How many escape owners Not retired ?

[War Eagle]

Mike, Our story - we're in transition. I retired recently. My wife has not, but she's starting to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Like many on this forum, we started out tent camping. So anything that keeps the rain out and has a real mattress and an inside toilet is guilty pleasure. Add a fridge to keep drinks and fresh bacon cold, and it's true "glamping" (glamour camping). While both working, all we could muster was 3- to 4-day extended weekends 3 to 4 times per year (including at least one RV rally that's a lot of fun), so a small camper suited our needs. Once my wife retires, we're planning some "see the USA" excursions that will be much more comfortable and enjoyable in a larger camper with more (and more convenient) storage space and larger food prep and dining area while maintaining a dedicated sleeping area - hence the Escape 21' we currently have on order. Getting it now will give us time to take it out on several short trial runs to get familiar with it and work out any kinks before we hit the road for real once my wife retires. And that's our story....

 

[skyfree-ESC]

Too many people I have known passed away before retirement.....if you can retire early, do it. I read somewhere every year you work past 55 shortens your life by 2 years.

Wow, interesting. I had never heard that. I'm 51 now and plan to retire sometime in the next 4 years.

We got our 17B partially because I'm planning to retire. It's small so if I head out on a solo trip it makes more sense than a big trailer.

To address the OP's question, I think you do need to consider how much you will use it before buying. Where we are in Northern California it's VERY hard to find a campsite on weekends, but fairly easy on weekdays for most places. If you are retired you can just go weekdays and leave weekends for those poor souls who are still working. If you can ONLY do weekends and holidays it may be more trouble than it's worth depending on your location. We have a place we go regularly that we don't have to make advanced reservations for, which makes it work. In your area you probably have the same issues, plus a reduced camping season due to weather.

If you just need room for an extra person why not keep your Casita and rent something when you need it (like a class C)? Not trying to talk you out of it, but these things are expensive and it's more of a specialty item for people that really appreciate quality than than the normal RV is that is designed to meet needs in the cheapest way possible.

 

[freespirit]

I been on the forum a while and am noticing that most people seem to be retired. Me and my wife are thinking of a new escape. where not retired . we notices lots of friends have big campers and don't seem to use them enough to justify the cost.Just wanted to get a idea from the non retired people how mush time do they spend camping. we have a casita now and don't get to use it as much as we like. sometimes it because we don't have the room to take along my granddaughter. I thinking a 19' escape would solve that problem.where at least 10-14 years from retiring. For us a escape is a large investment. I know that in the end it would be up to us how much it got used, but i wanted to get a idea how much time the non retired people got to use it.

if your thinking about buying that factory Escape 19 currently for sale..it's a pretty good deal and they rarely come up for sale ready to go rather than wait in line....and now may be the best time to buy an Escape with price increases, FOREX, and trade issues that may rear their ugly head.

as far as justifying a trailer purchase everyone has their own ROI formula it seems as the amount of camping they do is a big variable....what you describe though one could just as easily rent a bigger trailer when needed or buy something a bit larger than your Casita at lower cost than perhaps an Escape.... and have a pretty well built trailer but perhaps a lower resale...
friends have lots of $$$ motorhomes/trailers rarely used, and one dude rents a really nice trailer twice a year to haul the kids in for family camping...all are happy campers!

 

[Ian and Sue]

I been on the forum a while and am noticing that most people seem to be retired. Me and my wife are thinking of a new escape. where not retired . we notices lots of friends have big campers and don't seem to use them enough to justify the cost.Just wanted to get a idea from the non retired people how mush time do they spend camping. we have a casita now and don't get to use it as much as we like. sometimes it because we don't have the room to take along my granddaughter. I thinking a 19' escape would solve that problem.where at least 10-14 years from retiring. For us a escape is a large investment. I know that in the end it would be up to us how much it got used, but i wanted to get a idea how much time the non retired people got to use it.

Our 19 foot scamp got a lot of use from this non retired couple and we hope our 5.0 TA gets used somewhat regularly as well. You have to WANT to Make time. We use it when visiting friends and family(it is nice to have your own space and not sleep on an air mattress!), we go camping on weekends, we sometimes take our vacations camping, we often will turn an away from home event like a wedding into a camping trip, I even use the camper instead of a hotel for working. The 5.0 TA will also give us more room for grandkids...

 

[Greg A]

We are still about 4 years from retirement and will go FT/PT with a home base cabin we already purchased in NE AZ. Escape 19 was one of our top choices for retirement trailer and when exchange rate gave huge discount we bought it.
We do a good bit of camping because we own two of the big molded fiberglass forums and host several gatherings each year. We also use the trailer as guest quarters at our cabin over the summer months. Also do a number of weekend getaways during the year.
Not using it as much as we want now, but it's coming!!!

 

[Jimrules]

So this is Katrina (Jim's other half). He says 10 years before we retire, but I'm thinking 55 and living longer sounds awfully nice!

 

[thoer]

So this is Katrina (Jim's other half). He says 10 years before we retire, but I'm thinking 55 and living longer sounds awfully nice!

 

[Chris & Patricia]

I been on the forum a while and am noticing that most people seem to be retired. Me and my wife are thinking of a new escape. where not retired . we notices lots of friends have big campers and don't seem to use them enough to justify the cost.Just wanted to get a idea from the non retired people how mush time do they spend camping. we have a casita now and don't get to use it as much as we like. sometimes it because we don't have the room to take along my granddaughter. I thinking a 19' escape would solve that problem.where at least 10-14 years from retiring. For us a escape is a large investment. I know that in the end it would be up to us how much it got used, but i wanted to get a idea how much time the non retired people got to use it.

There are lots of answers on this forum about Escapes, their owners ages and whether or not they are retired etc. I think that in the end of the day its not about the age that owners are, its about the fact that Escapes are great trailers, whether you are retired or not. Obviously, there needs to be some care in ownership, but people are buying them for their value and that they keep their value well.

As for us, we are newly retired, some plans to work, but mostly not, planning longer trips in the winter, spring and fall and during the week in the summer where we mostly plan to be at home in Vancouver.

 

[float5]

I have had a travel trailer from the time our kids were little. Cannot imagine not having one to take off with.

Yes, everyone should have one!!

 

[StarvingHyena]

I too am a few short years away from retirement and bought my 17A last year .... I'm delighted! I retired right out of college and scraped together the funds to buy a very used sailboat. After a year of fixing it up till it was a "new" boat, I went sailing. Typically leaving Puget Sound in Washington state in the spring, cruising British Columbia and Southeast Alaska until winter forced a return. Managed to pull that off each summer for a bit more than a decade .... sailing for ~ 9 months, working for cash for two, 1 month of boat maintenance .... then off again. It was like getting a PhD in trailer / small space traveling / living. Now after working for 30+ years, I'm itching to go again, so I bought my trailer. I'm tired of the dark, wet and cold of Southeast Alaska but not ready to full time retire. Latest plan is to drive off each winter and explore a new area of the US, Canada or Mexico, put trailer and TV in storage and fly back to Juneau to work the summer, and return to the trailer to move on to a new area and repeat. Gradually, I'm hoping to increase the loafing months and decrease the working months. There is soooo much to do, see and experience before I'm parked in long tern storage.

Fortunately, looking backward and forward - I'm happy, and my Escape is a big part of that.

Tom

 

[Dave Walter]

Too many people I have known passed away before retirement.....if you can retire early, do it. I read somewhere every year you work past 55 shortens your life by 2 years.

I don't think that it is necessarily working beyond 55 yrs old that does you in so much as the lifestyle you adopt. I am 55yrs old and still working, but work by no means dominates my life. I try to stay pretty fit, in 2016 I ran more than 2000 km, and cycled or paddled another 3000 km. I eat pretty well, have a resting heart rate in the low 40's bpm, and can fit into a smaller waist size pants than I wore during college. Stay active, eat healthy, don't let stress get to you, and enjoy your life and with a bit of luck and good genetics, you will live well beyond retirement age and be able to enjoy your Escape trailer for many years.

 

[cpaharley2008]

Good for you, I wish I could say the same for myself....

 

[Jim Bennett]

I don't think that it is necessarily working beyond 55 yrs old that does you in so much as the lifestyle you adopt. I am 55yrs old and still working, but work by no means dominates my life. I try to stay pretty fit, in 2016 I ran more than 2000 km, and cycled or paddled another 3000 km. I eat pretty well, have a resting heart rate in the low 40's bpm, and can fit into a smaller waist size pants than I wore during college. Stay active, eat healthy, don't let stress get to you, and enjoy your life and with a bit of luck and good genetics, you will live well beyond retirement age and be able to enjoy your Escape trailer for many years.

Sage words, Dave.

 

[Iowa Dave]

Plan ahea

So this is Katrina (Jim's other half). He says 10 years before we retire, but I'm thinking 55 and living longer sounds awfully nice!

Jim,
Listen to the Lady,
Dave

 

[Marry-ESC]

Making memories!!! That's what we did when our kids grew up. It wasn't fancy spancy. It wasn't in an Escape. But those memories are priceless! Not only for us but for all that came along. Sometimes 9 of us in a 6 person trailer. There is still laughter about those fun, silly times every time we get together. Those memories are worth gold.
What struck me in your question is the remark about your granddaughter. I don't know what age she is. What I do know is that time flies. Kids grow up so fast. Try to make memories while you can!!
For the Escape, and when to buy? We bought ours last year. But we downsized after all 6 kids moved out. Now we all meet randomly at campgrounds for just a few days whenever we can. We are not retired yet, and probably never fully will as we have a family dairy farm. (guess we won't grow old, but love what we are doing)
Why we bought an Escape? Cause I fell in love with it, the remarkable possibility of some costumizations, the outstanding costumer service, the community feeling this forum has, the options ETI offers.
And yes, Escape trailers don't come cheap. On the other hand, Escape trailers don't loose value.
But the memories made, the memories we now make, and the memories we hope to make, together with the kids, in-laws and all grandkids: Priceless!!!

 

[Jill-ESC]

I'm still working but I have exactly 3 work days left before retirement. Yes, I'm giddy with excitement! Hubby retired over Christmas.

We picked up our trailer a year ago because we though we were going to retire last January. Well various things happened or didn't happen and retirement was delayed for a year. Over the last year we've used our trailer just 3 weekends. And then we went out in non-optimal conditions each time just because we wanted to get it out! We will make up for it on Monday when we leave for a 3 week trip to the California deserts and San Diego. Then we have longer trips planned for April and the fall.

I don't at all regret getting the trailer earlier than needed. Even if we didn't get much chance to use it, we sure enjoyed shopping and planning for it, and even dreaming/planning trips that never happened. For me, the anticipation and planning are half the fun.

Looking back, I would definitely recommend getting the trailer now rather than waiting. Too many things in life can change. And the exchange rate is so good right now. There is no guarantee on how long that will last.

 

[Donna D.]

This!!

 

[float5]

I'm still working but I have exactly 3 work days left before retirement. Yes, I'm giddy with excitement! Hubby retired over Christmas.

We picked up our trailer a year ago because we though we were going to retire last January. Well various things happened or didn't happen and retirement was delayed for a year. Over the last year we've used our trailer just 3 weekends. And then we went out in non-optimal conditions each time just because we wanted to get it out! We will make up for it on Monday when we leave for a 3 week trip to the California deserts and San Diego. Then we have longer trips planned for April and the fall.

I don't at all regret getting the trailer earlier than needed. Even if we didn't get much chance to use it, we sure enjoyed shopping and planning for it, and even dreaming/planning trips that never happened. For me, the anticipation and planning are half the fun.

Looking back, I would definitely recommend getting the trailer now rather than waiting. Too many things in life can change. And the exchange rate is so good right now. There is no guarantee on how long that will last.

Good for you, Jill! Have a fun retirement with your Escape. You didn't get it too soon: you are ready!

 

[kkinna]

Not close to retiring yet, but we go camping with our Escape 15 every chance we get. Making memories with our ten year old is priceless. We are gone about 15 weekends a year plus one or two longer trips. Hoping to go cross country this summer as well. Too fun!

 

[blhvet]

I just turned 49 and probably have about 60 years until I can retire... To me, that's even more reason to have an awesome trailer to enable me to get away to my "happy place" whenever I can, and that is priceless! Last summer, I worked away from home and lived in my Aliner. Other than that, most of my trips are shorter - maybe 2-5 days.

Somewhere down the road, is love to be able to go somewhere warm for a month or so, and I'm pretty sure my new Escape will more than fit the bill.

As others have said, if you don't like it or use it, you can sell it for pretty much what you paid for it.