If you’re looking to carve a different path for weekend holiday travels, consider a vintage travel trailer - opens in new window or tab. road trip with overnight stays at campgrounds - opens in new window or tab. reserved for classics from the post-War era. Enter a time machine to experience the days when turquoise was the hot color, Elvis was on the jukebox, and Mike Wallace was beginning his television career doing ads for a promising new Studebaker model called the Avanti - opens in new window or tab..
Whether your tastes run towards the iconic silver Airstream models - opens in new window or tab., two-tone Shasta - opens in new window or tab., or the lovable Kamp N Go - opens in new window or tab., there’s probably a vintage travel trailer with your name on it.
Postcard depicting Tin Can Tourists
The history of travel trailers began in 1910 with a Pierce Arrow model called the Landau. A back seat folded down into a bed and a sink folded down from the back of the chauffeur’s seat. The Landau also came with a chamber pot. As the industry grew to include manufacturers such as Los Angeles Trailer Works and Auto-Kamp Trailers, so did America’s enthusiasm for this new way to travel. A RV club called the Tin Can Tourists - opens in new window or tab. formed in 1919 had 150,000 members by the mid-1930s.
Although Wally Byam built his first travel trailer in 1929, Airstream’s - opens in new window or tab. heyday was the period immediately following World War II, when returning soldiers and their new families were enjoying the country’s post-War prosperity.
In 1957, Airstream became the first travel trailer available with its own hot water heater, eliminating the necessity of external hookups. Although Byam died in 1962, the company continued to flourish, with trailers undergoing a major redesign in 1969, taking on the company’s iconic bullet shape. (Check out eBay's inventory of 2016 and 2017 Airstream models - opens in new window or tab..)
A custom 1972 Airstream Safari
Shasta opened its doors in 1941, manufacturing temporary homes for members of the US armed forces. The company grew to become the largest manufacturer of RVs in the US by the early 1970s. Its best known model was the Airflyte - opens in new window or tab., recognizable for its canned ham shape and wing-type overhangs.
Lovers of vintage travel trailers should put the RV Museum and Hall of Fame - opens in new window or tab. in Elkhart, Ind. on their bucket lists, housed in the city that produces 60 percent of all RVs on the road today.
Time Warp in a Vintage Trailer
If you don’t yet own a vintage travel trailer but want to see what it might be like to use one, check out the Shady Dell - opens in new window or tab. in Southern Arizona. Visitors can choose from nine vintage travel trailers to overnight in, including a 1949 Airstream, 1959 El Rey, and 1951 Mansion: all surrounded by landscaping reminiscent of the era.
Vintage 1973 Kamp N Go Travel Trailer Camper
The Vintages - opens in new window or tab. Trailer Resort in Dayton, Ore. includes 16 trailers built between 1947 and 2015, located in the heart of Willamette Wine Country. The Starlite Classic Campground - opens in new window or tab. in Canon City, Colo. has a few vintage travel trailers for rent, as well as cabins, and tent and RV sites with electricity.
Other vintage campgrounds include the Sou’Wester in Seaview, Wash. and Kate’s Lazy Desert in Landau, Calif., founded by B-52s lead singer Kate Pierson.
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