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Post edited 3:12 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut

The only thing I see that I like over mine is that they offer a variety of BTU options on the A/C.  The 5000 BTU in my 16BH is undersized for Texas summers.

Post edited 6:39 pm – January 15, 2011 by Royal Coachman — Centennial, Colorado

Brian – We are anxious to hear your comments on the Escape after you go to the show next week.  We just bought an Escape 19SB.  I won't be picking it up for at least 2 or 3 weeks yet so I can't comment on it's performance at this point.  In addition to that we won't have any decent camping weather in Colorado right away.   We were very impressed with the quality and bright interior of the camper and the 14″ alum. alloy wheels.  Really like the fiberglass exterior since this part of Colorado is known as the 'hail capital' of the country.  We have had other campers that ended up with bad hail damage in addition the having had two house roofs replaced because of hail.  Our use of the camper will be mostly for travel and a little local camping.  Having relatives in Mass., NY, Minn. & Calif. we have plenty destinations to choose from plus we do enjoy spending a couple of weeks or so in New Mexico in the springtime.  Anyway, we will be looking forward to your evaluation of the Escape after you visit the show next week.

Another happy KZ owner!!  Ken & Marilyn

I just saw the Spree Escape at the Toronto RV show. I had ordered the Sportsman Classic for delivery in the spring but am now looking to "upgrade" to the Spree Escape.

Granted not a lot of difference but I do like the 14 inch wheels compared to the 13 inch. The weight difference is negligible …  

I also prefer the fiberglass exterior. As for the interior … I thought it was upgraded slightly from the Sportsman Classic and like the colour scheme better … not a big deal but since I am not scheduled to receive my 14RB till April I figure I will upgrade.  The difference in price is negligible.

Since I am travelling alone the 14RB is more than enough for me and my camera equipment.  Look out Alaska, Newfoundland and Route 66.

I viewed both units at a nearby dealer.  The Spree Escape does look more upscale, but as others have said it's all cosmetic differences inside.  I do like paneling though, so it gave me pause… but yeah, carrying that paneling into the shower was a mistake IMO.  On the outside I can see the benefit of fiberglass finish when hail comes (not if, but when!), but for some reason the aluminum on the Classic just looks more appealing… more cute.  Not sure if the anti-hail finish and fancier looking interior is worth a thousand extra, but something to think about.

2outforfun said:

 In addition, you can choose your interior décor in the Escape (3 choices) versus no choices for the Classic.   On the Classic we use leftover fabric, flooring and wall boards.

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Leftover fabric & wall boards, eh? I don't remember seeing that in the brochure. 

Sounds like a great sales pitch! "And here is the new 2011 KZ Classic with some very stylish leftover flooring."

Hey Julie, I figured that was the intended message.

I got tickled reading it though. I am sure that is not the terminology that KZ would like their employees to be using.

They told you the Spree Escape comes with 14″ wheels standard, but the online specs page for 2011 still says 13″ wheels for the E14RB, E16BH and E16RBT.  I'm not sure what to think.  14″ wheels would be nice for the greater load carrying safety margin available in 14″ tires.

I went back to the dealer lot for another look at these trailers, and here's a bit more info.

The Classic 14RB and the Escape E14RB were sitting side by side today.  I went back and forth, looking.  The Escape sits quite a bit higher: the tank drain cap is about 10″ from the ground, versus 6″ for the Classic.  The Escape had the 14″ aluminum wheels.  There was more room in the wheel wells too, not just below.  I looked underneath each and found that the Escape has long ears, about 4.5″ or 5″ long, from the frame to the spring shackles.  The ears on the Classic only went down about 1.5″ to the shackles.

The salesman pointed out to me that the fiberglass-sided Escape has a metal roof just like the Classic!  It is not any more resistant to hail dents.  (But who looks at roofs that much, I suppose.) 

I like the Classic better than the Escape overall, so I asked him to check with the factory rep and see if they would build one for me with a 3500 lb. torsion axle and 14″ wheels.  This would be great IMO since I favor the torsions… less bounce stress on the trailer and no squeaky springs down the road, plus it should have more clearance.  I'll report their answer when I have it.

Oh, I asked the salesman if he knew why the 2011 Classic 14RB is listed at about 200 lbs heavier than the 2010.  He replied without hesitation that KZ had beefed up the frame for the 2011 model.  I'm pretty sure the 2011 Spree Escape shares that same improved frame.

As a side note, I had been hoping to see an Ameri-Lite Superlite 14RBC at this dealership, but they still don't have one in.  They did, however, get in a 16BHC that I looked over.  I liked the jalousie window (in theory) vs. KZ's sliders, and the Dometic fridge has slightly more useable space inside than the Norcold with its inner drip tray that takes up room.  But what really struck me was how the windows worked out (or failed to work out?) on the Superlite.  On the driver side, the big window by the dinette is an emergency hatch and the little window over the galley is a non-opener (KZ's little window opens).  On the passenger side, the big window by the bunks is another emergency hatch and the other big window by the dinette is the only jalousie window… but (get this) it is blocked from opening by the awning support!  That support runs right up the middle of the window, so unless one deploys the awning, that window will only open about an inch, maybe less.  I guess the emergency hatches must be opened for air movement in that unit.   Not a well thought out design IMO.  I assume the 14RBC at least would have two jalousie windows on the passenger side, but still…