After having 12 non-popup previous campers over the past 25 years we purchased our 2018 5.0 after spending over two hours with an Ambassador couple in early August 2108. We already had money down on an Escape 21', but after leaving the couples camper we made it two blocks and both of us wanted the 5.0 instead.
Aside from the 5.0 met our needs better, we learned to have the rail version of the Andersen hitch allowing us to haul a recumbent trike in the truck bed, and to have a manual awning when camping in heavy rain.
In late September 2018 we attended the Mississippi River Rendezvous. After leaving the event we changed our order to include a u-shaped dinette with split 4" back cushions, and a few complaints about the electric awning not being useful in heavy rain (unless you stick a pole in the middle to prevent water pooling, and lose space where you really want space). We also added 4 USB chargers (one outside, one on each side of the bed, and one underneath the u-shaped dinette).
We ordered our Escape while driving back with our one-and-done trip with the 2014 Lance 1995 we'd purchased the fall before. The Lance was a joke: bathroom door wouldn't close properly, shower curtain that wrapped around you while showering, couldn't have storage under the sink since Lance did not put a shelf there with only exposed water lines and heat duct in the way, the walls were like paper, and it was cold in 25F weather. While our slide didn't fail, many other Lance slides did, and you couldn't sit in the dinette with it in, so it stressed the slide mechanism.
Compared to our 2000 16' Scamp, 2007 17' Casita, and 2003 Bigfoot, the Lance was very, very, poor construction.
Our 2018 Escape 5.0 was trouble free, except for the exploding stove (another story), two bent replaced under Dexter's warranty at no cost to us, including tires, and two sail switches. The fit and finish was excellent! We had it four years, pulling it 44,000 miles down the road (our F150's keep track of the mileage with the umbilical hooked up).
Two years ago, at that point in our lives, and me with a new pacemaker, we wanted a bigger camper than the 5.0, and had waited long enough for the mythical Escape 23'. So we purchased another, but newer, 2016 Bigfoot 25RQ barn find.
The Bigfoot is built like a tank, but weighs 6,500-7,000 pounds loaded, without the front storage that we don't need anyway. It can be pulled with a fully configured F150, but some don't want to pull that much weight, or have a 25' 6" trailer.
If Escape had the 23 available two years ago we would have purchased one, but they didn't, and after adding nearly $7,000 in solar, batteries, inverter, new countertops (ripped out the worthless to us oven/cooktop), two drawers replacing the oven, new Houzer sink, Kohler faucet, 600 watts of 24v panels to the roof, a portable port, butane burner and induction plate, plus other wiring, I'd like to think at 75 I'm done with another different camper.
Aside from the Bigfoot being definitely warmer in 0-10F weather, the only other camper we'd consider is an Escape 23.
We have friends with Airstreams and all are colder than our 5.0 or Bigfoot. It's not "Can you afford an Airstream?" but "Can you afford the constant aluminum upkeep." Our Airstream 16' Bambi decided to rivet leak while on a camping trip. From now on it's solid fiberglass for us!
I have nothing but good to say about Bigfoot and Escape. I really like the 23, but have yet to see one in person. I have one friend in California with #4 Escape 23 and they love it over their previous Escape 21.
Food for thought,
Perry
There doesn't seem to be a manufacturer without unhappy campers (pun intended)! All of them receive quality complaints. Sometimes it's regarding corporate ownership change, pre-Covid/post Covid construction, poor construction/customer service/warranty repairs. Are the issues improper customer maintenance or poor quality....on and on. What it has come down to, for me, is picking the one that seems like it has the least number of complaints regarding the things that are most important to myself and my husband. We have a Lance 1985, currently, it is our second one (1995 model previously). We have been really happy with both of them, but we would like to try something different this time, and the decision is tough, since we are going into an unknown experience with an RV manufacturer, compared to the known/familiar.
