Series: What should I know before buying a vintage travel trailer? Part 3

In this article we look at items that apply to all campers: maintenance and towing considerations. As you may have already noticed, we assume that you are going to be actively using your vintage travel trailer for camping trips. Many people wonder whether it’s actually feasible to do that with an older camper. But we know from the thousands of vintage trailer owners across the US that it is possible, you just need to be prepared.

Am I willing to maintain it on an ongoing basis?

All campers need regular maintenance, no matter their age

Every camper, no matter the age, needs regular maintenance. After all, it’s like regularly hauling your home down the road at 60 miles an hour! As you can imagine this is especially true with a vintage trailer, as some interior components just wear out over time after all that vibration and bumping around.

We have a 1967 Airstream and recently we’ve found that the screws on the screen clips have started to fall out every time we take the camper on the road. We’ll likely only need to replace the screws or brackets, but this is just an example of the type of thing you might run into, even with a fully restored camper. If you’re willing to do regular and annual maintenance to keep your camper in good condition, then a vintage camper might be a good option for you.

It’s not to say that this is unique to vintage campers though. We’ve heard stories from friends with new campers who need to do maintenance on their new campers, even within the first year of buying it. It’s just the nature of owning a camper.

How heavy is it and what kind of tow vehicle will I need?

Smaller campers can be perfect for an old-fashioned, close-knit family adventure

One of the differentiating features of a vintage camper compared to a new one is that many older campers are lighter, in part because they are small. Modern manufacturers do have trailers in the ultra-light class, but they are far less common than the bigger models which seem to be in demand with buyers of new campers.

There are many benefits to a smaller, lighter camper. They are easier to move around and fit into more campsites. With the U.S. currently facing a shortage of campsites (at least the type that fit big rigs), having a smaller camper gives you more flexibility, especially when it comes to making campground reservations on short notice.

If you’ve been to a campground recently, you know it’s currently in vogue to have a monster camper, so naturally, many people think that a vintage camper wouldn’t be big enough for them. But, you may be surprised at how efficient and cozy a smaller design can be. They are easier to move, less burdensome to tow, and easier to store. We find that the small campers create a cozy and intimate camping experience for our family of four.

Teardrops are the smallest, but many types of vintage campers are lighter than contemporary campers

Another benefit of a smaller, lighter camper is that you don’t need quite as much towing capacity in your tow vehicle. Even a smaller SUV can tow the smallest campers. Our first towing combo was a Nissan Pathfinder and a 1964 Shasta SC. While the Pathfinder was capable, we did find that it worked fairly hard to tow the Shasta, and our gas mileage was horrendous. We did eventually upgrade to a bigger tow vehicle the next year.

Long-story short, check to make sure that your prospect camper (and its weight) is appropriate for the vehicle you will use to tow it, not only for efficiency in towing, but more importantly, for safety.

More to come

The last article in our series discusses four important camper features that will help you narrow down a search for the perfect vintage camper for you! Click here for part 4