Awnings

[Perry Butler]

If we stifle discussion those making the choice will have problems making a decision. When the awning choices come up I will give my reasons pro and con. It's up to the reader to decide what their choice will be from gathering information from actual users. We all have different opinions and needs, and that's the reason for this and all forums. I certainly don't camp like others, and as I've stated in the past, there are pros and cons to every choice. Choose wisely!

FYI, a friend of mine is purchasing a new Escape and is not getting the same awning, stove, or sink we chose. His reasoning is different from mine and I respect his decision.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Donna D.]

To paraphrase Yotam Ottolenghi:


One man's junk is another man's treasure.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

To paraphrase Yotam Ottolenghi:


One man's junk is another man's treasure.

Hook that one up with the mantra of the garage saler as they park the car on what looks like a sparse sale offering “You never know” and as what I always say about treasures I find:
“The law of the Bohemie; Never give away your good stuff, and you’ve pretty much served up the recipe for developing a hoarder. Although the free tarps have allowed me to pare down my triples, doubles and things that “go with” something I don’t have anymore. But couldn’t find when I got rid of the parent piece.

Junk is a very low end word that I don’t use unless referring to #2 scrap iron Otherwise things are above “junk.” Even expired dead lead acid batteries have value. YMMV
Iowa Dave

[escape artist]

Hi: Iowa Dave... We could change it to... one mans Oriental sailing vessel is another mans pleasure. Blue trap special Eh? p.s. "Never hatchet your counts before they chicken". Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Iowa Dave]

My grandma and I hatcheted a couple chickens with their necks stretched between two nails driven into the hickory stump a few times many years ago. Summer kitchens, boiling water, and the gentle yet distinctive odor of boiled chicken feathers I won’t ever forget. Cluck cluck thump.
Iowa Dave

[HarleyD]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

My grandma and I hatcheted a couple chickens with their necks stretched between two nails driven into the hickory stump a few times many years ago. Summer kitchens, boiling water, and the gentle yet distinctive odor of boiled chicken feathers I won’t ever forget. Cluck cluck thump.
Iowa Dave

Me too and they surely could run toppless.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

If we stifle discussion those making the choice will have problems making a decision. When the awning choices come up I will give my reasons pro and con. It's up to the reader to decide what their choice will be from gathering information from actual users. We all have different opinions and needs, and that's the reason for this and all forums. I certainly don't camp like others, and as I've stated in the past, there are pros and cons to every choice. Choose wisely!

FYI, a friend of mine is purchasing a new Escape and is not getting the same awning, stove, or sink we chose. His reasoning is different from mine and I respect his decision.

Enjoy,

Perry

There is a difference of stifling discussion and rudeness.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Dave Walter

The manual awning on my 2013 Escapes have worked flawlessly since I have owned them and we use them frequently for both shade and protection from the rain. Once you have deployed them a couple of times they are simple and foolproof to use, even by one person. I often deploy mine about halfway extended so that it they are less impacted by sudden wind gusts but still provide protection from sun and rain. When it rains, it is a simple matter to lower one side of the awning more than the other to direct the runoff where you want it to go. When properly sloped, water does not accumulate on the awning. When stowed for travel, I have never had even a hint of any issues with the awning unfurling while travelling, but do fasten the arms to the stop brackets with a strap when it is not deployed. If I was to ever move on to a new Escape, it would be a no-brainer for me to choose the manual awning.

Hi Dave same here but never a thought of ever getting another trailer ! Solar still working like a champ ! Pat

[sherminator]

I recently found a new reason to choose an electric awning - the lack of vertical arms attached to the side means that a deer running into the side of your trailer cannot damage them. That damn deer sure messed up my manual awning.

[uthorns]

When we toured owners while shopping for our Escape one owner complained about his manual awning when retracted because the 6-8” or whatever that’s exposed at the top got dirty, molded and deteriorated. We store our 5.0 undercover so wouldn’t have been an issue but I don’t see that addressed. Maybe it’s not a problem for most. We like the sleek look of the electric and the case it goes into.We were already getting the electric awning so it wasn’t a consideration. Use ours in the rain all the time but in a driving rainstorm I wouldn’t be outside with either.

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Hi Dave same here but never a thought of ever getting another trailer ! Solar still working like a champ ! Pat

Our Escapes are still working great as well. The only thing that could draw me towards a different trailer would be the 5.0 as I love the layout and the extra headroom as compared to our 19 or 15. Of course I am not a truck owner and my wife is happy in the 19', so a switch to a 5.0 is quite unlikely.

[bborzell]

We were initially concerned about ordering the electric awning on our soon to be built 21C out of fear that leaving it out in a driving rain might cause water build up sufficient to cause the trailer to tip over onto the curb side.

But, once we found a 500 lb. outrigger counter weight that we could mount on the street side especially for those times when we want to sit outside under the awning during a hurricane, our fears were allayed.

And yes, Perry and I have made many different choices in life and we remain good friends.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Dave Walter

Our Escapes are still working great as well. The only thing that could draw me towards a different trailer would be the 5.0 as I love the layout and the extra headroom as compared to our 19 or 15. Of course I am not a truck owner and my wife is happy in the 19', so a switch to a 5.0 is quite unlikely.

As you know I went from the 19 to the 5.0TA. While the 19 is a great trailer, we do like the the 5.0TA more, mostly for the layout. I had to buy a new truck as mine was an F350 and way bigger than needed.

Lots of pickups for sale in our province.

[LRL]

Originally Posted by Starbrightsteve

The one reason that I’m bringing up the issue of motorized awnings 4 years after I got one is to warn people filling out their build sheet that motorized awnings are junk. And the assertion that awnings are only for shade is garbage. Maybe motorized ones can only handle sun but most people want something that can work with sun and rain. The Carefree Manual awning offered by Escape is the best choice IN MY OPINION.

To offer an alternate opinion for those considering what to order: we have a 2017 E21 with the motorized awning and LOVE it. It did get left open on our shakedown trip during a rainstorm. But it recovered, and we are totally happy with it. It's so easy, and has never failed us. Were we ordering a new trailer today, we'd do exactly the same thing.

[RandS]

We were dealing on a 2016 19 Classic and I was concerned about the manual awning. I figured in my rush to get something from the tow vehicle I'd do the deer thing and crash into the support arms. We were too late on that deal and about a week later found a 2016 19 with the electric awning. We haven't used it a lot but have had no issues with it.

Since we were seriously in the market when the new models came out I do recall some of the discussions. The big issue for mounting a manual awning was how the arms lined up with the front passenger window. The new models came out with the flush, awning type and you couldn't open that window without opening the awning a little. That was an issue that Reace was wrestling with. Some people didn't think it was an issue. Others went with the older slider windows (partly because the awning windows had some issues themselves). New models solved a lot of issues but also created new ones. Unfortunately, Steve got caught in the transition period.

[Little Richie]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Escape only offered an electric awning when the new molds were introduced. Due to the new awning recess in the mold and straighter sides the old style manual Carefree Fiesta wouldn’t work without modification. I believe Reace tried another Carefree manual model on a couple 17’s but that didn’t work out well due to a restricted area for the crank against the shell. Based on the 2017 model year my guess is Steve’s trailer was produced during the time period when Reace hadn’t figured things out completely on all models. Eventually manual awnings were again made available on all models as standard with electric as the option.

Interesting comment about the camper mold and the awning: It explains why the Oliver has the automated awning on the door side and there’s an option office and manual ordering on the other side.

[Little Richie]

Was the truck bigger than needed, or was it difficult to place the hitch given the length of the bed in the truck. That is the say the difficulty in hitching up because the truck bed is too long??