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Old 03-13-2019, 06:37 PM   #21
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I'd get the dual 6v batteries with or without solar. Doubles how long you go without charging.



Adding solar after purchase isn't a big deal, somewhere like Amsolar does a great job. Same goes for the inverter.


A power jack is nice but it's also an easy swap, you can do it later if you find the manual crank to much work.



TV antenna, if you want to use such would be best now, at least for a roof mount. One of the Leaf's you put in a window is a cheaper option.


As others have said, if you want such get A/C, double pane windows, extra insulation, foam insulation. Xtra lights, windows, front box, access hatches, 120 vac or 12 vdc drops, outside shower, quick connect for gas, toilet flush and power cord type of your choice, reinforced walls, counter extensions, things that are hard to put in later.
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Old 03-13-2019, 07:09 PM   #22
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We carry a Little Buddy propane heater for when it gets really cold because I had trouble sleeping with the heater in the trailer--too close to the bed and kind of noisy.
Using an unvented fuel-fired heater in an enclosed space is asking to end up dead. I would strongly advise you not to do that.
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Old 03-13-2019, 07:39 PM   #23
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... The factory box is narrow and odd shaped to fit the area they mount it in behind the tanks. The person I bought our unit from said he paid $700.00 for box to be custom made, pretty sure this is what ETI gets for theirs and much rather have mine.


Steve
Am curious what your front box looks like- could you post a photo?
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Old 03-13-2019, 10:56 PM   #24
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Thank you, everyone, for all the good information and advice. Many of you are encouraging solar but I'm not sure why I need it. Our situation: we camp with hookups rarely and do most of our living outside. That is one reason I don't think we will get AC--I've used it maybe twice in 12 years in my Casita--and we usually aren't camped where it is that hot. But wiring for it and the electric tongue jack down the road sounds like a good idea. I put LED's in my trailer a number of years ago. We use lights and water conservatively and boondock for five days at a time a number of times a year and for long weekends the rest of the time. We carry a Little Buddy propane heater for when it gets really cold because I had trouble sleeping with the heater in the trailer--too close to the bed and kind of noisy. We do a lot of Dutch oven cooking. We don't want a TV in the trailer, usually have instruments along and provide our own music, don't use a blow dryer, and charging phones isn't usually an issue. Is there something solar will give me that I don't have? Thanks!
Lisa - We are also on the side of the solar advocates. If you get solar, chances are, you'll end up saying, how did I ever live without it? I worried about my batteries losing their charge way too much before we got solar. However, there may be times when even those of us who have it, may not be able to get much use from it, ie, waking up to an inch or more of snow on top of them, or stormy weather or lots of shade, etc. So, after many years of battery worries, we broke down and bought a rather inexpensive generator. Here's an example: https://www.harborfreight.com/900-ma...arb-63025.html

Yes, it is a bit loud, but worth it on those long camping trips without hook-ups, since it does a great job of charging up the trailer batteries - in just a couple of hours. We try to be as courteous as possible and only use it mid-day, once a week and only as a last resort. However, it's quite portable and fits in a plastic tub container quite nice and has been our emergency back up system.

Lisa, If you decide to go without the solar option, perhaps this could work for you instead. It would be a way to charge your batteries on those long camping trips so you can have lights, water pump and safe furnace heating during the night when you camp off the grid. Some campgrounds have generator rules so you will also have to pay attention to this if you go this route. We also highly recommend the dual 6 volt batteries, especially if you don't get the solar option - just a better, longer capacity system than a single 12 volt battery. Good luck!!
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Old 03-13-2019, 11:00 PM   #25
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We didn't get solar and I don't miss it at all. I left that decision up to Dirk as he knows that stuff better than I do. Most of my camping is at hook ups with at least power. I have stayed without hook ups and have been fine for 3-4 days. Any longer I don't want to be there anyway! But that's me and my style of camping/glamping.


If push comes to shove, we have two generators. And could add the portable solar suitcase thingies if need be.


Another item that could be a "gotta have" for some folks. Flooring. If you replace it later, how good are your knees? You said hubby won't mess around with the inside - not that I blame him. If you like the stock flooring, stick with it, but if you don't, you might consider it a "must have". We considered it worth the extra cost.


Same with the upholstery. Yeah, you can get the cushions re-covered later, but will it cost you more than what ETI would charge you? You'd have to pay for the material either way.


Good luck with all your decisions!
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Old 03-14-2019, 12:06 AM   #26
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We use our counter extension every trip and would sure miss it since counter space is so limited. I would say the extra insulation, thermal windows and dual 6 volt batteries would be next on my list.
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Old 03-14-2019, 12:07 AM   #27
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I will do a little more research on solar options. Thank you, Bea, for the generator suggestions too.

About the Little Buddy, it is supposed to have a shutoff valve but I would be scared of sleeping with it on anyway--what if it didn't work? We keep the vent open when using it, shut it off when we go to bed, and turn it on in the morning to take the chill off. Don't worry about hearing reports of us being found dead in our trailer. But I would prefer to use the one in the Escape.
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Old 03-14-2019, 12:08 AM   #28
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I too am a big advocate of the factory solar. Having it makes it so you never have to worry about running out of power. I simply cannot understand why anyone would want to run a generator instead. In addition to the noise and fumes, you also have to deal with packing the thing and bringing fuel for it. Then you have to worry about running out of fuel. The people I camp with do not have solar on their trailers, and they are totally envious of my set-up. One guy bought a portable solar panel, and while it works fine, again it's something he has to pack around and set up and take down, while the system on my 19 requires nothing. It's always set up, and it takes up no space. The other advantage is you don't have to worry about charging the batteries, or removing them, when you're not using the trailer (assuming it's stored outside). Even with 2-3 inches of snow on the panel, the batteries stay charged so I don't have to plug the trailer in. This is what works for me and the type of camping I do, and the fact that it was a reasonably-priced option for our Escape was one of its selling points. It was and continues to be a necessity I would not be without. Others who rarely boondock may be totally happy without it though!
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Old 03-14-2019, 12:58 AM   #29
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I don't think we will get AC--I've used it maybe twice in 12 years in my Casita--and we usually aren't camped where it is that hot. But wiring for it and the electric tongue jack down the road sounds like a good idea.
By default you get AC wiring, and the electric tongue jack is easy to add later without requesting anything since they just use an existing power connection nearby. Also, you may find that you prefer the manual one. Powered is popular on this forum, but some people, including myself, prefer the quiet of the manual jack, which is especially nice if you arrive late or leave early. There is also the added bonus of getting a mini-workout included
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Old 03-14-2019, 07:48 AM   #30
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I will add my comments. Yes to solar. At least get it wired for solar so you can add a suitcase panel in the future. No to insulated walls and windows. They add weight and cost. Think about the climates you will be camping in. With no air conditioner I suspect most camping is in temperate weather. We find the standard walls and windows just fine for our needs. We had them on our 19 and will have them on our 5.0.
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Old 03-14-2019, 09:32 AM   #31
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Remember the price you see on ETI's site is in Canadian dollars. That $850 solar is only costing you $637.50 in US dollars (at the current .75 exchange rate). NOWHERE can you have a 170 watt solar system installed for that price! Not even close!

Enjoy,

Perry
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Old 03-14-2019, 10:47 AM   #32
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Yes, the exchange rate is an important fact when considering options.....and which ones are necessary.
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Old 03-14-2019, 02:51 PM   #33
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Lisa, add the access door to the bathroom side of the bed. It doubles the usage of the under bed storage and isn't an expensive option.

We also got two of the flip up counter extensions (stooge tables), one by the sink, and one on the drawer stack. Be sure to have them mount the one on the drawer stack so it is flush with the countertop when it's deployed. (I have seen it mounted 3 or 4 inches lower which isn't as useful, IMHO.)

We had ETI wire our trailer for solar, but we will probably never install it (because we use a panel that we had with our Casita and that set up is working just fine. We will one day upgrade the panel, but I doubt we'll put it on the roof of the trailer - having it separate allows us to move it around if we're parked in a shady spot).

Ditto on the sound: we had ETI wire the trailer so we could install our own radio and speakers (as we had in our Casita). Since then we discovered bluetooth so that wiring won't ever be used by us.

I think the captains lights at the head of the bed are standard, but we rarely use them (because we don't read in bed). We added a pair to our dinette, even though there's plenty of light there already, because the captains lights are directional (and very nice); we use them every night. YMMV.

We didn't get an inverter, but added 12v plugs so we can use a 12v fan (Endless Breeze) on warm nights. The built-in MaxxFan is great over the bed, but it doesn't help much at the dinette. We put a 12v plug outside, too, for that same fan's use. Again, YMMV.
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Old 03-14-2019, 02:57 PM   #34
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I don't know what I think of the awning. It's expensive. We LOVED the one on the Casita, in part because you could deploy it part way and shade the back of the fridge. In the 21, the fridge is on the other side of the trailer.

We of course use the 21's awning for sitting under and shading outside stuff, but there are many places and weather conditions where we don't/can't use it. You probably already have some kind of screen house, which is much less expensive to upgrade when you want to. We'd get the awning again, but I realize they're not for everyone...
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Old 03-14-2019, 04:09 PM   #35
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Mary F - any idea what the origin of the term "stooge" table is?





Look up stooge in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.A stooge or stooges may refer to:
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Old 03-14-2019, 10:39 PM   #36
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Nope. It's what Donna D. calls 'em, which is why I included the term, so there'd be no confusement.
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Old 03-14-2019, 11:22 PM   #37
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I don't know what I think of the awning. It's expensive. We LOVED the one on the Casita, in part because you could deploy it part way and shade the back of the fridge. In the 21, the fridge is on the other side of the trailer.

We of course use the 21's awning for sitting under and shading outside stuff, but there are many places and weather conditions where we don't/can't use it. You probably already have some kind of screen house, which is much less expensive to upgrade when you want to. We'd get the awning again, but I realize they're not for everyone...
Our experience with the Casita awning mirrors yours . In our 6 years of Casita ownership the awning has performed perfectly
Our current 2018 21 ft has the Dometic power awning . If we were to do it again we would opted for the manual awning.
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Old 03-15-2019, 12:34 AM   #38
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Could post a pix of
The custom box please?
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Old 03-15-2019, 06:19 AM   #39
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I always thought a stooge table meant an accessory to, which in the Escape is exactly that, for accessories since the main table has been removed or used in addition with the main table, an accessory table. Either way, a colloquialism at its best.
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Old 03-15-2019, 08:03 AM   #40
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Nope. It's what Donna D. calls 'em, which is why I included the term, so there'd be no confusement.
And I first learned the term years ago from Jim (cpharley2008).
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