TRAILER ISSUE 36, 2017 NOV/DEC
USA $7.50
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ook Bookd TN r ip Reads Top Roa
Hot August Nights
Vintage Trailer Revival
Chantilly Lace
1962 Fireball
Vintage, Classic, Retro Style & Nostalgia P L U S
R O A D
T R I P
E V E N T S
G U I D E
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D I R E C T O R Y
Vintage Trailer Magazine | Issue 36 November/December 2017
« contents« Special Features
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Cover Story: Woody Caravans USA
Feature Trailer: Going Back to Cali
Carley & Joe Beimel’s Woody Caravan
Carley & Joe Beimel’s Coastal Cocktails Woody Caravan
Regular Features 2 . . About Vintage Trailer Magazine 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor’s Rave 4 . . . . . . . . . VTM Subscriptions Form 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . Tales From the Trail Sisters by the Sea
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19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Where We Went Hot August Nights
Feature Trailer: Chantilly Lace
Feature Trailer: Holiday Road
Carla Besser’s 1962 Fireball
Mary Corrington’s 1959 Shasta Airflyte
24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Centerfold 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Road Trip! Events Guide
44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Book Nook 47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Services Directory
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Special Feature: A Touch of Nostalgia
Feature Trailer: Red Bullet
Carol Lowell’s 1965 Shasta Compact
Dirk and Jonna Jacobs’ 1970 Fokker
About Vintage Trailer Magazine Vintage Trailer Magazine is the world’s first magazine solely dedicated to vintage, classic, retro-styled and custom trailers and those who love them.
V
intage Trailerites come from all walks of life and are drawn to vintage trailers for a variety of reasons. Some have nostalgic memories of childhood seaside holidays spent in trailer parks, some choose a retro camper because it looks good behind their prized classic car on its way to a car show campout. Along with a sense of classic style, lovers of retro trailers take delight in life’s many wonders – they enjoy adventure, travelling to new destinations, appreciating nature’s beauty and living a life less stressful. Vintage trailerites often also share a passion for classic cars or hot rods and will happily devote countless hours looking after their “toys”. They also have a very keen sense of aesthetic style and an eye for making small spaces look absolutely adorable. So, Vintage Trailer Magazine is about all of these things; an eclectic collection of stories, pictures, input and ideas from sources who all share so much more than a passion for camping. To the vintage trailerites out there living the dream, taking their rescued older trailers back out on the road, this magazine is for you! To those of you who wish you had one, or have one in restoration, I hope Vintage Trailer Magazine will inspire and motivate you to make your dreams come true and join the growing number of vintage trailer enthusiasts enjoying the wide-open spaces, dramatic scenery and fellow friendly travellers out there on the road.. Vintage Trailer Magazine always welcomes submissions from its readers. If you have a story you’d like to share, an amusing road trip photo or a trailer restoration you’d like to share: write to: editor@vintagetrailermagazine.com
Production Crew PUBLISHER & EDITOR Lisa Mora EMAIL editor@vintagetrailermagazine.com EDITOR’S ASSISTANT Alex Bouchet DESIGN & LAYOUT Kelsey Adams (www.kelseyjdesigns.com) Printed in the U.S.A. CONTRIBUTORS Carley Beimel, Carla Besser, Jane Bumar, Mary Corrington, Kaleb Hook, Carol Lowell, Sandi Whitteker, Jerry Zandwijk (www.phantomphotography.nl) ADVERTISING EMAIL ads@vintagetrailermagazine.com PHONE (775) 409 5256 CONTACT Vintage Trailer Magazine PO Box 509, Oakland OR 97462 USA www.facebook.com/vintagetrailermagazine
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Vintage, Classic, Retro Style & Nostalgia PLUS ROAD TRIP EVENTS GUIDE & SERVICES DIRECTORY
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« EDITOR’S RAVE «
I have some special people I need to thank in this issue: Ray Perry who restored his sister Mary’s Shasta featured in this issue for installing the awning rail on my Rosie when the previous restorer said it couldn’t be done – what a legend! Ray has also recently taken on the role of advertising manager for VTM. Thanks Ray! My mechanic Monty at Oakland Auto who always makes time to give the Hudson a check over before I hit the road and keeps Doc ticking on mile after mile. Thanks Monty! I’d also like to thank my special friends and my kids back in Australia who keep in touch with me on a regular basis and encourage me to keep going even when things get tough sometimes. I love you all!
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My Sisters on the Fly friends across the country, especially our wonderful Hot August Nights Sisters: Mary, Carol, Rene, Jan, Mona Lisa, Michelle, Jenay and our hostess with the mostest Stacey for so many reasons, some of which will forever stay between us sisters! Because what happens in Reno, stays in Reno, right?
Photo by Sandi Whitteker
I
remember feeling rather daunted when at the start of this year I looked ahead at all the events I had booked myself into over this summer. “Rosie”, the Hudson and I have been out almost every weekend since late April and now here we are, the nights cooling down and the end of summer fast approaching already. It’s been quite the whirlwind of events and I have gathered so many stories for future issues of the magazine and met so many wonderful people. There’s no doubt about it, being on the road with my trailer behind me is my happy place. When the worries of the world get to me I know now that all I need to do is hit the road and go camping!
So, as I sit here ready to pack up and move on to the next event, I find myself reflecting back on the memories of the previous events, the places I have been, of the people I met, the friendships formed and the fun times we have had and all of those extra black lines now scrawled across the map of America I have on my office wall chronicling my adventures. I have to say that I am a little bit in love with America and how it has welcomed me. This truly is a beautiful country, with so much to see and do and the most amazing scenery. Every drive I make is a delight, every corner I turn providing another “Wow!” moment. This truly is the land of the road trip and I don’t plan on stopping until I have covered every mile of it! See you on the road!
For more of Lisa’s “raves” and photos visit her Blog: “My Dream Home is Portable” link from the VTM website at: www.vintagetrailermagazine.com vintagetrailermagazine
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Cover Story
Woody Caravans USA PICS KALEB HOOK
When Woody Caravans began producing cute little wooden reproduction vintage caravans from their workshop on Queensland’s Gold Coast in Australia, brothers Morrie and Shane had no idea at the time that their Woody Caravans would end up making their way to destinations all around the world.
Australian built bondwood Caravans. The decision to start Woody Caravans was discussed one morning over morning tea when we came to the conclusion that between both of us we could do it with minimal outside help.
Who is Woody Caravans? Woody Caravans is a partnership between two brothers Morrie and Shane Hook to build vintage styled bondwood caravans for a variety of different uses.
What was your initial vision for Woody Caravans? Initially we thought Woody Caravans could provide a styling of caravan that is loved by all but with the added bonus of knowing that everything from the ground up is purpose built and brand new.
When did Woody Caravans start and why? Woody Caravans started off five years ago. Morrie and I had been doing restoration work on vintage caravans and saw that there was a potential market for brand new caravans with the classic styling of
Has the business changed from your initial vision? We are still proud to say that our initial concept and ideas have stayed true to form and have only gathered speed with most of our customers also becoming
great friends and our best marketing tool. Having happy customers who love their Woody Caravans and are just as passionate as we are about what we do has been a big contributor to our success. I would also like to add that VTM editor Lisa Mora has been a very big part of our success here at Woody Caravans through her magazines Vintage Caravan Magazine and now with Vintage Trailer Magazine. She has always been our biggest supporter from our first phone call we made to her all those years ago and we have developed a friendship that we can see lasting for lifetime. She is a truly amazing woman and if anyone reading this ever get the chance to meet her be sure to say “THANK YOU” for everything she has done not just for us, but many other small business’s involved in the vintage caravan/trailer scene. vintagetrailermagazine
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(Ed’s note: Aw thanks Shane! I’m blushing!)
Paris France, Coral Coast Fiji and now in Redondo Beach California USA.
What is a “Woody Caravan”? A Woody Caravan is a caravan that has been built from the chassis up using mainly timber/wood-based products. From external structure to all internal cabinetry we use plywood and solid timber.
Which is your most famous Woody Caravan? That’s a hard one as we have built some fairly well known Woody Caravans over the years. I would say a top three for different reasons would be: Stone & Wood Brewery Woody Caravan (as who doesn’t mind a nice Pacific Ale on a hot day), “My Little Peony” (that took part in the 2016 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras) and “Lawdy Miss Claudy” (who has received a lot of attention on Social Media with her incredible photos) But I believe all of our customers are famous in their own communities.
Who are your customers mainly? Our main customers would be for our Events/Bar style Woody Caravans although we are getting a lot more requests these days for one off custom builds as well. Where have some of your Woody Caravans ended up? We are very proud to say that not only do we have 60+ Woody Caravans based in Australia but we also have customers with Woody Caravans in London UK,
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What is your favorite part of the job? We get to meet some incredible and very inspiring people with our job from all walks of life from some of the
biggest corporations in the world all the way down to first time business owners that put everything on the line for a dream that they have. To see our customers achieve their dreams is one of those things that brings a massive smile to my face. What makes Woody Caravans so special? I don’t know if you would say there is anything really special about Woody Caravans, just a lot of self belief, hard work, dedication, hard work, bit of luck and did I mention hard work? What has been the highlight of your business so far? On a personal level I would say getting to work and be creative on a daily basis. On a business level I would say recognition we have earned in becoming a company that is known worldwide.
What are your dreams for the future of Woody Caravans? World Domination, no only joking! If we can keep the steady flow of work going and break into a new markets to allow us to keep being creative and helping everyone from big businesses all the way through to families achieve their dreams of doing something different to stand out from the crowd. What is the approximate price range of a custom made Woody? Custom Woody Caravans start at around $22,000 and shipping costs to the United States are around $2,500 from our factory to Long Beach, California. Do you still make camping caravans to order? What we call our Holiday Woody’s are something we still do build but only account for maybe 5% of our production which is something we also would love to do more of but it always comes down to building what customers order. Where did the latest USA caravan go to and what will it be used for? Our first Caravan to the USA is now based at Redondo Beach California for a new business set up by an incredible lady by the name of Carley Beimel. Her business is called Coastal Cocktails and she caters social events and parties.
finding the perfect balance of work/life is always a hard thing to do but we also love to travel. Morrie also has a passion for racing cars, which is something he has been doing for the last thirty years and my passion usually revolves around his love of playing guitar and writing music in bands.
What do you do when you are not working on caravans, how do you spend your spare time? We spend a lot of time with family, as
To find out more about Woody Caravans go to: www.woodycaravans.com.au Instagram: @woodycaravans Facebook: Woody Caravans vintagetrailermagazine
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Feature Trailer
Going Back to Cali
WORDS & PHOTOS CARLEY BEIMEL
M
y name is Carley Beimel, I’m 31 years old and I live in the South Bay of Los Angeles, California. My husband Joe Beimel is forty and just retired as a thirteen-year Major League baseball player. We are the owners of Coastal Cocktails, featuring our Woody Caravan bar: Cali. We’ve rented in Southern California for ten years during the off seasons of baseball after discovering Playa Del Rey when Joe played with the Dodgers. We have been blessed enough to experience living in Playa Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and currently Redondo Beach, which are all directly south of LAX 8
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airport. Aside from moving locally here in California, between both Joe and I we have moved 78 times in our lifetime. I love that our mobile life is now colliding with the mobile lifestyle of caravans/ trailers. I grew up similar to an army brat with my father working in the Casino Industry. I spent the first four years of my life in the Bahamas, then Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Las Vegas, Nevada, and parts of Southern New Jersey, including the Atlantic City area. After graduating high school, I packed an overnight bag and drove from Southern New Jersey to New York City, not realizing
that would be the day I’d move out of my house and make New York a temporary home. I was able to convince someone to give me the chance to waitress at a high end, VIP bottle service night club called Aer, which catered to some of the biggest actors, musicians, models and athletes in the industry. I later met my husband while splitting time working in New York in the summer and Miami during the winter months and spent the next ten years as the wife of a baseball player, a life that is far more demanding than people may realize with a schedule of at least 162 games a year. We moved on average five times a year, relocating to places like Washington D.C., Denver,
A trailer/camper would have been an incredible option for such a transient life... why didn’t we think to do that? Pittsburgh, Seattle and all over Florida and parts of Arizona for spring trainings. A trailer/camper would have been an incredible option for such a transient life... why didn’t we think to do that? With a billion dollar industry focusing on young talent, I had the impression the end of my husband’s career was arriving closer than either of us had thought and I was fearful of what life would look like for us if everything we had known was to change. I prayed for months and focused on God, asking to be lead in a direction that gave me passion, would allow me to create a career, and give my husband time to figure out what he’d like to pursue next. Last spring I stumbled upon a beautiful photo of a caravan bar on Pinterest and had never heard of or seen
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the concept before. I started to research and realized this was a booming industry in Australia, which led me to Woody Caravans, a company based in Australia who hand crafts replicas for small businesses, as well as liquor brands like Absolut and Jameson.
most of their clients keep a vintage look to the design, I wanted a modern version and they did an incredible job of achieving just what I had envisioned. I spent a little extra to drop the trailer and increase the height as my husband is 6’3” and I am 6’, and all together with shipping and conversion of AUD to USD we spent just shy of $34,000.
While researching caravan bars, one business kept popping up. The trailers are a custom built, original design from the ground up and that was extremely attractive to me. When contacting Shane of Woody Caravans through email I was met with an attentive, patient man who was willing to answer questions for me daily... and I had a lot of them. I loved the idea that these hardworking craftsmen spent years perfecting their caravan models to ensure they would last not years, but decades. It is obvious to everyone who sees the caravan the thought, dedication and talent it took to create something so beautiful. While
I wanted to start a business that was mobile so if we moved, the business could move with us. It was clear to me that there is potential to grow quickly after seeing the success in Australia and the idea that I could be the first person to bring a Woody Caravan to the states excited me beyond words. It took close to a year from putting down a deposit to running my fingers across the wood servers windows. It was great to work with Shane picking out the wood stain, the style of the vinyl flooring, to the style of the exterior. For inspiration I scoured Pinterest and made collages. I knew I wanted a mid-century modern, California,
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For this Vintage Trailer Magazine photo shoot, we spent two days shooting by the beach and had close to a hundred people come up and ask about the caravan, half of them tried to buy a drink! Everyone was so amazed and curious and people were excited to tell their friends and family about what they had seen. It’s an elating feeling to have that reaction from people who are experiencing something that I have created. Even the local cops and fire fighters were wishing they were off duty!
surfer vibe. I went with a neutral pallet and natural wood color so we can customize the design specific to the event. I decided to use a pop of color, a pale blue, to keep it simple and incorporate a retro hue. I was hoping that the caravan would look at good as what I had dreamed up in my mind and they blew me away when I saw it in person. It was above and beyond my expectations. Our first experience with the caravan was parking it on our street to celebrate our new business with our closest friends. We opened the windows, put on some music, and set up a pop up style living room on the street. Within an hour we had every neighbor, along with people walking by wanting to get a closer look and join the party. It’s an absolute people magnet and something people here have never experienced. I’m joyful and honored to be the first person with a Woody Caravan, and thrilled for the ride ahead.
I love that we now own a retro bar where we can enjoy great cocktails and conversations outdoors, in different scenes. I love how well built it is. I love that this is another adventure that my husband and I get to do together. My life motto right now is the best is yet to come, and thanks to my caravan, I know that it is true!
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Sisters by the Sea Closing Dinner Feast at the Beach
Tales From the Trail
Gillian Dobes & Event Organizer Denise Lee
Crystal Cuthbertson’s 1974 Serro Scotty Highlander named Buttercup restored by Second Chance Restoration
Sisters by the Sea WORDS & PICS JANE BUMAR
Be it in a vintage trailer, new retro styled trailer, campervan or tent, when Sisters on the Fly gather, they really do have more fun than anyone!
I
’ve been dreaming about vintage campers since they started making the Shabby Chic scene a few years ago, but if you haven’t grown up in Girl Scouts, or with a camping family, then the idea of getting one, restoring it, and handling it by yourself is really intimidating! I had owned an early 1980s 12
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Skyline Aljo Aly with my husband for a few years, but it had been sold long ago. As my late spouse had been a Boy Scout, and had done the towing, and all the hookups and maintenance, the idea of trying to do something like camping and handling it by myself felt really intimidating. What did I know about this?
But the dream of getting my own adorable vintage camper just wouldn’t let go. Eventually, I read about a group called Sisters on the Fly; an outdoor adventure group for women only – and the members both had vintage campers and seemed to be really encouraging. I then started listening to the Girl Camper
Welcome Sisters on the Fly
podcasts, and felt bolder again. I attended a Camper College event at Southland RV in Norcross, Georgia that started to demystify all of these things, and I started thinking about how it would be to really do this! I went to the Country Living Fair in Atlanta, Georgia and talked to Sisters on the Fly members, and they said: “You should join! You don’t even need to own a tent, much less a camper, but you can find out everything you need to know for when you’re ready!” Finally, even though I didn’t even own a humble tent yet, I joined the SOTF group and decided to attend my very first camping event: Sisters by the Sea on May 4 – 8, 2017. One of the members, Denise Lee who is a vintage camper enthusiast and the owner of a gorgeously restored teal blue vintage camper, was the hostess for this event. I’d met her and several
of the other northeast Florida sisters for getting-to-know you events at an antiques center, and a tea party, and they were all just the kind of women that I’d hoped they would be: Really genuine, spirit of adventure, fun people, and upon hearing about my lack of a tent (much less camper) sister Keely Sanders kindly invited me to share a tent with her for the weekend! I arrived Friday evening at the Anastasia State Park campground near St. Augustine, Florida, with a borrowed sleeping bag, a pair of shower shoes (for what I remembered about campground bath houses) and a spirit of adventure! What a beautiful location these women had chosen to circle their ‘modern
Catie Blue’s 2017 T@b Outback
Maureen Carnevale’s 2015 Riverside Retro
Inside Maureen’s Riverside Retro
Carolyn Mele’s 1972 Fan Lee Liner vintagetrailermagazine
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day wagons’ around the campfire in. Anastasia State Park feels as though it is in pristine Florida wilderness with huge Live Oak trees draped in swaying Spanish Moss, birds tweeting in the trees, and large campsites with well-paved streets. It is also right next to the beach, with a narrow boardwalk traversing high dunes and undisturbed wetlands enhancing the spirit of undisturbed nature. Anybody who lives in Florida knows that these are rare commodities these days, and a pleasure to find. Events at Sisters by the Sea began on Friday morning with breakfast, followed
Anne Freund’s 1963 Terry
Old Town Trolley Tour of St. Augustine
Denise Lee’s 1963 Yellowstone
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by a tour around St. Augustine (a Spanish colonial outpost founded in 1565 and the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States) on the Old Town Trolley. This was followed by a wine tasting at the San Sebastian winery, lunch, a private tour of The Distillery and the Friday night Art Walk sipping drinks and tasting appetizers in the galleries hidden throughout the cobble and brick streets of the Ancient City, where the balmy ocean breeze and long dusk of a perfect Florida spring sunset along with the convivial company of women made for an unforgettable evening.
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Late evening (and throughout the weekend) was spent visiting in various gorgeous campers with newfound friends, and yes – true sisters – enjoying sangrias and snacks, and more importantly, lots of laughs and tall tales. Throughout the event, there was a balanced mix of planned activities, and on-your-own time to enjoy the beautiful beaches and truly relax. There was always the opportunity to be by yourself when you wanted to be, or pals to visit with when you wanted that – a perfect mix! On Saturday morning, members of the public were invited to the Trailer Tour
Kim Barkman’s Tiki-themed 2002 VW Eurovan
Kim Barkman, Keely Sanders, Linda O’ Donnell, Denise Lee Crystal Cuthbertson’s 1974 Serro Scotty
Feast at the Beach
Anne Freund’s 1963 Terry
Vicki Brown’s 2014 Keystone Fireside
Denise Lee’s 1963 Yellowstone
Vicki Brown’s 2014 Keystone Fireside
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in the camping loops where they had the opportunity to peek inside a variety of campers and RV’s. This was my first Trailer Tour experience, and when we heard that people were lined up on the approach road to the campground to see the trailers, we were amazed. Keely and I hosted at least 300 people (we lost count!) to see our humble tent (it was Keely’s first campout too) with what we were describing as “The Minimalist” and “The Enabler” décor! For “The Aspirational” model, we directed them to our site-neighbor who had an air mattress sofa in her tent, and lots of pink flamingos and Florida kitschy fun, to give people an idea of where even a tent could go in terms of luxury. I was so thrilled to talk to other women at the Trailer Tour, and some men and families with children, who were intrigued but like me, didn’t really know where to begin. Or that had camped in their childhood, or in their long ago youth, and had no idea that things have changed (a lot) from the days of soggy sandwiches, difficult to assemble tents, rock hard cots, and an urge to check in to the nearest hotel.
Anne Freund’s 1963 Terry
Denise Lee’s 1963 Yellowstone
Gardner Riel’s 2016 T@B L 16
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Crystal Cuthbertson’s 1974 Serro Scotty Highlander named Buttercup restored by Second Chance Restoration
Gretchen Green, Linda O’Donnell. Gillian Dobes, Keely Sanders, Denise Lee, Kim Barkman
Sisters by the Sea
Gillian Dobes’ 2014 R-Pod -178
Tents are for Glamping too! Inside Anne Freund’s 1963 Terry
New Friendships Kim Barkman & Keely Sanders
Anne Freund’s 1963 Terry
Crystal Cuthbertson owner of Buttercup
Of course, we then sent them across to the beautiful yellow vintage camper belonging to our next site-mates, to show that it only goes up from here! We heard that there were closer to 400 people who attended the trailer tour, and it was a way to let other women know that this is totally possible. That they can get back in touch with their adventurous self, maybe a self that hasn’t made itself known in a long time with the responsibilities of life, children, and caring for their families. I personally spoke to widows, to single women, who I could suddenly see were just like me, just wanting to enjoy the simple pleasures of waking up to the sounds of birds and the feel of gentle
ocean breezes in your vintage camper. Indeed, Sisters on the Fly members empower each other to enjoy a feminine camping experience. Owning a camper or RV is not a requirement for membership, but there were certainly so many eyecandy inducing vintage trailers, as well as high-end custom decorated modern RV’s. No matter how modest, or how elegant, each woman put her personal stamp on her home for the weekend. Activities continued throughout the weekend included midnight campfires, Lemon Drop martini socials, relaxing on the beach, and sunset harbor cruise. There were Sister Swag giveaways, with gorgeous prizes ranging from artwork, vintagetrailermagazine
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Feast at the Beach
Sisters by the Sea Closing Dinner Feast at the Beach
Surprise S’mores hidden in Table Centerpieces
Keely Sanders Michelle Leach Gable’s 2007 Starcraft Star Stream
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Inside Keely’s Starcraft Star Stream
Sisters by the Sea Closing Dinner Feast at the Beach
crystal candle-holders, useful items for any woman camper, and of course wine glasses! Crafting areas were set up for attendees to create decorative bunting. Then there was the food! Beautifully curated, Pinterest-worthy setups on long dining tables with burlap, turquoise and teal blue tablecloths, fresh flowers, seashells, it was just a feast for the senses wherever one looked! And always a new friend to be made, a new lifelong sisterhood to be started. This group attracts women from all walks of life, of all ages and levels of camping and outdoor adventure experience to relax and share laughter together in a joyous community of impromptu sisterhood. It was my first camp out, but it certainly won’t be my last. I don’t know the last time I laughed as often, or as hard, giggling with my tent-mate at 4 a.m., sharing scones and Mountain Dews at 7 a.m. as though we were magically transported back thirty years to our teenager selves, with the roar of the ocean faintly heard in our ears, and in my heart.
Where We Went
Hot August Nights Vintage Trailer Revival | August 8–13, 2017 WORDS LISA MORA
PICS SANDI WHITTEKER & LISA MORA vintagetrailermagazine
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I
was beyond excited about attending this event for two reasons: Firstly, because it was whilst attending Hot August Nights back in 2012 that I bought my trailer “Rosie the Riveted” from the Salvation Army store across the road from the swap meet right there in Reno. Secondly, because Hot August Nights is one of my favorite car shows ever and having vintage trailers in the program this year for the first time made an already awesome event just a thousand times more awesome. My sister on the Fly friend Mary and I had a great road trip down to Nevada from Oregon and it was fun traveling with someone else with an older car as well. We stopped overnight at Susanville so we had an easy drive into Reno on the Tuesday. We rolled into the surprisingly verdant and lush Rancho San Rafael Regional Park at around 11am where our very friendly camp hosts Sherry and Brad Pearce checked us in. After that we were free to choose our own spaces overlooking rolling hills, yet we were only a couple of minutes from downtown Reno! It was perfect! With our first parade appearance through the streets of nearby Sparks being held on that Tuesday evening, most of us held off on setting up and decorating too much until after we got back from the parade, but that didn’t stop the public from pouring in hoping to get a glimpse of these curious time capsules of ours from the minute we rolled in until the day we left. Even though the advertised “Open Days” were supposed to be only from 10am – 4pm Wednesday to Saturday, our biggest challenge was getting any time to ourselves with the 20
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park being open to the public from 8am – 9pm, and trying to explain to the insistent public that we needed just a little bit of “time out” after hours, please. Oh my word yes it was exhausting, but so, so worth it! We had a great time with our merry troupe of Sisters on the Fly (and a few misters) making up a large proportion of the trailers at the event and yes, we did have more fun than anyone! Stacy was amazing at gathering us all up and organizing outings and excursions to the many things that were happening all over town during the week. Thanks so much Stacy! Between Ten Pin bowling, shopping trips, dinner at Mel’s Diner, cruising in the convertible or just hanging out at the trailers, after a week of camping together, we had become a real family. I know that some people had been put off bringing their trailers to this inaugural Hot August Nights Vintage Trailer Revival by the fact that it was dry camping only. I must admit that I too was a bit worried that the nights would be too hot to sleep without fans and A/C, but I was assured by the organizers that, despite the event
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name, August nights in Reno are quite pleasant, and they were not wrong. It was so lovely and cool at nights in fact, that I found myself getting up and closing windows and pulling up more blankets during the nights and, despite the fact that we were so close to downtown, the park Jade Webster from Airstream we were camping in was so very picked the 1948 Aero Flite owned quiet and peaceful that you felt by Richard & Shirley Thomas like you were in a country ranch somewhere and not in Reno at Tracy & Vickie from Pink Flamingo all! We ended up with twentyRadio chose Jan Hatch’s 1950 West one trailers on display this time, Craft Trolley Coronado but with room for over a hundred more, and now that word is out Justin & Anna Scribner from made a pretty good burger too! on where the most fun to be Flyte Camp picked Andre & Lisa The parade on Sunday was just had at Hot August Nights is, I’d Fonseca’s gorgeous 1948 Curtis WOW! say expect to see a lot more Wright Clipper What a buzz, after having seen trailers next year. At $300 for the it as a spectator, to actually be a week it was by far the cheapest part of it this time! Another good accommodation in town and the friend of mine, Amy Tulk drove up from LA on Saturday views were great. Even if you don’t own a vintage trailer and rode in the Hudson with me as we paraded down yet, it’s not too late to go out and get one and come the main street of Reno and under that iconic arch. along and join us all next year! Thousands of people lined the streets, waving and cheering and taking photos and smiling while I had the I met so many amazing people and had so much fun that biggest smile on my face ever the whole time. I am still buzzing from what an amazing event it was, but Will I be back next year? Oh YEAH! See you there! the highlights for me would have to be the Prom Night at Baldinis and the Final Grand Parade on Sunday. A recent Hot August Nights Vintage Trailer Revival 2018 will be re-addition to the Hot August Nights program, the Prom held on August 7 – 12. was our chance to get dolled up in our vintage finest and To book your vintage trailer space now go to: dance the night away to some good old-fashioned rock www.hotaugustnights.net and roll music and the fifties-styled diner downstairs
Hot August Nights Vintage Trailer Revival 2017 Prizewinners:
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TRAILER
Jon Whipple’s 1966 F100 “Camper Special” and 1974 Fleetwood Prowler
Photo by Sandi Whitteker
Feature Trailer
Chantilly Lace WORDS & PICS CARLA BESSER
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y name is Carla and my husband’s name is Bob and we live in North Idaho. I have always been creative, but in the past five years, I went through “the change”, had a hip repair surgery and then a hip replacement so I actually felt like I was a different person. The extent of my creativeness was pinning pins on Pinterest. That is when I saw my first vintage trailer. I began looking on Craigslist just to see what was available in my area and the ones that were for sale were either too big, too expensive, or way too much work. So I kinda gave up looking after a couple of years. Then back in April of this year I went to get my hair done by my friend Stephanie who is my kindred Spirit. Actually Stephanie is just like me on steroids! Well, she had just bought a 14-foot Vintage Trailer! I got so excited again, that I came home and started looking that night. Low and behold, there she was, tenth down on the list: A 1962 Fireball, only thirty minutes away. Not only was she created the same year I was, she wasn’t too big (only 10 feet long,) too expensive or needing too much work. It was meant to be! However, she wasn’t very pretty. My husband came to look at it with me and vintagetrailermagazine
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he said: “I think we can find something a little nicer than this”. With that I said, “Oh, but I can see it, she will be pretty again. Please, please, can I get her?” He said: “Happy Birthday!” With that, she came home with us where she fitted perfectly in our garage. For the first couple of days after we got her home I just sat in her and tried to envision what needed to be done. I could feel my creative juices were coming back. Luckily she didn’t have water damage or structural damage. So it was basically just putting A LOT of make-up on her. Before I began I thought I would bug bomb her and get rid of any spiders or critters that I didn’t want to run into while working on her. To my horror, the next day there were hundreds, I mean thousands, of little pine beetles dead all over the camper and garage floor. YIKES!! It took 4 bombs to kill them all. It was horrible, I thought I had wasted money on something that was infested and that I would never be able to use. But after the fourth bomb, I could tell that I had finally got rid of those little pests! 28
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So the work began. The layout in the trailer had a twin bed, a long bench and a large table in between them. The only place to stand was in front of the small kitchen. It felt very cramped. I wanted to totally gut the inside and re-do the layout, but a friend suggested not doing that because of the weight ratio. Plus I had no idea there would be wheels sticking up in the trailer. That’s how little I knew about restoring a trailer. So I ripped out the bench, the twin bed, fixed the damaged wheel wells, and my husband helped me lay down a new sub floor. We then sealed all the cracks and holes and sealed the roof seams with Eternabond and caulking. I removed a cupboard door and the closet door that wouldn’t close. My vision was unfolding before my eyes. After tearing everything out and cleaning the walls and vacuuming all the dust from everything, I began to paint. The wood was so dry that it took three coats of Kilz primer and another three coats of paint. I choose a cream color, so that I would have a solid base to work around.
I had initially wanted to use penny tile on the small kitchen counter and the back splash. But all the colors I liked were too expensive. It was going to be about $300 for such a small area. So I ended up decoupaging the back splash with scrapbook paper, and I sprayed the counter with a textured spray paint, then polyurethaned it. I love the way it looks. The two cupboard doors were flat and boring, so I bought 2 picture frames from Hobby Lobby (at 50% off) and glued them on, then painted, sanded and stained them and then added hardware to all the drawers and doors. The whole kitchen ended up costing about $65.
After the painting, the kitchen and the floors were all done I was able to start decorating. That is the easy part - at least for me. I just used most of what I had in my home. I had to buy a table (from Hobby Lobby) and I purchased a 33” mattress for the couch/bed. Being as I was going to be the only one using it, I didn’t need to worry about having a large bed. A twin mattress is 38” wide and 5” is a big difference in a small space.
Now the next step was the floor. I initially wanted to do a red and white checker board pattern, so I purchased some VCT tile only to find out from friends that that wasn’t a good idea, because the floor needs to be able to move and they said the VCT could possibly crack while traveling. So, I returned that tile and I went on the hunt to find a vinyl red and white checkerboard. I went to Great Floors and found exactly what I was looking for, but unfortunately that was going to be about $600 for only an 8-foot space. Are you kidding me? So, nix that idea. But while I was there, I found a floor that is called Flexi plank. It is a weathered wood pattern and it went down so easy. No glue, no clicking, can easily be replaced, it took us about an hour to do the whole floor. And that now seems to be what everyone likes the most about Chantilly.
Inside Chantilly I have my baby doll that I have had for fifty years. I cut all her hair off when I was little so she has to wear a bonnet all the time. I also have an old pink hand mixer and an old pink sewing machine (that must weigh 50lbs). I’ve had those forever. For the curtains I just cut some tablecloths that I had in half and sewed a simple seam for the rod. I basically tried to save as much money as I could. My biggest expenses were the floor, paint (inside and out) and my awning.
I spent a whole day decorating her and after I was done I just sat in her and thought: “I knew she would pretty again!” and I think I heard her whisper: “Thank you!”
Once the inside was done, I moved onto the outside. I ended up painting it myself just using an outdoor metal siding paint. I primed it twice then I painted another two coats on the top half cream and the bottom half in Vintage Teal, but it ended up being too dark for my liking so I added some cream to the blue until I got the
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color I liked. I’m not the best painter, so if you look too close you might laugh. I think in a year or so I might have it done properly. But once again, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I added curtains and vintage aprons to the windows on the outside, (yes, I do hang curtains on the outside of my house also.) I just used regular curtain rods and hooks. Yes, I did have to screw into the skin. I know many may disagree with doing that, but I figure, she is mine to enjoy and do with what I want. If I ever do sell her, those holes can easily be filled. In total I spent about four months working on her, but I also work full time, so I only was able to work a few evenings a week and weekends. I think I spent approximately $1500 on doing her up.
Her name came by accident. I had several names in mind prior to choosing Chantilly. I was going to name her Mini Me, Delight, Itty Bitty, Sweetness. But none of them stuck, then one day the song Chantilly Lace ran through my head and BAM - there is was: Chantilly! I love it and it fits her perfectly. What I like about having a vintage trailer is that there are no rules. I recently went to my first rally and really enjoyed seeing what everyone had done. Some are authentic to the year of their trailer - which I really, really liked - but that just isn’t me. I like being surrounded by lots of pretty things. I had so much fun showing off Chantilly and everyone really enjoyed seeing her also. Everybody was so nice and helpful and giving me advice and how to’s. Very good people own Vintage Trailers! I’m looking forward to many more rallies now.
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Feature Trailer
Holiday Road WORDS & PHOTOS LISA MORA
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ith energy and enthusiasm of someone half her age, Mary Corrington, 74 from Eugene, Oregon is a veritable powerhouse of achievements. After our initial meeting at a Sisters on the Fly dinner, Mary and I organized to caravan together to Hot August Nights Vintage Trailer Rally Trailer Revival in Reno. We met up again soon after at the Roseburg Graffiti Weekend in July where her 1959 Shasta Airflyte “Shy Ann” took out the Vintage Trailer Award. After the show was over we headed over to River Forks Park so I could get some nice photos of her cool duo. A car show regular with a long history of successfully restoring and showing cars, trucks, airplanes and also rebuilding a teardrop trailer, Mary says her “true love” is her multi-trophy winning 1949 Chevy pickup. Unfortunately, as a stock restoration and only six-volt powered, the pickup was not suitable to pull the 16-foot Shasta with its 12-volt trailer
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brakes. Mary now uses her 1986 Caprice station wagon that she converted into a woody reminiscent of the National Lampoon’s Holiday movies and the pair look absolutely awesome together. Mary told me that how it was that after many years camping out of her teardrop, she wanted something bigger so she could camp with her beloved cat Nikko. “I have always preferred the quality and looks of the older cars and trailers. In my opinion, the modern ones seem to lack the individuality and class of the older models. Also I appreciate real metal and wood, the modern ones have too much plastic for my taste. I have always loved the look of the Shasta with her iconic wings, so I was looking for one for a few months when I found this one for sale in New Mexico for $7,000 and fell in love”. But in a classic case of “buyer beware”, Mary found that what she has been sold as “camp ready” was hiding a whole world of rot.
“Within a week of getting it home, black mold was coming through the walls. We discovered that the man I bought it from had painted over the mold and put plywood sheets over water damage to hide it. None of this was visible when I bought it”. Soon realizing that the Shasta was going to need a full frame up restoration, it was towed to Mary’s very handy brother Ray’s workshop in Roseburg, about eighty miles from where Mary lives where the deconstruction began and the extent of damage was revealed before the work of rebuilding the Shasta could begin. “We ran into many unpleasant surprises”, says Mary. vintagetrailermagazine
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“The mold and rot in the wall studs and paneling was very bad. We replaced the rotten wood and rebuilt all of the walls using screws instead of the original staples. The damaged wheel wells had been just patched with duct tape so replacement was the only option there. The electrical wiring was worn and poorly wired and was a fire waiting to happen. The rafters were broken and the insulation was a very thin sheet of fiberglass that was permeated with dust. The rafters, which originally were 1 1/2 x 3/4 inches-thick, were replaced with 2 ½ x ¾ inch boards and two more were added for more strength. We then replaced the old insulation with rigid foam insulation. Originally there was only one outlet in the entire trailer, now the trailer has been completely rewired with five indoor and 34
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one outside set of 110-volt plugs, three 12-volt plugs, and two sets of USB ports. A 12-volt charging system was installed as well as an inverter. It also is wired with a TV antenna wire for possible future use”. But their problems did not end there. Mary found out that the cabinets and hardware were not original and the dining area had been changed to a ‘u’ configuration to hide the water damage, so Mary’s brother built all new cabinets to as original specifications as possible, while Mary found the original hardware on eBay and refinished it. They then reconfigured the dining area back to original, built a new table, and Mary had new cushions made. The threeway refrigerator had to be repaired and reinstalled. Mary had the rusted stove
hood sandblasted and powder coated to match the original and then added a metal tiled backsplash. Underneath the trailer things were not looking much better and the list of items needing to be repaired kept growing. The brakes were non-functioning and the axle was in bad shape and had to be replaced. New trailer brakes were installed and the wheels were cleaned and repainted to match the trailer and finished off with a set of shiny new baby mood hubcaps. The leaking back side hatches were rebuilt, insulated and sealed and some of the drip rails had holes in them. All of the windows were removed and resealed. The two front side windows were replaced with polycarbonate instead of glass and the damaged drip
rails were replaced. The front screw jack was broken and wouldn’t wind up and that was rebuilt and repaired by Mary’s son, Tom Dietrich who also built Mary a tire mount and attached it to the back bumper as there had been nowhere to keep a spare tire previously. The leaking old galvanized water tank was replaced with a modern polypropylene tank and new fittings and lines, though Mary tells me that they were able to preserve the original filler. The ceiling vent had leaked and was in poor shape, so it was replaced with a new 12-volt Fantastic vent fan. The original iconic “S” Shasta magazine racks were long gone, but Mary was able to find the pattern for them online and rebuild two for her Shy Ann. The Shasta’s exterior skin was full of dents, creases, tears, and small holes, patches and had been shot with a BB gun. The roof had many patches too, so the entire roof and skin were replaced with
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new aluminum siding that came already painted white from the manufacturer. The door had been built of fiberglass and leaked and was locked by a house doorknob. Ray was able to build a whole new door and Mary found a used Bargeman latch for the door, which he installed. Mary then added a deadbolt lock for extra security. When it came to colors and styling, Mary chose to stick with the original shade of baby blue that was on the trailer when she bought it. “I really liked the blue, so I found the original stock color blue and replicated the exterior colors and design to match the original factory design. Chris Trevisiol at Umpqua Auto Body in Roseburg, Oregon did a fantastic job. He also painted the wheels and propane tanks for me”. Mary also chose to continue the pale blue color scheme on the Shasta’s interior as well. “I had the cushions upholstered in the blue and white and went with a Route 66 theme. My son, Tom Dietrich, and my brother, Ray Perry and their wives and I, had experienced route 66 together and I wanted to use that theme in memory of our trip and adventures, so I made a Route 66 quilt to commemorate our trip which incorporated some photos of our trip as well as some floor mats and place mats made from photos from our trip. The end result of this restoration is a true testament to the skill and dedication of Ray and Mary in bringing Shy Ann back to life. I have to admit that when she rolled in to Graffiti Weekend for her debut show I had to do a double take myself to check if it wasn’t one of the new Shasta ReIssues as it looks just like it would have if it rolled off the factory floor back in 1959. Mary says she is very thankful for the help of her brother, Ray Perry, as he was the one doing the majority of the construction. “I did as much as possible but mainly did the finish work and insulation. I had to commute to work on my trailer! I would go down with my kitty and stay with Ray 36
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and his wife Carol for days on end to work on it. The total process took one and a half years and lots of time and money”. Having taken Shy Ann out on a few more outings since, Mary is now discovering one of the many joys of vintage trailer ownership; the thumbs up as you get as you drive down the road! “I also get lots of curiosity and delight when they find out it is a 1959 model and not a reproduction”, says Mary. “I love the way she looks and how comfortable she is. I have always been a simple camper (think bicycle and teardrop camping) and to me this is the ultimate in luxury!”
Feature Trailer
A Touch of Nostalgia
WORDS & PICS LISA MORA
A
dorned with bunting, bursts of yellow flowers and an old bicycle parked out the front, Carol Lowell’s 1965 Shasta Compact certainly made an impact when I first saw it at the Sister on the Fly Northwest Gathering in Idaho back in June. Venturing over for a closer look, it was obvious that I was going to need to get
my camera for this one! The inside of the trailer is simply amazing with examples of fine craftsmanship and attention to detail everywhere you look.
Bothell, Washington, north of Seattle. They are currently working on a 1965 Chevy truck that they want to use to pull the trailer.
Carol and her hubby Mike are about to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and had been working on the trailer for the past two years from their home in
Carol told me that she was lucky enough to have been gifted the Shasta, after having put the word out to everyone she knew that she was looking for one vintagetrailermagazine
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and that she wasn’t afraid to tackle a fixer upper. As luck would have it, her networking worked. “I got a call from a friend that said an older lady wanted to get a trailer off of her property and did I want it? That is how it all started”. When Carol picked up the trailer it had all the original fittings and fixtures inside “including rat poop, mud and a hole in the floor!” laughs Carol.
I am fortunate enough to have a husband that can do anything and a machine shop to work in, so getting started was the easy part. But as a giveaway, Carol was not deterred by the state of the trailer. “I am fortunate enough to have a husband that can do anything and a machine shop to work in, so getting started was the easy part”, Carol told me. Plus, it gave her an opportunity to really put her individuality in to the restoration process. The first job they tackled was to repair the hole in the floor. They did this by removing the entire back area of the floor, welding framework to the bent area and then replacing the wooden floor.
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During... They then peeled the skin off the outside and replaced all of the rotting interior framework with stronger supports, installed all new wiring and then put new insulation throughout before putting the original siding back on. Wanting to make sure the trailer would be 100% roadworthy, they chose to replace the axel and install electric brakes on it. And you know how much we all love polishing aluminum window frames right? While the trailer was in pieces and all of the windows had been removed, Carol’s job was to polish all the years of weather off them. “That was a love hate relationship!” she recalls.
When it came to the inside, Carol said she wanted to do something unique. “I took out the original cabinet and ice box and stove and set out to do something different. It took awhile to brainstorm about what I wanted, but once I got started and chalk painted the panels, it all started to come together”, she tells me. “I purchased an amazing chest that fits perfectly and then found an icebox and reworked that area where it could go. Wow! It was becoming my vision! But one thing I just couldn’t get past was the ceiling. Then I had an idea to use some old maps I had purchased and put them on the ceiling and what a difference it has made!” vintagetrailermagazine
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One of the last decisions to make was the color and Carol has chosen a 1965 Chevy light green and white. To finish it all off, she added a few special touches such as jewelry, the bunting flags and hankies that belonged to her Mom. The end result is a trailer that Carol describes as: “A charmer that is both a little girly and good enough for the hubby to feel comfortable too”. Although they haven’t been out and about too often yet, Carol has big plans to see a lot more of the country with her retro duo once the Chevy is back on the road. “Look for me on the road with the 65 Chevy truck with motorcycle in the back pulling my Shasta trailer around the country. What a better way to travel around and meet new people!” 40
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Feature Trailer
Red Bullet WORDS LISA MORA
D
irk and Jonna Jacobs live in a city called Zoetermeer about forty miles from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. They named their 1970 Fokker “Red Bullet” after the mouldings on the side of their tow car: a 1958 Buick. “If you look at the side of this car you can see that the mouldings were made to look like the fly by of a bullet”, explains Dirk. During the week, Dirk works at a government office, but on weekends he
PICS JERRY ZANDWIJK
and Jonna used to attend car shows and camp in a tent. Eventually they decided that a trailer would be more suited to their needs. “Of course that could not be a modern trailer!” insists Dirk. “I got all inspired by all the different websites and Facebook pages about vintage trailers and the choice was made. We decided to buy a European vintage trailer from. Even though the one we have is from 1970, we decided to give the
interior an old American look, and chose as the theme the old 1950s American diners”. Dirk chose to seal in two of the side windows with sheet metal and completely gut out the inside and rebuild it using red 1950s Formica with chrome sheet metal details and stainless steel rivets that they also used to trim the bottom half of the lounge seats. The upholstery was re-done in red and white tuck and roll vinyl by a vintagetrailermagazine
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company that specializes in this kind of upholstery. The interior walls were wallpapered then painted white, and the floor was finished off in black and white checkered vinyl, of course! The outside of the caravan was then given a brand new shiny paint job on the outside and trimmed with 8mm RVS chrome mirror plating and finished off with stainless steel rivets for that extra bling bling. The large rear bus tail lights were especially ordered from the USA. “Over here in Europe it is normal that there is a big case at the front of the trailer”, explains Dirk, “but we replaced this cargo box to make it look more like the American trailers so I had two polished gas tanks mounted on the A-frame instead”. But using a little bit of Dutch ingenuity, the tanks do not actually contain any propane gas and have been put to use for another purpose, cut in half and used as a storage area for the awning ropes and pegs.
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It really is a unique trailer and car here in Europe
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The Fokker is made out of fiberglass so weighs in at only 750kg (1650 lb.) so is easily towed by the Buick and just to make sure it stays on the road for another forty years, Dirk fitted a new axel, brakes and shock absorbers and finished it all of with a nice new set of white wall tires. The caravan was then color matched to the car and finished off with a Red Bullet Logo designed by legendary Dutch artist Ger Peters. The entire restoration project took six months at an average of eighteen hours spent on it each week.
It now travels to cars hows and rockabilly events around the Netherlands where it has won lots of prizes and always gets a lot of attention. “People really like the combination and stand in line to take photos of it”, Dirk tells me adding that some people almost have an accident as they try to take photos as they are driving of the duo whenever it is out on the road “It really is a unique trailer and car here in Europe, and I don’t think anyone else would be as crazy as we are to have spent that much money on a trailer!” 44
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! p i r T Road « events guide« Places to visit, things to see and do. Road Trip! is the vintage caravanner’s guide to what’s on in events, festivals, custom and classic car shows in the coming months. OCTOBER 12 – 15 GATHERING OF THE TIMES VINTAGE TRAILER RALLY 2017 Pine Mountain RV Resort, 8804 Hamilton Rd, Pine Mountain, GA 31822 Gathering of the Times is the new North Georgia Vintage Trailer Rally. We just changed the name. Please join us at the Pine Mountain RV Resort in Pine Mountain Georgia for our 5th annual Gathering Of The Times Vintage Trailer Rally. Perfectly situated next to Calloway Gardens it will certainly be a rally to remember. Only trailers 1979 and earlier can participate. Call (706) 663-4329 to reserve a campsite. Tell them you are with the vintage trailer group and are in the Azalea (new) section. After you have reserved please let me know the year/ make of your trailer, who will be occupying the site, and your site number so that I can keep a master list. Contact Pete Whitley via Facebook Messenger, email pete_whitley@yahoo.com or phone 678-378-3725.
OCTOBER 20 – 22 VINTAGEVIBE FESTIVAL™ Palm Springs Convention Center, California A rockin’ new celebration of American culture in the heyday and twilight of the 20th century, VintageVibe Fest captures a time period unique for its bold evolutions in and modernizations of style, fashion, music, and art. The festival will include nightly musical performances by major musical groups whose music has a “throwback sound.” While the day’s events will center around the Vintage Market. Held during the Modernism Week Fall preview, the Vintage Market will be filled with a wide
variety of vendors whose product has a “vintage vibe” including Vintage Trailer Magazine! For more info go to: www.vintagevibefest.com
APRIL 19 – 22 VIVA LAS VEGAS ROCKABILLY WEEKEND The Orleans Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada Featuring some of the world’s best rockabilly bands and performers, burlesque shows, huge vintage traders area, the legendary Tiki pool party and a car show with unique classics, kustoms, hot rods, rat rods & vintage trailers on display, Viva Las Vegas is the world’s premier rockabilly event. Early bird tickets now available: High Roller: Full 4 day pass includes all events incl. headliners $140 if bought before March 22nd. Classic: Car Show only Thurs, Fri & Sat $50 if bought before April 18th. Hot Rodder: Saturday Car Show only incl. Car Show headliners $35 if bought before April 21st. To purchase tickets go to: www.vivalasvegas.net
MAY 18 – 20 PISMO BEACH VINTAGE TRAILER RALLY Pismo Coast Village RV Resort, 165 South Dolliver St, Pismo Beach, CA Selling out well in advance, this event is one of the biggest in the country! To register your interest for next year’s event email mike@meltrailer.com. In the meantime come along to the Open House Day on Saturday May 19th between 10am and 3pm. Come and check out the 350 gorgeous vintage trailers on display. www.pismocoastvillage.com
AUGUST 7 – 12, 2018 HOT AUGUST NIGHTS Washoe County Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, Reno, NV. 1976 and older vintage trailers of all shapes and sizes are again invited to camp at Washoe County’s Rancho San Rafael Regional Park between for the 2nd Hot August Nights Vintage Trailer Revival from Tuesday August 7th to Sunday August 12th. Trailers can also take part in a Show-n-Shine and parades. To book go to: hotaugustnights.net/vintage-trailer-revival
SEPTEMBER 4 – 10, 2018 18TH ANNUAL MT BAKER VINTAGE TRAILER RALLY The Northwest Washington Fair and Event Center, 1775 Front St , Lynden, WA 98264 Annual Vintage Trailer Rally held every year the weekend after Labor Day at the NW Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden, WA. This is field camping with no assigned spots. You pay and register upon arrival (cash, check or credit card). Showers, restrooms and RV dump station are on site. Power and water is abundant and available for most everyone with extension cords and water splitters. Cost is: $25 per night and one time rally fee of $15. (Add 3% for credit card payments). All are welcome to attend. Those trailers that aren’t vintage or “in the spirit of vintage” will just be asked to park in a designated section along the perimeter. Join the Facebook group: www.facebook.com/ groups/650646165103381/ = Events Vintage Trailer Magazine will be attending
To advertise your vintage caravan friendly event in Australia, New Zealand or the USA here for FREE email details to: editor@vintagecaravanmagazine.com vintagetrailermagazine
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Book Nook
TO P
R OA D
T R I P
R E A D S
Whenever I go away on a camping trip I always pack a novel or two with visions of lazy days spent relaxing in my sweet little trailer. But the reality is that I rarely get that much time to linger what with Pot Lucks, catching up with old friends and sociable drinks around the fire at night, not much reading gets done and the books usually come home unread. But there are a few books that I do like to keep in my trailer to flick through for inspiration and ideas and these are my top picks:
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My Cool Caravan by Jane Field-Lewis & Chris Haddon Featuring stunning photos by Hilary Walker, this is one of my very favorite caravan books ever and was one of the first books on the subject matter to come out. Published in 2010 by Pavilion Books. Hard cover $24.95
Vintage Trailer Voyeur: A peek inside the unique custom trailer culture by Victoria Ocken Just as the title describes, this new book takes you inside some of America’s unique custom trailers with a whopping 208 pages of over 300 photos and stories. Published in 2017 by Shiffer Books. Hard cover $34.99
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Vintage Trailer Style: Buying, restoring, decorating and styling the small spaces of your dreams by Lisa Mora
Keeping it Simple: New recipes from the caravan chef by Eva Stovern
Featuring photos I gathered from travels across America, Australia & New Zealand with tips and advice on styling and choosing a theme for your vintage trailer.
From quick and healthy savory meals to delicious sweets and desserts, Eva Stovern’s motto is: keep it simple, use few utensils, make it healthy and tasty.
Published in 2014 by David & Charles Books. Paperback $24.99
Published in 2015 by Explore Australia Publishing Spiral Bound $27.99
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Services Directory Wide Whitewall Trailer Tires Trailer Wheels
2.5 inch whitewall on left. 15 X 6 inch Gennie Chrome wheel above.
It is never safe to run passenger car tires on your trailer. We offer Extra-Load Trailer Tires in Load Ranges C-D-E. Tire sizes: 13, 14, 15 and 16 inch diameters. Let us build you a set of new wheels for your trailer to go along with your new tires. We also supply whitewall tires to match your tow vehicle. Friendly advice is a phone call or email away
Motorspot, Inc.
427 Industrial Way, Unit C Fallbrook, California 92028 Phone: 760-731-8301 www.trailerwhitewalls.com
HapPy gO SmiLe
HapPy gO SmiLe: A little shop in Cayucos where you can eat cupcakes that make you HapPy, gO to create art, and shop for things that make you SmiLe!
36 N Ocean Ave, Cayucos, CA. Follow us on Facebook & Instagram
www.happygosmile.com
Custom built Bondwood caravans built in Australia and shipped internationally
Unit 3/14 Hilldon Crt Nerang, Queensland 4211, Australia Phone +61 0414 944 850 Email woodycaravans@hotmail.com Find us on Facebook and Instagram!
www.woodycaravans.com.au vintagetrailermagazine
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Tin Can Tourists is an all make and model vintage trailer and motor coach club. Rallies, trailer information, thousands of pictures, Facebook group and free classified ads
www.tincantourists.com FOR SALE:
1950’s 12-Foot Handmade Caravan $10,000 Sleeping/Seating Capacity: 4 Registered. Plywood and aluminium construction New fridge. Unique patina (rustic) look Electric brakes. Original awning, ropes and poles New upholstery. Original gas lights. Original gas stove Original venetian blinds Location: Freemans Reach, NSW, AUSTRALIA Contact: John Chapman (0407) 796 751
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FunkyStuffGifts.com
Hot August Nights Vintage Trailer Revival will be the talk of the park, trailer park that is! Vintage trailers 1976 and older will be able to dry camp for the week long event.
Register Today!
Application available online.
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