Considering an Escape

[float5]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Value = Satisfaction. I could buy the best built trailer in the world, but if the internal layout didn't suit my needs it would be a waste of money.

Escape wins on layout with the four-person dinettes, as far as many are concerned. No question that Olivers are beautiful and have some great points. I like the bathroom but no window is over the kitchen sink. So you pay tens of thousands more and of course you get some very very nice features, but not some of the things that Escape owners often consider basic. Some would trade for an Oliver and get used to the layout though and prefer the other advantages. And I will not even mention any names!

[Dwainkitchens]

Thanks!

Originally Posted by float5

Escape wins on layout with the four-person dinettes, as far as many are concerned. No question that Olivers are beautiful and have some great points. I like the bathroom but no window is over the kitchen sink. So you pay tens of thousands more and of course you get some very very nice features, but not some of the things that Escape owners often consider basic. Some would trade for an Oliver and get used to the layout though and prefer the other advantages. And I will not even mention any names!

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Oliver may well be expensive but there is no denying that they are well engineered and well built trailers
Quality seldom comes with a low price tag.

There used to be a good department store in my home town that sold good quality products. They were never "the cheapest"' but did have some true sales and a great credit plan that put their merchandise in the hands of many who did not think they'd ever own whatever it was that Robert Armstrong made possible. His slogan that sold many was simple. ,"Quality is Economy". As many have learned you can go through several campers before deciding to take the plunge into deep green water. Steve have you decided on an Oliver?
Iowa Dave

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

There used to be a good department store in my home town that sold good quality products. They were never "the cheapest"' but did have some true sales and a great credit plan that put their merchandise in the hands of many who did not think they'd ever own whatever it was that Robert Armstrong made possible. His slogan that sold many was simple. ,"Quality is Economy". As many have learned you can go through several campers before deciding to take the plunge into deep green water. Steve have you decided on an Oliver?
Iowa Dave

NO ; The cost of an Oliver is more than I am willing to spend on what I consider a non necessity . As of this point in time I have not decided to take the plunge on or into anything . At my age money does not burn a hole in my pocket as it did when I was a teenager.
Oliver and Escape both make fine trailers and depending on what attributes one values , either one could be an excellent choice.
I'll see you at the Mississippi River Rendezvous , I'll be the one towing the 2013 17 ft white Casita.

[NCBill]

I like to say: "it's a lot easier to spend money than it is to find more of it!" Now we are on a fixed income it is more true.

[advenas]

Have to say, I am very satisfied with my 17B Escape. I seriously considered buying an Oliver. Even flew out to the factory for a tour. Very nice trailers. However, in the end the Escape floor plans and functionality better suited my needs and budget. Plus, Chilliwack is only 2-3 hrs from Seattle and Tammy & Reace are great to work with. No regrets here.

[Ray N]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Value = Satisfaction. I could buy the best built trailer in the world, but if the internal layout didn't suit my needs it would be a waste of money.

Ditto.
Our main complaint with our EggCamper was the little table for two. We often go camping with friends and, with our Escape, we now have a place inside where we can all sit and play cards or share coffee or drinks - especially nice when it's rainy or cold out. I just won't put up with a little table for two, no mater how well-built a trailer is.

[ReagentGrade]

Dwain, buy any fiberglass RV and I expect you'll be pleased. There may be a features you really miss and decide you must have (two feet?). If so, you can sell your FBRV for nearly what you bought it for and upgrade to the one you gotta have. Try that with a sticky!

I retired after 29 years at a global manufacturing company. Our quality programs emphasized that quality was "conformance to mutually defined requirements".

For the most part we don't have mutually defined requirements. However, we do have budget and fit-for-purpose requirements. All the fiberglass trailers admirably fulfill those requirements. The different price points provide more or less in other features, but all meet the underlaying need of being able to use them.

Unfortunately, many sticky manufacturers seem to have sacrificed fit-for-purpose in a quest to add as many features as possible within a price point. They seem like a great deal until you try to use them.

I'm so grateful to have encountered FGRVs early in my quest for a RV. This saved me a LOT of expense and hassle. Each of our fiberglass trailers may have an occasional bug that needs to be resolved, but I'm guessing that 99% can be used for at least 51 weeks in the first year.

Folks who buy other types of trailers get a bunch of extra features, but may only be able to use it half the first year. (Google it.) Then their warranty is over and we still have a year to go. When you build a quality product, adding a year of warranty costs almost nothing. If your product is marginal, another year of warranty can break your bank.

Rich

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by ReagentGrade

I'm so grateful to have encountered FGRVs early in my quest for a RV. This saved me a LOT of expense and hassle.

As my father says his only regret is that he didn't have one sooner.

[MikeS]

We too have narrowed our search down to Escape and Oliver. For us we are leaning toward the Escapes(21 or 5.0) based on total cost/value and floor plan. Value in the sense of what we are willing to pay for certain features and overall. If 4 season camping was important I think that would tip things back to the Oliver. I love the quad 6v battery option in the Oliver along with the stainless hardware and the clean interior (We are among those people that would prefer a little less oak in the trailer) but I'm hesitant to spend that amount of money on a trailer with a temporary bed. If we keep stalling our decision long enough maybe we will have another interior option on the Escape.

Probably the thing that keeps us leaning Escape is the fact that most any molded trailer will outlive us, so how much more do we really need?

Possibly my only useful piece of advice is to hit the rallies and see as many in person as possible. That's still our plan, and will hopefully see a 2017 5.0TA at Mississippi rally this year.

[NW Cat Owner]

I picked up our new 21 footer this past November. Like the OP, we're new to all this. Never camped (well, as a kid, but that doesn't count as you had all the fun and none of the set-up/clean-up work), never had a trailer, etc, etc, etc. I did rent a motorhome for a month, 2 years ago, and that was well worth the cost.

We'd already looked at various SOBs at dealer lots and shows. Nothing really appealed enough to drop the money on them.

Was told about Scamps and did lots of research on fiberglass trailers. What really drew me to the Escapes was the length of the bed. I hated hanging my feet out over the end of the bed in that motorhome as it was a short RV queen. As I recall, none of the other fiberglass trailers had beds that length, or if they did I didn't like the rest of the layout.

Joined this forum. Did a ton of reading. Was offered some trailer viewing by various forum members. We looked at the 19, 21 and 5.0TA. Really liked the 5.0, but I needed the bed space in the truck for hauling stuff to shows I vend at. Ordered the 21 and then waited 11 months to get it. Very long 11 months!

Oh yeah, if possible, look at a trailer with a u-shaped dinette. Unfortunately, at the time, ETI didn't have any display models with one (their 21 now does - yay!) and it's hard to decide on it until you actually sit at it (least it was for me). Someone locally let me flop on theirs, with the filler board and without the installed table, and that sold it for me.

Another nice feature of the Escapes is that you can, if you're willing to spend the money, get some nifty things, such as your own choice of fabric for the dinette, countertop and flooring. Well worth it in our minds as we weren't too keen on the stock ones. And you can do other customizing to your trailer, if the money spent is worth it to you and ETI is willing to do it for ya.

So far, I've put over 4000 miles on the trailer since mid-March and have been overall quite happy with it (and Dirk has yet to travel in it!). There's been some ups and downs along the way, but I'm muddling through it all. You will too.

As others have suggested, look at as many as you can before you make any decisions. That really helped us. It was also great seeing the trailers with stuff in there so you can see how they're used instead of pristine and empty.

As my husband told me, pick the trailer you like and want to use. Then start looking for vehicles to tow it with. After all, you will have a long wait to get the trailer and that'll give you plenty of time to test drive a wide range of vehicles. And, once you get the trailer, you're gonna start wadding it with stuff and the weight will go up and up. So, yeah, plan for that and get a vehicle that has enough umph for it and then some.

Good luck with your decision (both the OP and anyone else chiming in on this thread that they're thinking about one).

[float5]

Some people are downsizing and that affects how they see an Oliver and Escape such that they may consider the Escape too small. Also, many already have a truck and can go hook up to an Oliver.

Olivers cost much more because they are built differently and use more high-quality and often heavier materials. That causes a higher weight which requires the bigger vehicle. Escapes are made for towing something lighter with smaller vehicles. Also, people who are electricians, contractors and the like have many particular features that interest them. They would prefer an Oliver for those features whereas many of us have no such expertise.

[Greg A]

Once you get above $30K it opens many options that are possibilities. Once you get to $60k and above it opens way more options.
We bought the Escape because of the value at the price point which was mid-20's when we purchased with exchange rate and are very happy with the choice.
Not sure what we'd pick if we had $40k-60k+ to spend, but think we'd surely be shopping for a bit before we decided.

[NCBill]

+10 with Mike. I like the fiberglass interior of the Oliver.. On the other hand, I don't need a four season trailer and at my age, I don't need a trailer that will last 40 years either. And given the longevity of the old Scamps, Trilliums, Bolers and more, I wouldn't bet against any of them lasting 40 years or more if properly stored and maintained.

Oliver floor plan doesn't work for me. If it works for you, I'd consider it.

[Bobbito]

Having seen our sticky Nash 19B go to trash in 12 years due to separate leaks over the years, I emphatically support the statement that a molded fibreglass trailer is the first and most important decision. The highest stress points as a trailer's frame flexes are where the walls, floor and roof meet, so if they are molded fibreglass you are way ahead of the game. We went with the Escape because they were lighter, less expensive and high quality. We noticed that the furnace, stove and hot water heater worked much better than those in our Nash. And the 2 year warranty is paired with outstanding support from ETI, something we have experienced with minor issues (frayed blind cord, broken awning latch, etc.) issues that develop over time with any trailer. Besides Reece and Tammy, we got a chance to meet their production manager, Nigel, who gave me examples of how they are constantly making changes to improve the quality of their trailers. Great company. Great people.

Bob K

[tom and susan]

We just returned from a 5 week trip with our new 5.0ta. We are brand new to trailers and camping. We are thrilled with our trailer. I like that we don't need a full size truck. My Ford F-150 is my main vehicle, and I wouldn't want to drive a full size truck all the time. We drove 9,000 miles on this trip and appreciate getting better gas mileage then a full size. Olivers are beautiful, but Escape has the advantage of allowing you to personalize the interior. I did custom floors , counters, fabric, faucet and U shaped dinette with and pedastle 18 inch table with cushion to create a lounge. The trailer was very comfortable and I had a great time making it uniquely my own. And the lower price didn't hurt either! Which ever brand you choose, I think fiberglass is a great choice. Good luck. Susan

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by tom and susan

... I like that we don't need a full size truck. My Ford F-150 is my main vehicle, and I wouldn't want to drive a full size truck all the time...

Most people probably consider an F150 to be a full-size truck.

[padlin]

We get the idea.

[tom and susan]

Oops, my bad. On this trip, my husband was admiring the huge fifth wheels with multiple slides. Most of the time we were the smallest RV in the parks. But by the end of the trip, he concluded that the Escape was the right RV for us. So much more maneuverable, and we didn't need a "Bigger" (not full size) truck. Susan

" No one ever found wisdom without also being a fool". Erica Jong

[richardr]

We went on a tour of the Oliver factory. It was impressive, as is their trailers. I really liked the craftsmanship and having all the tanks and piping enclosed.
However 2 items on the trailer disappointed me. One was the 4 cu ft refrigerator; the same size as the one in our Casita. The other was the lack of storage space for things like non-hanging clothing. If we had ordered one, we would have gotten the higher beds with the drawers underneath.

We ordered the Escape 21 which fits our budget, living style and driveway length.