Anyone have cats in a 5.0TA?

[davidmurphy02]

Donna, is that the outside storage area under the dinette seat, or the one up front over the propane tanks?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Donna, is that the outside storage area under the dinette seat, or the one up front over the propane tanks?

It's the hatch just to the right of the exterior door. The cabinet is to the right when you walk in, there's (typically) a counter with a small drawer underneath that faces the stairs.

This is Jim Bennett's picture

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

No, there's absolutely nothing in that cabinet. Just a big dark hole

Good catch, Donna. Looking at an outside side view, this space is behind the jack.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

New buyers are getting smart. They're having the outside hatch lowered and adding a door inside with a shelf.

I think the access doors to these spaces (both sides) are mostly for access to the motor units of the jacks - they're not really set up well for storage in their stock form.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Might work well for a small cat box, if you didn't worry about the cat escaping out the exterior door...

If you put a door on the interior access, this is actually a nice feature. In reasonable weather, it is better to scoop cat litter while standing outside with a waste bucket, rather than inside. I have modified two RVs for this type of setup by adding interior access for cats to exterior-accessible storage areas.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Looking at the 5.0TA Floorplan with Measurements, I think this is the correct measurements, but it would probably include the area below the outside hatch too:
Sm Exterior Storage P/S 17" W x 36" H x 17" D

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Donna, is that the outside storage area under the dinette seat, or the one up front over the propane tanks?

As the notation at the bottom of the 5.0TA Floorplan with Measurements explains:

• L = Hitch to Bumper (which means the longitudinal length)
• W = Driver to Passenger Side (which means lateral width)
• H = Floor to Ceiling (which means height)

... but while some of the listed dimensions use "L" and "W", others use "W" and "D" or "L" and "D", so I suppose one just has to guess what is intended. When "D" is used it probably means horizontal depth from the face to the back of a cabinet.

In any case, "H" appears to be height, so the 'Sm Exterior Storage P/S 17" W x 36" H x 17" D' would be a three-foot-high and foot-and-a-half square space... which would be the curbside front corner cabinet which Donna described, not the one over the propane, and not under any dinette seat.

The compartment over the propane is probably this one:
'Exterior Storage 18” D x 39” W x 19” H',
... but that's a bit of a guess. Alf showed this compartment in an earlier discussion; it appears to be about that size.

The storage areas under the dinette are probably not listed, as there are no standard access doors for them.

I'm guessing that this one is the driver/street side front corner compartment, like the one on the other front corner:
Sm Exterior Storage D/S 17” W x 18” D x 16” H
I assume that it is not as tall as the other side because it is over the black tank. It looks like interior access would be from the left side of the middle step of the steps to the bed, under the wardrobe.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I think the access doors to these spaces (both sides) are mostly for access to the motor units of the jacks - they're not really set up well for storage in their stock form.

No Brian, this is not part of the jack location at all. Those, if repairs are needed, are accessed from the hatch at the front of the trailer. This hatch for the cabinet is too far rear ward. And there's only one like this and it's on the door side. The interior goes all the way to the bottom of the trailer There's a much, much smaller cabinet/hatch on the driver's side, but that's the access door for the controls to the motorized jacks, it only goes as far as the bottom of the hatch. Just a couple of buttons and access for the toilet waterline.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

There's a much, much smaller hatch on the driver's side, but that's the access door for the controls to the motorized jacks. Just a couple of buttons and access for the toilet waterline.

As the photos show; these two hatches are about the same height, but the curbside one is wider.

Okay, so what do you think Escape means by
'Sm Exterior Storage D/S 17” W x 18” D x 16” H'
... if not that little corner compartment?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Okay, so what do you think Escape means by
'Sm Exterior Storage D/S 17” W x 18” D x 16” H'?

These are the forward side hatches from the Escape website's photos; they are about the same height, but the curbside one is wider.

Not even close to being the same height. The one for the jack controls is 16". The one by the exterior door is 36".

The one you referenced above Brian is for the jack controls and toilet waterline on the drivers side (D/S)

Passenger side (P/S) Sm Exterior Storage P/S 17" W x 36" H x 17" D

[davidmurphy02]

Wow, what a wealth of info and ideas! I know where I will come for help when questions arise as we get further into the process! The more I learn about Escape trailers - and owners - the more impressed I am.

Sounds like there are several good possibilities to consider for litter box placement for our cats. We've traveled extensively with them - they are why we originally got into RV'ing - so they are a top consideration when choosing and equipping a new rig. We are lucky that they all seem to love RV'ing.

[SFDavis50]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

It's the hatch just to the right of the exterior door. The cabinet is to the right when you walk in, there's (typically) a counter with a small drawer underneath that faces the stairs.

This is Jim Bennett's picture

The bottom step in that picture is deeper than the standard step on the 5.0 TA. I like the passenger side hatch for throwing extra shoes and hiking stuff so I wouldn't consider it for a cat box. You could put a hole into the bottom step at the angle side and then another hole thru to the storage bin under the second step for a litter box and/or a hiding spot for cats. Also easy access for cleaning up recycled fur balls. Seems like a litter box near the front would be less bouncy going down the road so less likely to fling the contents around. I would worry about that if the litter box is near the back on a 5.0 TA.

We don't have pets so I really don't know if people let their cats ride in the trailer but I assume it could cause panic, and be dangerous for some animals. Riding in the front (bed) section of a 5.0 TA, I assume, would be less bouncy than anywhere in a pull behind trailer. Horses and cattle ride in trailers all the time but I really don't know how other animals travel.

[kstock11]

I've been camping with my 2 indoor cats in a 19 for about a year now. In the 19, I keep the kitty litter right in front of the bed. I use a Clevercat top opening kitty litter box. We've camped as long as 17 nights in a row with no problems. The bigger challenge was getting them used to traveling in the car. I keep my towing down to six hours or less per day. If you are committed to this, you will find a way! The cats are convinced that the Escape is just another room in the house that they get carried into.

[davidmurphy02]

We originally had cats ride in the truck with us but they hated it, we tried them in the 5th wheel and found that they greatly preferred it. They just hunker down in a cat bed up in the bedroom and do fine, when we stop they jump right down and start checking things out, eager for us to raise the shades so they can look out the windows.