9TH NW SPRINTERFEST--Sat. 4/12/14; Tualatin, OR (w/ 4WD Sprinters for Test Drives)

[mhiscox]

Figuring that you're all really good at advanced planning, it's time to pass on the details of this year's Northwest SprinterFest, the annual low key West Coast get-together of Sprinter trucks, owners and interested onlookers. This NW SprinterFest, the ninth, will be held on Saturday, April 12th in Tualatin, OR, a few miles south of Portland just off I-5. They'll be a usual variety of Sprinter rigs, from work trucks to campers and motorhomes, both the older T1Ns and the new NCV3s; last year had something over 40 trucks. McCoy Freightliner will give demo drives and Upscale Automotive will be have their latest NCV3 4x4 conversion available for interested attendees. Additionally, for the first time, well-regarded converter Outside Vans of Hood River, OR, will be there with examples of their work, and AM Solar will share their solar expertise.

If you've any interest in Sprinters, either for street use or for overlanding, you should consider dropping by if you're in the area, especially if the weather turns out nice. (And assuming all goes well, Paul Jensen and I will be there with the T1N conversion that we've currently got underway.)

Note, too, that if you're on the opposite coast, you can save several thousand miles of driving by attending the equally-nifty SprinterFest East held in Mechanicsburg, PA. Historically, it's been held a couple weeks after the Northwest event. I'll post up when I learn the date for sure.

Here's the official blurb about NWSF:

Greetings Everyone,

The 9th Annual NW SprinterFest event will be held on Saturday April 12th, 2014 and it’s going to be a great one!

This year we will feature AM Solar who is the best in the business of solar power for your Sprinter. They will be giving a “Solar Savvy” seminar to help you understand the basics of “solarizing” your Sprinter. McCoy Freightliner will have a 2014 4-cylinder 7-speed Sprinter for everyone to look over. In addition, Outside Van will have a custom adventure van on site and be available to answer questions about a conversion made to order for you. We will have a NCV3 4wd Sprinter on display as well!

The event will be held at our shop from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm or until we’re finished. We will have a pot luck table for those that would like to share their favorite dish and we will have the Weber grill available for any cooking that you would like to do. There will be lots of custom built conversions to check out. In the past, we have all enjoyed checking out a variety of unique Sprinters so come on by and join in the fun!! If you have questions about the event, give us a call at 503-692-0846.

BTW, for those of you on the East Coast, don’t forget the SprinterFest East event held at Sun Motor Cars Mercedes Benz in Mechanicsburg, PA. Give them a call for the specifics of their event.

See you in April!

Sprinter Store
http://sprinterstore.com/
A division of Upscale Automotive, Inc.

19460 SW 89th Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062
503-692-0846

 

[mhiscox]

SprinterFest East is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd. As mentioned above, it'll be at Sun Motor Cars in Mechanicsburg, PA.

 

[mhiscox]

We got an updated report on the NWSF plans today from Upscale. It may be worth noting that Paul Jensen will attending to answer conversion questions, and we'll have both my XV-JP Jeep and my soon-to-be-finished Sprinter conversion in his display. And, of particular interest to this audience, Upscale's NCV3 Sprinter 4x4 conversion will be there as well.

Greetings Everyone,

The 9th Annual NW SprinterFest is getting real close and Saturday April the 12th is coming up real soon!! You can register for the event online by going to
SprinterFest Registration or give us a call at 503-692-0846 or just show up.

This year we have expanded the event and have added a Solar Savvy seminar that will be presented by Solar AM. We will have two conversion companies to answer
our conversion design questions, Outside Van and Paul Jensen Custom. We will also have the Glide Rite rear quad air bag suspension system on display and the
Bostrom factory rep for the Sprint Ride air suspension seat will be here to answer questions about the 2 seats that we will have on display. As usual, McCoy
Freightliner will be attending and will bring a brand new 4 cylinder 7 speed transmission Sprinter for everyone to look over. In addition, we will have our NCV3
4wd Sprinter on display and we will also have our redesigned slider and rear door screens for you to check out.

If you have Sprinter questions, are considering doing your own van conversion, are considering having a conversion made for you or are considering a brand new RV,
then this is the place to be!! There will be lots to see and do! In the past, we have all enjoyed checking out a variety of unique Sprinters so come on by and join
in the fun!!

For those of you that can't attend our west coast event, don't forget the SprinterFest East event which will be held Saturday, May 3rd, at Sun Motor Cars Mercedes
Benz in Mechanicsburg, PA. A special thanks goes to Stewart and the SprinterFest East crew for helping us with the online registration form.

Thank you and happy motoring,

Sprinter Store
sprinterstore.com
A division of Upscale Automotive, Inc.

19460 SW 89th Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062
503-692-0846

 

[mhiscox]

Yesterday's information. Bring a check; it looks like we've got more Sprinter dealers coming. :sombrero:

Greetings Everyone,

The 9th annual NW SprinterFest is approaching and April 12th will be here soon! We will add MB of Eugene, MB of Seattle and Paul Jensen Design (custom interiors) to the mix of 8 vendors and 1 seminar that will be available for you to take advantage of. We will have 2 Glide Rite air suspension systems on display along with air suspension seats, 4wd Sprinters and more! You can learn more about the event and register by going to http://www.softecusa.com/sprinterwest.html or give us a call at 503-692-0846 or just show up.

For those of you that can’t attend our west coast event, don’t forget the SprinterFest East event which will be held Saturday, May 3rd, at Sun Motor Cars Mercedes Benz in Mechanicsburg, PA. A special thanks goes to Stewart and the SprinterFest East crew for helping us with the on line registration form.

Thank you,
Sprinter Store
http://sprinterstore.com/
A division of Upscale Automotive, Inc.
19460 SW 89th Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062
503-692-0846

 

[mhiscox]

LATEST INFO . . .

From John at Upscale via the Sprinter Source forum:

”Solar Savvy” seminar presented by Solar AM, two conversion companies to answer your conversion design questions (Outside Van and Paul Jensen Custom), two Glide Rite quad rear air bag suspension systems on display, Bostrom factory rep for the Sprint Ride air suspension seat, McCoy Freightliner, MB of Eugene, MB of Seattle, our NCV3 4wd Sprinter and new products on display for you to check out. It’s gonna be a huge event this year! And for those of you that are considering the new Dodge ProMaster, we are gearing up for that platform as well!! In fact, we'll have a ProMaster on display for the event!

If you have Sprinter questions, are considering doing your own van conversion, are considering having a conversion made for you or are considering a brand new Sprinter, then this is the place to be on Saturday April 12th!! The event will be held at our shop from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm or until we’re finished. You can register for the event on line by going to http://www.softecusa.com/sprinterwest.html or give us a call at 503-692-0846 or just show up. We will have a pot luck table for those that would like to share their favorite dish and we will have the Weber grill available for any cooking that you would like to do. There will be lots to see and do! In the past, we have all enjoyed checking out a variety of unique Sprinters. Last year there were 50 rigs! So, come on by and join in the fun!!

Thank you and happy motoring,
Sprinter Store
sprinterstore.com
A division of Upscale Automotive, Inc.
19460 SW 89th Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062
503-692-0846

 

[mhiscox]

PromasterFest?

We all got an e-mail today John with updates on Saturday's NW SprinterFest, and the big news is that the SprinterStore is going to do some Promaster parts for sale and also that they'll be a spiffed-up Promaster on display along with the Sprinters. It'll be sort of cool to have them side-by-side to compare.

John also pointed out that it's likely to be the largest NWSF yet. Based on registrations, there might be upwards of 60 Sprinters attending, about half again as many as in previous years. The whole thing will be helped out by the "68 degrees and mostly sunny" weather forecast, better than we deserve/expect for mid-April.

They've set the Solar Smart seminar for 1:00 pm, in case that's of particular interest. Beyond that, nothing is scheduled beyond the general 10:00-4:00 event length.

If you attend, stop by to say "hi" and see the XV-JP and my newly-converted Sprinter at Paul Jensen's display.

 

[Cole]

When is Srpinterfest central?:coffeedrink:

 

[mhiscox]

When is Srpinterfest central?:coffeedrink:

AWOL. Just think, though, how the current setup could contribute to you seeing the vast scope of this great land of ours. :sombrero:

Seriously, I don't know, since it certainly makes sense to have one. Find another Sprinter or two and you can start it. There weren't but a handful of us at the first NWSF.

 

[mhiscox]

Tomorrow looks great

Looks like mostly sunny and mid-60s tomorrow :sunny:

so if you've in or near Metro Portland and have any interest in Sprinters or their conversion, show up tomorrow sometime between 10 and 4. Upscale is expecting to have a record number of vehicles attending.

If you attend, be sure to stop by Paul Jensen's area in the vendors' section, where I'll be with my trucks, to say "Hi."

 

[PaulJensen]

It was a beautiful day...

So many ideas of what the ideal Sprinter is...To see the sharing of ideas and resources was heart warming...We definitely share a passion...

Many fine folks are still working towards the perfect vehicle...Some have achieved it, others never will...It's the journey that's important not the destination...

Travel on...

Links to my pictures of the day: http://pauljensencustom.blogspot.com/2014/04/sprinterfest-nw-2014.html

 

[GR8ADV]

My first time at the 'fest'. :Wow1:
*
This time I was as a curious observer. Maybe in the future I will come as a Sprinter participant. Thanks to everyone who showed up to dispay their vehicles and ideas. We came away with a few surprises.
*
I was amazed at the versatility of these vehicles.
*
I was surprised at how many of the vehicles were being modifed by their owners, and not by a third party vendor.
*
Seeing the variations in real life is far different than pictures. I think that in the end I came away with more hmm'ing than I did concrete answers about anything. Nothing wrong with that, there was much to see.
*
Surprised that there was not a single Penthouse Top to be found. Maybe that alone speaks volumes. I was however hoping to do some comparisons.
*
Finally, I was surprised not to see Reps from the likes of Sportsmobile, Outside Van etc actually displaying vehicles and options. I assumed that in the early years the 'fest' was to share ideas betweeen owners. But after 9 years I thought it would have grown to include more folks like myself pondering the idea of Sprinter ownership. Thus, it would seem that this would be a great venue for both vendors, like outfitters and suppliers and thier future customers to link up. Kind of like a mini car show or sorts. That been said, I am so new that I will not assume to know that there is any value in this suggestion.
*
My wife and I had a great time and came back with much to talk about. Thanks again to all those that took the time to chat with us.

Ken

 

[Italia64]

Post more pictures, please, for those of us who weren't able to make it there!

 

[jrallenwa]

Do we have dates for 2015 yet? After getting to spend two weeks in an Airstream Westfalia, I'm jonesin' for a Sprinter fix!

And I'll see if I can get pictures of last year's fest posted to whet everyone's appetites.

 

[mhiscox]

Do we have dates for 2015 yet? After getting to spend two weeks in an Airstream Westfalia, I'm jonesin' for a Sprinter fix!

Almost. When we exchanged Christmas greetings, John Bendit said he was in the process of optimizing the weekend and that I'd hear soon. I'll post up as soon as I learn anything, but if someone gets the news first--it will, for example, likely get posted on the Sprinter-Source forum as soon as the date is known--don't hesitate to let us all know.

 

[jrallenwa]

In case anybody missed it, news about the 2015 event is here.