The S&S Camper team (names listed below)	S&S’s monster forklift built from a school bus	Gary Grafe, a.k.a. Inspector S&S
Doug Sieler and his father, Mic	Mic Sieler and his heavily modified 1954 Dodge truck	John Sieler and his dog, Buddy, and Sophie
Before interior finishing - Patrick Robertson, S&S’s Foreman	After interior finishing - Patrick Robertson, S&S’s Foreman	Doug demonstrates the strength of his drawers
A row of new S&S campers and the old Sieler home	Ed Cornelius installs LED rear lights	Terri Mansfield and Dean Olmstead skinning a new camper

Kalispell, Montana - S&S Campers is a company that runs by it’s own rules.  They build their frames with wood.  They only manufacture non-slides.  And they make changes to their campers almost everyday.  As a company, S&S seems fearless.


Uncle Chuck and the CNC Machine

Perhaps there’s no better way to illustrate the fearless nature of S&S than to talk about Uncle Chuck and the CNC machine.  Uncle Chuck is really Allen Sieler, a.k.a. Doug’s Uncle, but everyone calls him Chuck except for Doug.  Doug calls him Uncle Chuck, and so do we.  

Together with Doug, Uncle Chuck and CNC machine are constantly innovating a better S&S truck camper.  It can be as big as a whole new floor plan or as small as changing the way a door is mounted, but they’re innovating everyday.  Often a new Doug and Uncle Chuck idea comes off the CNC machine and is put right on the assembly line.  Fearless.


Full-Booth Dinettes for Every Model

The results of all this innovation can be clearly seen in their campers.  For example, one feature that really distinguishes S&S truck campers is their full-booth dinettes.  Not only do they feature full-booth dinettes in their 11 foot model, but also their 9.5 foot and 8.5 foot models as well.  To see an 8.5 foot truck camper with a full-booth dinette is really something, especially when you consider that it’s a non-slide!

As a designer, one of Doug’s primary goals has been to offer the look and feel of a slide-out truck camper without the slide.  With his full-booth dinettes, clever use of mirrored refrigerator and cabinet faces, lighter cabinet woods and warm fabrics, some may feel that he is well on his way to meeting that goal.  Of course Doug will be the first to admit that his wife, Crystal, is the real brain behind the inviting interior décor.

Another feature that distinguishes S&S’s truck campers is their roll out stairs to assist entry and exit from the over cab bedroom.  These stairs roll out from under the dinette and lock firmly in place.  For an aging population, these stairs could be a very strong selling point.  And take a close look at those stairs.  They came right out of Uncle Chuck’s head, onto the CNC machine, and into the campers.

Doug also showed us how their 8.5 foot model can fit a Honda 2000 portable generator no matter if you have a short or long bed truck.  Often a shorter truck camper will not be able to fit a generator if it’s used on a long bed.  Again Doug and his thirst for innovation has found a way to make it happen.


Inspector S&S

As a commitment to dramatically improve the quality of his company’s truck campers, Doug invited Gary Grafe back to S&S in 2002.  Gary had demonstrated a keen ability to spot quality control issues when he worked at S&S in the early 1990’s.

We came to think of Gary as Inspector S&S, but we heard the crew often has much more colorful names for him.  Of course everyone understands the importance of what Gary’s doing.  Effectively, Gary is the last stop before an S&S truck camper goes out the door and ends up on a dealer’s lot.

Gary’s philosophy is simple.  He wants every S&S camper to arrive at the dealership ready to sell, no manufacturing oversights to fix, no warranty repairs necessary.  In his eyes, every detailed quality check is of critical importance.

During our visit, we had the opportunity to watch Inspector S&S in action.  With his clipboard checklist, extendable inspection mirror, and skinny yellow tape, Inspector S&S went to work.  On the exterior, anything that needs attention gets marked with a strip of yellow tape.  He looks for imperfections in the fiberglass, misplaced staples or screws, bubbles or holes in the seals, and anything else his little meticulous extendable inspection mirror can find.

On the inside, Inspector S&S’s yellow tape is placed directly on his multi-page inspection checklist.  Once the manufacturing crew has addressed Inspector S&S’s yellow strips, he returns to make sure the fixes are to his satisfaction.  He’s checking his list twice.

We heard rumors of the production crew plotting to wrap Inspector S&S in his yellow tape and put his mirror in a most uncomfortable place.  But Doug is very happy with the improvements in quality Gary and the crew have achieved.


Briefly Meeting Mic Sieler

We were very fortunate to be at S&S when Doug’s father, Mic Sieler, stopped by.  Mic started S&S with a $5,000 FHA loan over thirty-five years ago.  Originally, he manufactured wood canopies for pick-up trucks.  When wood canopies were replaced by fiberglass, Mic started building truck campers.

As he told it, the first campers he built were an early style of camper called a doghouse.  Then he built stubby campers, four-foot overhang campers, and finally what we consider modern day truck campers.

Mic was most interested in showing me one of his original wood canopies that was on the S&S lot.  So we got into Mic’s 1954 turquoise-green Dodge truck and drove off.  About 1,000 feet later, we safely arrived at our destination and there, up on a metal scaffolding, was Mic’s wood canopy.  After more than twenty years, it looked to be in very good condition.

Mic is now retired and enjoying the good life between his Montana ranch and a boat he keeps in Vancouver.  Maybe someday we’ll get to interview Mic and bring you more of the rich history behind S&S.


Forklift Madness

No story about S&S would be complete without mentioning one of their favorite toys.  These crazy Montanans have turned a school bus into a monster forklift!  No longer is little Johnny getting a ride to kindergarten in this beast.  Oh no.  Now it’s a giant truck camper lifting machine.  Run, little Johnny, run!

We had the pleasure of watching the S&S crew use the school bus forklift on several occasions.  It works very well and they seem to use it all the time.  Doug even threatened to make us drive it but we managed to slip that experience by.  Maybe next time Doug, but then again, maybe not!


The S&S Vibe

S&S has a young fun and creative vibe.  This is a company that clearly enjoys what it does.  During the two days of our visit, quite a few people lingered after work hanging out as friends do.  You could say that S&S is a community of friends that just happen to make, sell, and service truck campers.  As we prepare to head to Canada, we will miss our new friends in Kalispell.  Rock on S&S.

For more information about S&S Campers, visit their web site at www.s-scampers.com .

The S&S Team: Christopher Alt, Cynthia Benefiel, Devonna Benware, Edward Cornelius, Jamie Enders, Gary Grafe, Merdith Hartsoch, Shawn Hayes, Jerry Hubbard, Sharon Johnson, Daniel Lewis, Terri Mansfield-Wright, David Mitchell, James Moore, Allen Nielsen, Dean Olmsted, Robert Perzinski, Michael Riedinger, Patrick Robertson, Allen Sieler, Crystal Sieler, Doug Sieler, John Sieler, Anthony Smith, William Tappan, John Thomson, John Timm