Pondering Casita 17SD to Escape 21

[buellfire]

Gb,
Yes my screen name is a nod back to the early days of the internet and my Buell S2T and X1 lighting that I had back then, the name just stuck! I'm more of a dirtbike guy than a street rider these days, I guess I could rename myself KDX,Dr, and KTM fire now! As to moving on from the Casita. I really liked our Sd17, however my wife was not a fan. She needs a bit more room. The final push to upgrade from the Casita happened one rainy Saturday night at an Egg rally. We met a couple with a new body Escape 21. While it rained outside, we talked, drank, and moved around all at the same time in their 21. That will never happen in a Casita! I'm really looking forward to the storage room, as in the Casita we lived out of the back of our Pickup which has a Leer camper cap on it.

 

[linkbeak-ESC]

Both are great

I read your thoughts with interest. I looked long and hard at both Casita and Escape, including attending rallies and making visits to both factories. I am full time in my trailer. I love the floor plan and finishes of the Escape 21 but bought the 17’ SD from Casita. My thinking was I’d never towed a trailer before, never had an RV, didn’t know if I’d like the lifestyle, etc. I decided to go with the simplest, cheapest option that would work for me. I may very well move to something bigger down the road. In that case the Casita will be easy to sell.

 

[Lisa M.]

Casita 17' to Escape 21'

I am new to the forum and am seriously considering upgrading to the larger Escape 21'. I have had my Casita for 12 years now. We will probably go the direction of a new one, to be ordered after the first of the year (2020). The scariest part to me are all the decisions one has to make. I have trouble even choosing an item on the menu when we go out to dinner! The more I peruse Escape's website and the forum, the more choices there appear to be. I thought deciding on cushion fabric, counter tops, and flooring might do me in, but it looks like it's even more involved than that, and to top it off, I do not have a flair for decorating!

One thing I have not quite figured out (and don't want to call to ask) is this...I see there is a $2500 CDN deposit due to reserve a date. It seems logical that there might be another deposit due at the start of production, and the remainder at pickup, but I can't find any info on the subject. Can anyone enlighten me?

Of course, any advice on any of the above topics would be appreciated. Also, to any of you who might have been on FGRV over the years, I was/am Lisa M. there.

 

[Rossue2]

Hi Ellie- there is only one deposit. Then the great news is you can customize your 21 in many ways others will not. There are the listed options and then some unlisted that they may still do for you; one needs to spend some time reading other's recent build sheets to know for sure.

You're always welcome to tour ours if you are in the area.

 

[Brian B-P]

We will probably go the direction of a new one, to be ordered after the first of the year (2020). The scariest part to me are all the decisions one has to make. I have trouble even choosing an item on the menu when we go out to dinner! The more I peruse Escape's website and the forum, the more choices there appear to be. I thought deciding on cushion fabric, counter tops, and flooring might do me in, but it looks like it's even more involved than that, and to top it off, I do not have a flair for decorating!

Another bit of good news is that you can just not choose anything, going with no options and the standard decorating choices, and get a perfectly good trailer. If there were anything in the options list which is really needed, it would be standard instead of optional.

Of course, having said that, most people do pick some options (some pick almost every option!) to suit their tastes. They just don't need to.

One thing I have not quite figured out (and don't want to call to ask) is this...I see there is a $2500 CDN deposit due to reserve a date. It seems logical that there might be another deposit due at the start of production, and the remainder at pickup, but I can't find any info on the subject.

That would be logical and reasonable, but Escape doesn't ask for any additional payment after the initial deposit, until pickup.

 

[cpaharley2008]

Welcome Ellie,
To our Escape world. You can give them a cc for your deposit and do not forget that the prices are in Canadian dollars which is about a 25% differential. so your $2500 despot may only cost you around $1900 US dollars. BTW, we are quite familiar with Hanford and have some relatives there. I'll send you a p/m, again WELCOME.

 

[Mary F]

Hi, Lisa. I'm Mary F on FGRV. We did just what you're considering, after having a Casita for 16 years (plus another that we had bought 2 years before that, to see if we even wanted to be trailer travelers).

All of the decisions for your Escape may seem daunting, but you have time to decide AFTER you make the deposit, and folks here and at Escape can (will) help. Feel free to ask questions... people here are more polite than on FGRV (if I do say so myself), and many of us have been through what you're facing.

When my husband and I were "perfecting" our build sheet, we thought carefully about what we liked about our Casita (that its systems were simple and we could camp without hookups in the Colorado mountains in summertime), and then about what we wished the Casita had been able to do for us (aside from the obvious full-time dinette and simultaneous bed!) I struggled with whether or not to get the oven (and am glad a did, but many people don't choose that option), and what on earth would we possibly need an inverter for (we had extra 12v plugs installed instead). The thing we didn't think we wanted until we looked at someone else's Escape 21 was the front window (the Casita of course didn't have one so why bother).

My point is deciding whether the 21 is the trailer for you is the only thing to decide before you make your deposit. Then, take your time and work through the build options, have a look at a couple of trailers local to you, and dream... You're the only one who knows your camping style (or what you'd like for your camping style to become). Like Jim said, if custom fabric and formica aren't important to you, the stock choices are perfectly fine (and less expensive)... unless you figure out you do have a favorite color and a bedspread you'd really like to coordinate with.

 

[skiman-ESC]

We had a 2013 Casita SD for a year and used it about a month. Toured a 21' and was sold in 5 minutes. No regrets. No climb over, room to move around.

;D

 

[Ronn]

Hi Ellie, Looks like you have plenty of time, I would encourage you to visit some rallies where there will be a few Escapes. That is what we did and it was very beneficial. It would have been even more beneficial if we had started by visiting a spring rally but not finishing our build sheet until fall, that way we could have visited a few more rallies as we worked through our build sheet. As it happened for us our rally visit was in the fall and our build sheet is due in March which limited us to not being able to visit again with specifics in mind. So my advise would be to start out with a rally in the spring with what is on your mind and other rallies as you work on your build sheet and your new questions arise. Everyone was more than welcoming and it sure would have been beneficial to actually walk in a trailer and talk to an owner as our build sheet was being put together. As such this forum has been great, but there have been times I wished I could visit a trailer and talk to the the owners when I had questions.

 

[rubicon327]

Everyone was more than welcoming and it sure would have been beneficial to actually walk in a trailer and talk to an owner as our build sheet was being put together. As such this forum has been great, but there have been times I wished I could visit a trailer and talk to the the owners when I had questions.

Knowing some of the members on this site I wouldn't be surprised if you gave them several topics that they'd do a video they could send or even FaceTime with you while in their trailer. Not the same as being there in person, but could still be very effective.

 

[GeorgiaBill]

No Longer Pondering

Thank you all for your thoughtful and helpful comments.


Brenda and I decided to get a Clam, keep the Casita for additional trips through Thanksgiving, tour Escapes whenever we could, and decide if the Clam offered sufficient room to be satisfied with our Casita.


At the chili supper at the Green Eggs and Ham rally we were in a group with Pat and Melissa who stated that they wanted a Casita. They came specifically to buy a Casita and stayed in a local motel. Brenda replied that we had one for sale and now Pat and Melissa have a wonderful Casita and we are without trailer. Thay wanted one now and not in July.



We finalized the sale yesterday after having selected the August 6 delivery date for a 21' Escape last Monday (March 18).


Our first decision is oak or maple. We will read the '2019 interior changes' again but we are leaning toward oak.


My daughter has accepted a position as an emergency room doctor in Salem Oregon starting on August 21. She finishes a fellowship in wilderness medicine in June so we should be able to spend several days with her before she starts work.



Any camping suggestions in the area?


Another question which is probably already discussed on the forum. Why are dual 6v batteries required for solar? The upgrade charge is $275. My Casita had a 12v AGM battery with a service life of 8-10 years and currently is listed on Amazon for $279.99. When my Escape 6v batteries need replacement, can the 12v AGM battery be used (probably space limitation)? Are the 2 6v batteries better than the 1 12v?



Thanks again for all the responses, and hope to see many of you in the future.


-Bill and Brenda

 

[cpaharley2008]

The dual 6 batteries can allow you to go without full sunshine, some days are cloudy. If sunny your batteries will be full by noon. In addition with more reserve you are not draining a single battery every day. I had a single group 29 battery with solar and within a year bought dual 6 volts and installed. also do not forget the $275 is cn, maybe $200 US so it is not quite as expensive.

 

[Donna D.]

My daughter has accepted a position as an emergency room doctor in Salem Oregon starting on August 21. She finishes a fellowship in wilderness medicine in June so we should be able to spend several days with her before she starts work.

Any camping suggestions in the area?

Congratulations to your daughter


Spectacular camping here! https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=151

 

[GeorgiaBill]

Thanks for that comment, Jim. It is encouraging to know that the 6v are preferable. Did you get the AGM batteries? Two of them on Amazon seem to be considerably more than one 12v.


-Bill

 

[GeorgiaBill]

Silver Falls

Thanks for the Silver Falls link, Donna. Looks like a great campground, and only 26 miles from Salem.



I'll add it to my Garmin Base Camp waypoints.


-Bill

 

[cpaharley2008]

Nope, Sam's Club had a sale for the golf cart batteries, less than $200 for the pair of 6 volt. Golf cart batteries are made to be recharged daily for years.

 

[GeorgiaBill]

Thanks, Jim. I looked at the Sams Club web site and will remember to check them out for the 6v replacements.
-Bill

 

[marant]

GeorgiaBill

As one who graduated in Salem (Willamette University) and a native Duck I suggest the following places to visit:

Anywhere on the Oregon Coast. The state campgrounds are all fantastic. Favorites of ours are Sunset Bay (visit Shore Acres), Cape Blanco, Nehalem, Bullard Beach and Bastendorf state parks.

Probably our favorite is Union Creek US Forest Service campground, which is a few miles south of Crater Lake NP. It is small, no hookups but has showers (we think) and bathrooms, and offers wonderful campsites within a few feet of the freeflowing Rogue River (look out for a Water Ousel [look it up!]). Walk down the river 1/4 mile to Beckies for a piece of huckleberry pie.

Enjoy!

 

[Upfisk]

One 12V AGM battery holds around 100 amps, might be as high as 120 amps depending on how large of a 12V battery you bought. 2 6V golf cart batteries hold about 220 amps. As you go larger in the AGMs, the price rises rapidly. We bought a 12V AGM for our Casita about this time last year, it had slightly more than 100 amps and cost over $300 In tax free OR. Our Oct 2018 Escape has every option for solar, when the 2 6V batteries fail we will likely replace with ordinary lead acid flooded batteries, not AGMs. Our Casita was the 1st year of manufacture on the 17ft SD, it did not have a battery door, we found that the AGM was fairly easy to replace the previous gel battery as it could go in sideways, upside down, without ever spilling a drop. The lead acid batteries in the Escapes are moderately easy to access (we have a 19 and access is perfect inside the optional front box). There is no need for gymnastics to replace batteries.

 

[GeorgiaBill]

Camping around Salem

Congratulations to your daughter


Spectacular camping here! https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=151

Thanks again, Donna. We made Sunday night reservations for 4 days at Silver Falls, no weekends available. On the way to Salem we are planning to come down the coast and stay at Friends Landing the first 2 nights, Thursday and Friday. https://www.friendslanding.org/
A couple of weeks ago I located an urban campground in Salem.
https://phoenixrvpark.com/


Since my objective is spending more time with my daughter rather than in a lovely campground, I might forfeit the 4 nights at Silver Falls and stay in Salem. She is having a difficult time finding an apartment with 3 cats. She found an AirBNB this past week that would take the cats, but then changed their minds.


I keep wondering if I might be able to park the Escape around her. She is currently in a 2 week Mountain Medicine Course at Fort Lewis and gets this afternoon and Sunday off. I suspect she will rent a car and search in person instead of via the internet. I use Google Maps to scout locations she finds - seems they are all within 1.6 miles of Salem Health.


I really enjoy watching where folks go from Sumas. Has anyone stayed at Phoenix RV and Storage?