Beautifully restored Mobile Scout going on eBay.

This is a uniquely beautiful restoration. As I type the bid is $7350, and the listing notes the reserve price has not yet been met.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321501813630?forcerRptr=true&item=321501813630&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:SS:SS:US:1120

A number of details on the outside and inside make this a pricey restoration.

This summer, I think I've gotten more questions about what a trailer, restored or otherwise, is worth. With vintage items like this, the answer is never easy. It boils down to -- whatever the market will bear. As there are only a small number of people interested in vintage campers, relatively, you might post a camper in one state for a price and have no one interested, while in another state you'd have people fighting over the same camper posted at twice the price.

Restoring campers will be, for most of us, a labor of love. It's not about the money.

So what is this camper worth? Whatever you're willing to pay to get it.

Amazing Mobile Scout vintage camper paint job

Wow. Molly sent me a photo of her very unique 1960 Mobile Scout. A local artist did the exterior of a local street scene in Telluride, CO.  Local volunteers fixed the camper up. The original sticker is inside, stating it's a 1960.

She's named it 'Mags' as it's a guy magnet. :-)

Wow!

Pinterest is a treasure trove of Mobile Scout photos.

I've been keeping what people send me and putting them on Flickr. But Pinterest... now THERE is the place to go for some awesome photos of Mobile Scouts in their full glory.

Check it out. On Pinterest, just search for "Mobile scout". Or click the link below.

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=mobile%20scout

What's a vintage camper worth?

People often ask what their camper is worth. Or, what would be a good price for the camper they see sitting out in the field under a tree, so they can start trying to talk the owner into selling it to them for a deal?

That question is very difficult to answer. There is no blue book for vintage campers. Also, the truth lies not so much in the make, model and year of the camper, but rather what type of condition it is in, and how much work (and of what type) someone will have to put into it.

And overall -- something is worth as much as someone else is willing to pay for it. And sometimes, even if you double that, the person who has it isn't interested in selling it. :)

I've heard stories of people being PAID to tow an old, dilapidated old canned ham camper off a property, and after putting $3000 and hundreds of hours into restoration, selling the camper for $6000.

Most stories are very similar to ours: you have no idea what you are doing, and you somehow fall in love with a camper that doesn't look too bad, she just needs a little work. So you shell out $1500, and once you start peeling back the inside paneling you realize the entire thing has to be taken down to the deck and all redone. So, untold amounts of money and hours of blood, sweat and tears later, you end up with a lovely little camper you wouldn't part with for any amount of money. (We have people stop by many times a year as we're in the yard and ask if they can buy our camper. Nope!)

But, just for your curiosity, here is an adorable little Mobile Scout which went on eBay recently.

How's the Mobile Scout Summer Going?

Our summer has been filled with friends, kayaking, and gardening. That's right, you didn't hear much about camping -- we haven't done any yet this year!

Doesn't mean we don't think about Mobile Scouts. The questions keep rolling in, as do sticker requests. I'm about halfway through the recent order of the awesome, high quality stickers. Get yours today before they run out! (See previous post for information about ordering stickers, or see the right sidebar.)

When I reorder, I *AM* going to order LARGE, black only outline stickers, suitable for putting on the front or rear of the camper. They will look super over the front window, or below the back window.

So help me get rid of the current stock of stickers. I WILL order more of them as well. :)

I love receiving photos of the well loved, well kept Mobile Scouts that are still out there! Here is Gladys, a very stylish gal from Oklahoma!

How do you know it's a Mobile Scout?

Spring brings emails to my inbox of new vintage camper enthusiasts, and often old timers, too, seeking an opinion on whether what they have is indeed a Mobile Scout. Sometimes it's easy, such as when your camper has the original cabinetry and you find something like this on the inner door.

And out go the first sticker mailings!

Stickers will be mailed out once a week, on Sundays. Having six people order stickers already is awesome -- we're a small bunch, and this is a great response. :) While supplies last, those who order the NEW stickers will receive two of the smaller, older stickers for free as well. Woo hop! ;) 

Stickers have arrived!

The new stickers have arrived and they are incredible, you are going to love them. They are big, durable and will look great on your Mobile Scout, or anywhere else you care to put them! They are printed vinyl, and should wear for years outdoors.

I have 50 of each, and reorder is easy, so clean me out. :) For $4.00 via PayPal, I'll send you one of each sticker (the red and blue sticker is 8" across, and the orange one is 6" across). That's pretty much just covering cost of printing and mailing them. I'm happy to donate my time in design and printing in order to contribute something nifty for those of us that love these old campers.

It's easy! Order via this quick PayPal button, and I'll get them out to you within a week via USPS First Class Mail. 

Sticker proofs approved!

They'll be here in just a few days. Yahoo! I approved the proofs, and made a slight change based on how cool the orange/black sticker looked as a die cut instead of a rectangle.

The red and blue stickers are a full 8" wide. The others are 6" wide.

Great things coming...

Mobile Scout Madness is getting a makeover!

First, MobileScoutMadness.com has been registered. It will point here to this Blogger blog (effective tomorrow, probably). Don't worry, you can always use the old web address, too. 

Most exciting, though... NEW STICKERS HAVE BEEN ORDERED. 

Yes, yes, I know some of you have heard this for a long time. And, for that please accept my sincerest apologies. But... it's already been done! Art is uploaded, fee has been paid, and in about two weeks there will be TWO great new stickers available. 

First is a mondo 8" wide sticker taken straight from some photos people sent me of their faded and peeling units. It's bold in color, red and blue. The original address is there -- it's just an homage, though, don't go there looking for a trailer manufacturer. 

Next is a slightly smaller 6" wide sticker, a MUCH better version of the original stickers I had made. They are bigger, the color will be clearer, overall the quality is MORE AWESOME. 

And sometime later, I'll be updating the blog template into something more modern and stylish. Stick with me, and keep those photos of your beautiful Mobile Scout trailer projects coming! 

Once they arrive, I'll post pics so you can get a better understanding of size, along with a quick PayPal link so you can order your very own! 

Everything old is new again.

The past few years have shown us a few new trailer designs that gave nods back to vintage style. The other day, however, we saw an ad on the tele for Curtis Trailers, and the unit rolling down the road was clearly designed right on the lines of a vintage camper. It was beautiful, I won't lie!

This set me a Google'ing, and look what I stumbled upon.I found this Scout concept trailer, making the rounds by Airstream Marketing in 2009. Um... look at that butt! What does that look like to you, hmmmm? But what a beauty! The link I found (http://www.airforums.com/forums/f318/airstream-scout-concept-vehicle-52070.html) calls this unit the Scout, and it was a collaboration with auto designer Bryan Thompson and Airstream. Lightweight, with elements of signature Airstream style.

And their signature price tag, I'm sure.



Alas, there is no mention of the Scout on the Airstream web site. Damn, that's too bad. She's a beauty!

So I hit Curtis Trailers and sought out the vintage styled beauty I'd seen. It looks like it was the 2014 Riverside Whitewater 155.


http://curtistrailers.com/inventory/rvlisting/detail/6654/


Yikes! It's a cutie. But $18,906.79! Of course it has AC, a microwave, cable tv hookup, blah blah blah. But that comes out to well more than $1000 a foot in length! But when you compare it to the T@B... well, that might just be a cheap option. Looks like this is made by Riverside RV, a maker of Retro travel trailers. Wow! Check out their options:

http://www.riversidervs.net/Model-155--Retro-w-wetbath-.html

I have one camper that I don't use often enough, but somehow that doesn't stop me from looking at others, new and old!

Spring is in the air, and camping fever is starting to spread.

As spring blooms, people's interest and activity around camping grows as well! The blog is generating more emails with questions, pics of beautiful Mobile Scouts, and more!

Look what I found on eBay today! And no, I haven't bid on it. ;)

1962 Mobile Scout in Pearl, MS

Interestingly, it looks like a Mobile Scout, but the plaque inside shows it was manufactured by Contempori Mobile Homes in Arlington, TX.

Mobile Scout Mfg was also in Arlington, TX (as were many, many other manufacturers). From all I've learned, the industry back in that time was just bustling. Shops were opening, closing, merging frequently. Staff jumped from the larger manufacturers to open their own shops, sometimes taking a few of the tricks they'd learned with them.

Even some of the people working in the industry find it difficult to determine just what type an unknown unit is.

Not to mention, in the years that has passed since then, renovation projects may have hidden or changed existing distinctions, or mixed and matched a little -- I've seen a few triangle windows that were on things which were CLEARLY not a Mobile Scout.

This one's a mystery; it looks like a Mobile Scout for the most part... but... Contempori? The serial number isn't in the usual format as a Mobile Scout. The wheel cut-outs are wrong. The door handle is on the opposite side of the door compared to what I usually see.

What do you see? Do you know anything about Contempori Mobile Homes? Help fill in the blanks!