Karic
Victoria BC, Canada
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Joined: 08/08/2003
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I received an email from Bob last night about this and today is a very sad day in the TC community. It must be extremely difficult and dis-heartening to have your life's work taken away from you by conditions completely out of your control.
Bob's positive attitude and "hands-on" style of customer service will be missed by all who know him.
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BradW
Flat Rock, Alabama
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JoeChiOhki wrote:Sadly, isn't Orphanage a standard part of truck camper brands?
The way things are going, by this time next year, there won't be but a couple of TC manufacturers left. I don't know who will be left, but I would bet a dollar that Alaskan will be one of them. Alaskan has been around for a very long time.
Seems like the Canadian TC manufacturers are taking the worst hits so far.
Brad
Caution: Possibel defective spelling above; spell checker is DOA.
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Jeff3161
Pasco,Washington
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Joined: 10/29/2003
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That is sad news I met Bob at one of the RV shows very nice guy who built a very well made camper. Had I not already owned a Citation, a SnowRiver might be in the driveway. If it's any solace at least his company closed up due to things largely out of his control and not due to shoddy service or poor workmanship. Hope all the best to Bob.
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JoeChiOhki
Keizer, Oregon
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Joined: 11/20/2003
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BradW wrote:JoeChiOhki wrote:Sadly, isn't Orphanage a standard part of truck camper brands?
The way things are going, by this time next year, there won't be but a couple of TC manufacturers left. I don't know who will be left, but I would bet a dollar that Alaskan will be one of them. Alaskan has been around for a very long time.
Seems like the Canadian TC manufacturers are taking the worst hits so far.
Brad
They're at the disadvantage to American companies due to the labor regulations. They can't use undocumented workers like many US companies do and thus are getting the snot kicked out of them. Add on heavy taxes, and you get the picture. Is it any suprise that Adventurer opened up a plant in Yakima, WA?
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BradW
Flat Rock, Alabama
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I think the US dollar going in the tank has hurt the Canadian manufacturers alot also.
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FF1063
LI, NY
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Joined: 08/04/2004
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* This post was
edited 10/15/08 06:46pm by FF1063 *
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Mooney
Santa Barbara, Ca
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BradW wrote:JoeChiOhki wrote:Sadly, isn't Orphanage a standard part of truck camper brands?
The way things are going, by this time next year, there won't be but a couple of TC manufacturers left. I don't know who will be left, but I would bet a dollar that Alaskan will be one of them. Alaskan has been around for a very long time.
Seems like the Canadian TC manufacturers are taking the worst hits so far.
Brad
Seems like a double whammy. The American dollar doesn't go far in Canada these days, while the Canadians are seeing great value buying products to the South.
Double edged sword for the RV people in Canada.
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BradW
Flat Rock, Alabama
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Mooney wrote: Seems like a double whammy. The American dollar doesn't go far in Canada these days, while the Canadians are seeing great value buying products to the South.
Double edged sword for the RV people in Canada.
Yep, then you throw in $4/gal gas and a weak economy with low consumer confidence and it becomes a "quadruple whammy".
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xnorp
Spokane Washington
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Joined: 07/29/2004
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Bob and is innovative ideas are going to be missed by the camping industry. We have to remember that Bob was the first to put a slide in a camper he was also the first to put a full size rear awning on a camper. Look where the industry has gone with only those two ideas. I have never heard Bob say a bad word about another brand of camper and I am sure that he has had to bite his tongue a few times with questions that people asked. There is a bright side now that he is not a manufacture he can post on RV Net. Thanks Bob for all that you have done for the truck camper industry.
xnorp
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silversand
Montreal
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Joined: 09/12/2004
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...yep. The cost of energy is everything today. Absolutely everything hinges on it's price and price instability. Literally everything we make, every where we go, and nearly every good produced on Earth hinges on oil...
In light of the above, a whole new RV world will emerge in the near future. IMO the new paradigm in RV manufacturing will be: true ultra light-weight, compact, aerodynamic, small form-factor diesel, little wasted interior space...
It's anyone's guess who will be around after the present shake-up...
Silver-
Silver
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