Newbie considering a few vintage trailer options

The Airflyte looks more like a 58 or 59 and unfortunately has been ruined. The painted interior is covering water damage and the modified interior is now missing many important parts. This one needs to be completely rebuilt much like the other two and I don't think it's with worth any more than a completely rotten specimen that has all the original parts.

I would run from this one at that price.

Hopefully others will chime in but to me this one looks 100% better than the last one. All the parts are there and the interior is original and intact. There will be rot but localized rot can be fixed and it is much less work than totally rebuilding the trailer. Search for the Mobiltec series called "Restoring the 59 Shasta" which he posted about 10 years ago. It will give you a good idea of what you are up against. Yes it may still be overpriced but it is certainly something worth restoring.

Your are at a great junction in the road. Many times, if we were all honest with ourselves, we would like to roll the clock back and be at the junction your now at, and if we had the knowledge gained by making mistakes, we both could have a better result.

I really like the idea of buying a modern trailer now to go camping. If you buy "used", and then sell it "used" the cost to use it is minimal. New RV's have a large depreciation. Study the vintage trailer hobby, learn by camping what you need to be comfortable. Experience the different types of camping off the grid, dry camping, or the $100/nite "five star" glamping. This will take all the pressure off you to rush restoring, making mistakes, and having regrets. Remember, the lesson learned from this 57 year married guy, Happy Wife, Happy Life. Take your wife to a couple of "the larger (300 plus)" Vintage Trailer Rally's, visit the Saturday Open Houses to go in the trailers. Let her figure out, is Vintage Trailers are something she would enjoy. Keep in mind that the Vintage Trailer Hobby is completely Female Driven.

So, let's say you have done the homework, visited some Rallys, and both You and Your Wife have embraced the experience. Where do you start? So that we do not ruffle the feathers, lets NOT discuss specif brands. Let's talk about types of trailer construction. You have the "egg shell" trailers which are fiberglass molded and the top shell is glued to the bottom shell. These are manufactured much like a fiberglass boat with a deck attached to a hull. You have what we call the aircraft trailers. These have aluminum skin that is riveted to internal stiffeners. The aluminum skin is stressed and is the structural wall strength. You will find this type of construction on the larger trailers. Another type is the Plywood Walled trailers. It was cheap to build 70 years ago, and history will show not many survived. About the only viable way to repair one is a completed teardown because the plywood de-laminates and has to be replaced with new. And now the most commonly talked about type of construction, at least on this forum. Stick and Tin trailers. These have a wood fabricated wall frame, and a 1/4" (5mm) sheet of plywood attached to the inside of the framing. The plywood panel is the WALL structure, NOT the wall framing. This type of trailer has to be structurally repaired from the outside in. The cabinets, counters, closets support the structure, they cannot be removed without re-engineering the frame structure. Most quality-built Stick and Tin trailers have 1 1/2" thick walls. The 1 by 2 walls studs are "turned sideways" like they build a house wall. This is stronger, provides the space to use common electrical boxes, and you can use 1 1/2" of ridged Styrofoam for summer/winter insulation. The cheaper method of construction was to turn the wall studs lengthwise. This cause the wall frame thickness to be reduced to 3/4", actually 1" when the interior panel was installed. The wall frame is NOT as strong as a wall TWICE as thick. You have less room for electrical wiring and insulation. The only advantage I can see is the bed can be 1 1/2" longer for the given outside trailer width. It was just a cheaper, faster, production method when they needed to manufacture a trailer that retailed when new for less than $1000. I have never worked on a vintage trailer yet (any type of construction) that did not have at least some structure rot and damage. The Aircraft trailer have their own set of potential problems.

Lots of information, lots of things to consider. You will laugh at yourself years from now when you think about the questions you will be asking people you never met before "If they have a Toilet in their trailer, Ice Box or Refrigerator, What's your tongue weight? The questions that need to be answered are almost never ending.

Make the best selections for the style of camping that best suits your style.

John

I agree with the above. The orange 59 Shasta is your best bet. It will need a build but is original in condition. It's hard to know if it is in road worthy condition, but I bet not. The skin looks pretty fair which is a plus.

On buying vintage trailers: don't buy one with a painted interior. Not only ugly, but covering water stains and flaws is paints main use. Also, consider resale value when buying. A canned ham is worth much more than a newer trailer like the 70 Aloha. Would that one be worth all the work? By the 70s, many had lost all their charm, anyway. Most folks prefer hams with a completely rounded shape and real wood interiors.

As far as camping now, you may find a "new" vintage trailer that has the look but should be in better condition. Of course do all the inspections on any purchase. If you like camping and your wife enjoys it, you might consider looking for a project for next year.

Good luck on your search.