Hello!

YA

Yakanaka

Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Posts
29
Location
Stouffville
Just wanted to introduce ourselves. We are a family of 4 in Ontario (kids are 10 and 8). Planning to place an order on a new 19 or 21 Escape soon, unless we find a used one in the next few months.

Love to hear your opinions. 19 or 21?
 
Hi Derek! It was a pleasure meeting you and your family Saturday at the Niagara Wine Escape Rally. Based on your family's needs, I am sure you will make a wise choice. I will be happy to send you our build sheet if you wish. For us, the 21' was a good choice. Lots of room. Dining table sleeps two comfortably.


Fred M.
 
Layouts of the 19 and 21 are pretty different. We all have unique needs so a lot depends on whether you think one or the other would suit you better. In our case, we liked having the queen bed in the back along with the bathroom location. Even with the slightly smaller trailer we felt we could accommodate 2 larger children and even 3 smaller ones in rare situations. We also figured that teenagers wouldn't want to be in either of these trailers with parents or grandparents, but would end up pitching a tent.

Both are great trailers, so you just have to do what makes the most sense for your situation.
 
The options available on the 19 and 21 are pretty similar. At a high level I think the main reason to choose one or the other boils down to how much interior space you "need" vs how maneuverable you want to be while towing and finding campsites. Some people need to make a choice based on how much they can tow, but I'll assume that isn't the case for you given that you're asking this question.

Given that the expression "two foot-itis" exists, and there isn't a comparable catchy expression for downsizing trailers, as a general rule I feel anyone on the fence should more seriously consider the larger of their two sizes. We bought a 17b, but when we bought it we knew that it was the right size for us. Someday our 2 kids will get older and they may have their own opinion on the matter. We'll see. I'm guessing they'll go for the tent anyways.

If it makes a difference to you, the specs on ETI's website say the 21's bed is 4" wider than the 19' (44" vs 48"). Not sure if those are up to date for 2017.
 
Last edited:
I'm going to have to agree with those who say they're very different. On paper, the trailers look similar, except for the bed and bath, but inside, they feel very different, at least to me. The 21 feels cavernous to me compared to a 19. I much prefer the 19 layout, but the only way you'll know which is right for you is to spend some time touring each of them.
 
paulk said:
If it makes a difference to you, the specs on ETI's website say the 21's bed is 4" wider than the 19' (44" vs 48"). Not sure if those are up to date for 2017.
Click to expand...

Bed, or Dinette? The 19 has a true queen bed - 60"x80".
 
Yakanaka said:
Just wanted to introduce ourselves. We are a family of 4 in Ontario (kids are 10 and 8). Planning to place an order on a new 19 or 21 Escape soon, unless we find a used one in the next few months.

Love to hear your opinions. 19 or 21?
Click to expand...

You can find some older threads on the 19' vs. 21' with all of the differences. The main one is the 19' having a queen bed. The 21' has a bigger bath and more counter and walking space. Most people may decide just on that info but there are other differences that count much more with some, such as not wanting the bed near the door on the 21'. We have a double curtain so no problem with that, but no curtains anymore with the newer units, I guess.
 
One of the things that we appreciate about our 5TA (same width as the 21) is the ability to easily pass each other in the "aisle" - we had a 17b which is narrower than the 19- and never really liked the fact, that at times it was challenging- and we're relatively small people. But again, we were spending weeks at a time in it.
Not sure about heights -
 
Niagara

Hi Derek
It was nice to meet you and your wife and to get to show you our 21. Young folks with nice kids, getting serious about camping. I love it.
A Highlander and a 21
Grab your credit card
and have great fun
Burma Shave
Iowa Dave
 
paulk said:
...At a high level I think the main reason to choose one or the other boils down to how much interior space you "need" vs how maneuverable you want to be while towing and finding campsites...

Given that the expression "two foot-itis" exists, and there isn't a comparable catchy expression for downsizing trailers, as a general rule I feel anyone on the fence should more seriously consider the larger of their two sizes....
Click to expand...

As noted, everyone has their own comfort level wrt to living space. Some people are quite comfortable in a very small space and are quite satisfied in a 19' or a trailer even shorter. Others are not as comfortable in a small space, and it is these people that you see moving on to bigger and longer trailers. There are many on this forum who have moved up from a smaller to a larger trailer. There are also some (albeit a smaller number of) people who have moved from a larger to a smaller trailer. I love the small spaces and recently purchased a 15' to complement our 19'. I could not see myself moving up to the 21', the extra space would be nice, but the floor plan doesn't really turn me on. However, if my dear wife ever comes around, I would seriously consider the 5.0TA, as the whole package really appeals to me. At the end of the day, those on this forum will give you their own opinions as to why they prefer big over small, or small over big, but you will need to make your decision based on your own preferences and needs.
 
Welcome to the forum, I was set to purchase the 19 but my wife said no way I was crawling over her in the middle of the night. She loved the storage in the 21 (happy wife happy life :thumb:) We are very happy with our choice but as others have said you have to find which size will work best for you. Happy hunting :popcorn:
 
Thanks for all of the opinions. We were fortunate to be able to do a day trip to Niagara for the rally. Everyone was very welcoming and we were able to see all of the various trailers in person. That was a big help. Also, we were able to talk to current owners and discuss their likes/dislikes and modifications. Their invaluable experience was being given freely and we were very thankful for that. Looks like we'll be ordering something once the production schedule gets around to a July delivery. Still considering the sizes but leaning towards the 21.
 
Yakanaka said:
Thanks for all of the opinions. We were fortunate to be able to do a day trip to Niagara for the rally. Everyone was very welcoming and we were able to see all of the various trailers in person. That was a big help. Also, we were able to talk to current owners and discuss their likes/dislikes and modifications. Their invaluable experience was being given freely and we were very thankful for that. Looks like we'll be ordering something once the production schedule gets around to a July delivery. Still considering the sizes but leaning towards the 21.
Click to expand...
What you've posted is HUGE. Honestly think anyone wafflin' between the 21' and the 5.0TA needs to step inside. Deciding on a layout AND truck vs. SUV can be HUGE.

My daily driver since 1991 has been a truck.. I'm a home owner, how does anyone transport yard debris, gravel and manure without a truck?
 
Last edited:
I had a mini-van and a Honda Element. Used a soft container to get rock and gravel and such.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

KJ
New Escape 21C Owner
caheaton
caheaton
AS
Bunk bed alterations
DT6
DT6
BYRDIE
New Escape Owners | Retired in Kansas City with a 21NE
WinterIsComing
WI
BI
CanAm Newbies
OneCentHillman
OneCentHillman
BR
Hello from Ajax!
land’SCAPE
land’SCAPE

New posts

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