New owner to be

[Ksambor]

Purchasing a new 19’ and looking for advice on options and towing. First any suggestions on the need for a surge protected? Two way water heater? Weight distribution and sway bars? Custom fabric for benches - not crazy about standard pattern?Towing: We have a 2015 4Runner limited, anyone towing 19’ w 4Runner? Excited to get going! Any comments concerns or advice will be much appreciated.

 

[cpaharley2008]

Welcome Ken,
Recommend the surge and wiring protection, also protects over/under voltage and miswired cg electrical. I always used the propane only water heater and my propane has lasted me at least a years worth of use. The custom fabric can get $$$, you may want to get the standard and switch later if not happy. W/D set may not be needed, you can always add later. BTW, we plan on stopping in Bismarck next May on our way to pick up at Chilliwack our new 21 Escape.

 

[Marry-ESC]

The 19, good choice!!
About customizing your trailer: if your wallet allows for it, go for it! Those changes in fabric, countertop and/or flooring truly make the difference. You will enjoy your escape even more, right from the get go!
By the way: came through ND, this past summer, and stayed at some very very nice campgrounds.

 

[salmo7000]

Congrats on your upcoming 19!! Lots to think about for options. Having gone through it myself a few months ago, what you ultimately decide will probably depend on your budget, the type of camping you're planning to do, and finally, function and aesthetics. If you think you're going to be camping in places without hookups, the solar panel and dual 6-v batteries are options you don't want to be without. The surge protector is always a good idea as it offers cheap insurance for protecting your system and any electronics when plugged into shore power. I opted not to get the 2-way water heater because we'll be mostly boondocking, and I had higher priorities, but others really love their 2-way and wouldn't be without it. I also did not get custom fabric but did opt for custom formica. After much thought, I got the air conditioner although really, I'm not anticipating using it much because again, we're planning to boondock for most of our camping. It's good to have the option however. As for a WDH and sway bars, that depends on your tow vehicle. I would look at the owner's manual and/or talk with your dealer and ask for a recommendation. I got the WDH from ETI because I didn't want my tow vehicle to squat, but at this point I'm not sure I needed it. Will have to try towing without it, which we haven't done yet. I will say it has been simple and fast to hook it up and unhook it, so no tradeoffs there. Other options included the oven (but no microwave), U-shaped dinette on 4" raised floor, electric jack, frameless thermal windows and extra insulation, and spray foam on the bottom. With these options, the cost adds up quickly, so again, making decisions for what will work best for you will probably come down to your budget and the type of camping you'll be doing. Good luck, this part should be fun although it might not seem like it!

 

[rbryan4]

Excellent choice Ken, and welcome aboard. We love our 19.

Purchasing a new 19’ and looking for advice on options and towing. First any suggestions on the need for a surge protecter?

We find the built in EMS very helpful, and would not buy an Escape without it. Protects the wiring.

Two way water heater?

This depends on how you camp. If you intend to camp mostly with hookups, then definitely I'd go with the two-way. You can have hot water all the time running on electric and not using a drop of propane. The nominal cost difference will eventually pay for itself in propane savings.

Weight distribution and sway bars?

Two separate things. A Weight Distribution Hitch redistributes weight from the rear axle of your tow to the front axle of your tow. This is useful when your tow is too heavy on the rear and light on the front. It also "can" help reduce sway depending on the type. Sway Control Bars are a friction system to dampen/control sway. I would say that generally those who tow a 19 with a vehicle similar to yours use a WDH. I don't think sway bars will be necessary. Sway is mainly a function of tongue weight. Insufficient tongue weight means sway. You'll find a 19 is very stable indeed when towing.

Custom fabric for benches - not crazy about standard pattern?

Totally a personal choice. Go with what you like.

 

[CADreamin]

Agree with rbryan4, the built-in EMS is great, especially when you're camping at spots where the electrical is 'iffy'. Small price to pay for peace of mind.

We had the two-way water heater previously and never used electric; however, now that I know how easy it is to switch over, we use it on electric whenever we're on shore power (why use our propane when we're paying for the electric ... ).

We had the standard pattern on our first Escape and were happy with it. Customized the fabric and flooring on this trailer and am more than than happy ... but you can't go wrong either way (and those options do add up quickly). I'd say choose your 'must have' options first and then think about fine-tuning your other options.

 

[Loren & Cathy]

One thing to consider is the currency exchange rate. If you are on the fence about an option, the current exchange rate will make it a lot better deal. Loren

 

[rbryan4]

One thing to consider is the currency exchange rate. If you are on the fence about an option, the current exchange rate will make it a lot better deal. Loren

Absolutely. For example we added the alloy wheels. The exact same ones on a US website appeared to be less expensive, but I hadn't done the conversion from CAD to USD. With the exchange rate factored in the Escape supplied wheels were substantially less than I would have paid here, and of course theirs included mounting.

 

[AnJ-ESC]

Customizing

We had fun picking out fabric, floor and countertop choices, but it did add up fast, to the tune of $1500 or so for all 3 customizations! When we thought about what else we could do with $1500... we changed our minds. We did, however, not like the fabric the most, so decided to change this and pick something that went with the standard countertop and flooring.

We also really liked the vinyl fabric. On our first camping trip with it, we left the awning windows open slightly in the prairies and dust blew in- all the cushions and table top were covered in a layer of dust! It was easy enough to wipe them down, but would have been a lot more work had the cushions been fabric.

I've attached a picture of our fabric choice. We dress it up with cushions and a little blanket as the only down side is that it does get a little cold to touch if you relax there in the evenings.

 

[Ksambor]

Thanks. Very helpful and $ friendly advice.

 

[Ksambor]

Thanks. Good info and advice. Lots of complicated choices to make., but yes it’s fun.

 

[Ksambor]

Thanks. Get in touch if you get to BISMARCK.

 

[Chotch]

We had fun picking out fabric, floor and countertop choices, but it did add up fast, to the tune of $1500 or so for all 3 customizations! When we thought about what else we could do with $1500... we changed our minds. We did, however, not like the fabric the most, so decided to change this and pick something that went with the standard countertop and flooring.

We also really liked the vinyl fabric. On our first camping trip with it, we left the awning windows open slightly in the prairies and dust blew in- all the cushions and table top were covered in a layer of dust! It was easy enough to wipe them down, but would have been a lot more work had the cushions been fabric.

I've attached a picture of our fabric choice. We dress it up with cushions and a little blanket as the only down side is that it does get a little cold to touch if you relax there in the evenings.

Do you ever use dinette as a bed? I would think vinyl would would be uncomfortable.

 

[goalie39]

Regarding the 4Runner, I would definitely get a WDH. I towed with a 2007 4runner and now have a 2015 SR5 4Runner. At first I used a basic hitch ball and sway bar. It towed ok, no sway, but the ride was pretty bumpy (porpoising). The rear of both 4Runners did squat quite a bit, so last year I went with a Fastway Equalizer with 4pt sway control and I love it. Much smoother and pretty easy to hook-up once you get the hang of it. Note, the Fastway Equalizer is not the same Equalizer WDH offered by Escape. I would probably get the Fastway E2 from Escape if I was buying a new trailer, which is similar to the Fastway Equalizer.


The only modifications I made to the 4Runner were to add a transmission cooler and get a cheap OBD2 scanner to read the transmission temp on my cell phone.



My only other advice is to pay attention when packing and try to pack on the light side. You should be well under the 5000lb tow rating and 500lb tongue rating of the 4runner, but if you have lots of people and gear the weight can climb pretty quickly.


Good luck and have fun!

 

[Brian B-P]

Note, the Fastway Equalizer is not the same Equalizer WDH offered by Escape. I would probably get the Fastway E2 from Escape if I was buying a new trailer, which is similar to the Fastway Equalizer.

Maybe this is more clear:
The WDH listed as "Equalizer" by Escape is not an Equal-i-zer brand product at all, or related in any way; it is a conventional two-bar chain-style WDH of the Pro Series brand.
The E2 WDh offered by Escape is the Fastway brand E2 product, which is similar in some ways to the genuine Equal-i-zer, which is another brand from the same manufacturer.

 

[Ksambor]

Thanks. Still trying to figure all n best options for towing 21’ w 2015 Toyota 4Runner limited. Considering transmission cooler, after market hitch, weight distraction n sway bar, rear suspension enhancement. Open to all experiences, advice and info my situation. Will likely forgot front/tongue storage bin. Plan to travel light n hold speed down.

 

[Ksambor]

Thanks.

 

[Ksambor]

Good ideas thanks.

 

[AnJ-ESC]

Do you ever use dinette as a bed? I would think vinyl would would be uncomfortable.

We have never used it as a bed, so not sure on the Escape. In our Boler, they are vinyl (original cushions, so from 1970s) and we did find the cushions themselves uncomfortable, but that was likely the foam! I don't find the vinyl noisy or anything- I got a sample from Sunbrella and tried to scratch it and poke holes in it- it is quite thick and durable. We have a custom foam mattress that fits in either the Escape or Boler dinette, so we would probably use that and leave it down permanently as a bed while traveling. Most places we camp have a picnic table, so we tend to use the dinette as a lounge area.

 

[New Adventures]

Get the raised floor on the dinette if you want to be able to actually look outside when you sit there. We did not add this to our build sheet until the last minute and, after using the trailer this year, are very happy that we added the raised floor. In my opinion the EMS is a must to protect your electrical system and components. Most other options come down to personal preference and intended camping style. The exchange rate is so favorable to US buyers that we added many of the options - no regrets on any of them so far.