Simple Mods for our 21C (and a few tips from others)

[wr9r]

I have been a big fan of the Escape Forum even before we ordered our 2020 Escape 21C. Looking over the numerous entries helped us make decisions about what we wanted in our trailer. As you may know, there are a dozen or more extremely talented owners who have posted amazing mods to their trailers to make them more efficient and useful. Unfortunately, one has to have time, talent, and tools to copy many of their ideas. I have been reluctant to post information about our mods because they are simple or may have been posted elsewhere. Anyhow, here are a few simple mods of ours and some tips we gathered over time that might be of use to other owners.


We ordered the U-Shaped Dinette from Escape. After putting up with the standard table for a while, and thinking about the alternatives others had adopted (e.g. adjustable swiveling table mount or Springfield Marine Pedestal, etc), we finally settled upon a portable table that folds completely out of the way when not in use. Because we may need the dinette bed when our grandchildren are with us, I built a short “T” that that fits into the old table anchor fitting to support several boards. Those boards are stored under the bench seat when not needed. I used three boards because that was what I had on hand, but two boards would store just as well.


Our single best decision was to order the Full Height Cabinet at the Drawer Stack (including the counter extension). This allows “His & Hers” storage with Elfa shelving while still having about 4” of hanging clothes space on one side. We bought the Elfa shelving before we had the trailer!
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...c-23995-2.html

[wr9r]

One of the best Forum ideas was under bed storage in crates that could be pulled out when needed. With that mod in mind, we ordered our 21C with a door on the angle at the foot of the bed. After painting the top bare wood surface of the bed deck to seal out moisture, and fitting the area with Reflectix and Hypervent, I was absolutely sure that I never wanted to have to raise the foot of the bed to get access to that storage area.


The shoe tray is 7 ¾” wide (with finished dimensions of 8 3/8” x 43” short and 51 ½” long side) and has been extremely useful. The four crates when lashed together with zip ties are 52” x 13” x 10”.


The track supports that I put is place under the bed are made from 1 ½ x ¾ Poplar with Pine Stop (1 ¼ x 3/8) or Pine Lattice (1 1/8 x ¼) sides -- all purchased at Lowe's. Those ladder shaped tracks are not screwed into the floor but instead are braced off the bed supports. They can be removed completely by any future owner who may want different storage. The only tricky parts were (1) installing the crate tracks (and door) at an offset angle – they will not clear other cabinets if designed to pull straight out; and (2) cutting the bottom of the front tracks to clear the plumbing. Practically all the available space under the bed is now easily accessible, including that between the tracks were our walking sticks and refrigerator shade support fiberglass rods reside.

[wr9r]

A few other additions that are not really “mods” as such, but are extremely helpful – many thanks to tips from others.

Camera. Our truck does not have a hitch camera, so instead of the rear camera mounted on the trailer, we purchased a portable Garmin unit that can be mounted on a jig secured by Velcro straps on either the tongue or the hitch on the back of the trailer. We use it to assist with hook up and with backing into confined spaces. Similar units are available elsewhere, but ours setup is a RV 780 NA MT, GPS (010-02227-00), BC30 Wireless Backup Camera, w HD/RDS (010-12242-10) and Extension Cable (010-12043-10).


Tires. We make sure of our cold tire pressure when we start out each day (and track any potential tire leaks) with a TST-507 tire pressure monitor system. Because our tires have rubber stems, I mounted each gauge on top of styrene support blocks – and that may be overkill. We also have a Viair 400P-RV Automatic Portable Compressor Kit-- more overkill.

[wr9r]

Security. We thought we might be leaving the trailer unattended while on extended hikes. Consequently we purchased an orange Brahma Wheel Lock with hub cover from Classic Industrial Design of Burnaby, BC. We also bought a Proven Industries hitch lock (Model 2178-A).


We replaced the standard lock on each hatch with a Prime Products 18-3325 7/8” ACE Camlock. They came in a pack of four with unique keys. Apparently trailer manufacturers all use the same standard camlocks so one key fits everybody's storage compartments!


Water. The Escape 21C holds 21 gallons of fresh water. To supplement that quantity, we may carry three additional GI style five gallon containers (SKU 600409 for $71.97 delivered from BuyLCI, Durham, NC) in the back of the truck. Ever have to fill your water tank from a five gal can? Because the threads on the water can are not compatible with a hose connection, we bought a short hose and a Camco Water Bandit.


Although we can carry a total of 40 gallons, we usually travel empty thus saving 320 lbs! We carry bottled water to drink because we are not confident of the water purification systems at many parks. Hooking up the water hoses is no longer a hassle with solid brass quick connect garden hose fittings.


Setup. Even though we ordered sand pads for our stabilizer jacks, most trailers need some type of blocks on the ground. Rather than fooling with different heights of the 1” yellow plastic blocks, I made wood blocks out of 3/4” plywood and five short 2 x 4s (one to reinforce the center of the block) along with a handy carry strap handle. These are used all the time and are sometimes supplemented by several of the yellow 1” risers.

[wr9r]

Interior Items.


Bike rack. We have two bicycles – one a Zizzo folder that travels in a cardboard box in the truck bed and the other a full size Liv Florish ladies model that sits on a Thule fork mount inside the trailer. That attachment is much less expensive that a bike carrier mounted on the rear of the trailer. In addition, the bike is secure inside and stays clean from road grime that might coat bikes on a rear carrier.


Somebody warned us that a Camco Screen Door Cross Bar Handle would make our door screen kid-proof. They were right.

&nbspon't forget to install that wonderful paper towel holder with a ratchet that dispenses single sheets. The location we chose required the use of a reinforcing block of wood inside the cabinet.


Give yourselves and those sleeping on the dinette bed some privacy by mounting a shower curtain liner on a curtain rod extension.


&nbspid you ever notice that the frosting on the door glass does not provide privacy at night? A curtain rod and an old sheet with a wide hem cut to fit (or an old pillow case) solves that problem. We chose that solution because we were not sure how some stick-on frost covering might look after a few years.

[wr9r]

For drying bath towels and wash clothes at night we use a temporary clothes line attached to screw eyes in the rear cabinets. A fan blowing on them them during the night also provides “white noise” for sleeping. We open a window slightly in back and let the Maxx fan move the humid air out of the trailer.


Container Store gems: check out their trash can that fits perfectly in the space next to the bed; and, their expandable towel racks that mount on cabinet doors


A small $30 shop vacuum from Walmart fits in a crate in the passenger side hatch, and makes cleaning
the trailer easy.


Outside items: gooseneck outet for the outside water


Hope these ideas help. They sure have make our trailer time more enjoyable.

[MrLynn]

Nice woodwork under the bed. Do those crates slide without any rollers? We don't have a door on the angle.

I'd like to find some struts that would lift up the board and mattress without effort.

What are "refrigerator shade support fiberglass rods"?

[wr9r]

Unlike pine the poplar boards are slick finished and the plastic cates slide just fine.



The shade rods are used to protect the fridge side of the trailer from the bright sun on a really hot day. Several Escape owners have come up with various ideas on how to shade that area. We picked a version from one of the guru owners.


#331 by Eggscape at https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...-12918-17.html


#5 at https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ade-21531.html


https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ade-21531.html

[cpaharley2008]

Here is a link to "Mattress Insider" website https://www.mattressinsider.com/?utm...SAAEgKfSfD_BwE

[Ron in BC]

Nice to see lot's of mods being posted. There used to be more folks doing mods.

Some very practical and useful ideas.

Don't agree with the full drawer stack though.

Ron

[bborzell]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

Nice woodwork under the bed. Do those crates slide without any rollers? We don't have a door on the angle.

I'd like to find some struts that would lift up the board and mattress without effort.

These worked for me. The extra mounts keep the brackets that come with the struts from protruding into the storage area.

[bborzell]

Nice mods.👍

[JeffinBC]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Nice to see lot's of mods being posted. There used to be more folks doing mods.

Some very practical and useful ideas.

Don't agree with the full drawer stack though.

Ron

Agreed on not going with the full stack. We use that surface for a lot of stuff…mostly our tech toys that need charging, books, wallets, etc. I would miss it if we had the full stack. However, we did delete the shelf above the head of the bed so perhaps that makes a difference. We still haven’t used all the storage in the trailer, anyway. Storage under the bed and dinette isn’t even close to full. Guess we have some work to do.

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by JeffinBC

Agreed on not going with the full stack. We use that surface for a lot of stuff…mostly our tech toys that need charging, books, wallets, etc. I would miss it if we had the full stack. However, we did delete the shelf above the head of the bed so perhaps that makes a difference. We still haven’t used all the storage in the trailer, anyway. Storage under the bed and dinette isn’t even close to full. Guess we have some work to do.

It would be nice to have more drawers, which we like for clothes better than the overhead compartments. Original owner Shawn did leave us a set of drawers in the closet, which we use all the time. But even more would be handy.

But I agree with bborzell that the surface is very handy, especially with both 12V and 110V outlets right next to it.

[Eggscape]

Looks great.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by JeffinBC

However, we did delete the shelf above the head of the bed so perhaps that makes a difference.

Yes, we also use the space over the drawer stack for things like our TV and day-to-day small stuff. Our two cubbies over the bed easily make up for not having a front shelf.

Ron

[Mary F]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Yes, we also use the space over the drawer stack for things like our TV and day-to-day small stuff. Our two cubbies over the bed easily make up for not having a front shelf.

Ron

Interesting. Thanks for this, Ron.

[Tonny LR]

Originally Posted by wr9r

Interior Items.


Bike rack. We have two bicycles – one a Zizzo folder that travels in a cardboard box in the truck bed and the other a full size Liv Florish ladies model that sits on a Thule fork mount inside the trailer. That attachment is much less expensive that a bike carrier mounted on the rear of the trailer. In addition, the bike is secure inside and stays clean from road grime that might coat bikes on a rear carrier.


Somebody warned us that a Camco Screen Door Cross Bar Handle would make our door screen kid-proof. They were right.

&nbspon't forget to install that wonderful paper towel holder with a ratchet that dispenses single sheets. The location we chose required the use of a reinforcing block of wood inside the cabinet.


Give yourselves and those sleeping on the dinette bed some privacy by mounting a shower curtain liner on a curtain rod extension.


&nbspid you ever notice that the frosting on the door glass does not provide privacy at night? A curtain rod and an old sheet with a wide hem cut to fit (or an old pillow case) solves that problem. We chose that solution because we were not sure how some stick-on frost covering might look after a few years.

Thank you for sharing your mods with pictures. You are very creative. We live no far from you in Little Rock.

Tonny LR

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by bborzell

These worked for me. The extra mounts keep the brackets that come with the struts from protruding into the storage area.

Thanks for the tip. Those struts look kinda small. The mattress on our bed has two layers of foam and is really heavy. Not sure how I'd determine what size struts I need. . .

[bborzell]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

Thanks for the tip. Those struts look kinda small. The mattress on our bed has two layers of foam and is really heavy. Not sure how I'd determine what size struts I need. . .

Our mattress was built to hinge to match the hinges on the platform hatch. I can flip it up from the foot and the hatch opens with no weight on it. I wanted to have as small a strut as needed for the task at hand, but I really took a shot in the dark.

Guessing that doubling the capacity of these struts might be a good starting point and with Amazon’s return policy, you could work your way up in capacity.