Tuesday, April 29, 2014

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.

Monday, April 28, 2014

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!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

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!