Whereas one staple North American fiberglass ‘egg’ camper builder was making ready its first-ever off-road-specific trailer, one other was placing the ending touches on its smallest, lightest trailer to this point. The all-new E13 shrinks down Escape Trailer’s rock-solid insulated fiberglass building to two-sleeper+ dimension, making a tiny habitat that tows and stows with ease. And Escape provides a full baker’s dozen of colour choices that vary from explosively retro to 3 shades of grey.
In protecting the all-new Scamp X off-road trailer, we took a fast look again at how the fiberglass ‘egg’ trailer idea was born in Canada beneath the Boler title. Whereas Scamp has labored within the USA to hold the unique Boler heritage into the twenty first century, quite a few manufacturers north of the border hold the Canadian egg camper trade buzzing ahead simply as steadily. Escape would possibly simply be one of the best recognized amongst a gaggle of manufacturers that additionally consists of the likes of L’air, Outback/Trillium and, till a 12 months or so in the past, Armadillo.
Curiously, whereas Escape has been constructing trailers within the custom of classic fiberglass egg campers since 2002, it has far much less historical past with the 13-foot (4-m) class of trailers to which the unique Bolers belonged. From what we have pieced collectively, the corporate launched a 13-foot trailer within the late 2000s when it was initially rising out its lineup of trailer choices however shortly put it on maintain in favor of the marginally bigger 15-foot mannequin that proved extra common and cannibalized gross sales. The producer ultimately discontinued the 15-footer and, previous to final month, provided solely bigger trailers ranging between 17 and 23 toes (5.2 and seven m).
Escape Trailer
The brand new E13 modifications all that, and it seems right here to remain. Escape launched the brand new mannequin in November as a smaller, lighter choice good for pairing with right this moment’s smaller, extra gas environment friendly autos, together with electrics. In reality, it is billed because the smallest, lightest Escape trailer ever, bookending the Escape lineup reverse the E23 Escape launched in 2024 because the British Columbian firm’s largest mannequin.
Like Scamp, Escape builds its trailers utilizing separate molds for the higher and decrease halves of the trailer physique. As a substitute of ready till the gelcoat fiberglass halves are out of the molds, although, it stacks the higher mould atop the decrease mould so the 2 shells could be bonded right into a single physique shell from inside, utilizing extra fiberglass and resin on the seam to unite them.
Escape Trailer
Escape’s building technique offers the trailer the “single-piece” design claims Escape advertises closely and serves as some extent of differentiation from opponents like Scamp that safe the 2 molded halves collectively after eradicating them from their particular person molds. Escape trailers have developed a really stable popularity for long-lasting sturdiness and waterproofing.
Particular person movies from Escape and Scamp present the totally different processes in motion.
Escape insulates its trailers with closed-cell foam and provides in a soft-touch vinyl inside layer. It advertises the E13 as a three-season building, but it surely does outfit the brand new trailer normal with a 12,000-BTU furnace for chilly climate.
Escape Trailer
As with different Escape trailers, the mannequin quantity is extra of a ballpark class, not a exact measurement – the E13 stretches nicely previous 13 toes, measuring in at 13.7 toes (4.2 m) lengthy in whole. Tack on one other 14 inches (36 cm) when hanging the elective spare tire off the rear wall.
The trailer enhances that size with a 6.6-foot (2-m) width and eight.5-foot (2.6-m) peak to the highest of the roof fan. That opens up a 6.1-foot-high (1.9-m) inside that enables women and men of common peak to face comfortably inside 4 exhausting partitions dropping seamlessly down from the roof to which they’re molded. The trailer weighs 1,850 lb (839 kg) dry and has a gross automobile weight ranking (GVWR) of two,500 lb (1,134 kg).
Inside, the E13 has a extremely useful format with a rear double mattress and entrance two-seat dinette break up by a central kitchen instantly throughout from the passenger-side entry door. The eating desk drops right down to create a single mattress for a 3rd camper. The kitchen comes geared up with a dual-burner gasoline range, sink and 85-L fridge/freezer.
Escape Trailer
Shoehorning a rest room right into a curvy 13-foot trailer entails some sacrifices, as we noticed in evaluating the Scamp X’s two flooring plans, and Escape avoids these downsides by launching the E13 with a single flooring plan and no rest room. It does slide an elective moveable bathroom beneath one of many eating seats to make sure essentially the most vital a part of the toilet’s operate is roofed.
The E13 additionally counts as normal a 3,500-lb rubber torsion axle suspension, handbook facet awning, 76-L contemporary water tank, 12-V lithium battery, shore energy connection, photo voltaic prep, ceiling fan, LED lighting, and twin 20-lb propane tank storage with fast join. Pricing begins at US$23,999 or CA$33,600. Escape provides loads of customization by means of 13 exterior colours, quite a few which really feel like a throwback to generations’ previous, and a wide range of heat, rustic inside trims and materials.
Supply: Escape Trailer
