Can you tell us about how you got into the vintage trailer hobby?
We are just beginning our vintage trailer hobby – and it was not a planned adventure. Andrea’s dad texted a picture of a 1950’s rusted out all-steel American trailer found in a farmer’s field and asked us if we wanted it. We all went to look at it but it turned out he wanted it more and bought it for a bottle of whiskey. However, it left an itch and we began a search on Craig’s List. A few days later Scott found an ad for a Safeway Coach Trailer, completely gutted with a redone trailer frame. 24 hours later we pulled away with it.
What type of trailers have you owned and what do you have now? What is your dream vintage trailer?
We found a 22 foot Safeway Coach Trailer manufactured by Cherny & Watson Lumber Company from North Bend, Nebraska. We don’t have a title so can’t be certain of the year. Our internet searches found little information on this type of trailer. Andrea’s been doing historical research in the North Bend Eagle newspaper to try and gather information. We’d love any history others have found.
This is our first trailer. We have many friends that own a trailer and our only requirement to be our ‘dream’ is that it has a separate toilet and shower. We’ll see if that dream can come true with this layout.
What do you tow with?
Andrea’s dad’s F150. Truthfully this trailer was bought with the intention of being a stationary home in the woods on a plot of land we have. This is literally a case of putting the cart before the horse because we don’t technically own a ‘horse’ (tow vehicle) yet!
Do you attend rallies and what do you like the most about attending a rally?
We’ve not – but we will. We love the stories that these trailers and their owners tell.
Why did you decide to join the Tin Can Tourists?
To help us research and guide us through this project. One of the biggest questions we have is how rare/valuable this trailer is as this dictates how we proceed. The interior is entirely gutted and we have none of the woodwork or appliances so we will need to use modern materials. We are trying to decide if we reconstruct using the original floorplan or use the space as a blank slate and design to our needs.
What are your camping plans for this year?
If we can get this project done over the winter/spring – we’d spend a lot of our summer living in the trailer.