Shake Down Cruise

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Am surprised to hear the seat cushion foam being soft. Ours were very firm and still are supportive almost four years later.

I never had an issue in our 2009 19, but find there is a lack of support on the dinette cushions in my 2017, and am considering a bit denser foam in the cushions we set upon.

Originally Posted by rubicon327

On newer trailers it appears that roof vent is gone and doubt they went back to the wheel well style vent like mine. Interesting.

They did get rid of both of those type venting, but as I have mentioned before there is a cheater vent now installed. Mine is on the left of the bathroom, and imagine it would be the same with the 19.

Ron'a take on the slow drain is what the issue is, in that it comes out the side. Plus, the slope is near flat on it too, angling down ever so slightly. We just pop a 4" thick block under the passenger wheels when dumping, and that helps a lot. Only takes moments to do too.

[Kingbiscuit]

I contacted Escape about the slow draining gray tank. Here's the response

"Hi Dan

On all of our trailers, the grey tank is mounted below the trailer with the drain out the side of the tank. The tank does slope toward the drain, however not much. A quick and easy way to speed up the draining process is to drive the passenger side up onto a couple of blocks when you pull up to a sani-dump.

Hope that helps.

Reace"

I guess that answers the question.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Ron'a take on the slow drain is what the issue is, in that it comes out the side. Plus, the slope is near flat on it too, angling down ever so slightly. We just pop a 4" thick block under the passenger wheels when dumping, and that helps a lot. Only takes moments to do too.

This works well, too - since I carry it but never had to use it for anything else....

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-Tra...&wl13=&veh=sem

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by tractors1

This works well, too - since I carry it but never had to use it for anything else....

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-Tra...&wl13=&veh=sem

That's a thought. I have one but never bring it along. I just use it at home mostly for bearing and brake work.

[Chris & Patricia]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

That's a thought. I have one but never bring it along. I just use it at home mostly for bearing and brake work.

I would have thought that a couple of 2x4s would do the job!

[irun2]

Originally Posted by Kingbiscuit

Tow Vehicle - 2017 Nissan NV 3500 Passenger Van, V8 Engine, 7 speed transmission, tow package. I can't say enough good about this van as a tow vehicle. It is comfortable to drive and ride, has tons of power and space. In it's stock configuration, it seats 12. We removed the last row of 4 seats and built in a storage "box". This left us room to transport 8 (including driver) and have a bunch of usable storage in the back. The van pulled every mountain without overheating or even straining. We try to cruise at 60 MPH to relax and see the world around us. At this speed, the engine is around 1,600 RPM, barely working. This gave us an average of 14 or 15 MPG. Some tanks saw as high as 17 MPG in flat areas and as low as 11 in the steep grades of Northern California and Oregon going through the Redwoods. My wife said, as she was driving, "You can't even tell the trailer is back there.". If you're looking for a tow vehicle, I can highly recommend the Nissan NV 3500 Passenger.

If you have questions, please ask, I'll try to answer as best I can.

Dan

Dan,
I was intrigued by your TV. I did a little research and noticed that is a rear wheel drive vehicle. Did the lack of 4 wheel drive create any issues while boondocking? I also noticed that the vehicle does not have any access on the driver's side other that the driver's door. One reason I like this TV is the large amount of undercover storage for items like bikes and golf clubs, but I wonder if the lack of access to the cargo area from the driver's side was an issue? Thx.

[Kingbiscuit]

Originally Posted by irun2

Dan,
I was intrigued by your TV. I did a little research and noticed that is a rear wheel drive vehicle. Did the lack of 4 wheel drive create any issues while boondocking? I also noticed that the vehicle does not have any access on the driver's side other that the driver's door. One reason I like this TV is the large amount of undercover storage for items like bikes and golf clubs, but I wonder if the lack of access to the cargo area from the driver's side was an issue? Thx.

Lack of access was not a problem for us. The back doors open and can be released so that the swing around and latch to the side. They are completely out of the way. The sliding side door is a huge opening on the passenger side. If you want more space, the seats are easily removed or you can buy the cargo version of this van for a lot less money.

Boondocking to us is anytime we're not hooked to shore power. We don't go off road in areas where we would need 4wd. The van had lots of clearance and in most situations, would probably be fine unless it's really steep, rough or deep sand. Your definition of boondocking sounds a bit different than mine.

Hope that answers your questions.

[irun2]

Thank you. I'm not sure what my definition of boondocking is yet. First I have to convince my wife she's a camper. I would like to go off road to BLM areas and the like, but I wouldn't want to push the limit on the road conditions. If the Escape can handle it I would assume the Nissan could as well.

[Kingbiscuit]

Originally Posted by irun2

Thank you. I'm not sure what my definition of boondocking is yet. First I have to convince my wife she's a camper. I would like to go off road to BLM areas and the like, but I wouldn't want to push the limit on the road conditions. If the Escape can handle it I would assume the Nissan could as well.

I agree, if the Escape can handle it, the van is probably OK. We've done Quartzsite when we had our Class A. If you pay attention to what you're doing, boondocking in that area isn't bad at all, from a terrain standpoint. You might look at the "lift" option if you think you'll do a lot of off-road boondocking.

[Serendipity]

Originally Posted by Kingbiscuit

We picked up our 19 in Sumas WA on March 29 and started our shakedown cruise. After almost 5,000 miles traveling coast to coast, we arrived back in FL on April 24. This was a pretty good shake down with a mix of boon docking and RV parks, mountains, plains, 2 lanes and Interstate highways. I thought I'd share my thoughts on both the Escape 19 and our tow vehicle since both are fairly new to us.

Tow Vehicle - 2017 Nissan NV 3500 Passenger Van, V8 Engine, 7 speed transmission, tow package. I can't say enough good about this van as a tow vehicle. It is comfortable to drive and ride, has tons of power and space. In it's stock configuration, it seats 12. We removed the last row of 4 seats and built in a storage "box". This left us room to transport 8 (including driver) and have a bunch of usable storage in the back. The van pulled every mountain without overheating or even straining. We try to cruise at 60 MPH to relax and see the world around us. At this speed, the engine is around 1,600 RPM, barely working. This gave us an average of 14 or 15 MPG. Some tanks saw as high as 17 MPG in flat areas and as low as 11 in the steep grades of Northern California and Oregon going through the Redwoods. My wife said, as she was driving, "You can't even tell the trailer is back there.". If you're looking for a tow vehicle, I can highly recommend the Nissan NV 3500 Passenger.

Trailer - 2018 Escape 19: Downsizing from a large well built classic Wanderlodge Motor Coach, I was worried that I would feel cramped in a 19 foot trailer. I'm very happy to report that this was not the case. We were extremely happy with our choice. After the first couple of nights adjusting, we felt very comfortable. Yes, it's smaller, but we adapted.
Bed: The queen bed, stock mattress, is very comfortable. I'm a big guy and my wife is average build. We were both comfortable in the bed and remarked how well we slept every night.
Bath/Shower: For me, the shower is too small so I never used it. This is not unusual for me, even in the big class A, I would often used the RV Park showers. My wife did not shower in it either, not because of space but to conserve water and gray tank space. The toilet worked quite well, no complaints here, other than space, and this really isn't a complaint, more of an observation.
Kitchen: The kitchen area is small but adequate. We hadn't taken all of our kitchen utensils so we didn't cook as much as we normally would, but it was fine. The sink was good for washing dishes, etc. No complaints. My wife made a paper towel holder/towel rack by taking on of the refrigerator "retaining rods" and putting it between the range hood and cabinet support to the left of the range. Originally she thought this would be temporary but it worked so well it will probably be a permanent fixture.
Dinette: We have the standard table that slides back and forth. This works fairly well but is kind of flimsy if someone puts their arms on the table. To make the are more usable, we'll probably make our own table top that is much smaller and just sits on one of the legs. One negative are the bottom seat cushions. These are way too soft. After sitting on them for a while, you're right on the plywood underneath. I'll probably have much denser foam put in these cushions and that should resolve the problem.
Storage: We found the storage adequate for our needs. My cut is, if you can live it if for a month, you're good to go. We had plenty of storage for clothes under and over the bed. We found lots of room for kitchen utensils and food. No complaints here.
CPAP: I use a CPAP machine while sleeping. I had ordered an extra outlet and "gromet" above the bed to facilitate the electrical needs of the CPAP and allow the hose to come out of the cabinet above my head. These were both placed on the front of the cabinet and work well. That said, I wold have preferred that they put them on the bottom of the cabinet instead of the front. This would allow for cleaner routing of the hose and power cord.
Towing: This trailer tows like a dream. As previously stated, you hardly notice it's behind you. It tracks right behind the van. Two big thumbs up in the towing department.
Tires/Lug Nuts: Per instructions, I periodically re-torqued the lug nuts to 95 foot pounds. While I never found any of them "loose", sever went 1/4 turn or so when before reaching the specified torque. In my opinion, you really need to do this to avoid a problem down the road. Tires held up well, no complaints here.
E2 Load Balancing/Anti Sway Hitch: As reported, the trailer towed beautifully, no sway even in very high cross winds. We did have 1 problem. We started noticing loud grinding sounds from the hitch area when we made sharp turns. Turns out the brackets installed on the trailer tongue had slipped or "walked". The passenger side was at almost a 45 degree angle and the driver side was slightly off. The end result was that the "L" brackets were severely worn. I took pictures and contacted Escape Customer support. They put me in touch with the company that makes the hitch and within 2 hours, they had contacted me. They ended up sending new, heavier duty brackets to my house, which were at my doorstep when I got home. We re-adjusted the original brackets to make it home, using Lock Tite on the bolts to make sure they didn't loosen up. I now have to clean and repaint the trailer frame where the sliding brackets scraped the paint off, and install the new, stronger brackets. The support was very fast and efficient. NOTE: When we re-positioned/re-torqued the original brackets, we found that the outside nuts were loose enough to turn by hand. These are nylock nuts, I have no idea how they got loose, but they were. If you have this hitch, I suggest you have a look at this once in a while to make sure there is no problem.
Refrigerator: We chose the smaller refrigerator. This worked very well for us. While towing, we ran it under propane, never had a problem. We asked about running it on DC. We were told that running the fridge on DC WILL NOT COOL THE FRIDGE DOWN, run it on propane.
Propane: After almost a month of travel, running the fridge on propane and using furnace and water heater, we still have propane in the original first tank. We had a lot of cold nights where the furnace ran a lot. No complaints here.
Tanks: The tanks are up to the task of boon docking for several days. Note, we didn't shower so gray water never filled up. My only complaint is that the gray water tank drains very slowly, even when the trailer is level. Is this common to other 19s?
Optional Storage on Front: Great addition, would not want to be without it.
Propane Tank Cover: Literally wedged in between the storage box and the electric jack. Would like to see a little better solution in this area.
Electric Jack: Works great!
TV: My bad, I didn't take a TV to have them install. I must have misunderstood. I'll install myself, shouldn't be a big deal.

I think that pretty much covers it. I hope this helps some other folks in the decision making. Overall, we had a great trip and are ready to hit the road again.

If you have questions, please ask, I'll try to answer as best I can.

Dan

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Hello Dan and wife... thank you for a very informative summary of your trip to Canada to pick up your Escape 19. We are about to do the same and it was nice to hear the trailer made it across so many miles with so little issues... we are looking forward to our trip. Out of curiosity what brand of brake comptroller did you have? Also, any issues with customs or paperwork needed? I want to make sure we don't forget a thing. Best... Warren and Maria

[Kingbiscuit]

Originally Posted by Serendipity

------------
Hello Dan and wife... thank you for a very informative summary of your trip to Canada to pick up your Escape 19. We are about to do the same and it was nice to hear the trailer made it across so many miles with so little issues... we are looking forward to our trip. Out of curiosity what brand of brake comptroller did you have? Also, any issues with customs or paperwork needed? I want to make sure we don't forget a thing. Best... Warren and Maria

We bought the Tekonsha Prodigy 3 Brake Controller through ETrailer.com. We also purchased the connection harness that plugged directly into our van so we didn't have to wire anything. Installation was very easy. The guy that delivered our trailer to the U.S. told us to set the brake controller at 6.5 and adjust from there as needed. We did that and it worked great. Towards the end of the trip, I adjusted it up to 6.8. No problems at all.

https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Contr...sha/90195.html

As for the paperwork, we didn't have to do anything. NOTHING! We went across, stayed the night at a hotel, did our orientation the next day, drove back to the U.S. and went to Bob's Burgers. The trailer was waiting for us. No issues at all. We already had our Florida license and registration so we bolted the plates on, hooked up and drove off. Very simple and easy. It appears that Escape has this process down. We received our documentation with plenty of time to get the license and registration prior to leaving to pick up the trailer.

Hope that helps,

Dan

[chacojim]

Thanks for the Shake Down Information especially about E2 Hitch. I'm picking up my Escape 21 on May 29 & will spend 5 weeks meandering home throughout the West.

Chacojim

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

That's a thought. I have one but never bring it along. I just use it at home mostly for bearing and brake work.

Using the Trailer-Aid at Heyburn SP Lake Benewith CG. Sloping tent site way better than RV loop but has a steep side slope our regular ramp won't work to level.

[Kingbiscuit]

Originally Posted by Serendipity

------------
Hello Dan and wife... thank you for a very informative summary of your trip to Canada to pick up your Escape 19. We are about to do the same and it was nice to hear the trailer made it across so many miles with so little issues... we are looking forward to our trip. Out of curiosity what brand of brake comptroller did you have? Also, any issues with customs or paperwork needed? I want to make sure we don't forget a thing. Best... Warren and Maria

If you go to the Escape Owners group on Facebook, I posted a ton of pictures with a brief description of the days travel. You might find that interesting too.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by Kingbiscuit

If you go to the Escape Owners group on Facebook, I posted a ton of pictures with a brief description of the days travel. You might find that interesting too.

Actually I believe the group name on Facebook this post is referring to is either Escape Travel Trailers, or Escape Owners Forum (last post on the latter is from 2017, though.)

[Kingbiscuit]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Actually I believe the group name on Facebook this post is referring to is either Escape Travel Trailers, or Escape Owners Forum (last post on the latter is from 2017, though.)

My bad. It is indeed Escape Travel Trailers.


Thanks for correcting my memory!

[Kingbiscuit]

I had said that the cushions in the dinette we're too soft. I took them to a local foam guy. He said that Escape had actually used a good grade of foam. He said he really couldn't make it any better unless he made the cushions a lot thicker.

I went to Walmart and bought a dense foam camping ground pad, 1/2 inch thick. Cost me $7.99 I think, blue foam. The one pad did all of one side and about 2/3 of the other. I just put this pad under the regular cushions and it really helps a lot.

[padlin]

Originally Posted by Kingbiscuit

I had said that the cushions in the dinette we're too soft. I took them to a local foam guy. He said that Escape had actually used a good grade of foam. He said he really couldn't make it any better unless he made the cushions a lot thicker.

I went to Walmart and bought a dense foam camping ground pad, 1/2 inch thick. Cost me $7.99 I think, blue foam. The one pad did all of one side and about 2/3 of the other. I just put this pad under the regular cushions and it really helps a lot.

That's pretty much exactly what I did last winter for a 3 month trip. I put 1" of high density foam under the cushion on the side I sit on, Deb doesn't need it.

[Hilola]

Kingbiscuit, thanks for the nice write-up on your maiden voyage! We are just starting to research Escape trailers. We are interested in the 5.0 TA. Coming from a much larger RV, do you find the fresh, gray, and black water tanks adequate in size?


Others feel free to add your experiences, please!

[padlin]

We use campground showers most of the time, we can go a week before needing to dump the tanks. At that time the grey is usually only about 1/2, the black maybe 3/4, pretty much the opposite of other folks. Can't say about the fresh, I top it off everyday if we're staying somewhere without hookups for a while.

Normal fresh use in a day is 3-4 gallons, 7 if we use the shower. l