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Old 11-12-2013, 11:05 AM   #1
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Inviting open conversation and opinion here.

With the new 21' and 5.0 rolling out of Escape Industries, there has been a lot of good, useful discussion about factory options, personal factory changes, and after factory mods. It is great to see all the anticipation and excitement in the forum these days. Reace is a champion at design and being receptive to input and change.

When I was ordering and awaiting my build out, I too was caught up in the same euphoria. But at the same time I was watching the cash register ring up on the final bill, including sales tax, and the exchange rate. I failed to keep our 5.0 under the 30K mark I set for myself. At the same time, I didn't want my order to become a burden for Escape Industries with my own special requests.

I wonder if Reace will start drawing the line on special factory mods for his own sanity? Or is this where building trailers become challenging and profitable?

I wonder how many Escapes are basic compared to Escapes loaded with factory changes and options?

Do you think all these options and modifications make your RV's a bit expensive and complicated to maintain and operate?

I think most people want their Escapes to be unique and special. Adding their personal touches, fitting their needs and intended use. ME TOO!

I am starting to feel like my 2012 is already obsolete and less special. Escape is ever improving with change. But at this point in my life I am thankful and content.



For the sake of conversation, I seek your thoughts and opinions on this thread.
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Old 11-12-2013, 11:40 AM   #2
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If all the Escapes were identical, they would become less attractive to potential buyers, and I suspect Reace would find his job not quite as interesting as it is.

I think that one of the reasons Escape is doing so well and has a backlog of more than 6 months on orders is that they do offer personalized service to their customers. I believe that the customization is a self regulating service, in that if a customer request is onerous for Reace to implement, I am sure that is reflected in the end price that he charges. If a request is simple for him to do, he will charge a correspondingly smaller fee for satisfying the request.
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Old 11-12-2013, 11:54 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daveandsandyclink View Post
I am starting to feel like my 2012 is already obsolete and less special. Escape is ever improving with change. But at this point in my life I am thankful and content.
There have been many changes to the standard 19, as well as all their trailers in general since I picked up the 6th 19 built. But mine is still special to me, especially with the mods I have done to personalize it further. It is good that Escape is constantly evolving as new materials and ideas are developed.

There is no doubt that their willingness to allow some modification to the standard trailer has been a part of their success. A good base product, combined with their good business practices, are the base of their success though.

I only wish them further success into the future.
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Old 11-12-2013, 12:18 PM   #4
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My only concern is that Reace and Tammy are TOO nice and accommodating. The 2 largest fiberglass trailer manufacturers Scamp and Casita offer few options and no special customization. Escape trailer is not a custom trailer operation, it is a trailer operation that allows a great deal of options and customization. I very much hope that Dave W is right about the customization being self regulating and that Reace is charging enough to keep down anything he considers onerous.

I want these two wonderful people to continue to enjoy building such fine trailer for a very long time!
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Old 11-12-2013, 12:23 PM   #5
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There is no doubt that one can "customize" to the extreme with all of the available options. I know we were willing to pay more to get the few changes we wanted, but we had the luxury of having had a small trailer before and knowing what changes we wanted. (First time trailer owners aren't so lucky and therefore all the angst over making choices.) As far as obsolescence goes, my computers, phones, even my car was technologically obsolete the minute I bought them, but they are not "functionally" obsolete. We think our Escape 15 will be functional for many years to come especially with the few enhancements we chose to make.
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Old 11-12-2013, 04:23 PM   #6
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I believe that it is important that we respect Reace and Tammy's time. If we have a question that is not time sensitive, send an email. If they need more information and want to call, they will. The forum is a great place to spend time discussing options. If you can get your build list complete before the deadline, and stick with it, you will avoid costly changes during the build. I can't wait to sit back and see our 19 become ours.
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Old 11-12-2013, 05:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
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I believe that it is important that we respect Reace and Tammy's time.
I agree wholeheartedly. The second time I visited the factory to do some measuring (the first was to decide between the 15 and 17), I told Tammy that I was determined not to be part of the 10% of her customers who take up 90% of her time (my words, based on my business experience). Hence, I pored over this forum for every scrap of information and the pros and cons of all the options...it's all here somewhere. Any decision relating to the structure or the placement of non-optional equipment, I left to them as they are the experts and there is a reason why they do what they do--and do it well, I might add.
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Old 11-12-2013, 06:26 PM   #8
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As an owner of 2 new Escapes within the past 18 months, I can tell you Reace will tell you "no" if he does not feel it will work. He also likes to hear about ways of improving his product and he incorporates some of them in the next years model. I can tell you the pricing was different for changes on my new 21' than on my new 19' probably for the reasons being discussed here. Some are now extra $$ than they were before. I never question any of Escape's pricing nor why now and not before. I respect them too much for that. I really enjoy telling other's about Escape and showing my unit because I'm proud of it. I think Escape feels the same way about their product.
I made a lot of modifications to my 19' that I did not want to repeat, so I asked Escape to add them and they charged me accordingly. I can only recall one item that Escape could not do that I wished they could. With 7 other units under my belt, one item is pretty darn good.
I also feel Escape has hired some good personnel to take some of the burden off Tammy and Reace, this also a sign that delegation can be handled properly. My only complaint with Escape is that I can not purchase any stock in them.!!
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Old 11-12-2013, 07:51 PM   #9
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As an owner of 2 new Escapes within the past 18 months, I can tell you Reace will tell you "no" if he does not feel it will work.
Although I have not purchased an Escape (yet) I did discuss one potential customization with Reace, which he discouraged because it would not fit well into the factory's workflow. He understands what can be done within the carefully orchestrated process of trailer production, and will let you know if a change is incompatible with that process. To me, that indicates the the operation is well-managed and customizations have not run amok.
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Old 11-12-2013, 08:10 PM   #10
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I got shot down on a couple things too. Though to be fair to me, one was mounting the bottles across the hitch, something that is standard now. A couple others I knew were a stretch, but my mother always said it never hurts to ask, and it didn't. Of course, many of the other things I asked for I got, and at least one became a stock item (no post between the doors in the under bed hatch), and one got listed as an option (the access at the door under the dinette.
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Old 11-12-2013, 10:08 PM   #11
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Ditto, ditto and double ditto. My only complaint is the build pictures I got weren't as sharp as Jim's.
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Old 11-13-2013, 12:23 AM   #12
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To me, that indicates the the operation is well-managed and customizations have not run amok.
Well said. While I have been through an (almost) entire camping season with Egbert and would not change one thing, there may come a day when my camping style evolves and I need something different. I would want the same customer service and all the available options as in the first go-around. I wouldn't consider anything other than an Escape.
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Old 11-13-2013, 02:16 AM   #13
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I have a hunch most orders are like mine will be. Standard fare with a number of options from their list of options, all duly paid for.
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Old 11-13-2013, 06:16 AM   #14
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Ditto, ditto and double ditto. My only complaint is the build pictures I got weren't as sharp as Jim's.
That is because I sent a couple of boxes of chocolate to their office this summer!!
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Old 11-14-2013, 02:27 PM   #15
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IMHO the customization (as well as the quality) makes the Escape unique and is a very strong selling point. There are things that I would have done had I known of them, and like Jim, I would have liked the propane tanks to to be side by side, however, there is almost nothing that can't be done now, if I'm so inclined. And to give another example of accommodation, I have the passenger side front window that belongs on the 19' (mine is 17') that was put in at my request. If something can't or won't be done, then the person is so informed. I would expect the current policies would continue, and it is hard to argue with success!
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Old 11-14-2013, 10:38 PM   #16
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Old 11-15-2013, 09:31 PM   #17
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A surprise came in the mail today. A check from Escape. Friends bought a new 21ft Escape and took delivery this month. Thank you Escape.
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Old 12-06-2013, 09:00 PM   #18
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Wink

Some decisions on adding factory options were easy. I looked back on having owned two previous eggs over the years. Knew what I could easily do without and, being handy, what I could install myself more cheaply. What gave me the most trouble was deciding on the extra insulation package. Seemed like a lot of money. High cost, and doubts on fair return value for the buck had me suspicious. Double pane windows, gaining added sound-proofing, and functional protection against extreme cold as well as heat... these things won me over, top grade windows being the biggest issue since that's were the heat got away.

Never had air conditioning. Though it's really nice to have...well, we boondock, we don't carry a generator, unit is very noisy, heavy, bulky, expensive. So there might be 2 days out of 16 when we would kill to have air. I've spent a brutral summer night or two in Oklahoma, etc. and survived. (Now that we live in the southwest I could change my mind on this.)

TV, radios, speakers, eechh... technolgy changes so fast, why, I figured, should I get stuck with a permanent installation that could turn into an elephant? BTW, also learned could even do just fine without a sink, since for us it had been mostly a storage container. We also did without a functional furnace, but --must admit I have nooo complaints on the one we got now. It is great.

On the one shoulder the devil whispered "...you know you want it all!" On the other shoulder the angel whispered, "...you don't really need it all, do you, honey?"
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Old 12-07-2013, 08:07 AM   #19
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On the one shoulder the devil whispered "...you know you want it all!" On the other shoulder the angel whispered, "...you don't really need it all, do you, honey?"[/QUOTE]

Now this is just me...setting in a quiet house, early morning, reflecting on my life and my own opinions, sharing with you. So don't take it to heart.

Myron it's ironic that you stated that. The same angel and devil was on my shoulder in 2012. I am still drawn to the simple things in life most of the time. I believe you can take one of these fiberglass RV's to the extreme. Oversized, over weight, over complex, and last but not least...more money than a sane decision should allow. My 5.0 cost more than my first house! They have evolved from that cheap little enjoyable "hard tent" that you pull to the woods for camping to that thing that owns you. Always feeding time and money on. I watch the devil winning all the time. Somebody comes up with a new factory install idea and those in the build process jump on it. Not to mention what is spent on new tow vehicles to get out there while looking good. In the end, the devil won out on my shoulder too Myron.
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Old 12-07-2013, 08:37 AM   #20
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As Flip Wilson would say "The devil made me do it"
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