Ethel

Before the Beginning

We had been regularly attending an annual music festival and one year there was a massive storm; we were miserable camping in our tent. We had to figure out how to keep our clothes and food dry, on top of sleeping directly on the wet ground.

We had never pictured ourselves as camper owners - wasn't that something retired people do? But as all of our friends slept comfortably around us in their roomy, cozy, dry RVs, we knew this would be our last camping trip in a tent. 

After returning home, we started searching for our first camper. Initially the design of the Airstream was appealing, but we soon found that even older Airstreams were outside our budget. That brought us to vintage Shasta campers. We only had a smaller SUV for towing, so the small size (and small price tag) seemed right up our alley.

The Search

We found an eBay auction for a late 60s Shasta and loved it. We joined in on the bidding but in a heartbreaking twist, lost it in the very last seconds of the auction! It was disappointing, but at least we knew now that we definitely needed a Shasta.

We joined the Vintage Shasta Club on Yahoo, and after a couple of weeks of lurking on the site, saw an ad from a fellow member for a 1962 Shasta SC, six hours away in Des Moines, Iowa.

That very next weekend we headed south to check it out. It was in pretty good condition, but it didn't have wings. The seller told us the story of how the original owner was at a campground in the 80s and some teenagers made fun of the wings, so off they came after that trip, probably long-lost to the garbage dump. But we didn't care - it was in great condition overall, and didn't have a lot of water damage, something we realized later would be an important feature in selecting vintage campers to restore. 

On the way home, we dubbed our "new" camper Ethel. The name seemed appropriately retro for a mid-century travel trailer. 

Our First Restoration

Nicole started to search for any information she could find about the proper way to restore a Shasta - what paint to use, how to handle deteriorating floor tiles, what to do about water damage under the windows, where to find missing parts, vintage brochures showing original interior design schemes, etc. As it turned out, the Vintage Shasta Club was a wealth of information.

It wasn't long before we saw that the Midwest Vintage Trailer Rally was scheduled to be held at the end of the summer. Now we had deadline! We couldn't wait to show off our Shasta at the rally to other people who appreciated these old beauties. So it was full steam ahead; the only question was, could we finish it in time?

A Family Affair

It was our first time restoring a camper and we had no idea how long it would take, so it was all hands on deck. 

Nicole was the researcher and resourcer of parts and supplies. John was the construction and paint specialist. John's mom jumped in to do the upholstery, and our boys Johnny and Bayley even helped with paint prep and clean-up.

It was a busy summer with many late nights.