I knew campgrounds were crowded, but....

[Vermilye]

Since the Canadian code appears to requires indoor batteries to be vented, it might be that it is difficult to find a battery box that holds 3-4 batteries that fits under the seats...

[kavm]

Indeed that seems to be the issue. ETI are in communication with the regulator and certification body (QAI). So, this issue may get resolved down the road but it is affecting our build.

[Ooshkaboo]

Another problem with boon-docking seems to be fresh water, there is one couple carries a 75 gallon container in the back of their pickup.
There are charts the battery companies have on their websites with the recommended amount of batteries needed for whatever you would be wanting to power.
You may want to see with 4 batteries if you should be upgrading from the inverter that comes with two batteries provided, myself I’m sticking with the two lithium and inverter they provide. I’m definitely getting the sample solar port.
The same chart recommended to just run your AC off a generator, I’ll be looking into a honda with a propane conversion kit eventually.
As for hot air...no never mind

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

Another problem with boon-docking seems to be fresh water, there is one couple carries a 75 gallon container in the back of their pickup.
There are charts the battery companies have on their websites with the recommended amount of batteries needed for whatever you would be wanting to power.
You may want to see with 4 batteries if you should be upgrading from the inverter that comes with two batteries provided, myself I’m sticking with the two lithium and inverter they provide. I’m definitely getting the sample solar port.
The same chart recommended to just run your AC off a generator, I’ll be looking into a honda with a propane conversion kit eventually.
As for hot air...no never mind

Look at the Hutch Mountain conversion kit. I installed it on my Honda 2200 and it's great. Moves back and forth from propane to gas by just turning the selector switch. That's it! Took me about an hour to install. Simple.

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

Another problem with boon-docking seems to be fresh water, there is one couple carries a 75 gallon container in the back of their pickup.

620 lbs of water certainly makes most people struggles with keeping tongue and cargo weights below GVWR to be child's play.

Maybe I'm more used to 'roughing it' since I do a lot of backcountry camping (without an RV) as well, but there are simpler solutions for water:
1) Bring a backpacking potable water filtration system and use that for drinking / cooking. I can live in the backcountry using nothing by filtered water for two weeks no problem. Preserve the tankage onboard the trailer for flushing if nothing else.
2) If you are out and about, carry 1-2 five gallon water totes. Lots of places will have outside hose bibs (gas stations, hardware stores, etc) and they won't mind if you grab 10 gallons.

The tanks in an Escape won't support staying in one place for a week if you want to live luxuriously in terms of showers and dishes. But that can be solved by either moving more often, or dropping some of the luxuries. You can bath in the lake.


Incidentally......this 75 gallons of water. Where did it all go once used? Did they drink it all? The grey and black tanks on an Escape are only so large.

[kavm]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

620 lbs of water certainly makes most people struggles with keeping tongue and cargo weights below GVWR to be child's play.

Maybe I'm more used to 'roughing it' since I do a lot of backcountry camping (without an RV) as well, but there are simpler solutions for water:
1) Bring a backpacking potable water filtration system and use that for drinking / cooking. I can live in the backcountry using nothing by filtered water for two weeks no problem. Preserve the tankage onboard the trailer for flushing if nothing else.
2) If you are out and about, carry 1-2 five gallon water totes. Lots of places will have outside hose bibs (gas stations, hardware stores, etc) and they won't mind if you grab 10 gallons.

The tanks in an Escape won't support staying in one place for a week if you want to live luxuriously in terms of showers and dishes. But that can be solved by either moving more often, or dropping some of the luxuries. You can bath in the lake.
Incidentally......this 75 gallons of water. Where did it all go once used? Did they drink it all? The grey and black tanks on an Escape are only so large.

The weight of 75 gallons of water is only 850 lbs I assume the poster meant 7.5 gallons.

I’d think that the main thing limiting someone in boon-docking situation will be the size of gray/black water tank. We’d never want our boon-docking to mean that we are confined to the camper. I have no real idea of how long the gray and black water tanks will last (assuming two people taking moderate measures to be economical in user and external showers).

I’d think that’s at least 3-4 days, assuming electricity is not an issue. That might be sufficient for our purposes. I don’t really foresee parking ourselves for weeks in one location...

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by kavm

The weight of 75 gallons of water is only 850 lbs I assume the poster meant 7.5 gallons.

I’d think that the main thing limiting someone in boon-docking situation will be the size of gray/black water tank. We’d never want our boon-docking to mean that we are confined to the camper. I have no real idea of how long the gray and black water tanks will last (assuming two people taking moderate measures to be economical in user and external showers).

I’d think that’s at least 3-4 days, assuming electricity is not an issue. That might be sufficient for our purposes. I don’t really foresee parking ourselves for weeks in one location...

Fresh water is generally the limiting factor in our 5.0. When we are being conservative I have found our usage to be about 7 gallons a day. That's with each of us taking a VERY conservative "navy shower". Many places have a faucet nearby to get water, we carry a 6 gallon can to add water when we're on longer stays. Ultimately the gray tank filling is what determines when we need to go dump - I'm not sure how long we could go between black tank dumping, but so far 8 days have not come close to filling it.

[kavm]

Thank you, David! That's exactly what I was thinking. We already have a couple of 5 gallon containers. And, we'd expect to drive the tow vehicle to the trailheads on any given day anyway. Filling them up and bringing them back to the camper when we return seems like a no brainer. It is to know that gray water tank is the main hurdle.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by kavm

Thank you, David! That's exactly what I was thinking. We already have a couple of 5 gallon containers. And, we'd expect to drive the tow vehicle to the trailheads on any given day anyway. Filling them up and bringing them back to the camper when we return seems like a no brainer. It is to know that gray water tank is the main hurdle.

You have a 30 gallon black tank and a 30 gallon gray tank, and start off with a full 28 gallon fresh tank. Some of the fresh water, of course, will get used for cooking and drinking. So you can add fresh water to replenish for a good while before your holding tanks fill up.

[kavm]

Thank you! That makes sense... My handicap is more that I don't have a good estimation of how much water or electricity we truly consume. How much each toilet flush consumes, etc. But, it is good enough. For the first several years, we will run out of vacation time before we run out of capacity in these tanks.

[Ooshkaboo]

No-75 gallons...and of course it didn’t all fit into the tanks.
I’m about where you are as far as getting set to go onto the road, a lot to learn.
I suggest you look for more information sources than on this site, while it’s very helpful here, its best to view other channels also.

[kavm]

Any information source suggesting 850 lbs (75 gallons) of water to go camping goes on my ignore list. We are not planning to drive across the Sahara desert for a while

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by kavm

Thank you! That makes sense... My handicap is more that I don't have a good estimation of how much water or electricity we truly consume. How much each toilet flush consumes, etc. But, it is good enough. For the first several years, we will run out of vacation time before we run out of capacity in these tanks.

After you have a few trips under your belt in your new Escape you will develop a pretty good feel for how much water you use. And it can vary - when you are someplace where water is scarce and will be there a while, it is certainly possible to conserve water tremendously - use paper plates, take a quick sponge bath instead of a shower, etc. When you know that you only need to make it three days before you'll be able to dump / fill up, you can luxuriate in a longer shower and not have to worry about conserving every drop.

We have found that compared to our previous trailer, the toilet in this one is very efficient and uses less water - as I mentioned earlier, we know we could go longer than 8 days because we have done that easily, I suspect 2 weeks wouldn't be a problem. And one tip to help get a handle on just how much water you are using when you shower - close the floor drain and then see how much water is in the floor pan when you are through before letting it out, that will give you a good idea of how much you just used.

[kavm]

Thank you, David! That's a very good idea about shower usage. I will say that possibility of shower after returning from our day hikes was among the top motivations for going the camper route. So, we will research and experiment with all aspects of that. For boondocking situations, we will also explore external shower, though that depends upon a number of factors.

Many thanks for all this. We are having one final call with our ETI rep extraordinaire later today. We will finalize our order in a day or two and then wait for another 3-4 months to pick up the camper!

[cpaharley2008]

I highly recommend you pick up your new Escape in May and then attend the rally nearby at Osoyoos. That way any issues could be addressed by Escape at the rally while you enjoy your new home away from home.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I highly recommend you pick up your new Escape in May and then attend the rally nearby at Osoyoos. That way any issues could be addressed by Escape at the rally while you enjoy your new home away from home.

Jim, it sure is good to see you back in action on the forum!

[Ooshkaboo]

These other than sources are living full time in their trailers and staying as far away from the parks as possible...but what would they know.
I do think the rv parks would be much more suited for you and what you’re looking to get out of this.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I highly recommend you pick up your new Escape in May and then attend the rally nearby at Osoyoos. That way any issues could be addressed by Escape at the rally while you enjoy your new home away from home.

Under New Management.

Are you sure this service still applies?

[kavm]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I highly recommend you pick up your new Escape in May and then attend the rally nearby at Osoyoos. That way any issues could be addressed by Escape at the rally while you enjoy your new home away from home.

Hi Jim, That was a firm plan and we had scheduled our delivery in the second half of May with that assumption. It is not so firm anymore. The reason is that the challenge side keeps adding up:

• Covid-19: I am doubtful that Canada will permit non-essential entry by the end of May. While the cruise ships are slightly bigger than the Escape trailers, it is worth noting that Canada is banning all cruise ships in Canadian waters until Feb. 28, 2022. Ships carrying more than 12 people are also stay prohibited from entering Arctic coastal waters. So, my sad assessment is that the Osoyoos rally might not happen or be for Canadian residents only.
• We might get our turn with the vaccine by then but it is very iffy.
• We have ordered a 2021 F150. The build week was at the beginning to March. Now we are hearing that the production is drastically reduced due to chip shortage - and we have no delivery date. This will likely resolve before mid-May but unwelcome news nonetheless.

We are still open but not too optimistic on the prospects for the rally!

[snas]

Originally Posted by kavm

Covid-19: I am doubtful that Canada will permit non-essential entry by the end of May.

Tend to agree. I'm thinking closer to September but who knows...

No word on a "vaccine passport" yet but I'd hope Canada has our own national vaccines covered before opening and that is supposed to be mostly done by this Fall.
---


I'm wondering how in person, direct sales and after sales will have changed once this pandemic is over, now that ETI has been running a more restricted access model for customer service/sales.