Hello! Questions about rough roads with 5.0TA or 21

[gbaglo]

Mine is 16' and does just fine.
If you do carry your canoe on the truck, make sure both bars are either on the truck cab or on the canopy ( or box ). Don't have one bar on the cab and one on the canopy, because they twist in opposite directions going over bumps and humps.

 

[Perry Butler]

One reason we purchased a 5.0 is the main portion of the fiberglass is only 17' long (the other 4' is in the nose). Sometimes we need to drive a wash (Cochise Stronghold in Arizona for one) and the dip into and out of the wash is quite steep. Doubt a 19 or 21 would make this dip without the rear end hitting the ground. The first time at Cochise we drove with friends and I said this place is so cool we need to camp here. Ed just stared at me. I forgot they have a 23' Airstream with about 10" of clearance front to back.

A main advantage of the high lift package, with the front and rear of the camper 2 1/2" higher, is less chance of the front or rear hitting the ground going through a wash.

Tailgates are replaceable.

Enjoy,

Perry

 

[Mark J-ESC]

I hadn't thought about the shorter "wheelbase" of the combined TV and 5.0 being an actual advantage in rough road situations, for some reason I was thinking the 5.0 looks more cumbersome, but that makes sense. Also, the greater maneuverability would probably get you into some camps spots that would be tough in anything longer than a 17.

Definitely getting the lift package for the extra bed clearance and trailer tail clearance.

Mark

 

[UncleTim]

Hello all,

I would be interested in hearing from 5.0 or 21-foot Escape owners who have some experience camping away from the "good" dirt roads. Especially those who have moved up from a smaller trailer as many have. Thanks in advance!

K! I'm just an hour down the road from you. I am curious as to what roads you want to camp on! I get the last mile thing. Love it!

I would take my 5.0 to Pingree Park. I would also take it to Red Feathers over County Road 69. I took it to the Lake Fork of the Conejos. Can't wait to go back! Assuming things are okay after the fires.

No one can really answer these questions cause we are not going to be standing by you as you evaluate a pine tree hanging over the road as the road tilts into the tree. You are on your own. See what I mean? Every road is different and I have had a few issues on the standard dirt road. Expect issues.

Long Draw Reservoir , no problems. 4 wheel drive roads off the main road PROBLEM.

They are somewhere between a dirt road vehicle and something you will want to baby! Come by and see mine.

 

[dlakeman]

I wouldn't leave the pavement with my 2020 19'. If I was planning on the back country with my trailer, I would use a 17B. The big consideration in this advice is weight. The trailers are a little heavier than advertised. My 2020 19' is WAY heavier than my 2007 17B. Even with a Tundra 4X4 and off road tires, I would be worried about getting stuck. A tow or recovery can be very expensive. I got stuck many years ago with our Ford Freestar and 14' Fleetwood tent trailer. Bottom of the hill on gravel. A F250 helped me to get going, and that was in a busy organized campground.

As far as size, I'm happy with our 2020 19' but can see an upgrade to the 5.0TA. The crawl over in the bed isn't much fun. I would rather climb up the stairs and crawl into bed from the end.


Welcome to the Forum.

You get into bed from the end in a 21C.

 

[Mark J-ESC]

Tim,

Thanks much for your comments. I’m familiar with the roads you referred to, except for Conejos, and wouldn’t expect an issue getting an Escape trailer down the others. And your comments about 4wd roads being a problem (especially in Colorado where they are usually full of rocks) are also in line with what I would expect. Ron in BCs pics of Escapes in Baja also clarified a lot about what I can expect to be able to navigate with one of these trailers. Rough, primitive roads, probably doable; 4WD roads, fuggedaboudit!

My original post was an effort to clarify in my mind whether the larger Escape trailers were that much more limited in where they can go than the 17 and 19. Probably a little? But it seems the shorter length of the 5.0TA would also be a definite advantage in maneuvering in some situations, especially compared to a 21.

We’ve been traveling in a Four Wheel Camper on our Tundra and this combination is extremely capable at getting us almost anywhere we want to go. But we’re ready for something we can comfortably cook in, work in, with some creature comforts, and that will involve some trade-offs when it comes to access, We mostly avoid established campgrounds, thus my desire to avoid purchasing a “pavement princess.” But it doesn’t sound like any Escape trailer is going to be that! I also realize as we get older that plugging in occasionally may become more normal.

Thanks for your offer to let me see your 5.0TA. I will PM you next month and see if we can’t find a time that would work for both of us. We would love to see one in person before changing our order from a 19 to a 5.0.

Mark

 

[Ian and Sue]

Appreciate the quick responses.

It sounds like WRT rough roads, it depends on your point of view about securing cabinets and such. I've also had everything wind up on the floor of our Four Wheel camper many times before coming up with a packing system and internal lash down points to mitigate the issue. With the limited suspension of the Escape trailers, I expect that long stretches of washboard could indeed be painful.

Doug, your point about not shaking up the mechanical components is worth considering. I think we would avoid beating up the trailer over extended travel on rough roads, and go really slow if it's unavoidable. I also appreciate the weight argument for the larger campers. But I think the 17B is too small to be a useful step up from a truck camper. If I were traveling solo, or we were 10 years younger, I think that's what we would get.

What eludes me, having never owned a 5th wheel, and hopefully some 5.0TA owners will chime in, is the issue of the overhang contacting truck rails/tailgate on short stretches of uneven dirt "roads." The kind that aren't necessarily rocky or particularily technical, but may be rutted or unevenly sloped where the articulation of the truck and the side-to-side sway of the trailer could cause contact between the two. Or short ledges that force the truck and trailer to hop over at differnt times, with the possibility of the tailgate contacting the trailer. In these situations, I would expect that a tow-behind would be preferable, but I'm just not sure how much worry to put on that.

Thanks to all for your comments!

Mark

I have a 2012 Toyota Tundra double cab 4 x 4 and a 2014 5.0 TA with spring suspension and I think the high lift(bought it used). I use the anderson ultimate rail mounted hitch with the add on ball funnel (longer ball required), the ball is set in the middle setting. The ONLY time I have had contact troubles is when I am backing into a site and the truck leans one way and the trailer the other, then I can contact the side rail. I could raise the ball and probably avoid this but usually I can try a different approach and make it work. My pin box is set high with the ball in front of the kingpin and the hitch in the stock location with the offset forward. I have never had contact issues with the tailgate. I could probably make adjustments to my set up but it tows so well, why bother?

You could carry some boards to fill in a ditch if contact is an issue. I am thinking of backing downhill and turning off a road across a ditch to enter a site that is at a right angle and uphill or vice versa, if that makes sense. This is where I have side rail contact issues, so lay a few boards across the ditch and ease the angle.

 

[Rossue]

Ross, I meant to ask this question before when the fridge strap was mentioned. Sorry I didn’t, especially when I’m due to pull my old 19 over a rough AZ road soon.

When you installed your fridge strap to keep the door closed, how did you avoid putting screws through the side of the refrigerator?

Emjay

Sorry for late reply; hope you figured a good way to secure the fridge. And what was I thinking? We don't have any umbra hooks. I meant to say 3M Command hooks. 2 on each side.

 

[Perry Butler]

My original post was an effort to clarify in my mind whether the larger Escape trailers were that much more limited in where they can go than the 17 and 19. Probably a little? But it seems the shorter length of the 5.0TA would also be a definite advantage in maneuvering in some situations, especially compared to a 21.

Think of a 5.0 as a 17' with four foot in front of the ball. I find our 5.0 maneuvers even better than our 3 popups, 16' Scamp, 16' Airstream, and 17' Casita. Longer campers are harder to maneuver in tight campgrounds. We've given up many sites because our over 20' campers were prevented from backing up between trees.

Enjoy,

Perry

 

[UncleTim]

So my neighbor to the West has a Mercedes Sprinter for their family of four. Two very small children. It actually belongs to a parent who uses it when they visit. Lucky situation! They like it but it is small!

Across the street from him, our other neighbor has an Opus camper. Completely a pop up but capable of getting into places strictly off limits to me. Very comfy inside but no hard walls. On demand water with outside shower and heater inside, but Colorado gets very cold at night anytime outside of high season. they like it but recognize it has limitations too!

And of course I have my 5.0. Three families, three different solutions and all three probably have the right choice for now. But I suspect instability concerning long term usage and a desire to move to something like a 5.0. If you can accept the limitations. Particularly when cash levels increase sufficiently.

Plus remember when sizing up a thin road, anything you break you have to pay to have fixed! And then you have a rain cloud over your head for at least two beers!

 

[tdf-texas]

So my neighbor to the West has a Mercedes Sprinter for their family of four. Two very small children. It actually belongs to a parent who uses it when they visit. Lucky situation! They like it but it is small!

Across the street from him, our other neighbor has an Opus camper. Completely a pop up but capable of getting into places strictly off limits to me. Very comfy inside but no hard walls. On demand water with outside shower and heater inside, but Colorado gets very cold at night anytime outside of high season. they like it but recognize it has limitations too!

And of course I have my 5.0. Three families, three different solutions and all three probably have the right choice for now. But I suspect instability concerning long term usage and a desire to move to something like a 5.0. If you can accept the limitations. Particularly when cash levels increase sufficiently.

Plus remember when sizing up a thin road, anything you break you have to pay to have fixed! And then you have a rain cloud over your head for at least two beers!

I don't trust a soft sided camper to sleep in while in bear country. Fishing Bridge RV park in Yellowstone doesn't allow them as the bears consider them a snack box. Seeing as bears will tear into a car if they smell food inside, a soft sided camper would too tempting for them. :nonono:

Yes, a pop-up camper can get to places my 21C couldn't but if the area has bears, it wouldn't matter to me.

 

[UncleTim]

I don't trust a soft sided camper to sleep in while in bear country. Fishing Bridge RV park in Yellowstone doesn't allow them as the bears consider them a snack box. Seeing as bears will tear into a car if they smell food inside, a soft sided camper would too tempting for them. :nonono:

Yes, a pop-up camper can get to places my 21C couldn't but if the area has bears, it wouldn't matter to me.

Not just Fishing Bridge! You cannot and definitely should not soft shell camp ANYWHERE in the Absorka Range or the Beartooth Wilderness. And absolutely not in SunLight Basin outside of Cook City. NEVER!

But there is an additional problem. I have seen photos of an Airstream that had a bear rip off the siding and remove the insulation in order to get in. That was in SunLight Basin. Amazing!

 

[75thRanger]

Not just Fishing Bridge! You cannot and definitely should not soft shell camp ANYWHERE in the Absorka Range or the Beartooth Wilderness. And absolutely not in SunLight Basin outside of Cook City. NEVER!

But there is an additional problem. I have seen photos of an Airstream that had a bear rip off the siding and remove the insulation in order to get in. That was in SunLight Basin. Amazing!

If the bears will just stay out of town, I'll be fine.

 

[EdColorado]

In 2002 we were camped in the Teklanika River campground in Denali NP.w
They had a hard sided camper rule in effect. At night a pack of wolves was roaming through the campground looking for food. We never saw the wolves but saw their tracks. The paw prints were as big as the palm of my hand.

We would go hiking and see piles of smoking warm bear skat the size of dinner plates. An interesting place to visit.

 

[AK snowbiker]

Speaking of bears...

On my afternoon walk with my mini schnauzer:

 

[cpaharley2008]

Wow,
But the bears have to eat for the winter, sorry for the moose.

 

[AK snowbiker]

Wow,
But the bears have to eat for the winter, sorry for the moose.

My wife and I commute to work on the Tour of Anchorage ski trail. We flushed a big brownie at one of the creek crossings last week, can’t wait for them to call it a summer and go too sleep. Glad you’re feeling better. Scott

Fatbike season approaches...

 

[Marty-ESC]

We are getting rid of our long kayaks and replacing them with Origami (our word) kayaks. Fully fold up and store in something like an artist's portfolio. Light weight, easy to pack and totally functional for our needs. And! I don't have to lift them up to the racks on top anymore! Win!!!

 

[sherminator]

We are getting rid of our long kayaks and replacing them with Origami (our word) kayaks. Fully fold up and store in something like an artist's portfolio. Light weight, easy to pack and totally functional for our needs. And! I don't have to lift them up to the racks on top anymore! Win!!!

I may have to go that route sometime. I have a pedal tandem that weighs almost 90lbs, and wrestling that thing on top of a 4wd F150 is a lot of work. Where do you paddle most of the time? We do a lot on the Willy, but we really like the coastal estuaries - Nehalem, Nestucca, Salmon, Yaquina...

 

[Rossue]

Love our Star Paragon inflatables for flatwater. Tracks great; available as a single or tandem.