Vintage travel trailers are not just for camping any more. Today, pre-1970 travel trailers are a part of the retro-designer craze. They are used as home offices, spare bedrooms, or as garden art, w/ children’s playhouse enclosed. Vintage travel trailers are pool houses, hot-tub party wine-break rooms, customized for car show entries, or they are placed in the yard to impress…
Your imagination is your only limit on what you can do with a vintage travel trailer. Some prefer their vintage travel trailers to be gleaming aluminum, riveted together into futuristic streamlined bubble shapes, while others prefer their vintage travel trailer to be unique, in the form of an old rustic sheep-herder wagon. Whatever your tastes, or use-needs may be, there is a vintage travel trailer out there for you.
The history of vintage travel trailers stems from Europe’s Gypsy population who lived in horse drawn mobile dwellings. In the United States, travel trailers started appearing on the roads, being towed behind cars in 1920. The phrase, “Tin Can Tourists” was used to describe the people who used early travel trailers because the first series of campgrounds prepared for these types of campers sported that name. The Tin Can Tourist Club is still active today for those interested in vintage travel trailers.
Finding a vintage travel trailer to buy can be as simple as picking up the phone, or as time consuming as you’d like it to be. Like the trailer styles themselves, your choices for shopping are as varied as your imagination and bank account allow them to be. Restore yourselves? Buy already restored? Buy somewhere in the middle? None of the above? With vintage travel trailers, the shopping choice is yours.
To start shopping for a vintage travel trailer, you start with research. What kind of trailer would you like? And, what use would you like this trailer for? To find out find out what styles, uses, and price ranges are out there, I suggest starting with reading the written information from vintage trailer clubs, or going to a vintage trailer show. Here are some online suggestions to get you started:
SWVCA is a vintage camper association. Midwest Trailer Association has an online club chat. WBCCI is a vintage Airstream trailer club. Yahoo Groups has online vintage trailer chats.
If you have decided that you would like to find an old travel trailer and restore it yourself, or have it restored , (which is easier than finding one already restored), you may want to start your search by driving down alley’s looking for those unloved trailers, or by going to estate home liquidation auctions.
Find small home auctions, those claiming to be liquidating a private home, by watching the public notices in your local newspapers. A quick drive-by at the listed address can tell you if there is a vintage travel trailer in the yard that will be a part of this auction. If you have never bid on anything before, don’t panic; small auctions are friendly places. Ask, and they will tell you how to do it. Bring ID and cash with you to the sale, and be prepared to move that trailer off of the property instantly after purchase.
When you have found a vintage travel trailer that you would like somebody else to restore for you, this is possible. Start your research for a restorer with vintage travel trailer clubs, club online chat sites, and at vintage travel trailer shows. Checking with the vintage travel trailer restoration industry advertising online is also a good way to find a restorer, or to compare pricing against local restoration estimates. Here are a few examples of what to look for to get you started:
Timeless Travel Trailers is a complete restoration facility. You may order one new tiny part from this store, or contract them to completely redesign your vintage travel trailer into a futuristic show-piece. Their Colorado phone number is: 303-432-3819. The web-site has a vintage travel trailer resources area available with trailers and parts for sale. The day that I checked on this site there were six vintage travel trailers for sale. Prices are unlisted, you must call or email for a quote.
The Polishing Guru is located at 3539 Presley Ave in Riverside, California – phone: 951-788-7625. email: polishingguru@yahoo.com . This person specializes in making your old dull parts, or vintage travel trailer shell, shine like a mirror. There is an example of his work on his web-site that is quite impressive.
American Adventure RV, LLC. is a vintage travel trailer parts business. Examples of what you can find at this store include: Awnings, and parts for awnings, priced between 35.00 and 1,000.00. Airstream Water Filter Tube: 28.95. Airstream Original Mud Flaps 29.95pr. These people have a wide variety of parts to choose from. Their address is: 121 Lafayette Rd., Route 1 North, North Hampton, NH. Their web-site has a contact link on it at the top for inquiries.
Toozigoot Vintage Trailer Restoration is a full service restoration service located in Arizona at: 520-732-4363 or email: toozigoottrailercoach@gmail.com (ask for Wesley).
Toozigoot offers restoration, transportation, and for sale items on their web-site. The day that I visited the site you could get a 1967 Boles Aero vintage travel trailer for 3900.00. Wesley claims that they can do repair or restoration at your home. The Toozigoot web-site is brand new, and the people are very friendly sounding. I liked this business’s “feel” very much while on their web-site.
Iowa Boys, LLC. This store offers movie set or individual rentals of vintage travel trailers. If you are not quite sure if a travel trailer is right for you, renting one first may help in your decision. Iowa Boys offers restorations, club information, rentals, a parts catalog, private party ads, and their own for sale ads on their web-site. The day that I was on the Iowa Boys site they had vintage travel trailers for sale priced between 1,200 and 13,500.00. You can reach Iowa Boys at: 11861 Branford St. Sun Valley, California. Phone: 818-890-7919 or by a contact link off of their web-site.
Tin Can Tourists Classified This online for sale board is devoted to the sale of classic vintage travel trailers being sold by private owners. It is a fun place to browse. As you are looking at ads, never mind what date they were posted. Many ads run for a few months before being sold. The day that I was there, you could get goodies like a 1948 Dodge cab over for 3,000. A 1958 restored Airstream for 23,500.00. A 1966 Shasta for 1,400.00 and more!
Vintage Campers is a web-site that has vintage travel trailers for sale, wanted, a link to see vintage trailer ads and more. The day that I clicked into their for sale column, there were 18 vintage travel trailers to choose from. Prices ranged from 1,750.00 to 6,000.00. Some of the choices included: A 1948 Spartan at 1,800.00. Or, a 1960 Avion at 2,500.00. Vintage Campers is located in: Peru, Indiana. Phone:765-473-8088 . email: info@vintagecampers.com
Spartan Aircraft All Aluminum Trailers This web-site give a full information history on this brand of vintage travel trailer along with restoration help, a discussion area, helpful links, and a for sale area. The day that I explored their for sale area there were 14 vintage travel trailers to choose from, and lots of photos of sold vintage travel trailers. For sale ads on this site only run for 3-days, so it is best to check back often while shopping. There was a 1948 Spartan for 1,000.00 or best offer, a 1947 Spartan Manor for 3,500.00, and an interesting looking 1952 Spartanette for 8,500.00 or best offer. From what I could tell there is no contact link for this web-site unless you’d like more information on a vintage travel trailer for sale. The information for each trailer is inside of the ad.
Vintage Vacations Restorations is an all service shop for vintage travel trailers. They will help with restorations, help you find a vintage travel trailer to restore, and have both a wanted, and a for sale area on their web-site. The email contact is: Trail-r-boy@vintage-vacations.com The day that I was viewing their site, only one trailer was completely restored and for sale; a 1947 Westwood Tahoe – a beautiful vintage travel trailer complete with fringe on the awnings – for 45,000.00 or best offer. The pictures for this vintage travel trailer are numerous and take awhile to load, but are well worth the wait.
Craig can be reached at 714-812-6053. This appears to be one of the owners of this firm.
Clapier Mammoth Jack Farms This web-site specializes in the sale or restoration of vintage sheep herder wagons. You contact Grayfeather at: clapierjackstock@yahoo.com to discuss your wants or needs. An iron-wheeled camp runs about 3,500.00 Custom cart or wagons start at about 10,000.00. This web-site is chock-full of fascinating pictures for those interested in finding an alternative vintage travel trailer.
