October 29, 2018
If you have looked through our website, Facebook or Instagram you may have noticed a little SA shaped like a trailer. That's Terry! Well, that's not the actual Terry but a little icon logo we have on most of our stuff to make sure we don't forget where we came from and why we will always remain Subaverage. Below is a little bit about old Terry and what he means to us.
Born in 1973, Terry was a spanking new state of the art travel trailer, most likely purchased into a loving family who took him unimaginable adventures. Rolling on shiny new wheels with crisp clear windows, Terry was reppin a remarkable two-tone paint job that would have taken your breathe away. Over four decades of highway miles and bumpy gravel roads, many new faces thoroughly enjoyed all the amenities he had to offer. As with all his trailer brethren, heavy use and weather had begun to take its toll, the exterior faded along with paint slowly chipping away, windows cracked and the roof began to sprout leaks; Terry spent more and more days in storage, praying for some TLC and to be taken out in the post peak of his prime. Battling against a looming future left forgotten, or the darker fate of the dreaded landfill.
Hope was reignited for ole beloved Terry as the SUB7 had placed an ad in the local classifieds, searching for the perfect trailer to turn into there very own rolling camp. It wasn't long before we received a call that would make all of our dreams come true.
Laying our eyes on Terry for the first time was true love. We met the owner in the middle of the night, overcast and a slight rainfall; somehow Terry passed our stringent inspection standards. Four newish tires, foggy leaking windows and door that was jammed shut; Terry inhaled relief as his door was opened for a breathe of fresh air while we stepped into a rotten floor reaking of mildew and potential. Brushing off some dust, we examined the forced air furnace while envisioning the warmth it would crank out this snowy hunting season in sub zero temps. The Sub7 scrounged together an assortment of various bills to barely meet the asking price of $400 and shook on the deal that would forge the path to Subaverage!
Celebratory woo-yippin as we packed a dip and hooked up Terry for the 150 km of backroads, Terry was taken on his first and last voyage home before a complete makeover transformation. SubAverage plans for a SubAverage trailer, our requirements were simple; a hunting camp that was well insulated, dry and could house 10 grown men around a table and in bunks.
With a case of crispy beers and hammers in hand, we ripped everything from Terry that we had deemed useless; walls, windows, beds, wiring, plumbing, cabinets and more! We replaced all the rotted wood, installed a 3 tier bunk bed that could sleep a total of 12 guys on one end, the other was retrofitted with a games table worthy of seating all guests. A few more touches such as a cooktop and coat rack for all of our gear was incorportated. Naturally, we boarded up all but 3 tiny windows in the trailer to make sure it stayed warm on those cold winter nights in northern Alberta. The logic at the time of the window removal was that it's dark when you leave for the morning hunt and dark when you get back in the evening so why do we need windows. What we didn't consider was the looming issue of a fire in a 40-year-old trailer, looking back now I think we would have kept a one of the bigger windows. (edited)
Now good ole Terry has his quirks, his interior is painted with miss tints from the local hardware store and the tablecloth is some pancake patterned material we were able to source much like all the other materials; on sale! The bunk beds have cushions scavenged from about 4 different trailers and the plugin for the furnace power is an old extension cord that hangs on the outside of the trailer held on by some trusty tie wire. Over the years Terry has evolved, the walls are now covered in photos of years past and yearly coats of new silicone on the roof and everywhere else ensures we stay dry.
Best of all Terry is full of memories, it's a place where we gather with friends to share some crispy beers and swap stories of the buck that got away (and trust me there is a lot of bucks that got away). Terry was given a new life and at the same time improved all of ours, everyone one of us looks forward to the next trip. Without Terry, SubAverage just wouldn't be the same.
We have embraced our shortcomings as much as Terry has embraced us, we give it our almost every year ensuring we always stay Subaverage!
Sub-signing out until the next time. Stay Sub
