Escapes in Lake Havasu City Az ?

Adding solar

Warranty work is one issue, but ordering a trailer without solar and then adding solar later would probably have to go back to the factory. Not sure if Randy had title to these trailers or selling them on consignment nor can options be added after production is completed in Chilliwack.There are numerous after market solar distributors.

WE sorta split the difference re solar...we completed our 'sheet' last week on a E-21/maple. To be completed in ~Nov and stored for us til Spring.
WE did not order 'roof' solar..for 2 reasons..1. we like to camp in the shade if possible and 2. bks we kept the portable solar panels we had w the Casita we just sold. Linda said the guys at factory wd put in a Zamp connector for us, and wiring to ~ the battery stowage area, so we could simply hook it up ourselves. Our panels have their own charge controller built in and worked well in the Cassy. Like I said on a diff thread..we have close relatives in the Scottsdale AZ area we wd love to visit and it wd be reeeel nice to not have a long drive to BC if there was rea$onable option otherwi$e.
 
Solar and shade can still work together. Your solar will charge while towing and just 2-3 hours of sun is all that is needed to fully charge your batteries. Unless it is 100% dark shade, you will still receive a charge, they still work under the cover some install over the Escape. Portable units are not as robust and can disappear. The solar on the roof is all automatic and safe from theft.
 
Solar and shade can still work together. Your solar will charge while towing and just 2-3 hours of sun is all that is needed to fully charge your batteries. Unless it is 100% dark shade, you will still receive a charge, they still work under the cover some install over the Escape. Portable units are not as robust and can disappear. The solar on the roof is all automatic and safe from theft.
:thumb:

Besides, where are you going to find a properly installed 190 watt solar panel, wiring, and controller for $850 Canadian or $637.50 US dollars (today's .75 exchange rate). The closest I could get was over $1,200 and then they do not exactly know where to mount the panel feet or use glue to mount. $637.50 an extreme bargain!

Not saying we'll never need a portable, but so far in 155 nights on the road we haven't run out of juice because of the lack of a portable panel. Perhaps if we would use an inverter to run major appliances we'll buy a portable to assist our older 170 watt panel.

Since you're used to and own a portable panel I'd still have a Zamp connector installed, but you'll quickly realize how seldom you'll use the portable.

Enjoy,

Perry
 
Last edited:
This thread has been a bit overwhelming for me-- the back and forth and the varying topics. Many don't do well with any change. I get it. I never expected Tammy or Reace to continue manufacturing a great Mom and Pop product, giving it 100% and not take on investors and/or sell it as it grows exponentially. Life quality and family -- this supersedes all in my opinion.

I am happy with our Escape and was pleased to see u-tube videos on their website showing me how things work (In particular the inverter). It was after seeing those videos that I realized there was a new partner, and fast-forward, new owners. Anyone making such a purchase could only have good intentions. We are watching to see what happens next.

I've seen decades of changes and I miss the simpler side of life. My Escape helps me simplify life where I can enjoy the outdoors, have an adventure, and meet the great people along the way. I think if more Escapes were out there, we would all be better for it, and the generations who follow can also have such an experience.

I only hope it continues for years to come.
Lorna
 
:thumb:

Besides, where are you going to find a properly installed 190 watt solar panel, wiring, and controller for $850 Canadian or $637.50 US dollars (today's .75 exchange rate). The closest I could get was over $1,200 and then they do not exactly know where to mount the panel feet or use glue to mount. $637.50 an extreme bargain!

Not saying we'll never need a portable, but so far in 155 nights on the road we haven't run out of juice because of the lack of a portable panel. Perhaps if we would use an inverter to run major appliances we'll buy a portable to assist our older 170 watt panel.

Since you're used to and own a portable panel I'd still have a Zamp connector installed, but you'll quickly realize how seldom you'll use the portable.

Enjoy,

Perry

I agree with this! The ETI solar panels is in my view one of the better value options available. Maybe I'm biased as we have two ETI panels and a Zamp port.
 
Wow, I’m late to this party. I’d just skipped over this thread as I wrongly assumed that it pertained to a proposed AZ rally.

Well. Times, they are a changin’.

I’m sure the path that Escape is on will work out just fine from all sides.

But I do feel a sense of loss too. And even if the new ETI carries on upholding all the things that made them great, we have nonetheless left behind our roots and the “good old days”.

Which does not preclude “good new days” of the future, of course.

But it’s not mom and pop running the show anymore, is it? No more “push it up to Reace, he’ll solve it.” No more whirlwind fix-it tours. No more Leininkugel Summer Shandy.
 
Tammy and Reace built the company and put years of hard work and innovative thinking into developing their product and loyal customer base. I see the change in ownership as a great opportunity for the company to explore new paths that were previously untraveled and to keep that spirit of innovative thinking going with a shot of fresh new ideas. Based on my visit to the factory this past summer (where the service was as good or better than any I had experienced in past 7 years), my impression is that the company under the new owners is doing well and only time will tell if that continues.
 
Well, the Leinies is alive and well here in the land of corn and soybeans. $12.99 for a 12
Pack of bottles and that gets you a free six pack of bottles. At your local HyVee supermarket. 1.59 per lb for a nice Hormel pork loin with a 3/16 inch fat cap. That’s some good eating after a liquid appetizer. Well under a buck a bottle with tax and deposit. And all meat, no bone, corn fed pork. Truly the land of milk and honey. Speaking of honey my good friend Mike “Red” O’Hearn will be selling honey and doing a coon trapping demo at the Iowa Trappers Convention in Winterset Iowa next Friday morning. Winterset, boyhood home of John Wayne. And in Madison county of covered bridges fame. My dad, when speaking of the depression said “you know the good old days weren’t always that good.
Iowa Dave
 
...Winterset, boyhood home of John Wayne. And in Madison county of covered bridges fame. My dad, when speaking of the depression said “you know the good old days weren’t always that good.

Iowa Dave


It’s true, we do tend to remember and romanticize the past into “the Good Old Days”, don’t we. I feel fortunate to have known Escape during its formative years. And I’m also hopeful about the future.

Speaking of John Wayne, there’s a marina up in our parts, just outside of Sequim, WA (pronounced “skwim” fyi) named after him. I’d never been down there until my wife did a boat race there last year. It’s a gorgeous harbor and marina. I guess The Duke spent a fair bit of time there once upon a time, and I I can understand why. It’s just off the Pacific Coast HWY 101 route. They have a private CG there, but there’s also Sequim Bay SP about a mile up the road. Although for anyone traveling in this area, I’d give top recommendation to Fort Worden SP in Port Townsend.
 
Solar and shade can still work together. Your solar will charge while towing and just 2-3 hours of sun is all that is needed to fully charge your batteries. Unless it is 100% dark shade, you will still receive a charge, they still work under the cover some install over the Escape. Portable units are not as robust and can disappear. The solar on the roof is all automatic and safe from theft.
Let me get this straight. The roof panel will get enough sun, through Escape's optional trailer cover, to keep the batteries topped up while parked?
 
Given that probably 95% of Escapes are sold to customers in the States and that pretty soon probably 95% of all products imported to the States will have a tariff slapped on them I'm surprised that there isn't talk of moving production there, then who knows, maybe that's in the works. I've worked for plenty of companies that have been taken over and the big buzz word is, "nothing drastic will change, it's business as usual", then a year or two later all hell breaks loose. It would only need Casita and Scamp to start complaining of the unfair advantage due to the currency exchange and then who knows ........ not that I would want that to happen ......
Barry
 
Given that probably 95% of Escapes are sold to customers in the States and that pretty soon probably 95% of all products imported to the States will have a tariff slapped on them I'm surprised that there isn't talk of moving production there, then who knows, maybe that's in the works.
Barry


Well, Great West of Winnipeg took over Trillium ( one of the Trillium companies- Sidekick I think ). Decided to move operations to southeast U.S. and promptly went out of business.
 
Let me get this straight. The roof panel will get enough sun, through Escape's optional trailer cover, to keep the batteries topped up while parked?

Gues it would depend on how much your trailer burns when parked. With the heavier Calmark cover I still get about .5A thru it. I would imagine the one Escape sells would do that or a little better.
 
Let me get this straight. The roof panel will get enough sun, through Escape's optional trailer cover, to keep the batteries topped up while parked?

The solar on my 15b will not keep the batteries charged in winter with my Calmark cover on, however the solar on my 19 will charge the batteries in winter through the cheaper cover I use for that trailer.
 
Hm, good info, thanks. I never thought a panel would produce anything from sun filtered by a cover. Surprising and good to know.
 

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom