Casita to Escape, Happy or Sad

[covey]

Roof seems perfectly stout enough...

[Gimli]

I like the carpeted walls too! And the brighter interior and bigger windows over the bed.
The tandem axle and wider aisle was a must for longer distance.
I'm so fortunate that I have space for both.

[vmomara]

17' S.D. good quality, good company and no problems. 21' Escape good quality, great company and no problems. Differences others have mentioned I agree with. I think as many others do you get the biggest bang for your hard earned buck with the Escape and still have a few bucks left to camp on. We went for it and love it. Option according to necessity not by desire. Compare often, buy once.

[SFmiguel]

Loved reading this thread! Reaffirms our decision to go from our 2 year old Casita SD to a 21ft Escape. Picking up our Escape on July 9. The Casita was our 1st RV and I'm still amazed how much my wife enjoys RV'n. Part of my sales pitch to my wife before we purchased the Casita was that we'd stay in the trailer for 3 or 4 days, and then get a hotel room for a couple of nights. Well, once we spent a couple of nights in the Casita, neither she nor I had any desire to stay in a hotel room. Loved the Casita, but just need a little more room. Can't wait! See ya on down the road somewhere

[SkipperClyde]

We a had a SD for 6yrs. Then went to a 5.0TA. Fortunately didn't have to upgrade our TV (2006 Tundra) Made a nice profit on the Casita and bought the Escape used at a good price. The queen size bed and abondent storge makes a huge difference as well as being wider all around. Larger tanks makes boondocking pleasent especially at National Park. Total towing length is less than our Casita. We have no regrets.

[Hollybee]

WE just sold our 2018 Casita Independence 17 last week..sold it 2 days B4 it was to even officially 'go on the market' to a couple who saw it in a parking lot while we were heading home from a camping trip/family reunion in NC and Norfolk VA area (first Landing State Park is beautiful btw).
Small world..the new owner is a retired Nuke Engineer who was also one of the guys who helped design and build the very nuclerar submarine...on which our son now serves as a PO1 ..running the reactor!! Small world. ;-)
It was a bittersweet day last Friday when we met them again and "signed the papers" & had to watch them hitch up and drive off with "our trailer" ..bks we have had a lot of fun and done a lot of camping since April 2018, including 4 trips to different CGs in FL, one to northern VT for 3 weeks of boondocking, plus several to the Smokies and environs.
Overall the Indy had been a really good trailer. Our reasons for even thnking about "upsizing" are many:
Our kids are popping out grandkids and it seems lots of family folk now "wanna go camping w BeaBea and Grampa" ...and we had decded that the 17' Casita just did NOT have the room in it for any more folks. With its two uuge separate twin beds in back, it was indeed a great 2 person trailer tho...even sleeping us 2 adults + one daughter..in the 'big king bed' we made up by putting in the table tops etc.
WE also have a new grandson coming..[my wife's daughter's first child]..this month... so camping was put on the back burner for several months anyways, giving us plenty of time for getting the build sheet just right!;-)

We have looked longly at several Escape 21s at various CGs over the past 6 months and we have liked what we have seen: the TowVehicles were about the same..midsize SUVs and V-6 pickups (we tow with a near-new V6 Frontier) and we really didn't want to drop another $20K+ on a uuuge pickup.
The trailers look a bit similar @ first, but the ROOM inside the '21' is amazing..hard to believe that a few inches up and a few "side to side" + 4 feet longer gives so MUCH more useable room!!!
In our Casita, 2 folks couldn't get past each other in the "kitchen" w/o doing the "Casita Shimmy"..while one day we had 4 full-size adults, including a 6+ foot guy.. in a E-21, standing in the trailer & having a conversation, while one 8 yr old grandkid of the owner was playing with some kinda toys on the dinette table. Uuuuge difference in inside room, for not much extra outside expanse. WE are also glad to getting twin axles this go-round.

We can't wait. ;-)

[John in Santa Cruz]

we went from a casita 16 SD to a fully loaded E21, and are totally happy. ok, it feels a bit too big/luxurious when its just me on a solo trip (My wife usually stays home for my astronomy-oriented campouts), but darn its nice on a long trip with the two of us.

love the bed, love the U-shaped dinette, love the BIG fridge w/ freezer, and propane oven.

[vmomara]

We went from a 2018 17' spirit to a 2019 21' escape for the very same reasons you mentioned. We ordered basic necessities according to our needs and budget. The one thing we have used extensively is a Blackstone griddle set on a folding table with the 12' gas line connected to the quick connect option. Invaluable. You will love your escape and avoid a lot of headaches with the taller door opening.

[Kingfish]

We went from a 17' SD to a 19' Escape mainly because of floor space for our 100lb Goldendoodle to sprawl out. Also, we all 3 can pass each other in the hallway (only a slight exaggeration), whereas with the Casita it was one at a time. It's two feet longer than the Casita but feels twice as large on the inside. Full queen bed, double dinette and dual axles figured in the decision also. We are currently at the factory having solar installed and licking our chops over the 21 footer on the showroom floor!!

[John in Santa Cruz]

I kinda skimped on the details why we upgraded.

1) wife and I are both plus sized. we flat out didn't fit in the casita 16's bed, she insists on the outside, I'm 6' tall, and I usually need to make 2-3 trips to the head in the middle of the night. she's extra wide so climbing over her in the middle of the night without waking her just wasn't working.

2) due to (1), the dinette converted to a bed is only 24" wide I can't roll from side to side or even lie down comfortably on it. I made a 30" wide plywood platform and put a 3-fold mattress on it, that was OK, but now the aisle is even narrower.

3) the grey holding tank on the 16 is ridiculously too small.

4) the 1.9 cu ft. fridge on the 16 is a joke.

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by Kingfish

We went from a 17' SD to a 19' Escape mainly because of floor space for our 100lb Goldendoodle to sprawl out...

It always surprises me the lengths that dog owners may go to to maximize the comfort for their pets. I love dogs, but don't typically think of their comfort first. My wife trends more in that direction than I do.

[cpaharley2008]

You have do idea Dave, from buying vacation homes because of "No pets" to trailers, from tag teaming schedules to be with them to carrying water from home to prevent sickness. We treat them like our children, maybe even better!!