We did it! 17’A

Mr & Mrs Engineers

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2020
Messages
331
Location
Hillsboro
We just committed to the inventory 17’A. We're in Oregon and don't have our tow vehicle yet, so delivery is a great option; should have both camper and vehicle later this month. I love the permanent bed in the 17A and prefer not to have a bathroom inside our camper. We've never even seen an Escape in person, but they seem so perfect for what we want. Luckily we can keep it in a side driveway at home behind a fence.

We've been checking out vehicles on Craigslist. Some of the choices are Pilot, Highlander, Durango type of things. What I would really love is to tow it with a Sienna or Odyssey, both capable of towing 3500 but ETI says vehicle must be able to tow 4000. I’ve read the whole discussion on here about towing 17s and 19s. One person loves towing a 17’ with a Sienna.

We are so excited about the Escape! Will do both State Parks (as and when they open) with electric and water connections, and more rustic campgrounds. Curious how long the batteries are good for when off grid and not using a solar panel?
 
Congratulations!

Interesting on the 4000 lbs. On the "trailer weights" spreadsheet none of the Escape 17s (A or :cool: were over 3500 loaded for camping. All could be the older model, though. A Pilot or something similar seems popular (Pilot or Highlander). I'm looking at a 17b to tow behind a Honda Ridgeline which is similar to the Pilot (but a five-passenger truck rather than SUV.)
 
Right?? The shipping weight of our 17’A is 2400 lbs, which means with all the options we have but minus water, propane and of course our belongings. I can't see our add-ons coming to more than 1000 lbs. 3500 seems to be quite a critical weight because there are a lot more vehicles rated at 3500. But I also understand needing a safety margin.
 
I have towed my A with a 2018 highlander. I wouldn’t feel safe in something rated less than 5000.

Don’t forget there’s also a limit on total weight (packed trailer, car loaded with people and gear). GCWR. (Gross combined weight rating) That number should be in the owner’s manual and may differ depending on engine size etc....not all the same for all highlanders, for example. DO NOT take a salesperson’s word for it. Check the actual book for the individual vehicle you are considering.

I hope you have many fun times in your new trailer.
 
I have towed my A with a 2018 highlander. I wouldn’t feel safe in something rated less than 5000.

Don’t forget there’s also a limit on total weight (packed trailer, car loaded with people and gear). GCWR. (Gross combined weight rating) That number should be in the owner’s manual and may differ depending on engine size etc....not all the same for all highlanders, for example. DO NOT take a salesperson’s word for it. Check the actual book for the individual vehicle you are considering.

I hope you have many fun times in your new trailer.

I was just looking at that for my Ridgeline. They allow for 300 lbs of passengers and each having 15 lbs of cargo in the cargo area and then 5000 pounds tow weight. Any more passengers and gear lowers the allowed tow weight.
 
Highlander is pretty high on our list. It gets super confusing though looking at different years and models because I've seen everything from a 2000 to 5000+ lb tow rating on Highlanders. So I have to look up each and every local model... still, a very nice problem to have and what the heck else am I going to do with my time, LOL.
 
Congratulations on making the leap! It will be 3 months before I can get mine - since we live in the same area, maybe we'll run into one another.

You have to read all the fine print. Like my F150 that has a 7600 lb tow rating, but needs a weight distributing hitch for bumper pull trailers over 5000 lbs. And a frontal area (of the trailer) not to exceed 55 square ft. And the payload (all vehicle occupants, all gear, and tongue weight of trailer) not to exceed 1630 lbs. For us, occupants and tongue weight is at least 1200 lbs. Also, axle ratings - 3300 lbs each on our truck. A lot of SUVs towing trailers push payload and axle ratings pretty hard - or exceed them.
 
Thanks! Yes, I’m getting really bogged down in all the details we need to know. Currently thinking we should just get something that's way overpowered or oversized just to be sure about it. I just can't wait to get started with the Escape! Where will you start with yours? We'll probably do a trial/shakedown at Stub Stewart the first time because it's very close to home, before we start exploring.
 
Probably one of the SP on the coast. We go to Nehalem Bay a lot - our avatar picture was taken there. Maybe Beverly Beach or South Beach. (We like Depoe Bay and Newport.) Our usual winter range is from Ft Stevens to South Beach. I've never stopped in at Stub Stewart - I should remedy that.
 
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The v6 engine on highlander I THINK is the 5000 lb tow capacity. But as I said, verify.

If you do choose highlander, i recommend the factory hitch. a hitch can be added aftermarket but the opening will be several inches lower than the factory hitch, which is part of the bumper. the aftermarket hitch is added below the bumper.
 
I would like to see your trailer when you get it. Neither my wife nor I have any talent for matching colors, or really care about it too much, so we are just picking the combo that looks best to us from posted pictures. Yours has the combination that we have liked the most, and it would be nice to see a real life example.
 
Highlander is pretty high on our list. It gets super confusing though looking at different years and models because I've seen everything from a 2000 to 5000+ lb tow rating on Highlanders. So I have to look up each and every local model... still, a very nice problem to have and what the heck else am I going to do with my time, LOL.

Since you have time go kick tires in the lots and take a look at the yellow stickers inside the driver's door to get a feel of how specs can change with different optioned vehicles.

My experience last year was we had a new to us E19 sitting in our driveway and no tow vehicle. Harder to find a trailer versus get the TV. I wanted a truck for versatility and had planned on a Tacoma. Went to the lots looking and finally took one for a test drive. For me I was disappointed with space and feel and now what with no plan B? My wife said lets go and look at Fords. So the rest is history. Instead of a used Tacoma, for same price I'm driving a new F150 supercab with a Ecoboost 2.7 and a 6.5' bed. The E19 behind the Ford is an easy safe, pull. Plus even with the F150 I was amazed how close I was getting to payload!


So my suggestion is determine if you may go bigger with trailer some time and possibly look to future. Also, go drive some vehicles and see 1st hand what you like and is designed for the use you have planned.
 
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I’ve heard good things about that EcoBoost. We tried out a Honda Pilot yesterday and found it too noisy/bumpy. My dream vehicle would tow this trailer AND be super smooth and quiet. We normally buy older cars, not afraid of fixing things, but this might be the one time we need something newer and nicer.
 
Congrats on your new 17A. We won't be ordering our Escape till next year, but I'm researching and reading. We were thinking the 17A is great (compared to the 17:cool: because you get a bigger dinette and a bigger bed area. I just looked at the brochure and it says the bed in the 17A is 52 Inches-same as the 17 B. Is that a mis-print? I could swear I read someone saying the 17A gets you a permanent Queen bed? Do you know the measurements of your bed in the 17A?
Thanks!
 
Congrats on your new 17A. We won't be ordering our Escape till next year, but I'm researching and reading. We were thinking the 17A is great (compared to the 17:cool: because you get a bigger dinette and a bigger bed area. I just looked at the brochure and it says the bed in the 17A is 52 Inches-same as the 17 B. Is that a mis-print? I could swear I read someone saying the 17A gets you a permanent Queen bed? Do you know the measurements of your bed in the 17A?
Thanks!

Yes I believe it is 52” wide, and I think 74” long. You sleep east-west. What I like is that it’s a real mattress but I don’t think it's queen sized. I like the "A" model because we specifically don’t want a bathroom onboard, and want the permanent bed and full size dining booth. I figure that bed is like a standard Full/Double size.
 
Thank you! Yeah, I don't really think I want a bathroom or dealing with dump stations and the extra weight. Thanks on the bed size.
 
The v6 engine on highlander I THINK is the 5000 lb tow capacity. But as I said, verify.

If you do choose highlander, i recommend the factory hitch. a hitch can be added aftermarket but the opening will be several inches lower than the factory hitch, which is part of the bumper. the aftermarket hitch is added below the bumper.

We’re doing it! Been looking at used vehicles for a week now and we have picked one out that we’re going to see in person tomorrow and probably come home with... a V6 Highlander rated 5,000lbs (confirmed for this exact one) with factory installed tow package! If not this one, then there is a backup one we like too a little newer. This is a load off my mind (sorry about the pun) and we can really look fwd to the Escape delivery next. Now I have to sell my beloved Lexus but that’s what held us back from getting a camper for so long.
 
Thank you! Yeah, I don't really think I want a bathroom or dealing with dump stations and the extra weight. Thanks on the bed size.

Totally.

I really admire Elsa Rhae (on IG) who lives in a Scamp... she portrays a very dreamy life of simplicity and nature. We actually wanted a Scamp until we got worried about quality. So the Escape is our middle aged equivalent of Elsa in her Scamp - simple and outdoors and just enough bells and whistles but we DON’T need a complete little house with all the conveniences. We still want to be camping.
 
Congratulation, I never owned a Highlander but I read a lot of good about it in this forum, good luck with your future adventures.
Our first Escape was a used 15B bought sight unseen, we since moved to an e19 but still remember the little guy fondly.
 

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