E19 with two small kids???

[Jordan]

I am close to purchasing an Escape 19' but have two kids aged 0 and 2. Does anyone have experience camping with two kids who are initially in cribs and then will move onto the bunks. Are you happy with the 19' set-up for this? Thanks!

[sclifrickson]

To be clear, the 19 doesn’t have bunks. It has a cot option over the front bed, which is kind of bunk like, but not exactly the same. The 17B does offer an actual bunk option.

We have two kiddos and lived in a 17B for a year when they were 3 and 5 years old. The front bunks permanently stayed in bunk mode that year, so each kiddo had her own dedicated tiny personal space, and we did the table-bed-table-bed dance with the rear table every day, which got old. I did fabricate a barrier for the top bunk to prevent the kiddo on top bunk from rolling out accidentally during the night.

We then purchased a 19, mainly because we really, really wanted that permanent queen bed in back. And an oven. These days the kiddos are 6 and 8, so still little cuddle buddies, so we sort of play musical roulette every night. Most nights the kids both sleep on front bed, adults in back, sometimes we do the cot so girls up front with their own bunk-like space, and sometimes the kiddos require snuggles so one kiddo and one adult each front and rear.

It’s nice to have flexible options.

Cant speak to kiddos as young as yours, but hope this info might give you some ideas.

[Doug2000]

My kids are 16 and 17 now. I speak from experience.

When they were small they had a tonne of stuff. I would suggest you buy a 12’ tent trailer with tones of room. We had a rare 14’ Fleetwood Redwood tent trailer, it was huge. We packed that thing full, bikes and a canoe on top for summer trips to Algonquin Park.

If you want a 19’ to work for you, I hope you have a big truck bed for all the stuff you want to take.

A young couple bought my 17B and had 2 young children, it’s up for sale now, not enough room.

[Jordan]

Great info guys - thanks. Is there room to keep the table up and use the cot in the 19 for an adult (and put the other adult and two kids in the queen bed)?

[sclifrickson]

Originally Posted by Jordan

Great info guys - thanks. Is there room to keep the table up and use the cot in the 19 for an adult (and put the other adult and two kids in the queen bed)?

Yes, you could do that. Another choice to consider is putting a Springfield Marine pedestal base on the table. This makes it easy and fast to put table up or down. This is what we did and I can switch between table and bed in about ten seconds.

The cot, on the other hand, is more of a handful, and takes a few minutes from start to finish. My daughter has to *really* want it for me to agree to the hassle, unless we’re camping somewhere where all eating is outside and then we don’t need indoor table and can just leave for up for multiple days.

[Bakes99]

Originally Posted by sclifrickson

Yes, you could do that. Another choice to consider is putting a Springfield Marine pedestal base on the table. This makes it easy and fast to put table up or down. This is what we did and I can switch between table and bed in about ten seconds.

The cot, on the other hand, is more of a handful, and takes a few minutes from start to finish. My daughter has to *really* want it for me to agree to the hassle, unless we’re camping somewhere where all eating is outside and then we don’t need indoor table and can just leave for up for multiple days.

Agree with everything above. We feel that the marine pedestal base is a must as that table will be going up and down frequently if you are carting kids. It’s a quick up and down and makes life a lot easier. When we ordered ours, it was hard to find a decent deal without paying an arm and a leg across the border.

We do use the cot once in a while when the kids start picking at each other. Not often but it’s a heaven sent at times. The two of them can easily share the table. When one of the kids was feeling ill, my wife easily shared the dinette bed with the one of them. To give you a sense, one is 9 and the other is a tall 12. We also replaced the dinette cushions with latex foam from Foam Zone for comfort. Made a huge difference. Hope this helps.

[caddoster]

one of the idea I've seen people do with tent camping and little kid is to use the "doggie bed" as a raised/fenced area to keep the kid from "roaming"...

[canyonrider]

We've had our 19 for a little over three years, picking it up when the kids were 3 and 5. It's been great for our family, the layout works well and there has been plenty of space for all of us and our clothes/gear/food. I would not want anything larger. The only items we keep in the tow vehicle are typically a Rubbermaid bin or two of outdoor gear, plus the beer cooler (and often a couple of bikes on the roof rack).

Kids usually sleep on the dinette bed, with occasional use of the cot. The kids seem to prefer sleeping together, and stay warmer that way. I find the cot to be much more of a hassle to set up/take down than the dinette bed, especially if others are in the trailer at the same time. It's a bit awkward to say the least.

[7th Heaven]

Originally Posted by Jordan

I am close to purchasing an Escape 19' but have two kids aged 0 and 2. Does anyone have experience camping with two kids who are initially in cribs and then will move onto the bunks. Are you happy with the 19' set-up for this? Thanks!

Hi Jordan,
You will do fine with the 19. We have a 21', for the most part we have co-slept with our youngers. You will find that the less gear you travel with the happier you will be