Gilkie Travel Trailer

Made in Terra Haute, Indiana in the 1920s-50s

Campers who wanted to get close to nature — but not too close — loved fold-out tent trailers. These two-wheelers folded down for easy towing by day and then mushroomed into miniature homes at night. Story has it that Warren and Ray Gilkison designed and built their first tent trailer in their father’s machine shop for a family camping trip.

Gilkie built folding tent trailer and hard bodied trailers until the 1950s.

Specifications

Make & Model: Gilkie tent trailer, about 1927

Maker: E.P. Gilkison & Sons Company, Terre Haute, Indiana

Features: extra-wide 28 inch door, 82 square feet, full-size beds, standing height inside, electric lights, steel kitchenette, icebox, screens, water- and mildew-proof army-cotton-duck tent

Height: 53.5 inches

Width: 13 feet

Wheelbase: 8 feet 6 inches

Overall length: 9 feet 9 inches

Pictures