Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Custom Boy Scout Trailer on a Budget

As a Scoutmaster, I often get questions regarding our trailer when we go to Scouting events - so here is a rundown of our trailer in case anyone else is interested.

Troop 192 bought the Featherlite Model 1610 aluminum trailer used from Craigslist a few years back. Our former Scoutmaster researched quite awhile to find this one with a concession door. I think we paid about $2500 for it at the time. I’ve seen the MSRP list for about $13K, with sale prices new about $9K. We sold our old trailer for about $1,000 to offset the costs. Our troop has an annual pop can drive that helped pay for the balance.This unit has dome lights, 12v light, etc.

We modified the concession door to make it a pantry and added a pullout cork board for duty rosters and camp info.

 Weight according to a flyer found online is 1,850, but that doesn’t include the shelving inside (metal and wood). With all of our gear, I’m guessing it weighs around 6-7,000 lb. This unit has dome lights, 12v light, etc.

 I took the photos. We wanted to show our boys in action, but without the faces, so it would be a promotion of Boy Scout in general and now just our troop. We happened to have some parents in our troop that worked in the sign industry at SignGraphix - they helped with the design and really made this a reality. Graphics Communications in Shelby Township installed the vinyl. Cost for the printing and installation was about $2,200.



I consulted with the Marketing Communications Director from the Great Lakes Field Service Council and the National office regarding high-resolution graphics. Council was able to secure a higher res .eps file for one of the logos.
The only thing that National requested was that we include "www.BeAScout.org" on both sides of the trailer. You can find some of the logos here: http://scoutingwire.org/bsa-brand-center/scouting-logos/

The pantry really sets this trailer apart and makes an ideal setup by our dining fly. It really helps in kitchen prep and provides easy access to a lot of key items for food prep and essential cooking items.

A big thanks to our troop and committee members for supporting this long-term vision for promoting our troop in the Southeastern Michigan area.