17 Build-one year later

[brightday]

I'm ordering the 17B this week and appreciate your providing the rationale for every option you chose - or did not choose. It's really helping me with the decision-making process. Two questions here:
What benefit did you find in rotating the stove? (Likely obvious to many, but I'm a newbie, so …)
Did ETI cut up and install your 5-hook Umbra? (I'm a bit leery of doing this myself.)

Thanks!

[sallemann]

Originally Posted by brightday

I'm ordering the 17B this week and appreciate your providing the rationale for every option you chose - or did not choose. It's really helping me with the decision-making process. Two questions here:
What benefit did you find in rotating the stove? (Likely obvious to many, but I'm a newbie, so …)
Did ETI cut up and install your 5-hook Umbra? (I'm a bit leery of doing this myself.)

Thanks!

Re: stove... to get a bit more counter space, I believe.


Re: Umbra... Yes, they cut ours into two pieces and installed them. Looks great. $25 charge for that.


Congratulations on your 17B!

[Bobbie54]

I'd go with a one burner stove if one existed- I don't think I've ever used two burners and I have 3. Makes sense to reduce the footprint as much as possible.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

I'd go with a one burner stove if one existed- I don't think I've ever used two burners and I have 3. Makes sense to reduce the footprint as much as possible.

Talk about saving space. Integrated sink and one propane burner with a flush closing lid. This would make a world of difference in a 17. I wonder if ETI would entertain installing.
https://pantherrvproducts.com/dometi...RoC6fMQAvD_BwE

[sclifrickson]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Talk about saving space. Integrated sink and one propane burner with a flush closing lid. This would make a world of difference in a 17. I wonder if ETI would entertain installing.
https://pantherrvproducts.com/dometi...RoC6fMQAvD_BwE

That is a slick unit!

Our 17B felt like it has more countertop space than our 19, if you use the top of the wardrobe as bonus counter. It’s the one difference that makes my wife insist that the 17B was bigger, despite every other measurable dimension stating otherwise. Countertop space in a 19 is tight, particularly with an oven.

[gbaglo]

I'm not certain that any useful space is gained by rotating the stove - the key word being 'useful'. I've got the three-burner and have never used all three burners. Most of our cooking is done outside. If we have to cook inside due to weather, it's probably a one-pot meal.

I use the 3M Command hooks which can be easily removed and moved. I have placed hooks where I thought they would be useful, only to take them down. Think about what would hang on the hook and how that item might get in the way.

No need to recommend you get air-conditioning.

[brightday]

Thanks so much for all of your thoughts!

I hope to travel mostly full-time and plan to cook most of my meals, as celiac disease means that eating even a little gluten is a no-no for me, and few restaurants can guarantee gluten free meals. No matter, because I enjoy my own cooking and am equipping my 17B with additional batteries/solar/etc. so as to easily manage the extra energy load even while boondocking. I'll be cooking inside more often than not so will need that second burner, but wouldn't opt for a third, as I'll mostly be cooking only for myself. I'll have plenty of space to prep, as the smaller front diner will be my permanent bed; unless I have company, the back diner surface will remain available night and day. As I'll be full-timing, Gbaglo, you're probably correct in your observation about placement of hooks. Command hooks are a great invention!

Getting excited about the new life ahead!

[MyronL]

Pretty sink, ugly price.

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

17A model porta-potty provisions and grey water connections:
The portapotty is on a converted kitchen cutting board, with furniture glides underneath.
The under sink photo shows the entire drain plumbing, running to the hose connection on the exterior, then to the bucket. We use a screen, so no food scraps go down the drain.

Thanks you for your reviews, they are very helpful for planning purposes.
I like how you have the porta-potti set up, but as you mentioned later, newer ones might be taller. Is the side wardrobe wide and deep enough that you could slide a porta-potti into the bottom section?

Thanks,

John and Marilyn

[h2owmn]

in my 17A the potty lives by day under my half wide front bed with a curtain across the gap between the benches.at night I put it in the doorway on a exercise platform that raises it up almost to the level of the bench. the platform lives next to the potty under the bed with a bin for shoes on top of it. can be 4 or 6 inches tall. my portapotti is not the smallest one...it's a bit wider in both side to side and front to back...more stable.
https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...SABEgLe3_D_BwE

[Duer]

Originally Posted by sclifrickson

That is a slick unit!

Our 17B felt like it has more countertop space than our 19, if you use the top of the wardrobe as bonus counter. It’s the one difference that makes my wife insist that the 17B was bigger, despite every other measurable dimension stating otherwise. Countertop space in a 19 is tight, particularly with an oven.

Hello Sclifrickson,

May I zero in on your comment / comparison btw 17b counter and your 19 with 3 burner ST-oven combo. Would you or anyone else be able to tape measure or estimate the difference on a 19 btw the standard two burner and optional 3 burner usable counter space please?

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Radar1

Thanks you for your reviews, they are very helpful for planning purposes.
I like how you have the porta-potti set up, but as you mentioned later, newer ones might be taller. Is the side wardrobe wide and deep enough that you could slide a porta-potti into the bottom section?

Thanks,
John and Marilyn

John and Marilyn,
It would work with my 17A and old, smaller porta-potty, but perhaps not with the newer potties that appear to be larger.

BJ (h2owmn) had to deal with this with her 2nd gen. 17A.


My best advice to you is, armed with porta-potti overall dimensions (Width, Depth, Height), email ETI with your specific questions. I'd probably email Karl directly.

[Greg A]

We’ve had both the 17b and now 19. We don’t follow the size comments, the 19 is significantly more room in all aspects. Front dinette, bathroom, rear bed, aisle space, etc are significantly bigger. Not sure on direct counter measurements, but it certainly seems larger, especially with the counter extension on the door side that is a direct extension to the kitchen counter. I know we have the stove rotated 90 degrees on the 19 and ETI said there wasn’t enough room to do that on the 17 when asked. Never personally would order the oven in anything under the 21, do they even offer oven on the 17?
We enjoyed our 17b, nice trailer, but certainly is too tight for where we are heading to FT/PT.
If I’m at storage today I’ll pull the 19 counter measurements for you.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Greg A

........I know we have the stove rotated 90 degrees on the 19 and ETI said there wasn’t enough room to do that on the 17 when asked. Never personally would order the oven in anything under the 21, do they even offer oven on the 17?
...................

The 17 has the furnace installed under the stove, so the oven is not an option.

We did have the stove turned 90°, to provide 4" more counter space, but that was a 1st gen E17. With the current stove, width dimensions or the configuration of features may preclude rotation.
Edit: I just looked at ETI's website, and the photos for the 17 show a rotated stove.

[Greg A]

Good info, Don, maybe the new recessed stove has the room to rotate it on the 17, but with it being recessed not sure if that is a big deal.

[dfandrews]

Greg,

In a 17 with its small counter, we feel that every little bit helps.

[Bcescapist]

The stove in our 17B came sideways. I think it's standard (burners are front to back, knobs an the left towards the sink).

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by Greg A

We’ve had both the 17b and now 19. We don’t follow the size comments, the 19 is significantly more room in all aspects. Front dinette, bathroom, rear bed, aisle space, etc are significantly bigger. Not sure on direct counter measurements, but it certainly seems larger, especially with the counter extension on the door side that is a direct extension to the kitchen counter. I know we have the stove rotated 90 degrees on the 19 and ETI said there wasn’t enough room to do that on the 17 when asked. Never personally would order the oven in anything under the 21, do they even offer oven on the 17?
We enjoyed our 17b, nice trailer, but certainly is too tight for where we are heading to FT/PT.
If I’m at storage today I’ll pull the 19 counter measurements for you.

Thanks to all for any thoughts on the 17' models. We like both the 17A and B models (although half of us would like the B better for bath). The 19 surely would provide even more room for us, but I'm thinking the 17' models would fit our needs (and our kids driveways) better than the 19.
We would be moving up from a 16' Scamp (one foot-itis?) so the 52" bed would seem like a monster upgrade compared to the 44" bed we now share, and the versions of the 17B with the bench in place of the wardrobe seems like it would be much more comfortable than the side dinette we have in the Scamp. The almost double fresh and black water capacity of the 17B would be better for boon-docking that what our Scamp provides.
Still in the deciding and exploring stage.

John and Marilyn

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Radar1

the versions of the 17B with the bench in place of the wardrobe seems like it would be much more comfortable than the side dinette we have in the Scamp. John and Marilyn

The top of that wardrobe is most useful for kitchen prep ( chopping veg, etc. ) and as a staging spot for bringing stuff in and out of the trailer.

I know some put drawers in the wardrobe, but I don't like folding clothes and find it easier to grab a couple handfuls of shirts and jackets on hangers and carry them out to the trailer.

I've already got lots of under-bench storage that's kind of annoying to get stuff out of ( move the cushions, put them somewhere, lift the lid, grab whatever and put everything back ).

[Greg A]

Hi John and Marilyn,
We moved up from a 13 Scamp to the 17B so felt pretty glorious. Good thing to spend time exploring the options. If you can get to a gathering it is always very helpful to spend some time speaking with the owners and walking through the trailers.
Keep us posted on where you land.