Why I Bought a 1960s Vintage Camping Trailer to Renovate (Before Photos)
After years of thinking about it, I finally bought a 1960s vintage camping trailer from the local classifieds. Here’s what it looked like before the renovations, and why I decided to buy it!
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My husband and I discussed buying a vintage trailer to renovate for years. But even as we handed over the cash and towed it home with my old 2008 Xterra SUV, it still felt like an impulsive decision.
Did we even know how to renovate a trailer? How much is this actually going to cost?
My husband Nick is handy. Together, we can figure things out. But we had a lot to learn about owning and building trailers.
As avid backpackers and tent campers, we knew camping well. We thought a small trailer would be fun for longer, multi-week road trips. We also love DIY projects and antiques, so a vintage trailer was perfect!
New trailers nowadays are not only expensive, but they’re often made with cheap materials that don’t last.
A vintage trailer might need some work to spruce it up. But, we loved the idea of reviving something old, made of quality materials with little or no plastic.
The Before: 1960s Vintage Camping Trailer Exterior
The Before: Vintage Camping Trailer Interior
You can see the main water damage on the ceiling in the photo above.
I loved this yellow stove and matching ice box in the trailer kitchen.
About Our 1960’s Vintage Camper
To find this trailer, I started looking at the local classifieds daily. I wanted to see what was available and the average prices for used campers.
We decided that we wanted a small trailer, no more than 16 ft long, and no bathroom.
A bathroom would really complicate things and we didn’t want to deal with sewage and cleaning. We’re comfortable tent camping, so digging a hole or using an outhouse is no big deal.
One day, I found the perfect listing, and I called the guy right away. A couple of days later, we went to check it out. We paid cash and drove it away that morning.
Our trailer is a Kit Companion trailer from 1968. We bought it for $1,500. It included an almost brand-new $500 heater, so we thought it was a pretty good deal!
We were so excited!
It was so cute and we thought that we could spruce up the inside and call it good, but we ended up finding water damage and deciding to completely gut the entire trailer…
… next up is Part 2: The Demo!
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