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Old 10-23-2018, 01:56 PM   #1
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21' purchase?

We are very seriously looking at the escapes. Torn between Bigfoot quality, insulation, vs Escapes layout and better weight and price of course. Hope you can help
1] Should we be concerned about the Shell strength and hairline cracks we've read about? Anyone had issues with weight of the double pane windows on the frame?
2] Any new frame problems?
3] We camp 4 months a year general , so it will be used lots, will it stand the test of time?
4] If you were to buy another trailer would it be an Escape?
5] Anyone out there that has had a Bigfoot and gone to a escape what are your findings?
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Old 10-23-2018, 02:14 PM   #2
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I would not let weight deter you from getting the trailer you really want
Others can answer your other questions better than I can .
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Old 10-23-2018, 02:46 PM   #3
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If you camp that much, you might think about checking out the Oliver. A bit more money but, after viewing Mark and Sally's Oliver Legacy Elite at the last NOG, I have to say I was impressed. And theirs is certainly set up for some long-term camping! (That said, this is our second Escape and we are more than happy with ours.)

Also, check out some of the other forums for comparisons (Bigfoot compared to Escape - Fiberglass RV and Bigfoot 21 or Escape 19 - Fiberglass RV).
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Old 10-23-2018, 03:25 PM   #4
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thanks, Glad your happy with yours, that is what keeps us thinking escape since everyone we talk to is happy with them. Even though we saw build issues we aren't sure about. Like stay foam for insulation, cheaper pull out drawers.
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Old 10-23-2018, 04:15 PM   #5
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Have you seen an Escape? Mine is ten years old and I have had no issues with the trailer. I have had the furnace motor replaced under warranty and finally had the fridge serviced last year.
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Old 10-23-2018, 04:17 PM   #6
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I'm waiting for my 4th Escape, very familiar with Oliver out of Tennessee, but Escape I believe is a better buy, particularly for a Canadian. They hold their value and based upon a 6 month wait list, a lot of others agree with that assessment.
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Old 10-23-2018, 04:23 PM   #7
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To follow up on Glenn's report, we figure we have about 62,000 miles on our 2014 and have had no expenses for repairs. We had a few very minor things that were fixed at Chilliwack before one of the Customer Appreciation Rallies, and no worries since.
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Old 10-23-2018, 04:30 PM   #8
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Weight was a factor for us as we didn't want to be forced to drive a large SUV or pickup. I think the frame and crack issues are few, usually resolved by ETI at the satisfaction of the owner, and likely a result of changes in design and materials when they were made. I don't think ETI is planning any more changes. We have had no problems with our trailer since new in 2013.
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Old 10-23-2018, 04:47 PM   #9
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The frame issue was limited to 19' trailers within a specific time period and ETI issued a recall and either did the fix themselves or paid for the fix to be done ( like if you lived in Florida ).

As best I recall, the crack issue was one trailer.
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Old 10-25-2018, 02:22 AM   #10
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After the second major leak in our Nash 19B trailer finished it off we went looking for the BigFoot trailers. We had seen several of the smaller ones in our neighbourhood and they seemed to be holding out well. We went to the dealer who sold us the Nash and also sold Bigfoot only to learn they stopped carrying the brand when they went bankrupt (not sure if this was true). They were waiting to see if the new Bigfoot had sufficient quality before carrying them again according to the owner.
Then a neighbor told me to look at the Escapes and we very quickly were smitten, especially after touring the factory. Many trailers come with powder coated frames/axles, but I saw them painting them with rust paint. I looked into their torsion bar suspension and learned it had superior shock absorption compared to springs. On getting our trailer we found that many of the appliances were superior to those in our Nash. The few problems and questions that we did have were dealt with promptly and often by Reace or Tammy. We are still gaga about our Escape and would definitely buy another. At the time we bought our Escape an equivalent Bigfoot was many thousands more expensive and much heavier, though better insulated for 4 season camping. We find the Escape is fine right down to freezing or a bit below. Love it!

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Old 10-25-2018, 03:25 AM   #11
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Oliver is a /bit/ more money? how about well over double the cost?
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Old 10-25-2018, 06:39 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz View Post
Oliver is a /bit/ more money? how about well over double the cost?

I did a complete breakdown of a fully optioned Escape 21 vs a fully optioned Oliver Elite II a few months ago for a neighbor who was considering both, trying to make it as "apples to apples" as possible. Of course some things are just going to be different, eg Oliver's double hull construction and aluminum frame, as well as lack of permanent bed size bigger than a twin or large front storage box option. The Escape came out about $25,000 cheaper, so it's up to individual buyers whether the differences are worth that sum or not. Also noteworthy, Oliver has a "comparison tool" on their website that compares their trailers to Escapes and Airstreams, but the Escape data is full of misleading errors.



This is what I came up with. I had to call Oliver to get pricing on some of their options. Prices on some items have likely changed in the months since I put this together, so consider it a general guide. Escape has altered their pricing on the awnings (manual awning is now standard, again, and electric is an upgrade, but they also dropped their base price by the same amount, so no price change overall).Click image for larger version

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Old 10-25-2018, 07:52 AM   #13
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Also the Oliver is a lot heavier than the Escape and narrower, so the added $25,000 cost can be higher if a new tow vehicle is needed to tow the heavier but narrower trailer. Not sure if an oven can be had in an Oliver. They are nice but not that nice, IMHO.
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Old 10-25-2018, 08:46 AM   #14
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Also the Oliver is a lot heavier than the Escape and narrower, so the added $25,000 cost can be higher if a new tow vehicle is needed to tow the heavier but narrower trailer. Not sure if an oven can be had in an Oliver. They are nice but not that nice, IMHO.


No oven option in Olivers. The real deal breaker for me though is the bed options. Either temporary king or permanent twins. And you can only sleep three adults in their 23’ trailer, where we can sleep five in our 19 Escape (with the optional cot).
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Old 10-25-2018, 09:07 AM   #15
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No oven option in Olivers. The real deal breaker for me though is the bed options. Either temporary king or permanent twins. And you can only sleep three adults in their 23’ trailer, where we can sleep five in our 19 Escape (with the optional cot).
We have the optional cot in our 19' and although it is true that you could sleep 5 adults in the 19' (or even 2 adults and 3 kids), my personal opinion is that the 19' is best for just a couple sleeping in the permanent bed. Although it is fairly fast to change the front table to a bed and to setup the cot, it does get kind of tedious when you have to do take it down every morning and setup again in the evening. In that manner the Escape 19' is kind of comparable with the Oliver 23' configured with permanent twins.
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Old 10-25-2018, 09:12 AM   #16
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We have the optional cot in our 19' and although it is true that you could sleep 5 adults in the 19' (or even 2 adults and 3 kids), my personal opinion is that the 19' is best for just a couple sleeping in the permanent bed. Although it is fairly fast to change the front table to a bed and to setup the cot, it does get kind of tedious when you have to do take it down every morning and setup again in the evening. In that manner the Escape 19' is kind of comparable with the Oliver 23' configured with permanent twins.

The main reason we got a 19 was for the permanent queen. Secondary reason was the oven. Twins is a non-starter DOA for us. YMMV.
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Old 10-25-2018, 09:13 AM   #17
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The main reason we got a 19 was for the permanent queen. Secondary reason was the oven. Twins is a non-starter DOA for us. YMMV.
Hey we have the oven and the queen also!
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Old 10-25-2018, 01:10 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sclifrickson View Post
Also noteworthy, Oliver has a "comparison tool" on their website that compares their trailers to Escapes and Airstreams, but the Escape data is full of misleading errors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Also the Oliver is a lot heavier than the Escape and narrower..
Nice breakdown Scott. Regarding the Oliver comparison tool there is some out-of-date info, but it seems reasonably accurate. The biggest shortchange I see is the width that they assumed for the 21 (it is not explicit on ETI's website where Oliver clearly took their info). With the Escape exterior at 7'-4" the interior width lands at 7' to 7'-1". That is a big difference than the 6'-8" they have in the chart. The Escape 21 is shortchanged 4-5" in width. (The Oliver is 7' exterior and because of the double hull has in interior width of 6'-7").

They also state a 3" frame which we know is now 4".

These mistakes aren't new as I see were picked up by others here:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f7...tml#post200216
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Old 10-25-2018, 01:15 PM   #19
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Jim Oliver attended a rally in Tennessee back in 2014 with a couple of his Oliver single axle units. He toured my 21 Escape for comparison, his dual axle unit was still in design.
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Old 10-25-2018, 05:30 PM   #20
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ah, ok, I'd heard the Olivers were nearly $80k... $58k or so for one comparably equipped to a US$33k Escape21 isn't quite double, but its still a big chunk more. $25K will buy you a fully equipped Casita 17 SD, I believe Or, TWO of my 2002 F250 diesels...
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