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Brad Cunningham and Barb Cade
Barb & I have always loved the outdoors & have camped all of our lives. As we have approached our “golden” years, we have amassed a huge collection of comforts for our camping trips. It was getting too hard to transport everything to our campsite. The next logical step was to look for a travel trailer. We were NOT impressed with the newer models & accidentally fell into looking at “vintage” & older models. When I found the Vanguard on Vancouver Island, I couldn’t believe what great shape it was in. The owners had inherited this trailer from her parents, who had it since it was new. All it needed was some cosmetic improvements & we were ready to go. We have put in a laminated floor, stripped down the painted cupboards to reveal the wood underneath & we have painted some of the scraped or tarnished walls. We have reupholstered the cushions, Made a new wood dining table to replace the old, stained arborite one & have yet to paint the outside. This is an ongoing project, but still allows us to camp whenever we want! We plan on adding about 100 watts of solar very soon! So far, we much prefer boondocking or camping in State or Provincial parks, as the space at RV sites is far too cramped & jammed up for our liking.
Our Trailer
1967 Vanguard T17
Vanguard trailers were manufactured in Richmond, BC & later up in Kelowna, BC. Vanguard produced trailers & truck campers up to 1970, then they stopped making trailers & moved solely into the manufacture of motorhomes & truck campers for another 15 years. They went out of business somewhere around the mid 1980’s. The Richmond manufacturing plant is still operational as a self storage facility, including trailers.
Outside Pics
Just Before The Purchase.
2007 Ford Ranger.
Miracle Beach, Vancouver Island.
Barb at Shuswap Lake, Salmon Arm, BC.
At the Lynden Vintage Trailer Rally 2014
At Millersylvania State Park, WA
Inside Pics
Old Curtains, New Floor & Paint Stripped From Cupboards.
New Curtains, New Oak Wall Behind Dinette, New Paint & Refinished Cupboards.
New Floor, New Oak Entrance Wall.
New Curtains & New Paint.
New Upholstery & tabletop
Our Tow Vehicle
2007 Ford Ranger Sport
The Combo
Why I love Vintage Travel Trailers
These trailers have “soul”; you just can’t get that with a newer trailer. When we drive into a campsite with a vintage trailer, it doesn’t matter how well it’s restored or not, people look up & admire. You can almost hear the collective sighs!~
Rallies attended
Our first was the 2013 Western Canada “Tin Can Tourists” Vintage Trailer Rally from June 7th-9th on Hatzic Lake outside of Mission, BC. We had so much fun seeing everyone else’s trailers & tow vehicles. Everyone was so open to questions & great at sharing the knowledge. We also really enjoy the Mt. Baker (Lynden) Annual Rally, which consistently has more than 140 vintage trailers; the 2014 one was 171. We’re excited for our next Rally!
Where do we camp
Mostly the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington & all around beautiful BC). We’re looking forward to travelling to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon & other National Parks that cross our path.