look. The king bed, when a lounge, is quite impressive with beautiful fabric. Therein lies another problem though, which is not having a dedicated sleeping area and lounge. Left with a little two-person dinette. In addition, need the bigger tow. I do also like the very nice bathroom though.

Me too as you know Cathy . They even have latex beds now . We like the twin beds and you can get the extra pillows like the u dinette have .Got to say though sitting in their little dinette was very comfortable . Reminds us of being on a boat .Been busy with some more mods on our trailer currently. Myron gave me the inspiration to get busy with our table mod . Pat

[easytravelman]

Well, that was an interesting response to the Oliver question. I would not pull a trailer configuration, it has to be a 5th wheel. However, if I ordered the Escape with almost all options while cheaper then the Oliver it comes in over $40k US. I was thinking about buying now that EPA has cleared the Ram Eco Diesel 3.0 as the truck for the Escape 5.0TA. $50k here $40there pretty soon we're talking about real money.

[LJY]

I think the Oliver's price and interior design is basically competing directly with Airstream. In comparing Airstream, Oliver, and Escape TT of similar size, our only choice was Escape due to weight. We wanted to buy a Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander due to top crash test ratings and their 5000 lb tow capacity basically eliminates Airstream and Oliver as possibilities for us... even tho my wife loves the Airstream's interior design.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by TheWanderers

we've pulled trailers for years and have experienced the stability found in the gooseneck horse trailers far exceeds any "tag-a-long" trailer. Now, that is as defined as a 2000# steel horse trailer with 4000#s of horse in the back running down the road at 60mph. And, let's be fair, that'd be like pulling two Escape trailers in tandem formation. I ain't never doing' that, like, ever...



But, I'm convinced that the dual axle as well as the fifth wheel hitch configuration will provide an excellent towing experience that will be very hard to beat. So, we've selected an Escape 5.0TA as our number one choice.



Now, as my wife would point out, this conversation is not even an apples to apples comparison, because the things that we love about the Oliver, many people HATE. Like the sterile interior appears large and welcoming to us. Easy to clean with a quick wipe, when I get to it, and brighter interior because of all the whiteness. And, the dual wall construction seems to make an excellent four season trailer with great water repellency. (Spend enough time around this forum as well as others and you'll find someone somewhere trying to plug a leak.)



The other thing that we really wanted in a trailer was the ability to close off the sleeping area from the living area, even if only with a curtain, to create a separate living area (in case we don't really feel like making the bed today) and the Escape is the only fiberglass trailer that we felt provides that opportunity. Many would suggest that an Escape 21 could provide the same "separated" sleeping area with a little sewing and creative curtain hanging, but then the 21 is almost four feet shorter than the 5.0TA.



So, it really becomes a question of personal preferences and individual priorities. We love the Oliver, with capital letters: LOVE!!!! But they don't offer a fifth wheel configuration, and if they did, it'd prolly cost about $65,000, so, ya' know...



ESCAPE ROCKS!!! (Oops, did I say that out loud?)



Of course, as DonnaD would say, YMMV

I think you're underestimating the 5.0 TA weight. The light weight on ours is 4600 lbs, GVW is 5500 lbs. That being said it tows great behind my F150.


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[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I don't view the Oliver and the Escape 21 as competitors; they are two different classes of RV. Out of pure chance I found myself near the Oliver factory in Tennessee last year so I visited their showroom. The Oliver is bigger, heavier, fancier (e.g. it has two awnings, for people like me who can't make up their minds where to sit), and much more expensive than the Escape 21. You need a full-size vehicle to tow it. The reason I bought an Escape was because I could tow it with a mid-size truck.

I agree that the Oliver interior seems sterile. Everything is either mirror or fiberglass; even the counter tops are textured fiberglass if I recall correctly. Even as handsome as I am, I don't want to stare at myself in mirrors all the time; it's kinda creepy. This might appeal to some folks, though.

Apparently Oliver considers Escape as a competitor.
https://olivertraveltrailers.com/tra...avel-trailers/

The second awning is an option and the upper cabinets are actually frosted as stock with mirrored, (and now) black or white as options.

Stock are black tables with white molded fiberglass kitchen and bath counters. Option for counters and tables is "fiber-granite". Which is basically polished fiberglass with a few different color/pattern options to simulate the look of granite.

I think there are enough options between the cushions, flooring, counters and cabinets that you could create a very beautiful interior.

The cost, weight and lack of permanent sleeping arrangements likely turn off many buyers.

[Kountrykamper]

We took the Oliver plant tour last July just for the heck of it because we were in the area. Fun and educational way to spend a day if you’re in the area. Oliver does have mattress options now or Southern Mattress will make them for a Oliver. You can also turn the dinette into a couch. They told me weights are between 4800 -5200 depending on options for the 23'. They are proud of them with prices starting at $52,000 for the 23' going up to over $70,000 depending on options. Here are a few pictures we took on the tour. Yes, its a Casita on steroids.

I know, this is the Escape forum but they are proudly made in Tennessee.

[yardsale]

The Oliver is more winter worthy than Escapes but the large Oliver is perhaps too large for us, and the 18' has very little storage and very narrow beds. Visited the plant last winter. Curious about the post that Oliver is difficult to work on. Looks to me like Oliver has provided numerous access points for access.

[Dave Walter]

The Oliver is definitely a fine looking trailer. The exterior looks great. Love the large bathroom. I don't really mind the white interior at all, but would get rid of some of the mirrored doors. Big downer for me though is the lack of a permanent large bed. And the heavy duty $$$ needed to buy one. Think I will stick with my Escapes for the foreseeable future.

[yardsale]

The other thing that bugged me about the Oliver was the tiny little two burner cook top. It is so small that if you use a 12" frypan you can't put much of anything on the adjacent burner, in effect reducing the stovetop to a single burner in this high priced trailer. No upgrade is possible from Oliver. The three burner stovetop in our Escape is far superior.

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by yardsale

The three burner stovetop in our Escape is far superior.

The two-burner, three-burner subject always makes me smile. When I bought my house close to forty years ago, it had a two-burner Jenn-air with a grill on the other side. Thinking that this just would not do, I panicked and immediately ran out to buy a plug-in electric burner. I used it twice in 30+ years.

[Donna D.]

I mentioned earlier there were things I like about the Oliver and things I do not. The very tiny kitchen counter is one of the things I do NOT. Having a stove with a flush cover, doesn't satisfy my needs for preparing food.

[thoer]

I get cold just looking at the interior of an Oilver....

[yardsale]

Originally Posted by KarenH

The two-burner, three-burner subject always makes me smile. When I bought my house close to forty years ago, it had a two-burner Jenn-air with a grill on the other side. Thinking that this just would not do, I panicked and immediately ran out to buy a plug-in electric burner. I used it twice in 30+ years.

I don't use three burners while cooking all that much but the 3 burner configuration is such that the separation between the front right and rear left burner is sufficient such that I can use my beloved 12" frypan and 6" diameter pot on the diagonal burner.




Those tolerances are closer on the 2 burner model.

The Oliver has a generous amount of counter space but hasn't chosen to offer any upgrade. I must confess I didn't notice owners complaining about it when I was following their website. As usual, it must be me.

Donna, why is the flush cover important to you?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by yardsale

Donna, why is the flush cover important to you?

It's not. I was lamenting the lack of flat counter space. Some will say the flush stove cover takes care of that. But you can't cook and also have plenty of counter space in the Oliver. I want it all!

Maybe the way this pic was taken, but that doesn't look like much counter space to me.

[Brian B-P]

The Oliver and Escape 21' floor plans are different, but there are a limited number of ways to juggle the same bits in the same space, so there are similarities. Both have a seating/sleeping area in the back, a sleeping area forward on the street side, and three more elements ahead of the axles on the curb side:

1. kitchen counter with sink and stove
2. bathroom
3. entrance door

The differences are that:

• Oliver runs the rear sleeping area lengthwise, which uses more of the length of the trailer's interior, while Escape has the bed/dinette (in bed mode) widthwise, and
• although Oliver's bathroom is shorter (because it is wider across the trailer), they also use some length along the curb wall for the cabinet which holds the microwave and refrigerator (which is on the street side in the Escape).

The net result is that the Escape 21' counter is about 30% of the trailer's interior length, while the Oliver Legacy Elite II's counter appears to be less than 1/4 of the trailer's interior length. While the Oliver body might be a bit longer, it isn't enough to make up for this and the Escape counter appears to come out longer.

[yardsale]

Of course I'm comparing the Oliver to our 17, not the 21 my opinion isn't real relevant here. I'll tell you a mod that makes meal prep way easier for us. We cover the sink with a cutting board that just fits in the cabinet below the sink and do a lot of prep work on that. The board has pieces glued to the bottom that just fit into the sink and four on the outer edges, keeping it from moving around and tipping. Useful for you?

[scubarx]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

I really liked the Oliver until I had a chance to talk to some people who have worked on them. Very little of the plumbing / electrical is accessible without having to cut fiberglass to gain access.

Not for me.

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Yep, very hard to do with a double hull with plumbing and wiring between the hulls, and insulation to boot. I suppose they could build in some access panels, but not very practical for all areas and it'd probably hurt the clean look.

I will not debate or question anyone’s decision on a trailer brand, but in the interest of accuracy and fairness about the Oliver, both these statements are incorrect, there is not a single component that cannot be accessed directly, including removal of the between the hull tanks. Someone other than a factory trained technician working on any brand of trailer for the first time would have a problem understanding where everything is and how to get to it.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by scubarx

I will not debate or question anyone’s decision on a trailer brand, but in the interest of accuracy and fairness about the Oliver, both these statements are incorrect, there is not a single component that cannot be accessed directly, including removal of the between the hull tanks. Someone other than a factory trained technician working on any brand of trailer for the first time would have a problem understanding where everything is and how to get to it.

There's no need to be 'fair to Oliver' regarding my comment you quoted. My comments were theoreticals about Escape going with a double hull - not an Oliver.