View Full Version : Vintage travel trailers
iris lily
9-13-14, 12:13pm
I could easily be sucked into this world. I love the small vintage campers, but look at this big one. It's so beautiful!
1431
ahhhhh, the cabinetry! I die from the fabulousness of it
1432
and one more...
1433
entire classified add is here:
http://www.tincantourists.com/classified/showproduct.php?product=8647&title=1948-vagabond&cat=9#.VBRsqRarTEg
awakenedsoul
9-13-14, 2:49pm
I love it! It's got a lot of style. The Fiat I'm buying has a retro feel...I love vintage stuff. My house is all 1940's...I'm surrounded by it. It's fun.
IL, love it! Look at that woodwork! Bet it's heavy as heck to pull, though.
Fantastic! Very appealing. I've always thought RV living would be an option for me because there are so many neat places to live in this country, it's hard to pick one without feeling like you're missing out on something.
And that vintage trailer is pure class! Beautiful.
ToomuchStuff
9-13-14, 4:00pm
Looks like someone took an old horse trailer and some old build your own teardrop trailer plans and made a larger tow behind.
I'd like to see what is on that post magazine, because it looks like the inspiration for it.
Looks like someone took an old horse trailer and some old build your own teardrop trailer plans and made a larger tow behind.
I'd like to see what is on that post magazine, because it looks like the inspiration for it.
No, it's a classic "Vagabond" brand travel trailer, extant as built. Here's another one:
1434 and it has fab interior as well:
1435
Forget it--in your case, you'd be way in over your head on maintenance and upkeep! It'd be like an old Mercoree Cougar, or a tiny cottage. Plus, indoor storage is a must, to keep it from deteriorating, so figure in the $$$ for plus-size garage space, too. See? The Caveat is, even if it looks nice, after decades they can have hidden structural problems from leaks, road stress etc.. You ARE thinking of pulling it over the road, and using it to actually camp, right? Hint: if you've got the 11k they want for that one, find a late-model preowned unit for that same money, write the check, & be on your way. You'll get one that is far more functional(comfort and features) than one of those antiques.
If I only had a driver...
If I only had a driver...Pick me! Pick me! I'll drive you around - heck I'll even do the maintenance for you (as a former Mercoree Cougar owner I'm qualified :-)!) as long as you pay for the gas.
Somewhere in Calif they have a big annual campout for vintage trailers. Huell Howser did a show on it several years ago. So many uber cute trailers out there in all shapes and sizes. I'm going to try to find the show and post it here.
iris lilies
9-14-14, 1:22pm
Pick me! Pick me! I'll drive you around - heck I'll even do the maintenance for you (as a former Mercoree Cougar owner I'm qualified :-)!) as long as you pay for the gas.
Somewhere in Calif they have a big annual campout for vintage trailers. Huell Howser did a show on it several years ago. So many uber cute trailers out there in all shapes and sizes. I'm going to try to find the show and post it here.
I want to go to the next vintage camper convention they have in my neck of the woods.
Certain People forget that I have Uber Handyman in my household, he can fix up anything and has great carpentry skills to boot, so if I lured him into the vintage camper world he would be a rock star. But at the moment DH is obsessed with vintage tractors and he's been going to farm sales to drool over them so I don't believe vintage campers will get on his radar.
I want to go to the next vintage camper convention they have in my neck of the woods.
Certain People forget that I have Uber Handyman in my household, he can fix up anything and has great carpentry skills to boot, so if I lured him into the vintage camper world he would be a rock star. But at the moment DH is obsessed with vintage tractors and he's been going to farm sales to drool over them so I don't believe vintage campers will get on his radar.
I guess it would be hard to bring your urban farm with you.
iris lilies
9-14-14, 2:44pm
I guess it would be hard to bring your urban farm with you.
Wasn't it loosechickens who had herbs and perhaps tomatoes in window boxes on their RV? I now I've seen small gardens of greens on the canal boats in England.
But you are right, this is just a pipe dream. I can't leave from April - July due to that being iris and lily season, and DH can't leave July - mid October since that is harvest time. OTher than mad dashes on weekends, we are tied to the land.
Pick me! Pick me! I'll drive you around - heck I'll even do the maintenance for you (as a former Mercoree Cougar owner I'm qualified :-)!) as long as you pay for the gas.
Somewhere in Calif they have a big annual campout for vintage trailers. Huell Howser did a show on it several years ago. So many uber cute trailers out there in all shapes and sizes. I'm going to try to find the show and post it here.
It's a deal--we'll be the Thelma and Louise of Airstream!
It's a deal--we'll be the Thelma and Louise of Airstream! And we'll pick up Brad Pitt somewhere along the road :-)!
https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-prn2/t5/276889_228493973844127_2541030_n.jpg
I've been so close to buying one several times. I just want a tiny little 10' one. I dream of joining "Sisters on the Fly" and attending their events.
Every year there is a vintage weekend at the local KOA. I headed over there a few weekends ago for the tours and it started pouring down rain right as I got there and I had somewhere I had to be later where I couldn't show up looking like a drenched rat so I had to just observe from the parking area. If you are on facebook....this is a great page to like https://www.facebook.com/VintageTrailersForSale.
I never heard of Sister's on the Fly and googled it and saw that the chapter here in SoCal just had a Meet Up yesterday! Looked very cool. First time I've ever heard the word "glamping" - which I assume means glamorous camping :-)!
I couldn't find a postable link to the Huell Howsers show but it was about pre-WWII teardrop trailers for the most part but he showed other trailers as well. Some were little ones built into the backs of things like old Ford Model A's and Model T's. Also tiny reardrops you could pull with a small car or motorcycle. While I'll probably never get a trailer myself, I do love them and as my "motel fear" grows (i.e. fear of bedbugs and general motel skankiness) you never know. One of the small ones - like 10 ft or under - might be good. Even something more modern like a 10 ft fiberglass Casitas-type trailer but would miss the charm of a vintage trailer. Although considering that my house is "vintage" 1950's (meaning everything in it is pretty much original and thus olddddddd) modern might not be so bad :-)!
I have had some of my most memorable holidays in a caravan, when I was a child 40 years ago we used to go to Europe for 3 weeks in the summer. France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany etc. The only problem with caravanning is the size of car you need to own to tow it, and the road tolls in Europe and cost of cross channel ferries.
https://www.facebook.com/RetroShastaAirflyte Here is another one that I liked on facebook.
Some of the most adorable caravans are from the UK. They used windows much better. Maybe they are a little colder because of all the windows but just wonderful lines and designs.
https://www.facebook.com/RetroShastaAirflyte Here is another one that I liked on facebook.
Some of the most adorable caravans are from the UK. They used windows much better. Maybe they are a little colder because of all the windows but just wonderful lines and designs.
Yes they are quite collectable now and it is always a joy to see them, some of them are lovingly restored. I remember one of our old ones had gas mantles for lights and a foot pump for water.
iris lilies
9-16-14, 8:52am
Well, wouldn't you know, a set of friends just purchased a 1967 vintage 14' travel trailor. It's cute! I got to see it on Sunday. Now I have one to visit. They are gay men and are very trendy, so this only means that vintage trailers are being snapped up all over by the glitterati, they are popular.
iris lilies.....you now have another spot to visit on-line other than realtor.com. Every week I pull up Craigslist for various cities and under RV+camp, type in "Vintage". All sorts of cute from very rustic to already restored. I usually always see something under St Louis that I think would be worth the drive with a flat bed to go pick one up. There are also a lot in Iowa and Illinois and Kansas.
iris lilies
9-16-14, 9:37am
iris lilies.....you now have another spot to visit on-line other than realtor.com. Every week I pull up Craigslist for various cities and under RV+camp, type in "Vintage". All sorts of cute from very rustic to already restored. I usually always see something under St Louis that I think would be worth the drive with a flat bed to go pick one up. There are also a lot in Iowa and Illinois and Kansas.
OMG, yes! thanks!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1967-Retro-Vintage-Caravan-Business-Opportunity-Ideal-for-Classic-Car-Lover-/221486974621?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item3391a7069d
this is a real cute one!
iris lilies
9-16-14, 10:09am
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1967-Retro-Vintage-Caravan-Business-Opportunity-Ideal-for-Classic-Car-Lover-/221486974621?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item3391a7069d
this is a real cute one!
yes, adorable!
Paris Hilton just paid $13,000 for a Pomeranian, too. It was no doubt cute and adorable. You kids are having a fantasy about buying a 50 or 60 year-old travel trailer, and you'd be better off going to an Atlantic City Casino and investing your money. See, the way they are made--more like a mobile home(which is stationary for a greater % of it's life), than a truck or car. Wooden 2x2's stapled together, and sandwiched between inner wood paneling, and aluminum sheet exterior. Hundreds of screw holes and yards of seams--potential entry points for moisture. Dry Rot is also an insidious issue with those. Also the flooring--some use plywood, but most use particle board; cheap, but not the most durable material, to say the least. Also, being pulled over the road places much stress on these marginally engineered RV's. You've got flexing from uneven road surfaces, aerodynamic pressure bearing against it, and this gradually works on those staples and screws holding it together. So, unless the cute & adorable old trailer has been stored in a building with a concrete floor out in Arizona it's whole life and never been moved or seen a drop of rain, better forget about it. You just ain't got time to fool with it, what with beans and corn and carrots and squash to put up.
Oh how I love them, the looks anyhow. About 8 years ago we saw one on the side of the road for sale. The name and year slip my mind. It had wood inside, beautiful. Gas light hanging above the table. I fell in love. We bought it right then, spur of the moment. The tow home hubby says wow is it heavy to tow. Then I went to refinish and touch up the inside , sadly the ants had taken home in the wood. It was cute out in the side yard of our northern get away, but that was about it.
If a person is a "craftsman" and can indeed "fix anything", then a really interesting project would be to construct your own travel trailer. Tools would not be a major problem--you don't need expensive industrial stamping presses, molds, lathes, that kind of thing. Practically everything you need for materials can be purchased from rv supply houses and mobile home parts dealers, & surplus dealers. Plus, you could use some salvaged items, such as the running gear and chassis from a more contemporary model trailer. You would be able to give it a retro-design treatment(such as urethane-d wood paneling in the interior, and at the same time, take advantage of the availability of modern appliances and fixtures, double-pane windows, insulating materials, adhesives, sealants and so forth. Now, that would be a worthwhile objective. I just can't see buying a vintage trailer, and pulling it over the road, and expecting good results. It would deteriorate faster than you could keep up with repairs, thus diminishing your enjoyment. Hope that helps you some.
iris lily
9-16-14, 10:41pm
If a person is a "craftsman" and can indeed "fix anything", then a really interesting project would be to construct your own travel trailer. Tools would not be a major problem--you don't need expensive industrial stamping presses, molds, lathes, that kind of thing. Practically everything you need for materials can be purchased from rv supply houses and mobile home parts dealers, & surplus dealers. Plus, you could use some salvaged items, such as the running gear and chassis from a more contemporary model trailer. You would be able to give it a retro-design treatment(such as urethane-d wood paneling in the interior, and at the same time, take advantage of the availability of modern appliances and fixtures, double-pane windows, insulating materials, adhesives, sealants and so forth. Now, that would be a worthwhile objective. I just can't see buying a vintage trailer, and pulling it over the road, and expecting good results. It would deteriorate faster than you could keep up with repairs, thus diminishing your enjoyment. Hope that helps you some.
Several people I know have made teardrop trailers, they are very popular to construct. Yes, using contemporary structural materials to construct a retro-style trailer would be good.
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