Soon to be 5.0 owners.

[Rich Pow]

Hello Escape Forum

Long time lurker in the custom ordering process for a 5.0 and figured it was a good time to join, seek advice, to share our experience and to share our excitement.

The wife and I have had our eyes on escapes for years and finally the time has come to get our own. Seems like people mostly have only good things to say about these units and that they're well designed, long lasting, low maintenance and aesthetically pleasing.
What's not to like?

We're planning on keeping the 5.0 forever and mostly camp unplugged. We've built a converted bus in the past and have been through the process of turning an old tired classic RV into a very decent classic RV, so we're fairly handy and somewhat knowledgeable.

Anyone have any critical advice on new build options or maybe the best place to ask this question?

Cheers and hello to everyone here who clearly have the best possible taste in trailers!

 

[jjdeluca]

Rich,
Congratulations on your decision to order a 5.0. Hope you love yours as much as we do ours! As far as options, I
I think you’ll get a wide variety of answers, as everyone’s needs/wants differ. We decided to order a fairly basic 5.0, with the major options being the awning windows, compressor fridge & U-shaped dinette. I knew I wanted to add lithium & solar but decided to do in on my own for much less $ than what ETI was charging. Since our purchase, I’ve also installed a TV, EMS, microwave, rear-view camera, Lagun table mount, counter extension, remote RVlock & larger quartz sink. Future plans are to add a stereo, inverter & Houghton/RecPro AC unit. Others may prefer to have their trailer fully equipped from the factory, but, even though it’s been a lot of work, I enjoy these types of projects.
I see you’re located in Chilliwack, so you have a distinct advantage in that you can see most options in person at the showroom. Take your time & enjoy the process of completing your build sheet & again, congratulations on your 5.0 decision!
Jim

 

[Jim Bennett]

Anyone have any critical advice on new build options or maybe the best place to ask this question?

Welcome and congrats on your trailer decision, it was mine too.

While you can listen to what others did to get ideas I would recommend choosing based on your wants and needs. Having experience will help you with this. I believe many buyers overdo the options, you know, just in case. Many things that members will recommend I feel are not needed. The thing is you will totally enjoy the trailer regardless of options.

My best advice is to just go and have lots of fun while making great memories. This is much more important than the RV you do it in.

 

[Arcvale]

Agreed regarding lithium/solar - if you're willing and able to go through the trouble, building your own system can be much more cost effective.

Doing it yourself also means you can better tailor your system to your actual needs - in my case, I simply wanted a more potent offgrid system than ETI was offering. Even if the factory options meet your needs, I'd check out the cost of DIY if you're capable - you could save a lot of money. The technology also moves remarkably fast; between preplanning my build and actually receiving my trailer, newer models of panels, batteries, and other components gave more performance for the same price point and drove down the price of older hardware.

 

[iamunique127]

Welcome to the forum.

I agree with Jim above, options are personal. You can learn a lot about what others use and enjoy from cruising the forum. There is no end of information and many threads asking similar questions to yours. The Search feature next to your user name on the top right of the page is invaluable. Lots of reading is basically how we decided on the options we wanted and use every one of them.

You'll love your Escape trailer no matter how you outfit it.

 

[GinoandLinda]

Congrats on choosing the 5.0. We love ours and know you will love yours as well. You mentioned two things: camping unplugged and compressor fridge. If that is your preference, don’t skimp on solar and battery capacity. We have a 3-way since we usually boondock as well. Keep us posted on your Escape journey!

 

[Rich Pow]

Woohoo! Sold the old vanguard I had and signed the build sheet for the new 5.0
Definitely no shortage of options. Given the cost of used 5.0's it seems like going with a custom build is almost a no brainer. Super excited. Can't wait to see it in the plastic.