looking for advice on a camping trailer

[Squamch]

They're all cheaply built shit that will fall apart from logging road travel.
Downwind knows what's up. They're bought on the payment plan, not maintained, and built as cheap as possible. The first thing the dealers do is a deficiencies list, and then backcharge the manufacturers. A friend's wife works at a big dealer here, I've seen pictures of trim nailed on with an empty nail gun, lots of dents, no nails. That's the finished product the customer sees. Imagine what the framing looks like.

Built your own is seriously the best way to go, if you have those skills.

Look at the underside, a lot of them just have plastic lower panels, like the stuff big election signs are made of. Corrugated plastic cardboard.
Don't buy from fat people. They're built flimsy, fat people dont mix well with flimsy.
After you buy it, pop all the windows and doors and recaulk.
Recaulk the roof. Theres a thread recently about good products to use.

[Downwindtracker2]

I get lazy about typing, so here are couple of more thoughts'

First time buyers look at the floorplan, experienced buyers look at the frame.
You need shocks
All trailers leak. Even the fiberglass ones, but they only leak around the vents.
You must recaulk ,certainly here on the wet coast, with good sealants like ProFlex.

[twoSevenO]

Complete newb here that is looking casually at a travel trailer for hunting .... how does one determine the leaks if they are not readily visible, and what is a "normal" amount of leakage to be expected?

I was under the impression that they werent as leaky as this thread makes it seem .... but I know nothing about trailers and campers.

[MichelD]

My wife has the same issue. She quit going with me because she was sick and tired of climbing in and out of the "Cramper."

[tripleseven]

This is terrific- just what I was hoping for. thanks all. Our last camper was a 1990's okanagan, and i know the realities of how everything is built, and leaks. Ours was pretty dry comparatively, but if anything fails and you try to fix it, you find out it's all stapled and glued particle board...there's nothing solid to even start from.

Downwindtracker2, what were the problems you had with your 2013 Escape? These are looking like an option worth considering. As we'd like to buy used, I'm interested in in what ways they've come a long ways.

The ORV looks great too. the wife would love something like that. did you buy it locally, or from the US?

[Downwindtracker2]

Sorry for the poor writing skills, we didn't have an Escape, we have an ORV Creekside 20FQ . We bought it at O'Conner, they have mixed reviews. When in '08 Nash bought the bellied up Fleetwood plant in Le Grande Oregon , he got the Mallard 20FQ floorplan, so it's now in the Nash line as well, so it shouldn't be a problem finding one, just paying for one. He renamed the plant ORV and they have been steadily improving the quality . They are now considered the best out there. The trailers are built in eastern Oregon for the Pacific Northwest, BC and Alberta. From what you asked, it will fit the bill perfectly. The walk around bed, the wife will love. And it doesn't have the problems that come with a slides. It just lacks room to entertain, but that's what campfires are for.

If you get one , get them to through in a couple of cartons of ProFlex. It took the wife and I 2 weekends to reseal. Once done, you have a submarine, chuckle.

[Ubertuber]

...
Don't buy from fat people. They're built flimsy, fat people dont mix well with flimsy.
...

Hah, that's some sage advice.

I've had a number of trailers and campers over the years and I agree that they are built poorly. They look nice when new, but deteriorate alarmingly fast no matter how much maintenance you do. Dry storage is a must, unless you like rot.

I dumped my last RV trailer and bought a semi-converted cargo trailer. The cargo trailer is much stronger, has more room for large items, and was way cheaper.
Maybe have a look at some conversions before you buy a rotting RV..

[Downwindtracker2]

For a travel trailer for hunting, it's important that you don't fall through the floor. Don't laugh, it's a common problem. Airstreams get to be fun to do. So a solid floor. Gas fridges are very expensive , so a working fridge is important. If you drink rye, mold spores won't effect you. Stick and tins are easy to fix, you need these specialized tools a Fein multitool (a cheap one works), a Kreg jig, a narrow crown air stapler, and 1/4" nut driver bit. I use a camper for hunting, it took me two weeks to rebuild a '99 Adventurer, it was just the back and wings.

[bloody bellies]

I had a 1996 or 8 18ft nash, we looked a quite a few and found the older nash to be well built, it was aluminum not fiberglass, it was wood framed not welded aluminum, you get a little more play with the wood frame , not so rigid like welded aluminum I find the wood frame better down the bumpy roads, I liked the aluminum siding due to the fact if you damage the outside you can replace easier than fiber glass. we sold our trailer then went to a 1996 slumber queen then sold that and bought a cabin, now I may be content.

[Uncle Y]

My wife and I have a 2014 21ft Escape. We picked it up in July of that year, and circumnavigated North America for a 12 months after we bought it. Since then we have towed it to Mexico every fall and all the way back to Canada in the spring. Have had zero major issues. Just maintenance stuff. When we used to go to Baja we towed her down some fairly rough stuff. Just have to go super slow. We had it built with the solar package and would go 3-4 months on the beach without plugging in. There is an escape trailer owners forum that is full of super helpful people if you have any questions. I highly recommend them. Customer service is amazing as well.