Hi-Lo Renovation Day 3 & 4

So I'm back to working on the Hi-Lo this weekend. I had to take a pause and call in a restoration guy to come out and give me some advice before proceeding. So this is where we are at to date. The first thing I had to do is raise the roof {meaning the entire top half of the trailer} in order to be able to replace the seal. Let me just say that raising the top half … [Read more...]

Q & A Should I paint the interior of my vintage trailer?

I receive a lot of questions on the topic of painting the interior of vintage trailers. So I'm going to do my best to answer those questions here. A lot of people ask: Q: Should they paint the interior and if so, will it de-value the trailer? A: Painting the interior of your trailer is entirely up to you. Will it de-value the trailer? Yes, likely it will. The … [Read more...]

Slip covers for vintage trailer dinette seats

I've been working on creating slip covers for the 55 Bellwood. Before it got so hot here I was outside polishing the exterior but let me tell you, this heat is sweltering. Not that I'm complaining as I much prefer summer rather than the brutal cold winters. However, in this kind of heat it's nice to have a "indoor" project to accomplish. I've got one slip cover … [Read more...]

Small Awning For Your Vintage Trailer

If you ever take short camping trips and don't want to use a full awning, an little "Over-nighter" might be the ticket. We bought ours from Marti's Awnings and just love it. It's small at appx 5 x 5 I believe. It's just the right size for over the entrance of your vintage trailer. Marti offers them in various colors and patterns so you can get one that matches your … [Read more...]

Restoration of 1956 Vintage Trailer Day 1

So the demolition on the 56 Southland Runabout begins. We put in a full days work removing the front skin and about 3/4 of the interior walls and ceiling. The previous owners just put new wood over the old. That is NOT the right way to do it. However, they actually did me a favor by doing this because I was able to pull off the wood sections they put up fairly easily … [Read more...]

Q & A: Buying a vintage camper and where to start?

I'm often asked where to start when considering buying a vintage camper. I'm going to answer this in a way that presents questions for you to consider before buying your first vintage trailer. This isn't about what to look for in a specific trailer but more about figuring out just what you want before you start searching for one to buy. So here are questions to ask … [Read more...]

How to create extra sleeping room in a vintage trailer

OK, this is probably the neatest sleeping arrangement I've seen done in a vintage trailer. Imagine you have a small trailer that sleeps only 2 and you would love to have just one more bed to either sleep a child, guest, etc., Well, here you go! These folks converted the closet area in a front kitchen model camper into a sleeping area. Source of photo unknown … [Read more...]

Vintage Shasta gets some technology & bling

Buttercup has gone into full glamping mode by getting a new 19 inch flat screen TV and DVD player installed. I know some would define camping as roughing it and while I'm all for that in some instances, there are times when a little inside entertainment is warranted, as in our case when camping with young children. In the evening or on rainy days, letting them watch … [Read more...]

How to transform a diner napkin holder

I love these old diner style napkin holders and have one for our vintage trailer. This one started out as a black one and I kept looking at it thinking it needs sprucing up. So I decided to do a vintage map theme on it in aqua. I think it's perfect for a vintage trailer that uses aqua as a accent color in their decor. Anyhoo, let me share with you how I transformed … [Read more...]

Vintage Trailer Add-A-Room

Have you ever wished you could add more living space to your vintage trailer? I suppose I'm speaking to those folks with really small trailers. Or maybe it would be nice to have an enclosed area to set up a table for dining, card playing, etc., when the weather is less than ideal? For us the desire to have more space is actually for the purpose of sleeping. A … [Read more...]