Can you tell us about how you got into the vintage trailer hobby?
My husband started camping many many years ago in his 1969 VW bus. It was great for many years but wasn’t in the best condition in the last few years and the frame literally disintegrated. We had to start thinking about what we were going to camp in, in the future! He has been a fan of vintage vehicles so it was always assumed that we would end up in a vintage trailer too.
What type of trailers have you owned and what do you have now? What is your dream vintage trailer?
Our first trailer was a 1976 Boler. When our son was born we decided to look for something larger so we sold the boler and bought a 2012 Catalina 32 bhds (bunk house double slide) at a permanent park in Bayfield. After a couple years we missed the festivals and road trips so we sold the big trailer and bought a 1973 Sprite Alpine. He did a ton of work on that trailer. He put in a toilet, new sink, solar panel etc…..and it was perfect for many years. During covid we came across a 1966 Globetrotter airstream that was being restored by someone we knew. So we made the leap into owning a vintage airstream. We had not expected to own an airstream until retirement which is still at least 10 years away, but had to seize the opportunity when the perfect one came up. So now we already own our dream trailer! Her name is Patience. Let me tell you the story. At that time we owned a house on a very busy road. So whenever we went camping my husband would have to back her into our driveway at the end of the weekend in the middle of crazy traffic. I would stand on the road and wave people down to stop them from driving into my beautiful trailer while he parked it. One of those early days I said to my husband “People just need to have more patience in this world”. So the name just sort of happened without us really putting much thought into it and it seems to suit her perfectly!
What do you tow with?
We had CanAm install the appropriate towing package on a 2016 Rav4. Andy was great and the Rav tows her quite well! Some day we’ll buy a truck when we start travelling more than a couple hours away. For now we’re just Weekend Warriors.
Do you attend rallies and what do you like the most about attending a rally?
We have never been a rally so we’re really lookinig forward to our first! We love to meet new people so we look forward to that and to seeing all the other beautiful vintage trailers out there!
Why did you decide to join the Tin Can Tourists?
We joined the airstream club during covid and attended one event. Although there were 20 airstreams at the event we went to, and everyone was super friendly and welcoming, ours was the only vintage aistream, the rest were new. And there wasn’t one single kid at our event. We have a 10 year old so were hoping to see more families at the event. We decided not to renew our airstream club membership and join the Tin Can Tourist Club instead.
What are your camping plans for this year?
We are hoping to attend the Michigan event at Camp Dearborn in May. It’s my husbands birthday on May 24th so we always celebrate on our Canadian Long Weekend. We usually attend Vanfest in Aylmer Ontarion in June which is always a blast. The rest of the year we camp with other friends and family throughout Ontario at random places.
Looking forward to meeting every one at an event in the future!
Jen, Steve and Ian MacKay
What a great story!! Love your campers!!
Welcome!!! That’s so great to hear you will be at the Camp Dearborn in May! I’ll have my 10 year old too so your kid will definitely have a buddy!!!
We own a 1965 Airstream Tradewind. We have been members since we bought our first Shasta, second Shasta, first Airstream, 1963 Globetrotter and our current one. TCT are a lot of fun and might be my favorite. People are friendly, food is great, love th
e open house, and various activities that might occur. We are also members of the Airstream Club. You need to find the right local club for you. The average age of ownership is dropping.