Friday was our pickup day in Sumas for our new 21NE. We brought our 1.5yr old daughter, 4yr old son, 10lb Pug/Chihuahua mix, 110lb German shepherd/rottie mix and then immediately headed to Rasar state park 1.5hrs away for our shakedown trip. We knew ahead of time that it was going to be an experiment in chaos theory but we were so excited after waiting a year that we were ok with it being frustrating and not going as planned. Memories would be made!
I had a very hard time sleeping the night before. I hadn't been that excited in a long time. It was like being a kid before Christmas. And also a LOT of worrying thoughts were running through my mind.
What if the dogs claws tear up the inside of the trailer or scratch the screen?
What if the kids get mud everywhere and ruin the cushions and interior?
What if the trailer feels too small with all of us in it and we regret our decision?
What if my wife is too worried about our kids and isn't able to relax and enjoy herself?
Thankfully the least of my worries were having issues with the tow vehicle or trailer, but it was still in the back of my mind since picking up a $45k trailer in the middle of a parking lot is not exactly ordinary. And I had no towing experience and no RV experience other than the research from this forum.
I'm happy to say that NONE of these issues became an issue.
Sumas is only an hour and a half away home but it felt like the longest drive I've taken in a long time. We arrived a little before scheduled pickup at noon. The driver bringing the trailer got held up 30min with customs and the wait was excruciating. I found myself walking the dogs over to the edge of the parking lot and over and over to see down the road looking for a truck pulling our egg. When he showed up he was very friendly and acknowledged the customs delay. He was patient while I hitched up and I never felt that we were on our own.
Our kids were so excited to go into the trailer for the first time and we enjoyed our first meal at the dinette by ordering burgers from bobs burgers the location of pickup in sumas.
Dinette setup was fairly easy even with the slightly more complicated Lagun table. But WOW what a relief it was to easily be able to push and spin the table around to accommodate the kids and them dropping fries and stuff. Im glad I listened to my wife on the Lagun table instead of the pedestal. I know that setup/takedown is harder but the flexibility of the Lagun is really important for our family with rambunctious toddlers. I also didn't have any issues with the table flex. I mean it definitely flexed but it was a stable and predictable flex that did not knock over drinks or flick back up in a spingy way. It just moved down a little when pushed on. So yeah can't recommend it enough.
After eating we loaded up the trailer and then I practiced backing a bit in the parking lot and then pulled into a side road to try and dial in the brake controller. Had an issue with the brakes not locking up with the manual slide button. Instructions state you should get the brakes to lockup and then turn down the setting a little. I could definitely feel them slowing us down quickly and the instructions say that not all trailers in all conditions will lockup. Also that brakes need to be warmed up so I decided to push on and try again later.
I was really impressed with how easy the 21NE towed. Even with a slightly underpowered tow vehicle (1st gen Toyota Sequoia) I barely felt like I was pulling anything. It just felt like a natural extension of the tow vehicle. I found myself almost forgetting to go a little slower than normal to be safe. I was also very glad that I listened to my wife and opted for the backup camera. What a difference that makes actually being able to see behind you. I found myself looking in the rearview mirror out of habit and thinking "who's following me so close"!
then I just looked down a few inches and the whole road was right there, even the sides due to the wide angle lens.
We headed to lynden 20min away to title and register. The clerks said they saw us pull into the parking lot with another one of those cute little trailers
We then headed to Rasar state park with our new little license plate attached. I was a bit worried when we got to the park and started going around our loop. It was much narrower than a lot of state parks. It's so narrow that people walking have to step off into the grass so there Is room to drive by. I was also surprised at the rather sharp 90 angle to back into the campsite. But other than a tire coming off the pavement a little bit it was actually very easy to back in. I used the technique where you turn the bottom of the steering wheel in the direction you want trailer butt to go and it wasn't too difficult. I was starting to see why these trailers are so loved!
Unhitching and leveling was easier than I expected although I had some minor issues that are to be expected when learning. As for setting up we knew before reserving the site that the plan was not to use many of the systems on the trailer but to mainly focus on the kids, dogs and the trailer basics (hitching, towing, leveling etc). We did not fill tank with water or use the bathroom. The only thing we used was the propane to get fridge started and the furnace. Furnace worked well but fridge didn't cold very fast. Wife turned it up the next day and it started to get very cold. Not sure how long it will take but we will get it cold ahead of time on next trip. We did have an issue with our kids turning the knob on the stove and setting off the propane alarm. We are ordering child protective covers because that will be dangerous otherwise.
We had a rough first night due to our son coming down with a cold and not feeling well. Our daughter was a little extra fussy too but this is to be expected in a new environment. We decided to leave the next day Saturday late afternoon instead of staying another night. Just too much with our son coming down with a cold. But we did have fun on hikes during the day and scooter/stroller walks around the park.
Even though we've only camped in the trailer one night I can say with confidence that it is about the perfect size for us. Nice and cozy yet there are two big areas for the kids on either the queen bed or the dinette area which is queen bed size. We never felt like we were too cramped. Even with both dogs in the trailer and our big dog laying on the floor it felt like there was room to simply walk around him.
The interior feels much more rugged than I was anticipating. The kids and dogs tracked in a lot of wet pine needles with dirty shoes and paws and it didn't seem to stick to the floor or chinchilla cushion fabric. A simple wipe with a baby wipe or even just a hand it came right off. Even with our kids stomping around on the cushions. Greasy little hand prints came off easy too. The floor was super easy to sweep clean when we got home and it all looks great. The contemporary interior has some kind of laminate coating that feels rugged and cleanable too.
I do think the trailer feels a little lighter and flimsy in ways then I was expecting but i know this is usual for RVs and nothing feels like it's going to break off. For an RV it feels really high quality and wonderfully thought through and designed.
Upon returning home I did have issues backing into the area on the side of the house. The first problem was that my headlights shined on our neighbors window and I could see them looking out at me. I started to really struggle to remember what I had learned and it was like the trailer had a mind of it's own. Just doing the exact opposite I wanted it too. Wife and I agreed to just park along street and get kids and dogs inside for the time being. I came back out to try again but by then it was dark. Was not expecting it to be that difficult but I couldn't see much in the dark with the back up camera or the opening in the fence gate in the rear view mirrors. I hitched up the next day in the light to test the brakes and brake controller again and found it much easier to back in. The backup camera is extremely useful here since I only have about 18" on each side of the trailer to fit through the gate on side of house. The camera really helps to line up the approach. Highly recommend it. In the daylight I could see much better and no issues. Lesson learned. As for the brakes I figure they just need more time to seat.
So now we have our new Escape on the side of the house and our 4yr old son gets so excited looking out the window at it. He taps the glass to tell us he wants to go again and even writes escape on his tablet (he's on the spectrum so not talking yet). We are so excited to create more memories with him and our daughter in our Escape!
Linear Mode
