New Member, 2019 Escape 19'

[lostskier]

Hi everyone,
Build order is signed and trailer will be done in June. I've been trolling this forum researching options and its been a wealth of information, thank you to everyone that has contributed in my decision making.

What did I do different from standard build?

- 3 burner cooktop with oven. No microwave. I mostly boondock and wanted an oven.
- Exterior shower.
- Solar installed, 1500 W, and outside solar port just in case I need it.
- No television or stereo system. Will purchase my own 12v television and install stereo system. Did install additional outlets in locations for power.
- Extra insulation and thermal windows (Yes, I did receive email saying thermals are no longer available for kitchen and bathroom.) I had a kitchen window installed, no window in bathroom.
- High lift axle. I'm notorious for ripping of leveling jacks, LOL.
- NO TOILET. I'm installing a composting toilet. The tank is still there, haven't decided what to do with it yet.
- Had electrical drops installed for composting toilet along with several extra 12v and extra captains lights.
- Converted bench seat to U-Shaped dinette.
- Went with new Birch color scheme.

Looking forward to the pickup and spending some time in the Pacific Northwest before heading back to Wisconsin.

 

[Upfisk]

Another nice modification is the drawer under the closet. The closet floor is recessed and the drawer gives you a wider drawer than the ones under your cooktop. Which you do not have.

 

[Ronn]

Hi everyone,
Build order is signed and trailer will be done in June.

Hi Brian, :welcome:

We have a June 13th pickup date scheduled, when is yours?

 

[cpaharley2008]

Welcome Brian, to our Escape world. Glad you made the jump to being a member, lots of good folks here with help. Re: your build, 2 things. I believe the new interior is maple not birch, if that makes any difference. The other is not tv ready. That means no exterior coaxial if you ever do end up in a cg they wold have cable. Otherwise you are OTA and need an antenna which btw can be outside and use the coaxial connection. You maybe the 2nd compost member, congrats on taking the leap.

 

[lostskier]

Hi Brian, :welcome:

We have a June 13th pickup date scheduled, when is yours?

My build is done June 12th. I haven't scheduled a pickup date yet. I need to do that ASAP as my calendar is filling up.

 

[lostskier]

Welcome Brian, to our Escape world. Glad you made the jump to being a member, lots of good folks here with help. Re: your build, 2 things. I believe the new interior is maple not birch, if that makes any difference. The other is not tv ready. That means no exterior coaxial if you ever do end up in a cg they wold have cable. Otherwise you are OTA and need an antenna which btw can be outside and use the coaxial connection. You maybe the 2nd compost member, congrats on taking the leap.

Thanks for the correction, LOL. Its just the lighter color, LOL. I had all the hookups for the antennae, just opted to purchase my own television and stereo system. I just spent 4 weeks in Utah in my R-Pod and never used the television. As long as you have cell coverage, television is available over the internet. And its been my experience, that cell coverage is usually more available than over the air television stations. I even watched the NCAA basketball tournament. Composting...yea, I took the leap of faith. Everything I read says it works and to eliminate all that water waste weight, sounds good. Someone I chatted with said they were going to convert their black water tank to water for their horses which they also trailer. Lots of options I guess.

 

[lostskier]

Another nice modification is the drawer under the closet. The closet floor is recessed and the drawer gives you a wider drawer than the ones under your cooktop. Which you do not have.

Yes, I did get one drawer under the closet, and I reinforced the walls so I can add additional shelving in the closet. I saw quite a few conversions in the forum with pull out shelving and changes to the closet. I liked the idea of adding what I wanted in the closet rather than additional drawers by Escape.

 

[Ronn]

My build is done June 12th. I haven't scheduled a pickup date yet. I need to do that ASAP as my calendar is filling up.

Ours is done the 12th as well, we are newbies and plan to spend a few days at the Lynden WA KOA before leaving the factory area. Maybe we will see you there.

 

[Ronn]

I believe the new interior is maple not birch, if that makes any difference.

I just recently made that same mistake and would have kept doing it in the future, thanks for pointing that out Jim.

 

[Merry]

Hi Brian, We are working on our build sheet for August delivery and it looks like we're doing many of the same options.

The composting toilet - I've read/heard from others that they can be great for extending boondocking time. I think some people convert the unused black tank to a grey tank, as opposed to a fresh water tank, which seems like a sensible modification to me if the goal is to spend more time disconnected, since you can always bring extra water jugs. If you have not yet seen it, The Fit RV people have an excellent video and article addressing pros, cons and tips about using a composting toilet after having used it for about a year. You probably already know the pros and cons, but it's worth a watch, if only for the tips:

https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/the-straight-poop-on-our-composting-toilet/

I think they're out of Utah. They have a small RV, but their website is great for all sorts of helpful system and design modifications.

Have you looked at the "It's Friday" threads at all? I hope you'll share your build pictures as you get them, which helps others to live vicariously through you while we wait for ours to be built.

Merrill

 

[cpaharley2008]

The issue with the black tank is it is higher than the stock grey tank, so getting liquid to it would require a pump. Fresh water would flow via gravity outside or even to the fresh tank in the rear from the higher black tank.

 

[lostskier]

Hi Brian, We are working on our build sheet for August delivery and it looks like we're doing many of the same options.

The composting toilet - I've read/heard from others that they can be great for extending boondocking time. I think some people convert the unused black tank to a grey tank, as opposed to a fresh water tank, which seems like a sensible modification to me if the goal is to spend more time disconnected, since you can always bring extra water jugs. If you have not yet seen it, The Fit RV people have an excellent video and article addressing pros, cons and tips about using a composting toilet after having used it for about a year. You probably already know the pros and cons, but it's worth a watch, if only for the tips:

https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/the-straight-poop-on-our-composting-toilet/

I think they're out of Utah. They have a small RV, but their website is great for all sorts of helpful system and design modifications.

Have you looked at the "It's Friday" threads at all? I hope you'll share your build pictures as you get them, which helps others to live vicariously through you while we wait for ours to be built.

Merrill

Hi Merry,
LOL....Yes, I've seen that video, and a few others. They do an excellent job with it. I'm still not sure what I'll do with the tank. I'd rather have more water, especially for shower. But, the black plastic tank is not made for potable water so not sure I'd do it. I don't think you'd get sick, but probably would taste funky from the non-food grade plastic, lol. Last fall, in 6-days two of us filled the black tank on my R-Pod. That is what drove me to the composting toilet as it does extend your boondocking by not requiring any water, and also no need to dump. Which I do mostly and just got back from 4-weeks in Utah.

I didn't know about the Friday posts and will check it out.

One thing I wish I had measured for and evaluated during my build, was a pull out refrigerator under the bed. There are some really neat DC operated refrigerators out there. And, I just saw a camper van outfitted with a refrigerator on a track that slide under their bed.

Yes, I'll post pictures of the build as I get them. I'm anxious to start seeing them myself.

 

[lostskier]

The issue with the black tank is it is higher than the stock grey tank, so getting liquid to it would require a pump. Fresh water would flow via gravity outside or even to the fresh tank in the rear from the higher black tank.

Thanks for that tidbit of information. I haven't decided what to do yet, but one thought was to somehow use the black water for the outside shower. No idea how to run the plumbing at this point, as you said, possibly outside or underneath the trailer. I do mostly boondocking and in the summer, this would be a good use of the tank.

 

[lostskier]

Ours is done the 12th as well, we are newbies and plan to spend a few days at the Lynden WA KOA before leaving the factory area. Maybe we will see you there.

I haven't figured out my plans yet (just got back yesterday from 4 weeks in Utah). I hate to stay in campgrounds, LOL. Too bad there isn't any BLM land in Canada, LOL. But I assume...sticking around the area for a day or two would be smart to confirm everything works before heading to other parts.

 

[Eggscape]

Here is BC there is a lot of forest available for us to enjoy. There are also primitive camp sites as well. Many are right on lakes.

“About 95 per cent of the forest in British Columbia is publicly owned, with the majority of the area designated as either Crown forest or as a provincial park or protected area. The public has certain rights to use and travel on public lands, but obligations as well.“

https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/PublicUse/PublicUse.htm

 

[lostskier]

Here is BC there is a lot of forest available for us to enjoy. There are also primitive camp sites as well. Many are right on lakes.

“About 95 per cent of the forest in British Columbia is publicly owned, with the majority of the area designated as either Crown forest or as a provincial park or protected area. The public has certain rights to use and travel on public lands, but obligations as well.“

https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/PublicUse/PublicUse.htm

Ha! Your drawer modification was one I scoped out! And thanks for the BC land information!

 

[Bernese Bunch]

Hi everyone,
Build order is signed and trailer will be done in June. I've been trolling this forum researching options and its been a wealth of information, thank you to everyone that has contributed in my decision making.

What did I do different from standard build?

- 3 burner cooktop with oven. No microwave. I mostly boondock and wanted an oven.
- Exterior shower.
- Solar installed, 1500 W, and outside solar port just in case I need it.
- No television or stereo system. Will purchase my own 12v television and install stereo system. Did install additional outlets in locations for power.
- Extra insulation and thermal windows (Yes, I did receive email saying thermals are no longer available for kitchen and bathroom.) I had a kitchen window installed, no window in bathroom.
- High lift axle. I'm notorious for ripping of leveling jacks, LOL.
- NO TOILET. I'm installing a composting toilet. The tank is still there, haven't decided what to do with it yet.
- Had electrical drops installed for composting toilet along with several extra 12v and extra captains lights.
- Converted bench seat to U-Shaped dinette.
- Went with new Birch color scheme.

Looking forward to the pickup and spending some time in the Pacific Northwest before heading back to Wisconsin.

Glad to see your post! I'm working on my build sheet this weekend and am thinking about the toilet. My initial thought was a port a potty but may switch to the composting. Seems more eco friendly. The wet bath can be ordered with the platform but no hole cut for the port a potty. What did Escape do to prep for the compost model and are they doing your installation? I've ordered the 17B if that makes a difference.

 

[lostskier]

Glad to see your post! I'm working on my build sheet this weekend and am thinking about the toilet. My initial thought was a port a potty but may switch to the composting. Seems more eco friendly. The wet bath can be ordered with the platform but no hole cut for the port a potty. What did Escape do to prep for the compost model and are they doing your installation? I've ordered the 17B if that makes a difference.

I needed a 12v line to run the fan on the composting toilet so they are running a drop behind the medicine cabinet for that. I did ask if they would install, and they declined. I'm leaning towards a Nature's Head brand but haven't yet decided exactly which model as I need to do a few measurements for fitting, and to see how high the toilet will be. May need a small step stool to get on the throne, LOL. For venting, I plan to just tie into the stack pipe that comes out of the black water tank. Or, that is what Escape told me I could do. And yes, no hole cut in the wet bath as its not needed.

 

[Bernese Bunch]

I needed a 12v line to run the fan on the composting toilet so they are running a drop behind the medicine cabinet for that. I did ask if they would install, and they declined. I'm leaning towards a Nature's Head brand but haven't yet decided exactly which model as I need to do a few measurements for fitting, and to see how high the toilet will be. May need a small step stool to get on the throne, LOL. For venting, I plan to just tie into the stack pipe that comes out of the black water tank. Or, that is what Escape told me I could do. And yes, no hole cut in the wet bath as its not needed.

I just checked the specs for the Natures Head. Total height is 21". That's high. I'm 5'8". A comfort height home toilet is 16 1/2". Hmmmm.

 

[lostskier]

I just checked the specs for the Natures Head. Total height is 21". That's high. I'm 5'8". A comfort height home toilet is 16 1/2". Hmmmm.

Yes, I think some of the videos I've watched have mentioned they have a small step stool, or platform they use. I'm not sure what the dimensions are in the stall yet either. There is usually a ledge that the toilet is installed on. Once I have it installed, I plan to measure and either build or buy an appropriate height step or platform for the bottom of the shower.