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Old 10-08-2020, 01:10 PM   #1
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Escape alternatives

Let me start off by saying that I have my heart set on an Escape and I know this is an Escape forum. Serious question though, aside from Oliver, Bigfoot, Casita, etc, did anyone seriously consider another brand of travel trailer?
I feel like part of the shopping experience is comparison and I'd like to give any other viable alternatives a good look. I guess I should point out I'm talking about build quality/durability as my primary focus. I just don't think there are any - am I wrong?
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:31 PM   #2
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I am very curious about this as well. I'm more concerned with finding something that is suitable for full time living, and I don't know to what level of quality and size is suitable for that.
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:35 PM   #3
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Northwood Industries has a good reputation in the trailer business.

https://northwoodmfg.com
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:39 PM   #4
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For full-time, four season camping check out https://outdoorsrvmfg.com/
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:47 PM   #5
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I was interested briefly in the Happier Camper but I couldn’t get any information from the company (they said I could go see one near me but never responded to my inquiries as to who had one!) I got some answers from other people about some of my concerns and didn’t like how things like the floor worked, and really didn’t want an unresponsive company. Then my used 15A came up for sale and that’s all she wrote.
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:58 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meekhotglass View Post
Let me start off by saying that I have my heart set on an Escape and I know this is an Escape forum. Serious question though, aside from Oliver, Bigfoot, Casita, etc, did anyone seriously consider another brand of travel trailer?
I feel like part of the shopping experience is comparison and I'd like to give any other viable alternatives a good look. I guess I should point out I'm talking about build quality/durability as my primary focus. I just don't think there are any - am I wrong?
I would not buy anything, but, a molded fiberglass trailer.
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Old 10-08-2020, 02:05 PM   #7
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Have you checked out roughnecks? We are familiar with the Roughneck NT300. They are a true four season rig and built really nice. Very heavy though.
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Old 10-08-2020, 02:23 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by EdColorado View Post
Northwood Industries has a good reputation in the trailer business.

https://northwoodmfg.com
I just sold my Northwood (Arctic Fox) to get a molded fiberglass trailer. 'Nuff said...
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Old 10-08-2020, 02:39 PM   #9
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My buddy and I went to an RV show. Looked at a Nash. Looked inside the cupboards and noticed staples everywhere. It also weighed twice as much as the Escape 17B at the next stall. Tammy showed us through.

I ordered a 17B a my buddy got a 19 (he's thinking about a 23 ).
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Old 10-08-2020, 03:24 PM   #10
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My buddy and I went to an RV show. Looked at a Nash. Looked inside the cupboards and noticed staples everywhere. It also weighed twice as much as the Escape 17B at the next stall. Tammy showed us through.

I ordered a 17B a my buddy got a 19 (he's thinking about a 23 ).
Exactly...yes, those Northwood products have great frames and chassis and insulation, but when it comes to fit and finish and everything else, they've got all the same problems that all the other stick-builts have. We had a ton of issues with our brand-new Arctic Fox.
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Old 10-08-2020, 04:24 PM   #11
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I was considering an Arctic Fox, the real ones, back when they just made Arctic fox and Nash. If they had a full queen instead of the rv queen, I may well have bought one. Escape had yet to come out with the 5.0TA. I was also considering Northern Lite TC's, the thought of driving a dually nixed that idea.

They were just as hard to find to look at as Escapes.

I also looked into Lazy Dayz Class C's
Coach House and Pleasure Ways B's
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Old 10-08-2020, 04:33 PM   #12
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I was going to buy an Airstream Flying Cloud except the beds are not full sized and people complaining about getting the stainless steel fixed turned me away.


When I saw the 5.0, I quit looking.
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Old 10-08-2020, 05:14 PM   #13
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Wink

Quote:
Originally Posted by TahoeJoe View Post
Exactly...yes, those Northwood products have great frames and chassis and insulation, but when it comes to fit and finish and everything else, they've got all the same problems that all the other stick-builts have. We had a ton of issues with our brand-new Arctic Fox.
Did the grey and black tanks leak?
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Old 10-08-2020, 07:30 PM   #14
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Did the grey and black tanks leak?
Hehe, no they didn't, probably because they are encased in the very best (and my favorite) thing about those trailers, which is the chassis that they make themselves. It is awesome. But everything above the chassis is fair game for problems. Don't get me wrong, if I couldn't get an egg and had to go with a stick-built, they are still the best option...but that's like saying it's the one-eyed man in a land of the blind...that entire industry is rife with sub-par products.
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Old 10-08-2020, 07:38 PM   #15
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That's what I thought. time to save my pennies and get that order in - 21C for me!

I joined the Outdoor RV group on FB because of their reputation for quality build - plenty of talk of problems there. Seems like they've gone downhill

By the way "padlin" just checked out Lazy Dayz motorhome website - they're pretty nice!
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Old 10-08-2020, 08:02 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by meekhotglass View Post
That's what I thought. time to save my pennies and get that order in - 21C for me!

I joined the Outdoor RV group on FB because of their reputation for quality build - plenty of talk of problems there. Seems like they've gone downhill

By the way "padlin" just checked out Lazy Dayz motorhome website - they're pretty nice!
I talked to a lot of Arctic Fox owners when I was on the road with mine for several years, and the consensus seemed to be that yes, they used to be much better but have gone downhill recently...quantity over quality from the factory. Which is one of the reasons Escape is so appealing to me...every unit built custom for a committed owner, as opposed to pumping out as many units as they can because they will sell, at inflated prices, no matter who the potential owners are. Northwood doesn't hear from, or accept input from, owners until they come back to the factory for warranty repairs.
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Old 10-08-2020, 08:11 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by meekhotglass View Post

By the way "padlin" just checked out Lazy Dayz motorhome website - they're pretty nice!
I owned a 2008 then a 2015 Lazy Daze.
They are nice but not without a unique set of issues. The exterior framework is wood. Wood rots if exposed to water long enough., The exterior corners are a plastic of some type bonded to aluminum. Different materials expand and contract differently. Cracking of the corner piece is almost a certainty.

Bottom line? If you’re in the market for a flawless RV you’re not going to find it. It just hasn’t been made yet.

B quality works for me.

We’re torn between the E23 and a Bigfoot 25’ model.
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Old 10-08-2020, 08:39 PM   #18
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Don’t forget the new fiberglass trailer coming out by the respected company Northern Lite right here in my home town of Kelowna BC and sold throughout North America.
I am not sure of the exact arrangement but Northern Lite and Escape have some sort of business affiliation.
Take a spin to see the 4 season unit.
https://youtu.be/prMvDiizJ7M
More info on the Northern Lite web page.
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Old 10-08-2020, 09:08 PM   #19
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Don’t forget the new fiberglass trailer coming out by the respected company Northern Lite right here in my home town of Kelowna BC and sold throughout North America.
I am not sure of the exact arrangement but Northern Lite and Escape have some sort of business affiliation.
Take a spin to see the 4 season unit.
https://youtu.be/prMvDiizJ7M
More info on the Northern Lite web page.
Have they released any hints about pricing for this beauty? It's a bit too long for me, but still curious...
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Old 10-08-2020, 09:15 PM   #20
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Thumbs up

All the RV’s we have been looking at recently are made in Canada!

Escape, Bigfoot and Leisure Travel Van. And now Northern Lite.

Canada rocks when it comes to building quality RV’s.
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