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Old 05-10-2019, 10:48 AM   #1
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Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Bastrop, Texas
Trailer: 2022 21C 'The QShip'
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Mod Prep in New Build?

I have now spent hours reading the excellent mods posted by Great Eggstrications, Eggscape, DavidMurphy02, Rubicon327, MyronL, CPAHarley2008, and many others. They have given me a wealth of ideas that I look forward to implementing.

My only problem is....we do not own an Escape! We are in the process of planning for a new 17B, so a question came to mind:

If you were to order a new trailer from ETI what arrangements would you make with future mods in mind? We already know we want to use a Legun table mount, so will specify that the area at the front of the trailer between the benches be reinforced. Ditto on AC prep, microwave prep, reinforcing the shower wall by the dinette, etc.

I know, from the creativity of you all, that things can be moved, removed, installed and otherwise modified all over the place, but, it seems, advance planning would make them much easier or cheaper. Looking at reinforcements, wiring runs, and other things that are possible and/or less expensive in the original construction process.

What would be your top 5 things to request in a build to make future mods possible, given the opportunity to start with a clean slate?

I hope this is not too much trouble. By way of thanks I will post a summary list of things suggested and those I plan to request, hopefully to benefit others in their planning.
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Old 05-10-2019, 10:57 AM   #2
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Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
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Additional 12v outlets or runs for later possible use and the same for 120v outlets. Escape used to move outlets, now you have to order an extra if the stock location is not useful for your needs. Also reinforcing walls for later ease of attaching items, additional exterior hatches. Enjoy the process, took me 4 Escapes to finally get it right.
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Old 05-10-2019, 11:01 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marant View Post
I have now spent hours reading the excellent mods posted by Great Eggstrications, Eggscape, DavidMurphy02, Rubicon327, MyronL, CPAHarley2008, and many others. They have given me a wealth of ideas that I look forward to implementing.

My only problem is....I do not own an Escape! We are in the process of planning for a new 17B, so a question came to mind:

If you were to order a new trailer from ETI what arrangements would you make with future mods in mind? We already know we want to use a Legun table mount, so will specify that the area at the front of the trailer between the benches be reinforced. Ditto on AC prep, microwave prep, reinforcing the shower wall by the dinette, etc.

I know, from the creativity of you all, that things can be moved, removed, installed and otherwise modified all over the place, but, it seems, advance planning would make them much easier or cheaper. Looking at reinforcements, wiring runs, and other things that are possible and/or less expensive in the original construction process.

What would you do in a build to make future mods possible, given the opportunity to start with a clean slate?

I hope this is not too much trouble. By way of payment I plan to post a list of things suggested and those I plan to ask for, hopefully to benefit others in their planning.
Aside from the obvious selections of options for your build sheet, I think the two "Mod" prep items that are difficult to do after delivery are reinforces walls (you already are on that one!) and prewiring 12v drops and any other cabling that you may want. Also the addition or deletion of shelving. Some folks like to add their own, others want them moved or added.

Have fun!
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Old 05-10-2019, 11:10 AM   #4
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Join Date: Aug 2016
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Trailer: 2018 Escape 5.0 TA
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Additional 12v outlets or runs for later possible use and the same for 120v outlets. Escape used to move outlets, now you have to order an extra if the stock location is not useful for your needs. Also reinforcing walls for later ease of attaching items, additional exterior hatches. Enjoy the process, took me 4 Escapes to finally get it right.
Famous last words!

I will say that I had a bunch of drops added but after getting the trailer, many of the locations would be accessible by running wires behind the corner sections of the dinette so I maybe would have not worried about the locations reachable from the dinette.
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Old 05-10-2019, 12:50 PM   #5
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To echo the other responses, having 12 volt drops any place where there isn't ready access to a 12 volt line would make things much easier if you eventually want to add something. It's really tough to know before you've lived in the trailer a while what you might want to do...and other ideas will come to mind well down the road. Likewise reinforced walls in some areas, although I don't see a lot of need for that unless you know specifically about something you plan to do.

In cabinets like the pantry where ETI includes shelves, they use small metal angle brackets to attach them to the walls and they could be moved after the fact if needed - ours worked out just right. In other cabinets that don't come with shelves, ETI declined to add them so I did them myself.

Most of the mods I have done are just little add-on things that wouldn't have required anything additional from ETI - for me the 12 volt drops we did not get is definitely the big thing.
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Old 05-10-2019, 01:13 PM   #6
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Trailer: 2010 17B “MATT”, then 2017 19 “Lilly”
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We lived in our 17B for a year before we got our 19. That gave us a lot of time and experience to figure out how we wanted to tailor it. Here’s a run down of some of the “Off the Menu” customizations that we had ETI do on our 19:

Off-The Printed Build Sheets
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sha...7&share_type=t

And here are some of the mods we did ourselves to both the 17B and the 19:

Mods I Haven't Seen Elsewhere
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sha...2&share_type=t
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