Hello from Montana

Montalaskan

I'm Dave and my wife and I live in Billings, Montana.

Unfortunately, she has MS and our days of tent camping are over. I backpack and hammock camp when possible, but we're excited to have a ready-to-go camping rig. With being able to garage a T@B, we'll just keep it ready to go, so when we want to hit Yellowstone, Grand Teton or any of the other cool stuff in our backyard, we'll be set.

We don't own a T@B yet, but that's definitely the plan. It's first major trip will be this summer when my mom and I along with our dogs will drive to Kenai, Alaska. My wife's family lives there and we go as often as possible. (Hence the name "Montalaskan.") Mom has always wanted to go, but she has a romantic notion of driving, so I told her I was dragging her kicking and screaming if I had to!

Our TV will be our 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6 already labeled with the license plate "4KENAI" - we always intended to drive there. Oh, and that's also our dog's name.

We were attracted to T@B the first time we ever saw one, years ago in the parking lot of a Trader Joes in Portland, OR. We've always liked the idea of having something small that wouldn't be a pain in the butt to store and get ready to go. We've seen way too many people put a lot of money into a fancy RV only to have it parked 90% of the time because it's a pain to get it hitched up and ready to go.

I view T@Bs like the mobile version of the Tiny House movement. Minimize. Live simply. 

I'm a web designer/developer (I build user interfaces and user experience) and have an extensive background in graphic design and photography. So there is a very high chance that our T@B will be adorned with some of my artwork.

jkjenn

Dave, welcome. I am glad the T@b will continue to allow you and your wife to camp. I made my way through Billings on my way to Red Lodge and over the Beartooth Mountains in 2013. I would not mind living in that region, at all.

I am glad to see a graphic designer/developer join our ranks. I wrote a free universal Windows/Windows phone app, but I am not a developer, so it is extremely basic. Nonetheless, I use it. We really need someone to write a cross platform app using Xamarin or something similar, and I can't convince my brother, the real developer, to do it.

Hopefully you  will design some fun shirts and stickers and sell them for the T@b. We need them!

Montalaskan

LadyArtist said:

Welcome Dave and Mrs! Montana is a favorite place of mine. As an Airforce family, we were stationed at Malmstrom AFB, in Great Falls, 2 deployments in the 70's. I love Glacier NP. Have you ordered your T@B yet? There is a wait for build times, so you may want to get that process started so you have your T@B, get it outfitted and ready for that trip to Alaska. You may want to check out the postings in the Little Guy forum on this site, as a large group are planning a trip up the Alcan hwy this summer! Good luck. 

Haven't ordered yet, but went on lunch today and toured a few and I think we're fairly set on getting an "S" model. I kind of leaned CS-S but there are valid arguments to be made about cooking outside in the rain and mosquitos (the biggest predator in Alaska, including the brown bears.)

I'll definitely look for other T@B/LGers on the Alcan. I think we'll head up to Calgary, through Banff, over to the Cassiar Highway and follow it up to Tok, then down through Glennallen/Palmer/Anchorage around the Turnagain to our final destination of the Kenai Peninsula. That is, unless my mom wants to see Denali. Then it's Delta Junction/Fairbanks then south on the Parks Highway. Longer trip, but Denali is something else!

Montalaskan

jkjenn said:

Dave, welcome. I am glad the T@b will continue to allow you and your wife to camp. I made my way through Billings on my way to Red Lodge and over the Beartooth Mountains in 2013. I would not mind living in that region, at all.

I am glad to see a graphic designer/developer join our ranks. I wrote a free universal Windows/Windows phone app, but I am not a developer, so it is extremely basic. Nonetheless, I use it. We really need someone to write a cross platform app using Xamarin or something similar, and I can't convince my brother, the real developer, to do it.

The Beartooths are my stomping grounds. I set a goal when I turned 40 that I'll hike every mile of trail in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. 700+ miles of trail, most of it not through-hikes, so lots of doubling-back. I have to start soon!

My wife and I actually got married in Red Lodge and I've been going to our family "getaway" there since I was a baby. It's truly a special place to me. And the highway is beautiful. I'm glad you got to experience it.

Jimbo

Welcome, I have friends in Billings, but have lost contact with them over the years. They have or had a milk distribution company. Their last name is Heberling and we worked together in the electronics component manufacturing in Silicon Valley here in the Bay Area of California back in the 70-80's. Just thought there might be a chance you knew them. 

Best wishes to you and the family for a memorable trip and we here know you will enjoy your T@B. 

Montalaskan

Jimbo - every trip to Alaska is a memorable one! I'm spoiled that I get to go so often.

sabel

Montanalaska
Have you visited Bretz RV in Billings? They are the T@B dealer? I was there last week and they have three 2015 S models in stock.
Ask for Sonny and tell him the Wyoming Abel's sent you.

Montalaskan

Sable - I was just at Bretz today looking at their T@Bs. Only saw one S - silver with blue trim. The other two we saw were CS-S models - silver/red and silver/black.

I know they have two others on their reserve lot, a silver/black and a white/silver. I just don't know for sure what models they are as the salesperson was unsure.

sabel

The white/ silver one is an S model for sure
We almost bought that one. I think the white/black  one is too. Both have inside kitchens.