Well after a 3 month process of wingin it to provide my daughter with a "yerrow campa daddy," my quest to build an E3 Jr. culminated in a trip to Bear Creek Canvas on Saturday.
After speaking with Al at Bear Creek off and on for the last 2 months, he answering a million questions and talking campers a lot, I made the 2 1/2 hour trek for installation. Al is the owner/operator/puplic relations etc. person who 9 times out of 10 is the person that will answer the phones when you call. By the way, big ups to him for even agreeing to a Saturday visit.
After greetings,salutations, and small talk about my resto, he and a fellow worker he called in, whose name I apologize for not remembering, started their work.
Less than an hour later they were finished and explained every question I had and took care of my camper as if it was their own.
Some guy called in the middle of all this with an emergency repair, which required re-creating two borders on a long canopy. I watched the repair - not ready to get on the road so soon and the guy was charged a whole $5 for the repair. I told Al and his co-worker that they need to adjust their pricing just a tad and I was quickly told that it was only 15 minutes labor, a few yards of thread and the next time that guy needed something else, he would return. Hows that for not screwing people !
After offering me a soda, we chatted about canvas, campers, old cars, and just hung out for another hour or so. I asked if he could spare any pieces of canvas for future repairs and he quickly gathered up enough canvas, vinyl, repair glues to last a lifetime.
By the way if you need the glues to repair canvas or vinyl, he gave a quick demo and I was blown away by the strength of the glue after about 10 seconds of setting. I will get the names of the glues when I get a chance to unpack everything.
So after an hour or so of just chatting, I decided to let him have the rest of his Saturday to leisure and started my way back home very much comfortable with the choice I made.
I am pretty skeptical of people in general, and I can tell you Al and his team are good people. His intentions are not to make a buck off of you, but to exchange a quality product for that dollar.
Thanks Al
Thanks to all of you for the info I used to help on the build
Pics of the completed camper here
http://community.webshots.com/user/sdn40
WOW! Very nice job!
An axle flip, some shocks, larger wheels and knobby tires, exterior speakers, (with black grills)!!;)
For over twenty years I have seen old 8', 10', and 12' Coleman PopUps converted for serious off-road use. But even with diamond plate front, back, (and under) panels they still tend to restore to the original colors. This is the first E3 jr. I have ever seen! :-()
beacher:
Dont give me anymore ideas !!!! I just finished - LOL
I do have to add a cargo carrier to the front yet - the speaker idea is one that will haunt me until I finally give in and do it.
Thanks for the kind words
As the owner of an E3, I'm Jealous!
Love the diamond plate on the cabinet doors. Great job!
wg
waygard33
I'm jealous of anyone who can afford an E3 so you're one up on me for sure.
I certainly wont complain as I have just under $2000 invested all in.
WOW! That is one "yerrow campa".
Congratulations on a job well-done.
It really is nice to hear that there are some businesses out there that are proud of their work and actually want to produce a quality product for a fair price. I hope Bear Creek is still around for the time when I need to purchase new canvas for our trailer.
Thank you for sharing.
Oh BTW great looking trailer.
So...how does she like the "yerrow campa?"
Austin
Boston
My little girl loves the camper -- and in true 2 1/2 year old fashion, her favorite part is hiding in the lower galley cabinet.
I just shook my head - LOL
They didn't have any yellow canvas? :) Just kidding. Fantastic job. I love the diamond plate and the chrome wheels.