Since pretty much Day #1 of this blog, readers have been hocking me to write about restoring vintage travel trailers. Just like remodeling a midcentury house, right? Except all the rooms — kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom — are all crammed into one small space, on wheels, and you get to go on vacation in it..
Hi Pam,
.About five years ago we (wife Cindy, daughter Charlotte and Lane) were in the North Georgia mountains near Clayton, Ga., and I saw this strange looking trailer parked in the Walmart parking lot. It had large silver wings on the back, and I thought it looked awesome. Being a fan of late 50’s early 60’s cars with fins (I have a 1961 Comet) I did a u-turn in the street and pulled into the Walmart to take a look. It was an early 60’s Shasta Airflyte. After marveling over it, my wife and I decided that one day we would get one of these..After doing months of research on all types of vintage trailers, we decided that we had to have a Shasta with wings, so we found one on Craigslist in Virginia. It was not an Airflyte but a 1964 Astroflyte, which is just like the Airflyte but it has a cabover to sleep two more people, which we needed with our family of four. Living in Atlanta I didn’t go up to Virginia to look at it (mistake), but had it shipped down. I knew that it would be a restoration and would be in rough shape, but when the courior pulled up to the house and we walked in the trailer, we were horrified. It was totally trashed. Dead mice on the floor, infested with ants, and the biting stink bugs were all over the place. It stunk like nothing else and rotted wood was everywhere..I thought, “I just spent $1,200 on this.” We talked about selling it, but I decided to give a restoration a try. I’m a mechanic at Delta Air Lines and like working of things, but I’ve never restored anything of this magnitude. I worked on the weekend shift, so I had four days off during to week to work on it. A year and a half and $6,000 later it was all finished as of June of this year..
We have camped in the North Georgia state parks about six times and LOVE the trailer. It really gets a lot of attention, and it is great, inexpensive activity to bring the family together. On Wednesday we take our longest trip yet to Disney World Fort Wilderness and are really looking forward to it.[Update: Photo live from Disney World, provided Friday, above. – Pam]
Restoring this trailer is the best decision we have made. It’s not perfect and I make plenty of mistakes but we enjoy it. I received a lot of help from the internet, especially Repairing Yesterday Travel Trailers.
Thanks to YOU for giving me the flooring idea [slubby retro Congoleum tiles] !.
Susie says
Wow. This thing is a dream, Pete! I had no idea a camper with fins existed. It is so pretty!
Marcheline says
Great job on the interior restoration… and that turquoise color on the outside ROCKS, especially with the accent of silver wings!
Cloud says
Gorgeous! Have you noticed that the TV show Grimm features a 60s Airstream?
JKaye says
What a fun feature on this wintry day. Great work, Pete, and may you and your family have many hours of fun and togetherness in your camper. My family began camping around 1967 in a tiny pop-up camper, and then my mom actually won a camper in a drawing for $1. It was similar is size (but not beauty) to Pete’s camper. We used it into the 80s, when my parents replaced it with an RV. We went on weekend trips to state parks with several other families in their campers, made a trip each summer to Myrtle Beach SC, and, like Pete’s family, took the camper on a trip to Disney World. Yes, you should wish you were there, becaus it was great, great fun, creating many great memories. The only downside of it all was having to pack up on Sunday afternoons. We had an awning like Pete’s with lights around it (in the shape of owls), and Dad would start taking it all down and he’d be in a bad mood because the fun was over. He’d mutter a cuss word or two and my sister and I would try to sneak off to the playground or go hide in the campground restroom. Eventually we’d get everything packed up in the camper and get it hooked up to our monstrous Plymouth Fury station wagon. We’d head home, talking about where we might go on the next trip. My mom was a fantastic organizer, figuring out nifty ways to store things, and she’d cook up lots of good foods in advance to take with us. My own kids got to go on some fun weekend trips with their grandparents in the RV, but it really was not quite the same as in the little camper. My husband would love to get a camper so that we could extend our fishing trips from one-day jaunts into weekend-long, or week-long adventures.
One last thing — Pete’s renovating work is fantastic, but what gave me a smile was seeing the little Tupperware salt and pepper shakers in their little stand. We had a set just like that in our camper!
pam kueber says
JKaye, you really should be a professional writer!
Pete Whitley says
Great story JKaye! I acted like your Dad when my daughters jumped on the folding table and it broke on the trailer floor spilling orange juice everywhere. They ran and hid. (<:
pete Whitley says
Thanks JKaye! (<:
Jennifer says
Reminds me of my Grandparents camper. Love it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferbruce/2554670048/
pam kueber says
Woah — FANTASTIC! xoxo
Lee in Florida says
Fly Strip!!! Boy, haven’t seen one of those in forever.
pam kueber says
“Fly strip”?
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
On the left hand side of the photo – it’s a more gussied up version of fly paper, but still does the trick, making the flies stick!
Becky Leach says
The pic won’t load on my phone, but if they mean what I think they mean, then they’re referring to flypaper strips: sticky roll of paper that smell good to flies, that you unroll and hang to catch flies. Living in rural Iowa, one relies on these (somewhat disgusting, but effective!) devices in the summer, for sure!,
Lee in Florida says
Pam,
Fly strips were waxy blocks of… let’s face it… poison, that were enclosed in a thin cardboard case. The flies would land on it, die, and fall to the bottom of the case. The Shell Oil Company made them. I guess the proper name is “No-Pest Strips”, because they were supposed to keep all kinds of bugs away, but they only seemed to work on flies… the Florida skeeters just laughed at them.
Larry says
I loved looking at this photoset! Talk about a fantastic family photo record! I especially loved that not a speck of vinyl was found in the photos that had old buildings and houses..good old solid wood trim, doors, siding….ahh those were the days
Lynn-O-Matic says
That photo is a treasure, Jennifer!
Mariah Pastell says
Jennifer! Thank you for sharing this photo! It is so cute and absolutely wonderful.
Retrosandie says
Jennifer, Thank you for all of the wonderful pictures of your family. They brought back memories of MY family back in the 50’s, 60’s, and early 70’s!!! And Pete’s trailer is just fantastic!!! Happy trails….!! 🙂
Pete Whitley says
Thanks Retrosandie! I’m glad you like it.,
Pete Whitley says
Thanks Jennifer. That is one awesome picture! I wonder what type of trailer that is.
Mary Elizabeth says
Coming late to this thread. My DH and I own a 33-foot 1982 Terry Fleetwood, which we have been restoring. My parents had it in a permanent seasonal camp site, and when they got too old to do everything themselves, we used to go help them open and close for the season, replace things, fix leaks, etc. They camped until Dad was 89 and Mom was 87. Then, when Dad got ill, we bought the trailer from them and started restoration in earnest. It’s ongoing. Dad died before he could visit it, but he used to amuse himself listening to our tales of what we had had to replace that week. They used to joke with us that we should have bought a new trailer, not built one ourselves from the inside out.
Still original are the brown vinyl flooring, wallpaper in kitchen and bath, harvest gold shag carpet, gold shower stall, bed frame, dinette chair frame and table, and plywood and laminate cabinets.
It always seems to me that the trailers I have seen are decorated in a fashion about 5-10 years behind home decoration fashion. For example, our 1980s trailer exterior is beige, brown and pumpkin orange, more like like 1970s colors. The shag carpet is very 70s looking, too, and the original upholstery (chewed up by nesting mice, alas) was blue, brown and gold plaid, almost exactly the plaid on our 1970s sofa. Similarly, we have seen 1990s trailers with mauve and gray exteriors and interiors, which seem to sing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!”
For people who want ideas specifically for retro renovating (or totally transforming) old trailers, they should get the UK book _My Cool Caravan_. The author is Lewis, I think, but the book is. well, in my cool caravan, where I look through it when I am exhausted from some project.
Jenny says
Love, love, love! What an amazing job you’ve done renovating your gorgeous trailer. Yes, I am a little envious and do wish I were at Fort Wilderness in a smashing 1964 Shasta Astroflyte! Have a great time!
Pete Whitley says
Thanks Jenny! We just got back an hour ago. WORN OUT! (<:
Gretchen says
We are currently waiting for a 1961 Aljo trailer to be finished with restoration. We, ourselves, are not handy but we are lucky to know people who are. I’m looking forward to decorating it true to the period. In fact, I found your site when looking for retro fabric for the curtains.
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
I do! I do!
Actually Retro Roadhusband and I already got started on this dream sooner than expected, when we saw what turned out to be a 1964 Serro Scotty camper in someone’s driveway just across town. I’d eye this cute little white and aqua “canned ham” every time I’d drive down that road, and one day, just before Christmas 2 years ago, I noticed a small “For Sale” sign on it. This was just 2 months after my dad had passed away, and with the thought that Life Is Short in my mind, we decided to buy this cute lil camper, even though we don’t even own a vehicle that can tow her! Luckily we have a garage to store her in, and the folks we bought her from were sweet enough to tow her across town and put her safely in there.
We can’t wait to begin to doll her up – she’s in pretty good condition considering her age, but we really want to make her our own. We’ve named her Lil (as in “lil camper” ) and just can’t wait to get her on the road!
For folks who are interested in vintage campers – we went to the National Serro Scotty Society camp out north of Pittsburgh last year and met a bunch of swell folks, and joined up immediately. If you’re not sure what type of camper you want – or just want to drool over what people have- I recommend the Tin Can Tourists – they have a great FB page and website.
Happy Camper, indeed 🙂
Mod Betty
Lauryn says
Oh dear. Here I go down another rabbit hole!
mary says
Serro’s was from my home town…Irwin, PA. They had a diner and everything. These travel trailers were so cool and I’m so glad that people are restoring them. Saw one in a barn in Pultneyville, NY recently and stepped inside for a blast from the past only to find that someone was living in it. Always knock.
Chris H says
Beautiful trailer. You did a great job on it. Is the clock original to the trailer?
Pete Whitley says
Thank you Chris. The clock is a new one that I bought off of ebay.
pete Whitley says
Thanks Chris!
Mariah Pastell says
Pete, you have done a fabulous job with the Shasta! It’s nice to see someone else doing restorations the right way – all they way! I have always been in love with vintage trailers (I’ve been told it’s an odd hobby for such a young person to have) and I bought my first project last summer: an amazing 1959 Beemer (super rare and unique). I have been restoring her from the bottom up, as I have always dreamed of doing, for the past few months. Now I have a collection of vintage trailers parked all over Massachusetts (again – it’s a pretty space-consuming kinda kooky hobby for a college student) waiting for their restorations. I’m hooked!
And honestly, I would not have been able to restore the Beemer (and the others) without the help of RetroRenovations!! The information on this site in INVALUABLE to vintage trailer enthusiasts looking to do a genuine restoration. I ended up putting in VirrVarr Formica countertops (I bought the last sheet of that print IN THE COUNTRY! Good thing I went to the counter store when I did) and will be using barkcloth fabric from Tonic Living – all of which I found out about through RetroRenovations!
Thanks Pam! and thanks Pete, keep trailering!!
pam kueber says
Wow, I’m glad the site has been a help! I’m in Massachusetts, Mariah — we need to get together, I need to see your Beemer!
Mariah Pastell says
Pam – you’re site has been ESSENTIAL, let me tell you. And we definitely DO need to get together and talk mid mod! I am a vintage fiend. It started with clothing but now has spread to include furniture (lots of midmod furniture) and building supplies, light fixtures and SINKS! I would love to share with you and the readers the things I found a while back at the Re-Store in Springfield (now Eco-Building Bargains) all for free on their last day in their old building before they moved. Check out my Vintage store too, where I have some really great pieces: (I know you wrote a post about wearing only vintage/second hand from now on). PlanetQueenVintage.etsy.com.
I’ll email you with some stuff about the Beemer 😉 My most recent acquisition? A 1962 Avalon with little plastic flowers on each finish brad on the interior woodwork. Marvelous.
XO
Mariah
Pete Whitley says
Thanks Mariah! Congrats on the Beemer. Can’t wait to see pictures!