Bigfoot coming back!

[Sharon G]

Just found this news on another RV board. Bigfoot is coming back!

http://www.bigfootrv.com/bigfootrv_about_us.html

[Roger C H]

Yes, I see; but at 17.5' and 2885lbs to 28'11" and 9980lbs, not exactly small trailers.

But OTOH, good news for Bigfoot owners, everywhere.

[Jim Bennett]

I think this is great news. Bigfoot may be s bit heavier then others, but it is a great product with lots of quality features. While I love my Escape, having other good makes of moulded trailers on the market keeps the competitive nature of the industry alive.

Now, if they could just get a better bed size in their 17.5' units.

[Roger H]

Good news indeed!

No, Roger, they're not particularly light weight, but they're the only true 4 season molded fiberglass trailer out there and have a feature set unmatched by anyone.

Roger

[floyd]

Good news indeed!

No, Roger, they're not particularly light weight, but they're the only true 4 season molded fiberglass trailer out there and have a feature set unmatched by anyone.

Roger

Roger is right , bigfoot ,while it makes a fine product , offers nothing that competes with a Scamp 13.
It is a sad thing that the "bigger is always better" disease seems to infect every product sold in America, this includes housing, light trucks, and RVs.
Bigfoot dropped it's near perfect L'il Bigfoot, Casita promotes only it's 17 and discourages sales on it's smaller choices, the new brands focus on bigger and bigger products.
IMHO, If the trend continues we could see the eradication of the genre altogether as it was exemplified by the original Boler, Scamp,Lovebug etc.
While I don't begrude anyone the purchase of a FIBERGLASS BULGEMOBILE, I lament the inevitable loss of the original Idea, which is the comfort of a real travel trailer without the need for a large truck to tow it. So large in fact, that most people cannot even reach over the side of the box and touch the floor , or worse ... Even SEE over the side to view the contents!

I caution Scamp to be patient and resist this trend, and soon they will be in the catbird's seat once again, as their competition "OUTGROWS" their core business.

[Time K]

I'm cautious on this one. If true it's great news...BUT....

According to the web site (and that's all there is as far as confirmation goes) they are offering a fall 2009 line up. That is just weeks away folks. Have they hired staff back, started production under the cover of night?

I dunno have I been on the dark side of the moon too long?..is there verification on this? Something isn't adding up..

Who knows maybe the new, greener, leaner bigfoot (as per their site narrative) will have a nondescript shiny fiberglass interior and only be 10 feet long with a UNI wheel if they are going to be ready by fall 2009....

I think someone is pulling our big foot on this one.

[Time K]

Calling all Big Foot reps please weigh in here and enlighten us!

[Kent I]

There had been some talk that the business building cargo trailers across from Big Foot industries just south of Armstrong, B.C. had been the purchaser of the name, moulds etc, but this notice indicates the business to be in Salmon Arm B.C. which would be about a .5 hour drive from the old site. It will be an interesting story as it progresses.

[GeorgeR]

Roger is right , bigfoot ,while it makes a fine product , offers nothing that competes with a Scamp 13.
It is a sad thing that the "bigger is always better" disease seems to infect every product sold in America, this includes housing, light trucks, and RVs.
Bigfoot dropped it's near perfect L'il Bigfoot, Casita promotes only it's 17 and discourages sales on it's smaller choices, the new brands focus on bigger and bigger products.
IMHO, If the trend continues we could see the eradication of the genre altogether as it was exemplified by the original Boler, Scamp,Lovebug etc.
While I don't begrude anyone the purchase of a FIBERGLASS BULGEMOBILE, I lament the inevitable loss of the original Idea, which is the comfort of a real travel trailer without the need for a large truck to tow it. So large in fact, that most people cannot even reach over the side of the box and touch the floor , or worse ... Even SEE over the side to view the contents!

I caution Scamp to be patient and resist this trend, and soon they will be in the catbird's seat once again, as their competition "OUTGROWS" their core business.

I agree with “floyd”. For the last 30 years I observed bigger size trend as well, from McDonald triple deckers to triple slide-outs. Recently we enjoyed great camping trip to Timothy Lake near Mt Hood Oregon. A couple came by admiring our 2008 21RB Bigfoot trailer. They asked if it has a slide-out and from a visible praise their facial expression turned into a visible disapproval. After a short discussion about pros and cons of slide-outs the conversation ended. I hope that the well embedded $4/gal potential will start the downsizing trend in the new Bigfoot company.

George.

[Ian-Vicki]

I could certainly be wrong, but I sense in some of the posts an undertone of disapproval for people who choose the larger fibreglass models, and I'm not sure why that should be. Am I somehow a worse person because our 17-foot Burro meets our needs better than a 13 does? People choose their camping equipment — campers, trailers, tents, big rigs, motorhomes, whatever — for a vast array of reasons, including financial. And while having more money than I do doesn't make a person any better than me, it doesn't make them any worse, either — those qualities come from within them. For me, this is another case where size doesn't matter.
And I'm not trying to offend anyone, or preach to anyone, just putting my two cents in.
cheers
Ian

[Lizbeth]

Does anyone know anything about "J.R. (James) Clifford President / C.E.O."?

I think this is going to be interesting to see what happens. As for the workforce needed to produce trailers I'm sure most of the previous BF employees are still looking for work.

[Sharon G]

I am delighted that Bigfoot is coming back.

Yes, their 17' model is too heavy for our TV to tow, but the thought that there is a quality four-season molded fiberglass trailer available pleases me.

If we had an 8 cylinder truck and lots of money, I'd like to have one!

Escape is #2 on my wish list.

If only, ONLY Casita would make a trailer without carpeted walls. I travel with a dog and a cat that shed, and the idea of keeping the carpeted walls free of dog and cat hair and dirt is not something I want to deal with when we are out for a couple of months at a time.

[floyd]

I am delighted that Bigfoot is coming back.

Yes, their 17' model is too heavy for our TV to tow, but the thought that there is a quality four-season molded fiberglass trailer available pleases me.

If we had an 8 cylinder truck and lots of money, I'd like to have one!

Escape is #2 on my wish list.

If only, ONLY Casita would make a trailer without carpeted walls. I travel with a dog and a cat that shed, and the idea of keeping the carpeted walls free of dog and cat hair and dirt is not something I want to deal with when we are out for a couple of months at a time.

Sharon;
I too welcome them back, they have always made a very fine product which set a high standard for quality.
How about "THE EGG" camper? It is well made, has fiberglass interior walls, and can still be towed with a minivan.

[Jim Bennett]

I could certainly be wrong, but I sense in some of the posts an undertone of disapproval for people who choose the larger fibreglass models, and I'm not sure why that should be. Am I somehow a worse person because our 17-foot Burro meets our needs better than a 13 does? People choose their camping equipment — campers, trailers, tents, big rigs, motorhomes, whatever — for a vast array of reasons, including financial. And while having more money than I do doesn't make a person any better than me, it doesn't make them any worse, either — those qualities come from within them. For me, this is another case where size doesn't matter.
And I'm not trying to offend anyone, or preach to anyone, just putting my two cents in.
cheers
Ian

Ian, I had the same read on those posts as you did. As far as trailers go, me downsizing to a 19' Escape from a 26' stick, and getting exactly what I want and need in a trailer is key to the enjoyment and amount of use I will get out of it. I also still do a lot of camping out of a tent when canoeing or backpacking in the backcountry, as that is what serves the purpose. People do have the right to choose what to buy, companies also have the right to decide what to sell. If they make the right decision, good on them, and if the decision does not work out as planned, they have to live with the consequences.

Yeppers, just my 2 cents worth too.

[floyd]

Ian, I had the same read on those posts as you did. As far as trailers go, me downsizing to a 19' Escape from a 26' stick, and getting exactly what I want and need in a trailer is key to the enjoyment and amount of use I will get out of it. I also still do a lot of camping out of a tent when canoeing or backpacking in the backcountry, as that is what serves the purpose. People do have the right to choose what to buy, companies also have the right to decide what to sell. If they make the right decision, good on them, and if the decision does not work out as planned, they have to live with the consequences.

Yeppers, just my 2 cents worth too.

people do have the right to choose what to infer, as that is what serves the purpose, even when no such thing is implied!

[Bruce H]

I have to say this is excellent news. I am glad I turned on the computer tonight.

I owned a Bigfoot trailer for four years and tens of thousands of miles. Sold it last October and have regretted it ever since. I have looked at the others and nothing compares. The 21FB and 25 foot models have the largest dry bathrooms of any fiberglass trailer. But the trailers are still small enough you can get them into off road camping areas such as National Forrests, BLM etc. You can go without fear of cold weather. Just leave the hot water heater and the furnace on. My coldest night was a flat zero degrees Fahrenheit. It was warm and comfortable in the trailer and the water did not freeze. I took a shower the next morning. Also with an air conditioner and generator (and I have a Yamaha generator) you don't have to fear not being able to sleep in hot weather.

I have decided if I can't find an old stock new one I am going to order one of these. This time I am going for the front tool box option and wired for solar. I want to run four 6 volt golf cart batteries and that tool box should be a place to put them. There was not enough room for additional batteries on the older model. Also the tool box option adds two feet to the length of the frame from the axles to the hitch therefore it gets the axles back two feet farther. That should make it tow a lot better.

The 21' and 25' Bigfoots do pull hard. You really do need a pickup truck to tow one and a 3/4 ton is not too big. Part of the problem is the way the front of the trailer catches the wind. It would be nice if they had a more aerodynamic shape on the front. I believe a tall back camper shell such as a Fibrobec Quattro or similar on the truck would serve as an air shield and make the trailer tow easier.

[David and Nancy]

As a Bigfoot owner, I couldn't be happier if this news is true. There doesn't seem to be a lot of supporting information available at the moment. I have been trying to access the Bigfoot Owners Club website this morning and all I am getting is a blank screen. Maybe it crashed from too much activity all at once? I hope that many of those fine employees can get their jobs back and that Bigfoot owners can once again enjoy the factory support we once took for granted.

For those of you who prefer other brands of fiberglass trailers, just be happy for us without insisting that your choice was better. If Burro was to suddenly come back to life, I would be very pleased for Burro owners without insinuating they should have bought a Bigfoot. We should all be glad when the number of choices increases.

To other Bigfoot owners - anyone know what is going on?

[BOBSMITH]

Nice to hear that they won't become a footnote in fiberglass trailer history.

Again...those are extremely nice trailers, but far too expensive for me and my wife.

[Joy A]

Wouldn't it be nice, if it's true that someone purchased the molds, that they bring back the Bigfoot 5th Wheel. I'd surely be interested in looking at it.

As far as the Egg goes, seeing the lack of a back window when I was entering, caused me to immediatelhy turned around and go out. My only other memory was that I thought it was awfully bland inside.

[Yvon Chayer]

We are just come back of the first trip with my new 1992 Bigfoot 17" and we love it!!!

We have make a trip of 400 milles and nothing problem with the trailer , all work fine
Before starting to the trip i have make a great check up , ( i work in mecanic )
I tow the Bigfoot with a Chevrolet S10 pick up with a 4.3 l. engine and no problem same in the hill

Now it's official my Scamp 16" is for sale

Yvon Chayer