Brett Randall - head of Aliner on 40 years of business
40 years of Aliner + American Giants
This week on the StressLess Camping RV Podcast, we visit with Brett Randall from Aliner about their small trailers, and Tony provides a review of an RV from Aliner’s exciting new camper line!
Then we visit a Goofy USA phenomenon with a bunch of destinations, and we share tips for keeping your RV solar panels clean.
Other places to hear the podcast
Mentioned on this episode
Our guest, Brett Randall, comes to us from Aliner
Our episode about the American Giants Museum and the Muffler Man
The history and story of the American Giant or Muffler Man
Tony’s Honest RV Review of the Aliner Switchback pickup camper
Our discount on Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome
A great gadget for cleaning the top of your RV slides or your solar panels - the RV Slideout Sweep
If you’re confused about solar, battery power or just want to upgrade your RV we have found the solutions from ABC Upfitters are both reliable and exceptional.
We have a podcast episode and video where you can learn more here.
The video version of podcast 320
Automated transcript of StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 320
Peggy
This week on the Stressless Camping RV podcast...
Tony
We speak with Brett Randall from Aliner about their unique small trailers.
Peggy
And Tony's gonna provide a review of one of those, not a small trailer, but something unique from Aliner.
Tony
We visit a goofy USA location that has become-
Peggy
Well, not really a location.
Tony
That's true.
Peggy
More of a phenomenon.(laughs)
Tony
Right. Goofy USA phenomenon.
Peggy
With a bunch of different destinations.
Tony
Absolutely.
Peggy
And we're gonna share some tips for helping keep your RV solar panels clean.
Tony
That's the fact, Jack. Well, we have this week's podcast along with the notes, discounts, deals and more at our home on the web at stresslesscamping.com.
Peggy
Don't forget to like and share, and pardon me for squinting, but I got something, dust in my eye. But thank you for joining(laughs) us for episode 320. Stressless Camping.
Tony
Stressless Camping. Hey, uh, I think I'm Tony.
Peggy
I think I might be Peggy.
Tony
And we're two RV industry veterans who travel part-time-
Peggy
In this Rockwood Mini Lite.
Tony
... looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips-
Peggy
Tricks.
Tony
... and discounts.
Peggy
We are, uh, in Indiana now, and we are at the Frog Rally. Well, it hasn't started yet, but we're at the location of the Frog Rally.
Tony
We have descended upon the frogs.
Peggy
Gearing up. We are very excited. We are the first ones in line to get parking. But on our trip last week, we listen to a lot of podcasts while we travel.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And esp- and even a lot of RV podcasts, and we listened to the RV Lifestyle Podcast, and something interesting came up there. They have, uh, like a forum and someone had asked, "What's the most you've ever paid at a campsite?" And th- there were a bunch of responses that she was reading, and they were, there were answers of $300 and $400-
Tony
Man, that-
Peggy
... for one night of camping.
Tony
That's nuts to me. I, I don't think-
Peggy
Yeah. Yeah.
Tony
... I could ever pay that. But it does beg the question, what's the most you've ever paid for a campground and, and why? I'd imagine sometimes it's just supply and demand, right?
Peggy
Sure.
Tony
You wanna go to the hottest place at the most popular time of year.
Peggy
Well, yeah. And I, I hope that $400 is for some really special reason and not just a(laughs) regular weekly night thing.
Tony
Yeah. Yeah. But-
Peggy
But, you know, this just helps reinforce the fact that we love Harvest Hosts.(laughs)
Tony
It's great experiences, a lot of times great people. It's always unique and special and different. It's very memorable, not because you just got 300 bucks taken out of your pocket.
Peggy
Yeah. It's memorable because you may have spent money, but you ended up with beer or dinner or a museum visit or meat or eggs or a-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... a woolen blanket.(laughs) Whatever. The whole idea is that you, you have an experience, you have a thing that you can talk about, and you didn't pay for the campsite. I think Harvest Hosts kind of in the beginning had this reputation, spend one night at a winery. And that is just a very tiny portion now of what you can do. There are wineries and breweries and museums and farms and all kinds of different kinds of stays with all kinds of different opportunities.
Peggy
And it's not necessarily one night. There are probably some hosts who are restricted to one night, but a lot of Harvest Hosts now allow you to stay for, I think, up to five nights. A lot of them have power hookup now. A lot of them provide water to you. So it's getting, like, an even better and better deal all the time. More and more Harvest Hosts hosts are available and more and more amenities are kind of part of the deal.
Tony
Hey, you know what's a great deal?
Peggy
What's that?
Tony
Our discount on Harvest Hosts.
Peggy
Yeah, you're right.
Tony
Uh, you can go to our website at stresslesscamping.com and get a great deal on your Harvest Hosts membership. So if you're not already a member, now's the time to join up, but take advantage of our discount on Harvest Hosts, and that is the definition of Stressless Camping.
Peggy
I have often wondered, now one thing about Harvest Hosts is you do have to be fully contained. They don't provide, you know, bathrooms or showers or anything like that, and you have to bring all that stuff with you. And I've always kind of thought like how small of an RV can you have and still have all that things, all those things with you. Well, today our guest from Aliner is going to, uh, tell you just how small some trailers can be and still have all the amenities that you need.
Tony
Yep. Remember last week we asked you what can you tow with a Jeep. Well, now we have something you might tow with a Jeep or all kinds of other vehicles.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
So without any further ado, let's talk to Brett from Aliner. We have the privilege of having Brett Randall, the president of Aliner, with us today, and if you haven't heard of Aliner, where have you been?
Tony
But I guess, Brett, welcome first of all.
Peggy
Welcome.
Brett Randall
Thank you very much. Nice to be with you, Tony and Peggy.
Tony
Your title is President of Aliner?
Brett Randall
Yes. I'm the majority owner and I'm also president and CEO.
Tony
And you are nowhere near old enough, 'cause I know Aliner has 40 years under its belt. So you d- you made a decision to come and be in the RV business.
Brett Randall
I did. Tony, I, you know, I, I grew up camping. Uh, you know, our family, uh, we did, uh, a lot of camping together, uh, fishing, those kind of things, and I always enjoyed it and was involved in another business that, uh, we sold, uh, in about 2010. And I was recruited to, uh, Aliner had struggled coming out of 2007, 2008 when the, and the economy had its struggles. And, uh, I joined the company, did a little consulting for them for about a year, and then joined the company, uh, full-time in 2014....
Brett Randall
uh, as the CEO, and then eventually bought out, uh, the majority of the shareholders in 2019. The company, uh, you know, we're proud to be in our 41st year of business. Founded in Oregon.
Tony
That's what I thought.
Brett Randall
Yeah, the, the, the Columbia River, uh, and, uh, hence our incorporated name is Columbia Northwest. And then the company, uh, just three or four years into i- its existence was relocated back into Southwestern Pennsylvania. Uh, it was family-owned at the time, and remained family-owned until 2007, and in 2007, the family sold out to a group of predominantly local Western Pennsylvania investors.
Tony
If somebody doesn't know what Aliner is, maybe let's start there.
Brett Randall
Well, let's start there. Uh, like I said, we're, we're based in, uh, Southwestern Pennsylvania, about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh, and, uh, we manufacture all towable lightweight, uh, camping trailers, and our, our flagship is our Aliner, which is actually a foldable camping trailer, so it folds down, ease for towability, but it's also storageable in your garage, which works very well for folks who live in communities that have HOAs and you're not allowed to keep it in your driveway or next to your house.
Brett Randall
And they pop up, we've got three basic sizes, uh, a 10-foot box, a 12-foot box, and a 15-foot box, and it'll sleep between one and even up to four people. And they're easily towable. We also have, uh, uh, a travel trailer product, which is a small teardrop-type product called the Ascape, typically for one or two people. And then we've just introduced a new, uh, truck camper, which is gonna be similar to the Aliner in the fact that it'll fold down in your truck, and then when you get to your campsite, you can pop it up into an A-frame.
Tony
Yeah, that-
Brett Randall
That is very cool.
Tony
... truck camper is so... Well, all of your products are, but that truck camper is so unusual-
Brett Randall
Yeah.
Tony
... in a good way in the market. I, I think hopefully we can show people some photos or video of that, 'cause it's, it's pretty incredible. One of the, I think one of the reasons people aren't as likely to consider something like an Aliner is they think, uh, you know, "It's gonna take me all this work when I get to the campsite to set up." And actually they're pretty doggone easy.
Brett Randall
Yeah. They are, Tony. I mean, uh, you know, we market as literally two hands, 30 seconds. I mean, it, it's, uh, pretty simple. You unlatch the hinges that hold the, uh, the roof down. You pop it up, pop up the roof, walk inside, pop up the two A-walls, secure 'em, and you're basically in business, so. And we have for, for some of the larger models, we have, you know, lift assistance and, and those kinda things to, to, you know, to help folks get the roof up and get the roof down.
Tony
And it's amazing what all is in the trailer once it's up. You know, you think it's, it's little more than a tent on wheels, and you have that, but then there are models that have so much more.
Brett Randall
Yeah. Y- you're right. I mean, it's, uh... And obviously space is a premium in design. It's, you know, very much like, uh, the marine industry with a boat. You're always looking at, "Okay, how do I incorporate enough functionality and combine it with enough storage?" So, uh, you know, our team, we, we meet on a weekly basis. We're always looking for new mouse traps and, and what we can do. All of our products are, are handcrafted here in-house, so we have that ability to kinda, like, look at the cabinetry and move things around, and you know, how best do we get, uh, you know, where does the stove gotta be versus the sink, th- the sink's gotta be, and those that have shower or potty options.
Brett Randall
You know, you're always looking at the, at, at the best ability to get the most with the best functionality. Yeah.
Tony
And one of the things, I think I'm gonna be a little, bit of a nerd here-
Brett Randall
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... which, uh, people would expect, but something a lotta people don't realize about towing a, a, let's say a full-sized travel trailer is, that big front shape really is a challenge, especially for smaller tow vehicles. Like, recently we did a podcast with girlcamper about what can you tow with a Jeep, and the answer is almost nothing, but that frontal area, as they call it, is a big detriment to smaller vehicles, and I've seen some of the Aliners even towed with SUVs like Subarus and that sorta stuff.
Brett Randall
We have, uh, Teslas can tow them. Uh, a lot of the hybrids can tow 'em. I, I would say, uh, Subarus are a very popular model. Our lightest units are at about, uh, 1,200 or so pounds, and, and we'll go up to about 2,300 pounds. So there is a lot of flexibility, especially if you're looking at one of the lighter models. And you're right about the fact that our units fold down, does ease the towability. You know, there's not the wind resistance or other kinds of things involved in that. And so not just being able to have the, uh, capacity, weight capacity to tow them, but also just the comfort of, you know, you tow 'em and then you don't even know it's back there.
Tony
Oh, right, yeah. And you're in Pennsylvania. Are you in the Amish country?
Brett Randall
Not, not really.
Tony
Okay.
Brett Randall
We're in a c- a town called Mount Pleasant. Uh, as I mentioned earlier, it's about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh. We'll employ, uh, depending on the seasonality, any- anywhere from about 70 to 90 people here locally. We have a corporate office that's in the Pittsburgh market, but everything is made here, and we source as much as we can locally, and we look to do as much as we can in-house.
Tony
Do you build your own frames too, or?
Brett Randall
We don't. We have a partnership. Uh, we've designed, uh, our own frames, and then we have a local partner who's about five minutes away who actually has robotic welding, and they'll actually do our designs for us, weld it, and then we have two other finishing companies that will do the, uh, uh, the painting. Okay.
Tony
Interesting. Okay. That-... and then, your hard-sided, they're a laminated build, if I'm not mistaken.
Brett Randall
They are.
Tony
Do you use a vacuum or a pinch roller system, or...?
Brett Randall
Uh, so, uh, both. We, we have a pinch roller system that we make our own panels. So it's a fiberglass exterior with a foam core, uh, because we're obviously very focused on weight. Some of the units do have some wood in certain parts of them for structural integrity that we need. And then we have, uh, typically an Azdel or a luan on the interior of it. And what we'll do is, uh, you know, we'll, we'll laminate, uh, and pinch roll them, and then we vacuum-seal them for about eight hours, and then the panel-
Tony
Oh, wow.
Brett Randall
... is ready to go. And then we have five CNC machines, so we do our own routing. Everything's programmed so, you know, that the level of quality's gonna be consistent every time. Nice.
Tony
So I, I'm gonna say, I, I don't know if everybody realizes how different that is because if you go to a lota RV factories, you see a guy with a, like, a dude with a router-
Brett Randall
Yeah.
Tony
... and it's like, "Oh, a window goes here." And he bangs the router against the side of the RV, and they're like, errr, and sometimes they miss.
Tony
Those, those guys are pretty good, but-
Brett Randall
Yeah, well, not, not only do they miss, I mean, it's hard to, you know, I mean, to control 'em. I mean, you know, we're humans and doing the same thing, you know, over and over, cutting out all the different little holes. Uh, that's how we used to do it, uh, with routers. But about six or seven years ago, we invested in the CNC machines and, and literally, you program them, you lay the panel down, and it will, it goes around and cuts out every opening so you know it's perfect. And also, you know, when you're doing it by hand, you have a lot of jaggedy edges and, and, and those kinda things.
Brett Randall
Whereas when you, uh, you know, the machines can do it, and it's also a safety issue, you know, for our folks 'cause these panels can get a little bit heavy. So we don't have to have our folks lifting and moving these panels around because the machine's able to do it. Right.
Tony
Yeah. I, that's why I wanted to call out how different that is-
Brett Randall
Yeah.
Tony
... because it, these, you know, it's funny, all these little details on how a product is built add up over time, and that's why-
Brett Randall
Right.
Tony
... your product, I mean, 41 years in business, that's why it has such a, continues to have such a good reputation.
Brett Randall
Oh, thank you. We, you know, we're proud, I think, over the last decade or so, we've done a lot of things both, number one, to really focus on, uh, you know, making sure that we were best in brand as far as A-frame campers were, the quality was there, and also, B, you know, on the leading end of looking at things that we need to do to innovate, uh, you know, with solar and with, you know, USB ports and all the things that everybody now expects in the camper, and get away from the RVs of 20, 30 years ago, which were all tan and gray and had swooshes all over them-(laughs) ...
Brett Randall
and give them a little bit more of a, a cool look, a cool factor to it. So, but everything's a work in progress, right? I mean, y- you know, you're always trying to adapt, you're always trying to improve, and, and, uh, you know, uh, the world, everything moves so fast these days, right?
Tony
Yeah.(laughs) Well, and then since you brought up solar, you have an all-electric version-
Brett Randall
We do.
Tony
... of the Aliner. Tell us a little about that 'cause that's, we're big fans of solar systems, solar and lithium power and trailers and...
Brett Randall
Yes, we came out two years ago with, uh, the, we, we call them the Amp Series. So we have both an Ascape Amp, and then we also have an Aliner Amp, and basically, uh, you've got a couple of, uh, 400 watt solar panels on top. You have the ability, it comes standard with one lithium battery, but you can add additional if you'd like it. You know, the areas that we've really seen a, a lot of focus is as you move more west of the Mississippi, where people are, you know, heavy into, you know, boondocking and getting off grid for four or five days, you know, these are nice options for them because, you know, as long as they have a little bit of sunlight, uh, you know, they can hang out there for a while.
Tony
And since overlanding, as you know, has become such a big part of the market, or at least interest, right? I don't know, don't know how much it actually turns into numbers-
Tony
... but it's certainly p- stuff people are talking about. Do you offer models with a more upgraded suspension for overlanding, or tire and wheel packages, that sorta thing?
Brett Randall
So yeah, we, we have, for all of our models, what we call, like, an off-road type of package, which, you know, uh, the tires are a little bit beefier, the suspension's a little bit beefier. You know, we obviously caution folks to use good common sense, you know, at the same time as to where they take it, but it's, but it's much more sturdier than the typical on-road brand.
Tony
Yeah. That's, that's cool. And being a lighter trailer, it's easier to get into places where there are fewer people.
Brett Randall
It is. I mean, uh, the, the size of it, uh, I- is, I mean, you, you can take it off road, and, and, and you can get it into areas comfortably, and, and like I said, it, you know, the, the weight of it and then the easy setup's kinda nice. You can park yourself there for a couple of days and enjoy yourself and get away from the world.
Tony
Yeah. Um, so you had mentioned the Ascape, or the Ascape? How-
Brett Randall
Ascape.
Tony
... do you say it? Ascape?
Brett Randall
Ascape.
Tony
So mentioning it as a teardrop, and I think the common thought is a teardrop, the pointy bits towards the back, and the squared-off bits in the front. You guys flipped it. You turned the tables on us.
Brett Randall
Oh. Cool. We did flip it, and the teardrop, I, I think, more I call it, like the, in the teardrop family. Yeah. But we did a lot of research into aerodynamics because we'd always focus on the ease of towability, and, uh, with the way that w- we set it up, it tows so much more smoothly, and then it has a rear entrance, so you can enter in the back and you walk in, uh, we have shower and potty models available. Uh, you know, it's set up so that, you know, you, you've got a dinette in there and......
Brett Randall
full service. It's a wonderful trailer for one or two people who want something that's easy to tow. They don't wanna have to worry about any type of setup or tear down.
Tony
That's pretty, yeah, it's a unusual, in a good way, design. But lastly-
Peggy
Speaking of unusual-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... in a good way-
Tony
I want-
Peggy
... I wanna hear more about that truck camper.
Tony
Yeah. It's-
Brett Randall
Right.
Tony
... I saw it and, and I look at a lot of RVs. I write reviews for RV Trader, RV Travel, Stressed As Camping, on and on, and, uh, I saw that and my eyes, I did... I don't know if you ever remember the Gumby cartoon-
Brett Randall
Yeah.
Tony
... where his eyes went... But I saw that and I'm like, "Oh, look at that."
Brett Randall
Well, we- we are in- incredibly excited about the Switchback. It's about a year in design. Uh, we just launched production, actually, this summer and are, are ramping it up. But, uh, you know, we're, we're so excited about it, because it's under 400 pounds.
Tony
Wow.
Brett Randall
And it folds down and, and we made it so that it can go into the, uh, uh, the first edition can go into just about a- any truck model. And then it pops up. Again, it's very easy to open and close. But for hunters and, and people who enjoy fishing, it's got two long pullout drawers on the bottom. They're lockable, so if you wanna keep, uh, you know, guns in there or something along those lines, you can do that safely and securely. And it's very comfortable. We have it with, uh, uh, a double bed or an option to make it into two twins.
Brett Randall
So it's, um, you know... We're really excited about this product. Be showing it at the Hershey Show in September, and then also at the Elkhart Open House later that month. Uh, but there's already a couple out there on dealers' lots and, uh, you know, so far, you know, people are getting excited about it on social media.
Tony
Well, I mean, th- at that weight, it's, you're easily... 'Cause most of the time, you, if you have a half ton truck, the last thing you want is a pickup camper-
Peggy
Right.
Brett Randall
Right.
Tony
... because they're just way too much and at 400 pounds-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... I mean, that's... What... Tell us a little about how they're outfitted inside, because you really have to see it to, to get an idea of what you're doing there.
Brett Randall
We tried to keep it lean. We, we wanted it to be at, at, uh, uh, you know, our in- our initial version here, to be at a good price point so that it could MSRP under, uh, $10,000. And we wanted it to be as light as possible. So on the inside, you know, you, you have the ability to have electric in there. Uh, there is USB, there's a solar port should you, you know, choose to add that. But it's pretty lean. But the nice thing is when you pop it up, you can actually stand up in it, which is not, you know, typical.
Brett Randall
And then it has an area, so if you wanna set up a little dinette, you can. But it's, it's really designed to be, uh, a lightweight, economical option for somebody who, who really wants some- somewhere to sleep.
Tony
Yeah, and I mean, we priced just fiberglass empty caps for our truck and they were like five to $7,000 and there's nothing in them.
Peggy
Yeah.
Brett Randall
Yeah.
Tony
It's just fiberglass shells with-
Peggy
And you don't stand up in them.
Tony
No, you don't stand up in them.
Brett Randall
And that was part of our goal when we designed it. We, we wanted to be able to desi- design something that had enough, but also was, uh, uh, an affordable product for people to get in. You know, down the road, we'll probably enhance it and ad- add more options. But this way, if somebody, you know, if they're looking for something to get in that's light, it's, it's a great option for them.
Tony
Yeah. It's, it's so, it's so different and just such a... I think you nailed it, in my opinion.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
But-
Brett Randall
Thank you. I-
Tony
That's-
Brett Randall
We hope so.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Yeah, I hope so too. Yeah, I always like to see people do well. And that's something with pickup campers. Some of them are so huge-
Brett Randall
Yeah.
Tony
... that you need a one-ton truck. And we've all seen the pictures of the RAM 3500, the frame's split in half. That's not happening here.(laughs)
Peggy
Right.
Brett Randall
No. And, and, and, and, and, you know, for, for some customers, you, you know, that's a potentially good option for them, but it's obviously at a much different price point and they have to have a much different vehicle in it. What we, what we were trying to intend with the Switchback is, is to m- keep it light, keep it affordable, and functional.
Tony
And something that I th- I think, coming from an area where there were a lot of people who enjoyed fishing, one of the advantages of having a pickup camper is you still have your trailer hitch.
Brett Randall
You do.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
So, you know, obviously you wanna know your tow numbers-
Peggy
Take your boat.
Tony
... but you could bring your boat and a camper and you're... You have it all.
Peggy
Yeah.
Brett Randall
You can bring a boat, you can bring a quad, a motorcycle, whatever you wanna throw on the back of it. So that was one of the things that we really wanted to make sure that you could put up the, the back bed so that they could use the hitch and bring something else along.
Peggy
We have-
Tony
Or-
Peggy
... kind of thought of it kind of backwards. For us, we've thought about doing that on the back of our truck so that we have the travel trailer and that's what we camp in. But then we have a small truck camper for either a quick weekend getaway or for Tony to have an office-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... outside the camper.
Tony
Wouldn't that be cool? Like, you make it a mobile office.
Brett Randall
We'll work on that, Tony.(laughs)
Peggy
Really all it would take is turning the twin bed into a desk.
Brett Randall
Yeah.
Peggy
You know?
Tony
Well, or just a seat and a table-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... and you're set.
Peggy
Yeah.
Brett Randall
Well, and, and it's not just even for the Switchback. You, you make a great point, Peggy, and, uh, we have seen obviously since COVID with the av- availability for people to work remotely-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Brett Randall
... and we're seeing a lot more of that where people are wanting to use their recreational vehicles. And I, I also sit on the, uh, RV Industry Association's Board of a Directors and, and, and we, we're working very actively at legislation to help enhance the amenities, particularly wifi, you know, in parks so that, that people can go and be able to work. Enhancing the quality and, and maintenance of, of the bathrooms and, and the other facilities as, as well as the trails. You know, because we have such a beautiful country to explore-
Tony
Yeah.
Brett Randall
... and, uh, you know, we, we wanna make it so that everybody out there, uh, really enjoys their experiences.
Tony
And with the Switchback, when it's folded, it's the same height as the cab of the truck, right?
Brett Randall
It's actually a little lower.
Tony
... a little lower?
Peggy
Okay.
Brett Randall
Yeah.
Tony
So you're, again, you're not incurring really a mileage penalty on the highway.
Peggy
Right.
Brett Randall
No, I mean, at, at under 400 pounds, you're, you know, you're not really doing it. You don't have any aerodynamic issues with it. So, you know, they won't even know it's in the back. Now, if you throw a boat on the back, you'll know it, but...
Brett Randall
Yeah, well, yeah, then you'll know.
Tony
Or if you're our buddy, Byron, who puts his S10 that he just went 100... 207 miles an hour with-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... at Bonneville. Holy cow. Shout out, Byron.
Peggy
Byron.
Brett Randall
That's great.
Tony
Well, anything else we should share with people about Aliner? I mean, you guys are doing some innovative stuff there.
Brett Randall
Well, you know, I, I think sure. I mean, I could sit here and talk about Aliner all day, but, you know, I think the thing to share is, is that, uh, uh, the, the industry, uh, as a, as a whole, you know, the manufacturers, the suppliers, uh, the dealers, the campground owners, we are all working to try to make sure that the experience for everybody when they're out there, uh, i- is wonderful, both, both at the private level and the federal and state run levels. And so, you know, I just love to share that to folks that we're all in this thing together.
Brett Randall
We're trying to make this experience the best that it can be for everybody and all families.
Tony
That's a good thing. And I mean, we're big RV advocates for obvious reasons. Here we sit in our RV at an RV show.
Tony
And we'll be at... We'll be at Open House and-
Peggy
Hershey.
Tony
... Hershey as well.
Brett Randall
Oh, great.
Tony
So we'll definitely seek you out.
Brett Randall
Oh, no, you have to come. I'll, I'll, I'll be there at both, so I, I, I look forward to meeting you in person.
Tony
Oh, yes.
Peggy
Yes. That'd be great.
Tony
Absolutely. Well, we sure appreciate your taking your time to spend some time with us, and also adapting to our wacky schedules-
Peggy
Yes, thank you.
Tony
... and your little buddy.
Brett Randall
I am totally fine. I, I was just glad we were able to connect. I, I am not necessarily Mr. Computer, so when I wasn't able to get in-
Brett Randall
... I'm trying to think of what I'm doing wrong. Really appreciate you guys taking the time and, and having an interest to have a chat today. And, and for you and, and for anybody else, uh, they can go to aliner.com and, and, um, you know, find any information on any of our products. And certainly look up the RV Industry Association if they want to find anything else about the industry.
Peggy
Brett, thank you so much for your time today. We really appreciate and getting more information about Aliner, and we look forward to seeing you a couple of times over the next month. But in the meantime, thanks for your time today and we will talk to you soon.
Brett Randall
Peggy and Tony, it was an absolute pleasure, and I really appreciate sharing with folks, and thank you again.
Peggy
Thank you.
Tony
Thank you.
Brett Randall
Great.
Peggy
I kind of wonder how much solar could fit on the top of an Aliner(laughs) and what ABC could do to one of those little guys.
Tony
Uh, w- I'd be curious myself.
Tony
And, you know, that's one of the neat things about working with ABC Upfitters on their Mastervolt Power Systems, is that they really tailor the systems to your camping style and what you think you'll need. But the good thing is, if you haven't figured out exactly what you need now, the systems are flexible enough that they can add or modify the systems later. You're not just stuck with whatever you decide on today.
Peggy
Yeah, yeah.
Tony
You can upgrade or change over time to fit your camping style. So, as you discover, uh, "Oh, uh, you know, we do this and we didn't think we'd be able to do that," and whatever-
Peggy
Right.
Tony
... uh, just give our friends at ABC Upfitters a call and they can help you out, either if it's the new install or upgrading an existing install. And where would I find them?
Peggy
How are we gonna go about giving them a call?
Tony
How about 574-333-3225?
Peggy
That's 574-333-3225. Or check 'em out on our website using this QR code, wherever it is.(laughs)
Peggy
Okay, YouTube watchers, this is when you make a note to go to the other video to watch the Goofy USA segment, and you listeners, you make a note to go to YouTube and watch the Goofy USA segment.
Tony
Well, this week's Goofy USA is all about these 21-foot tall fiberglass people. And it is the international fiberglass giants, and some people call them muffler men. This all kind of started when the '50s fiberglass was kind of new and was starting to really make its way into boats and some cars and other things. And fiberglass had really started to make its way. And rodeo enthusiast Bob Pruett had an idea that instead of building trailers, horse trailers out of metal, he was gonna try to build these horse trailers out of fiberglass.
Peggy
Oh.
Tony
But he didn't want to drag a horse to rodeos and that sort of thing, so-
Tony
... he made a fiberglass horse too, and it fit inside the trailer and it was-
Peggy
Oh, man.
Tony
... actual size, right? That way he didn't have to feed it and all that. It was just a fiberglass horse that stood in the, in the trailer
Peggy
But it was a real-
Brett Randall
Wow.
Peggy
... life-sized horse. So it would show that these horse trailers would fit a horse.
Tony
So guess what? He started selling fiberglass horses. He wasn't horsing around.
Tony
That was his main business.(drum roll)
Peggy
Oh, no.
Tony
Oh, yeah.
Tony
But as that grew, he started making other stuff. He had a, basically a whole fiberglass farm full of offerings, including cows, calves, bears, roosters, and even cowboys riding bucking broncos.
Peggy
Oh my goodness. So then the call came in from Sacramento and he got in a, an order for a giant Paul Bunyan. Well, that's not an animal.
Peggy
But Pruett made the molds to make a man, and just as he was ready to deliver the Bunyan to his new home, the restaurant canceled the order.
Tony
Ugh.
Peggy
Well, he was already good at selling fiberglass things, so he took Paul Bunyan on Route 66 and didn't have to go far before he found a customer in Arizona for the big Paul.
Tony
Yep. And you don't make big people and not get noticed, and Steve Dashew, who had a boat building business in Venice, California-... was looking to keep his boat builders busy in the off season, so Desue offered to buy the mold and the rights to Pruitt's creations, and thus went the business of making fiberglass farm animals and fiberglass people.
Peggy
Big fiberglass people.
Tony
Yep. Desue's company, International Fiberglass in Venice, California, soon began selling more and more of the titanic Paul Bunyans. Back in the '60s, these statues sold for about $1,800 to $2,800 each, which, in nowadays dollars, is $14,000 to $22,000.
Peggy
Yee. In 1966, Desue applied for a patent for a trailer to easily move and place the American giants. He also continued making the farm critters, and he even expanded into dinosaurs, tigers, and Yogi Bears.
Tony
Hey, Boo-Boo.
Tony
In all, hundreds of the enormous people were created, and many of them survive to this day. Some are still in relatively original condition with their paint and such. Others have received costume changes in the ensuing years.
Peggy
Those are fun to see.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
The outstretched arms on one side of these and the raised and upturned hand in the other were a great way to hold a large muffler in front of a muffler shop, and thus the term Muffler Men stuck.
Tony
One of the places you can still find a number of Muffler Men is along Route 66 where you can see them in space outfits, holding various food items, and so much more.
Peggy
Today, there's a resurgence in the interest in the fantastic fiberglass fellows, and Joel Baker has really spearheaded that interest with his video series. But Mark Klein is not to be outdone, and he has the molds for many of these giants, and he is recreating them.
Tony
Yep. In fact, you can see Mark's creations along Route 66 in a lot of places, including Tulsa, Oklahoma at Buck Atom Atomic Curios-
Tony
... whose shirt I have on today, where owner and visionary Mary Beth Babcock has aspired the creation of Buck himself, and recently with Stella, his better half-
Tony
... and one of the very few female giants.
Peggy
Right. There's also Metal Gold Mack, the friendly lumberjack, and he was residing in a local attic for many years, and now he's standing proudly tall in front of Metal Gold Artist Shop Collective. Uh, but that's not all. A new giant is coming to town.
Tony
My question is: who has a 21-foot-tall dude in their attic and just, "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," but-
Peggy
Yeah, why would you put something like that in your attic?
Peggy
How do you put something like that in your attic?
Tony
Yeah, that's for sure.
Peggy
Yeah. So what started as an advertising gimmick has grown into a following of both original and new giants. In fact, we ourselves have been lured by one of these giants, well, many of these giants, but particularly Lumi, who stands tall in front of the Country Air Cafe in Atlanta, Illinois, and has brought us back multiple times for incredible food and ooh la la desserts.
Tony
Oh, my gosh. Award-winning desserts.
Peggy
Award-winning desserts.
Tony
And since we're in Atlanta, did you know it's the home to the American Giants Museum, which houses a number of Joel Baker's giants in a recreation of an old Texaco station where these 21-foot giants stand outside, and more pieces of history spend time inside. So we have a whole video about the American Giants Museum.
Peggy
And we don't wanna forget the other giant in Missouri who stands tall outside the Uranus Fudge Factory, where he celebrates America and assures passerby that...
Tony
The best fudge comes from Uranus.
Peggy
And that, my friends, is Goofy USA.
Tony
Goofy USA.
Peggy
Well, while we were talking to Brett, we found out, well, we kind of knew, but you found out about kind of their new line of truck campers.
Tony
Yeah. So this is called the SwitchBack. It's really unusual package, and I have a full review at stresslesscamping.com under the Honest RV Reviews, but essentially, it is a folding truck camper that is effectively just two beds, but it can be one large bed with, like, an insert that goes between them. But the good thing about this is that it only weighs about 375 pounds, so it'll work on full-sized trucks or mid-sized trucks.
Tony
And because it's a truck camper, you can still tow a trailer, you know, obviously you wanna know your tow numbers, but all-metal cons- or, you know, it's all aluminum actually. There are two huge drawers underneath this thing.
Peggy
Yeah. Practically beds themselves.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah, it's just really clever design that's affordable under $10,000, that, and that's the list price, and, uh, very well made, and something different. And we have our story about the SwitchBack, but also some tips as to how you can take that camper and turn it into a full camping package. So check that out at stresslesscamping.com. But the SwitchBack is really unusual, in a good way.
Peggy
Okay, so it's summertime. There's a lot of sun out there. If you are an off-gridded, a boondocker, a solar lover-
Peggy
... and you are using solar panels to keep your batteries going so you can go camping, uh, this is a little reminder to keep those things clean.
Tony
Yeah, and we have a, a handy trick for this. We bought some, like, cleaning cloths from Almost Heaven Microfiber, really good guy there, well, really good people there, and we have a long extension pole and a U. And we screw the pole into the U and then screw the cleaning system onto the other half-
Peggy
Okay, for those listening, you, if you're watching, you can see what's Tony's calling a U, but what it's really called is an RV slide suite.
Tony
And-
Peggy
And it's a U-shaped kind of-... pole extension.
Tony
Right.
Peggy
Like a broom extension.
Tony
So you can stand on the ground and clean your solar panels, or clean the top of your slide out, and again, never have to leave the ground. And it makes it easy, and it's a great tool for doing that.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
So if you're looking for a way to... And I also do roof inspections by putting a camera on that pole.
Peggy
That's right. So we will put links to that Mr. Long Arm pole that we use. We have two of them, and one of them extends to like 12 feet, which we don't really need that high to get up on the roof, but(laughs) it makes a really fun selfie stick.
Tony
Yeah.
Tony
We've used it at campgrounds too. It, it's, it's interesting.
Peggy
There's also links to the RV Slide Sweep, and the Almost Heaven microfiber.
Tony
Yes, there are.
Peggy
Speaking of Almost Heaven, I'm gonna do the gadget report this week and tell you about their fast-drying microfiber bath towels, and their, their RV drying towel. Now why am I talking about a RV drying towel in association with bath towels? Well, to me, that RV drying towel is exactly the size for a hair towel. I can't... My hair towel can't be a big bulky towel, 'cause I can't get it, you know, wrapped around my hair.
Peggy
They do sell those hair, like drying turbans. I don't really like those. But I love using the RV drying towel as a hair towel when I get out of the shower. So, those two things... Oh, one of the great things about the microfiber towels, and you know, all, you know, most microfiber, is that it's really fast-drying. And I'm gonna tell you, this humidity is about to do me in.
Tony
Oh my gosh, it i- it's pretty, it's pretty oppressive here in Indiana right now.
Peggy
And we have been in places where the humidity is so high that our bath towels can't even dry. But that is not the case now. They're very fast-drying, and they really work well. They dry you, and then they dry themselves(laughs) pretty rapidly. If you're not a big fan of microfiber because of the texture, know that there are lots of different k- kind of qualities and textures of microfiber, and Almost Heaven carries a style of microfiber that is really lovely.
Tony
Yeah, and they're just good people.
Peggy
All right, well last week's question of the week, I forgot to post on Thursday morning. I didn't post it until Friday morning, and this is Saturday, so there aren't very many answers to report back right now.
Tony
By the way, it's Thursday in your timezone.
Peggy
In your timezone. Well, you know, when we're recording. I did ask you if you had any tips, based on last week's episode, any tips about finding or using apps for free campsites. We did talk about apps last week for finding free camping, because we were actively using apps-
Peggy
... last week for finding free camping.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And so that was our question of the week. And, uh, you're just gonna have to go look for the answers, because I don't have any yet to report.
Tony
Well, that's a great reason to visit our Fun and Friendly Stressless Campers Facebook group.
Peggy
Absolutely. And that's also gonna be where, hopefully I don't forget this week to post the question, what's the most that you have paid for a campsite?
Tony
What's the most that we have paid?
Peggy
And, and, kind of bonus question, was it worth it?
Tony
Yeah. Right?
Peggy
And if it was worth it, show me some pictures of why it was worth it.
Tony
Yeah, right? And what, what'd you get for the bucks?
Peggy
I think our highest that I can recall was in the $80 range. It was at Camp Margaritaville, in um-
Tony
Crystal Beach.
Peggy
... in Crystal Beach, on Bolivar Peninsula in Texas on the Gulf Coast. They were still building it.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And I think that that's why the price wasn't so low. I was looking today, and the prices are, eh, a little over $100 a night mostly. And I think it's because now they've got a lot of the things open that were still being constructed when we were there. Uh, I, I don't know, 100... It has to be something really, some really big reason to spend 100.
Tony
Well they did have a swim-up bar.
Peggy
Well, they did. And we, we did it because we wanted to stay at a Camp Margaritaville.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Uh, I, if it had been much more than 100, we may not have stayed at a Camp Margaritaville.
Tony
No. We'd have been wasting away in somebody else's ville.
Peggy
Yeah. So again, you know, if you have some place that you've spent an incredible amount of money, and it was so worth it to you, I want to know about it. And you can answer that question at our Fun and Friendly Stressless Campers Facebook group.
Tony
Indeed. And you can pose your own questions and share and get questions answered and all that-
Peggy
That's right.
Tony
... stuff.
Peggy
And you can also get our weekly newsletter, which is fun and friendly and absolutely free.
Tony
Yeah, and we do give away, uh, stuff there.
Peggy
That's right.
Tony
We are giving, actively, uh, taking names for a contest this week, and we'll probably have one for next week too. You never-
Peggy
Oh, you never know.
Tony
... know.
Peggy
So just go to any page on our website and sign up for the weekly newsletter. Know that you're just gonna get one newsletter a week. We're not going to send anything more. We're not going to s- give your information away. We're just gonna use it to remind you about the podcast, and maybe give some stuff away.
Tony
Indeed. Uh, and speaking of stuff-
Peggy
Hmm.
Tony
... you can check out our new favorite RV products section, which often has discounts and deals, and lists of some of our favorite products, which is worth sharing. Also while you're at stresslesscamping.com, you can look at the show notes for this, which has the links to all the stories, including our story on the American Giants Museum, all of that, at our home on the web also, at stresslesscamping.com.
Peggy
And when you've read everything on stresslesscamping.com-You're probably very, a very old person.
Peggy
But when you're done reading there, you can jump off and find us in all of the social places. We are going to ask you, and I stole this idea from someone else in a podcast, please tell one friend about us.
Tony
Yeah, just one.
Peggy
I mean, you could tell lots of people too, but if you would just commit to telling one friend, and they tell two friends, and they tell two friends.
Tony
Wow, it's like an old shampoo commercial.
Tony
And if you get that, you've been around the world.
Peggy
Yeah. Anyway, we do appreciate any sharing that you do with your friends, with your family, with other people at rallies, with people at the grocery store-
Peggy
... with I don't even care if you don't like 'em.
Tony
People in the campground's probably the best place.
Peggy
Yeah, people in the campgrounds, p- p- campground are probably interested-
Tony
Bibbidi-bobbidi.(laughs)
Peggy
... in Stressless Camping. So you know that if you are listening by audio, you don't wanna miss a future episode of the Stressless Camping podcast.
Tony
It is free.
Peggy
It is free to subscribe on any podcast catcher. And we are saving you a seat around our virtual campfire.
Tony
Wow. Boy, the air feels like a virtual campfire.
Peggy
It feels like a campfire. And(laughs) if you're watching us on YouTube, we're gonna pause a moment so you can find that button that says thumbs up.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
The other one that says subscribe.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
And then when you're done here, which will just be in a couple of minutes, you can click a link that says share, and you can email it, or post it on Facebook, or print it a whole bunch of times for those people at the grocery store.
Tony
Wow.
Peggy
Whatever you wanna do, however you wanna share, we really, really appreciate it-
Tony
Yeah, it's a small act-
Peggy
... when you do.
Tony
... that really makes a big difference to us. Well, that's all we have for you this week. We really appreciate your being with us here. If you are at the F.R.O.G. Rally, don't forget, we're on site 200.
Peggy
Site 200.
Tony
Come on down.
Peggy
Come on.
Tony
It's what we do.
Peggy
Or if you can't find us here, we're in the tiki bar right across the street.
Tony
Right, correct.
Tony
Well, thank you so much. Have a great week, and most of all...
Peggy
Stressless camping.
Tony
Stressless camping.
Mark Ferrell
We hope you learned a lot, and had some fun, and got some tips for your next stress-less camping adventure. We're honored by your reviews on Apple Podcasts, which helps others find us too. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss out on the adventure, and we look forward to your joining us next week. Until then, happy camping.
Tony
Wait, train.
Peggy
Train.
