Maintenance & Restoration

rgrugg · 05-14-2015, 12:26 PM

This, along with AZ Highways, has been my favorite mag for years. If you read it you know that there's never anything about our fiberglass trailers. I recently emailed them asking them to do something on our favorite trailers and they replied that no manufacturer was willing to let them have a trailer to test. back to them I suggested an informational article because most people just didn't know about them. An hour or so ago I received a reply telling me that the story had been assigned and that it would appear in due time. Good news in my opinion. Thought you all would like to know that.

Bob Miller · 05-14-2015, 12:36 PM

My Take, from years of dealing with publishers when working for Kodak/Polychrome.

The FGRV builders not only can't really afford to prep and deliver a rig to Trailer Life for their evaluation (are they still in Calabasas, CA) the builders also aren't interested in taking out the advertising load associated with getting "Unbiased" evaluations.

In the business of special interest and trade magazines it "Pay to Play". In almost every issue, when you see an article about something/someone, you will also see advertising for the same company.

Darwin Maring · 05-14-2015, 01:37 PM

Ask GoodSam to do it. It appears to me that they do allot of business ess with Trailer Life.

Bob Miller · 05-14-2015, 01:56 PM

At least 35 years ago Trailer Life started Good Sam Club to give the non-Airstreamers something to stick on their trailers. it was mostly a few camping discounts at the time. We used it when we full timed in 1977-78.

I am sure that Trailer Life and Good Sam are still one and the same.

Byron Kinnaman · 05-14-2015, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

Ask GoodSam to do it. It appears to me that they do allot of business ess with Trailer Life.

Good Sam and Trailer Life are one in the same.

Alf S. · 05-14-2015, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgrugg

This, along with AZ Highways, has been my favorite mag for years. If you read it you know that there's never anything about our fiberglass trailers. I recently emailed them asking them to do something on our favorite trailers and they replied that no manufacturer was willing to let them have a trailer to test. back to them I suggested an informational article because most people just didn't know about them. An hour or so ago I received a reply telling me that the story had been assigned and that it would appear in due time. Good news in my opinion. Thought you all would like to know that.

Hi: rgrugg... I realize that these pages are just ads and not road tests but our rig has been a feature of several Trailer Life issues since last Nov. May 2015 pg. 18 is the latest one. There was an article in RVWest including some info about fiberglass trailers, but we know how small a segment of RVing fiberglass represents. It would cost a small volume mfg'er too much to build a trailer for a road test. Here's the original picture that was used in the ads.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Darwin Maring · 05-14-2015, 06:02 PM

The thing is, GoodSam is missing an opportunity to market to the Fiberglass RV crowd by not doing a feature on our campers.

Bob Miller · 05-14-2015, 06:11 PM

I don't think that anyone out there sees the FGRV enthusiasts as a "Crowd". We are a niche market that keeps our products far to long to make any trailer maker happy. Add to that, although I don't have real figures, at least from comments on this site,k we are in the age cadre that is of little interest to the sales market.

If the FGRV manufacturers started advertising, then the pubs might show some interest. Until then we are the Ghosts/Stealth's of the RV marketplace.

MyronL · 05-14-2015, 06:26 PM

To para-quote Groucho Marx, "I wouldn't buy any trailer mag. that would have me."

brian m. · 05-14-2015, 07:49 PM

Little Big Trailers

The Escape is mentioned in the cover story.

Bob Miller · 05-14-2015, 09:02 PM

The article tells us that Airstreams are put together with "Pop- Rivets".
Hmmmmm......

bill&sandra · 05-15-2015, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgrugg

This, along with AZ Highways, has been my favorite mag for years. If you read it you know that there's never anything about our fiberglass trailers. I recently emailed them asking them to do something on our favorite trailers and they replied that no manufacturer was willing to let them have a trailer to test. back to them I suggested an informational article because most people just didn't know about them. An hour or so ago I received a reply telling me that the story had been assigned and that it would appear in due time. Good news in my opinion. Thought you all would like to know that.

Hope you have more luck. I submitted an idea for an article on the bluebonnet rally, one of the largest gatherings of fiberglass trailers in the nation, including photographs. I gave them an outline. They responded that the idea had been sent to the reporting department and they would contact me about details. Never heard from them.
I'm just wondering... How many fibermglassers subscribe???

Timber Wolf · 05-15-2015, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

...from comments on this site, we are in the age cadre that is of little interest to the sales market...

You calling us old?

Steve Outlaw · 05-15-2015, 08:55 PM

I got a subscription to Trailer Life Mag from my brother-in-law for Christmas. I wasn't really excited about it until I actually started reading the thing. There are some pretty good articles in there. I soon realized that our genre of trailers is definitely under represented between their covers and proposed to Oliver that they offer up an example to see if they had any interest in doing a story. I was surprised to learn that they are in the process of doing just that.

Tom Trostel · 05-15-2015, 09:51 PM

Good Sam Enterprises also owns Camping World and RV.net.

frank_a · 05-16-2015, 04:05 AM

I had a subscription, and dropped it. I can't afford to look at a magazine like that! I had a heck of a time getting them to stop sending me emails too. All they want to do is sell you something, especially insurance.

FGRV is my magazine.

Frank

Steve in NY · 05-16-2015, 04:28 AM

I noticed when I bought my 16 foot used scamp that for the same money I could buy a much newer and larger conventional camper. One with pull-outs and all kinds of amenities. The truth is, just about anyone looking at what I bought and what I could have bought would have chosen the latter. And this was in the used market. In the new market, its even more amplified. But I know that simpler leads to more satisfaction. The more stuff you have, the more stress that goes with it. Tow a bigger rig = more stress. The American dream is all about big, and unless that changes, this market will cater to Suburban pulling behemoths or Class A and C motor homes.

No biggie, I look and scale things down.

frank_a · 05-17-2015, 06:42 AM

Those pull-outs are just something else to break down. Not for me.

After a couple stickies, we looked for something simple, well made, & that would last. Egg.

Frank

mary and bob · 05-17-2015, 07:17 AM

I get Trailer Life, only because it was cheap ($10) and it replaced some other magazine that was discontinued. It does have some interesting articles, and technical advice. Reading all the problems that go with the big stickie campers can be entertaining too. They have mentioned teardrop campers, of which we own one. The current issue has a photo and letter from a lady in our town with her Vardo type camper, the local builder is someone I know.