Escape 21 or 19, help wanted. - Page 2

gbaglo · 06-17-2018, 03:01 PM

I have no problem using engine RPMs to attain a reasonable speed climbing mountains with my RAV4 and 17B.

50-55 MPH up to the Coquihalla summit is just fine with me. The climb is quite short and then you're going down the other side.

salmo7000 · 06-17-2018, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllanEdie

We ordered the 21 for many of the reasons already mentioned. Another reason not mentioned is that I greatly prefer the dinette view to be at the back of the trailer, not the front. That is where the best view usually is, and the dinette is where we sit when the view matters.

To each, his or her own.

Ha, yes to each his/her own!! Perhaps one of the biggest selling points for me when I decided on the 19' is the bed in the rear. The theory being with the bed in back and the trailer backed into a campsite, while sleeping we would be less subject to the noise and lights of people coming into the campground late at night, or leaving early. I love the idea of having a river behind our site, and the bed as close to it as possible so I can listen to it all night. Also I understand the bed in the 19' is a full queen rather than a long full, and for us the tradeoff of the inevitable nighttime crawl-over is worth the extra width.

But hey, that's just us, obviously others have different things to consider. Also, we have not actually seen our 19 yet, in fact we've never seen any Escape!! We bought ours sight-unseen and haven't picked it up yet. So I may well have a different opinion in the next few months.

But for us, the 19 seems to be the perfect mix of comfort and efficiency for us and our TV.

NCBill · 06-18-2018, 10:12 AM

Both are fine. In our case, we could barely squeeze our 17 Casita into our storage area. 21 foot was not possible. We took a chance and the 19 fits. Being able to store the trailer under cover, on our lot was an important factor to us.

Its really tight with the 19, we have to use our shorter wheelbase Honda Element to place the trailer in its storage slot. Of course, the Element is not rated to tow the 19, it just moves it down our driveway.

With a 21, we would need to either teardown our garage, build a new driveway on the other side of the house, or store off site.

As far as dinette view, it doesn't matter to us. We spend our time outside taking in the view. Typically by the time we are inside the trailer, it is dark outside with no view out of any window.

Jill · 06-18-2018, 11:35 AM

When buying we went back and forth between each of the sizes. Each has pros and cons! We settled on the 21 and absolutely love it. We got the extra window over the night stand and feel it is very important for light in the entry. Most of the time we have the door open too so that helps. We very much appreciate the extra aisle space and counter space in the kitchen as well as having the dinette in the back towards the view instead of our truck. When camping off season as we do it’s often too cold to be outside in the mornings and evenings so the dinette gets a lot of use.

We had to buy a truck to pull it and are very happy with our choice of an F150 2.7 ecoboost. It has tons of room inside (super crew) like an SUV but is built for towing and of course there’s lots of space in the truck bed too. Also we’ve been getting such great towing gas mileage around 15 even 16 mpg depending on conditions. Even the last few days where we’ve been up and down mountain passes in Idaho and Oregon we are still getting 13 or 14 mpg.

jerryandmaria · 06-28-2018, 04:17 PM

We had a casita 17, with the bed in back next to the kitchen. Always hated the location of the bed in the back. We went with the 21 and love the u dinette in the back. Also climbing over my wife was a bear.

Chris & Patricia · 06-29-2018, 12:07 AM

Well after much consideration, lots of comments as well as some very nice people who showed us their 19 and 21, we have a confirmed date in December for our New Escape 21. Ultimately it was not having to climb over each other, as well as a slightly wider aisle and the bigger kitchen being close to the table in the 21 rather than the albeit slightly bigger bed in the 19 that did it for us.

We will have to say good-bye to our little 17B in which we travelled more than 29,200 kms or 18,250 miles and slept 142 nights in only 17 months, but we are already looking forward to our new trailer.

Thanks to all those who contributed to the discussion. Now to get a new Tow Vehicle and solidify all the options.

**John in Santa Cruz** · 06-29-2018, 01:34 AM

those are just about exactly why WE chose the 21 over the 19.

we *love* the oven option, use that far more than the microwave. the big fridge rocks, too.

Chris & Patricia · 06-29-2018, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

those are just about exactly why WE chose the 21 over the 19.

we *love* the oven option, use that far more than the microwave. the big fridge rocks, too.

Thanks for your vote of confidence!

We would not bother with the microwave; we dry camp lots and learn and prefer to do without it. Mulling over the oven option, but the new recessed stove looks super cool. The big fridge freezer will be awesome, especially the much larger freezer as well as the increased cold beer capacity!

Allan Bornestig · 06-29-2018, 08:43 AM

Chris and Patricia.
Congratulations on your decision to go with the 21.You were asking me how and were we store our 21.My mailbox is sort of full right now so I give my answer here.
We park on our property.Shoehorning a 90 degree turn off the back lane which is not easy.
Will be getting a load of gravel to get the slope right to eliminate the binding at the hitch
which have created the need for a floor jack to un hitch some time.Will finish off with crushed lime stone for a nicer surface that will harden up like a side walk.
It is nice to be able to go up and check on the unit once in a while, I do have security lights up there and cameras.Have to move trailer in or out at odd hours to avoid any traffic that might occur in the lane, but it works for us.
Have fun with your planning.
Allan

Chris & Patricia · 06-29-2018, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan Bornestig

Chris and Patricia.
Congratulations on your decision to go with the 21.You were asking me how and were we store our 21.My mailbox is sort of full right now so I give my answer here.
We park on our property.Shoehorning a 90 degree turn off the back lane which is not easy.
Will be getting a load of gravel to get the slope right to eliminate the binding at the hitch
which have created the need for a floor jack to un hitch some time.Will finish off with crushed lime stone for a nicer surface that will harden up like a side walk.
It is nice to be able to go up and check on the unit once in a while, I do have security lights up there and cameras.Have to move trailer in or out at odd hours to avoid any traffic that might occur in the lane, but it works for us.
Have fun with your planning.
Allan

Allan thanks much for getting back to me. You must have lane access to the back of your property enabling you to do this. We have stored our 17 in the carport, which was convenient and kept it under cover. But it did impede things in the drive and the 21 will be too big, so we are exploring other options, hence asking you, not realizing you had some kind of back access.

Good luck with you plans to improve the access.

NCBill · 06-29-2018, 05:15 PM

We have to maneuver down our driveway, past our house, do a quick turn to miss our old garage, and then into the backyard. Once in the backyard, I back it into our carport. I have to hook up to our Honda Element, much shorter wheelbase, in order to get it into the carport.

It’s not as bad as it sounds. We tend to take long trips, 3 or 4 times a year. The benefit of having the trailer parked at home far outweighs the hassle.

We rented a 18ft flatbed trailer from UHaul to test the concept before we bought the trailer.

I could regrade the lot, add a second driveway and it would be a lot easier. But it’s OK as it is.

Chris & Patricia · 07-03-2018, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCBill

We have to maneuver down our driveway, past our house, do a quick turn to miss our old garage, and then into the backyard. Once in the backyard, I back it into our carport. I have to hook up to our Honda Element, much shorter wheelbase, in order to get it into the carport.

It’s not as bad as it sounds. We tend to take long trips, 3 or 4 times a year. The benefit of having the trailer parked at home far outweighs the hassle.

We rented a 18ft flatbed trailer from UHaul to test the concept before we bought the trailer.

I could regrade the lot, add a second driveway and it would be a lot easier. But it’s OK as it is.

We wish we had that kind of space. It could live in our carport, and will as we prepare for trips, but its a bit long and not that convenient there, especially with two other vehicles in the drive as well. There is a laneway allowance behind our house, but no chance of getting it through. We will have to look at other choices.

cpaharley2008 · 07-03-2018, 11:36 AM

Has anyone given any thought to a front mounted receiver on their tow? It is a lot easier to maneuver in tight spots pushing vs backing in.

Ron in BC · 07-03-2018, 11:48 AM

I considered a front receiver for quite a while as I have to give the trailer a serious jog and put it close to a fence that I can't see from the driver's seat. But something strange happened while I've been thinking about it. I got better and better at judging the timing and taking other positional cues that most of the time now I can put it in place without the stop, get out and check routine.

Maybe there's something to this practice thing after all.

Ron

Iowa Dave · 07-03-2018, 03:43 PM

Practice backing of a trailer, forklift work, bucket grading, playing pool or horse shoes are all practice makes perfect activities if the basic ability is there. Sorting meat cuts in the packing house I got pretty good at a light 10 ft toss. Went to a church sweetcorn celebration and bought 10 plastic rings for $1 to try to put one on a bottle neck. Hit 9 of 10. Bought more, hit 8 of 10. Was asked to go away. Had to borrow some plastic crates to carry 17 2 liter bottles to the car. After I quit the packing house I lost the stroke and could not hit one out of 10. Practice is the key.
Iowa Dave

NCBill · 07-03-2018, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Has anyone given any thought to a front mounted receiver on their tow? It is a lot easier to maneuver in tight spots pushing vs backing in.

I've thought seriously about getting one for my F150. They aren't that expensive, and given my tight storage area, could do the trick.

For now I am using our Honda Element to pull out our camper. But I will probably go with the front hitch at some point.

gbaglo · 07-03-2018, 11:21 PM

I posted this before. This is the view I would have from the driver seat of my RAV4, if I had a front receiver.
Behind the trailer, on either side are steel gate posts. I can't see them. Can you?
I have, however, backed my trailer through that gate, using my mirrors. If I can see one of those posts in my mirror, I can back in with confidence that I'm not going to hit the other one. I have about a foot of clearance either side.

cpaharley2008 · 07-04-2018, 07:36 AM

While you field of view is smaller sitting inside, if you roll down the window and lean out your head, you will have a lot better view as well as the ability to maneuver more easy as the steering is closer to the trailer front. The mirrors eliminate leaning out the window while backing up but not going forward.