Can you tell us about how you got into the vintage trailer hobby?
Camping as a child was always fun going to campgrounds in the back of my parents pickup truck with a topper. Those were the days when we actually rode in the back of the truck to the campground without a seat or a seatbelt. My dad carpeted a board for the bottom of the truck bed and built a wooden bunk and carpeted it as well. Kids would sleep on the top bunk and parents would stretch the length of the truck bed with their feet under the bunk. I have fond memories camping with my family. As an adult, my husband and I have always been tent campers. We have friends with 40ft luxury campers and we have tagged along with them for a little glamping. Going to the campgrounds and walking around I have always had a love for the vintage trailer that we would see on occasion. Fast forward, a relative of my husband was given a vintage trailer. I fell in love with it from afar as it was parked in their backyard. I would ask my husband year after year to see if his cousin would sell it. His cousin always answered no thanks that he was going to fix it up. Well this was the year. My husband asked again and sure enough he was willing to let it go. (Keep in mind I have never known this relative to go camping a day in their life so I don’t know when they were ever going to use it.) I have hundreds if not thousands of “pins” on my pinterest page to decorate this dream camper. Little did I know only seeing this camper from a distance kept me from realizing it needed to be completely gutted. And so the adventure and work began. We have had it for 6 months now. It isn’t finished but it is looking like a camper again. We, meaning my husband, literally had to take it all the way down to the frame to replace wood rot. It is going to be “perfect to us” soon.
What type of trailers have you owned and what do you have now? What is your dream vintage trailer?
We have a 1965 Scotty Gaucho Sportsman. It is only 13′ long including the tongue (camper is 10′). My dream vintage trailer has always been the canned ham style and that is exactly what we got. Now that we have the vintage bug, there is no telling how many campers we might buy in the future.
What do you tow with?
We tow the camper with a Jeep Wrangler. If you are a Jeep owner, you know there is a whole Jeep click thing out there too (just like vintage camper addicts) including a Jeep wave. Jeep groups are just as crazy obsessed as vintage trailer groups. 🙂
Do you attend rallies and what do you like the most about attending a rally?
We have attended a few rallies here in Indiana. It has been all about seeing what is on the inside for me. I am over the top excited about decorating the camper as I am about camping itself. I may be even more excited about decorating. These rallies have the best decor such as the nostalgic chairs, fans, party carts, etc. You can find me in the local vintage shops almost every weekend looking for goodies to buy for my camper.
Why did you decide to join the Tin Can Tourists?
I joined Tin Can Tourists to find events and rallies. I also am very interested in learning about the tricks of the trade as we continue to rebuild our trailer and the resources that people use. I am also interested in finding those gem destinations that people have enjoyed so that I can plan to visit one day.
What are your camping plans for this year?
Our first trip is already planned for early next year to park our 10′ camper next to our 40′ friends. LOL. I can’t wait. After that I am already looking at the group calendar to find vintage rallies. I can’t wait to meet new friends who share our passion.