Travel trailer memories....

[Camper_G]

Hey y'all..

I thought it might be a fun to start a topic with vintage travel trailer memories.

I have a TON of memories with my Mom, Dad and brother camping growing up. My Dad has been gone for nearly 17 yrs now, but as I type this reply, I can still remember helping him set up our 78 Terry Taurus and him explaining to me how he hooks up and unhooks, sets jack stands, rolls/unrolls the awning, winterizes, ETC. Quite honestly, that's one of the main reasons when I started camping I knew what I was doing for the most part already. Because I had an interest in what he was doing and he spent the time to explain things to me. I can still picture him in his green chase lounge relaxing. He'd make us excellent camping breakfast's on that old Coleman grill outside on the picnic table. Those memories to me are priceless.

We camped regularly at Locust Lake State Park and I always looked forward to going to ride bikes, take hikes in the woods, build dams in the creek behind our campsite (we always loved site 178). Going swimming on the beach there, lots of fishing, Etc.

Then when I moved out on my own and wanted my own rig, I saved up some money and bought a 1977 Go Tag Along, 21' Single axle. She was rough, had no running water inside, etc, but it was a TT and I could go camping.

I met my wife shortly after I had that rig and took her camping a few times in it, before I upgraded to an 87 Wilderness Yukon, then went to an early 90s Viking pop up, (hated that, LOL), eventually bought a 92 Skyline Boomer, then back to my current 89 Layton.

Camping is such a great family activity, it forces you to unplug, escape the pressures of everyday life and focus on your family. Taking hikes in the woods, throwing football, horseshoes, you name it.

I feel very fortunate my Mom and Dad instilled the tradition of camping in me starting when I was 6 yrs old. I like taking my boys now and hope they will continue camping when they are older and living on their own. I hope/pray and ask the Lord to allow me to be physically fit and independent enough to still be able to manage a TT when I'm in my 60s so "Pop Pop" can go along camping with his (hopefully) grandkids someday.

What memories do you all have about camping in older TTs? What do you enjoy most about camping? For the older folks on this forum, do you camp with your kids and grandkids? I'd bet that is just wonderful. I would have loved that when I was younger, but my grandparents did not camp and my Dad was gone before I was married. My Mom went with us one time for one night and that was fun.

Have a great day and weekend y'all.

G

[aftermath]

Married in '72 and camped out in a tent until '89. My wife loves camping and did not want to part with the tent. Daughter #1 came along and then D#2. We got caught in some serious rain when the kids were little so we picked up a used 1979 TT in '89 and camped out of it for 16 years. Daughters were gone by then so we got a hybrid.

I just bought our old TT back this January. D#1 is married with a tent trailer for her family. D#2 has a family and is looking. I have been busy rebuilding the old trailer and she will be camping out of it soon. The old Starcraft is still in pretty good shape, has a HW system with a demand pump that I installed in the 90s. It doesn't have many other amenities but it is filled with a family history full of good times and memories of all the wonderful places we have been.

We still camp together once or twice each year as schedules allow. Our girls are now passing their love of the out doors to their children. It is a great feeling to see the cycle continue.

[pickjare]

As far as memories, I can remember the day I caught my first fish (you know, without any help) almost 30 years ago. It was pouring rain, had been since the day before, I couldn't stay in the trailer any longer--I think we had played every card game etc. we had at least twice by then. As I looked out the window I saw big willow tree near the creek. I dressed up and went outside. As I walked around the ground was just soaked damp, mud. Dark clouds among us and just raining hard. High elevation in Idaho. Put a worm on the hook, walked over to that willow tree, tried to huddle under it and cast the line in the creek. There wasn't even a good hole, more like a fast shallow section of the six foot wide creek. I caught a rainbow trout within 5 minutes. I reeled in but left it on the line bending my pole over and I remember turning toward the camp trailer holding it up and my whole family was watching through the window, all just so happy. My dad walked right out to congratulate me. That willow tree is still there today, we've camped in that spot many times since then.

The thing I'm realizing now that I have my own family, is that it isn't easy to go camping. Growing up we started in a tent, then campers, finally older 70's camp trailers. We have always dry camped, don't remember ever staying in a campground so that's what seems natural to me today. And my wife and I first camped in a tent, then tent trailer, then 1976 trailer, and now a 2001 Nash. But it's a lot of work. And it does cost a lot of money to go when everything is considered (like time off work). So as our family goes I always wonder how my parents afforded it. No wonder they didn't pack us up and go home when it rained. There were a couple years I think we went every other weekend during the season and I don't know how they did it. They sacrificed time and money to take us kids and go camping. But I realize it was worth it without a doubt, and my mom and dad would agree and I'm so thankful they did. Just so many memories about camping that it is part of my growing up experience. And that is why my wife and I will make time and money to make it...or should I say keep camping part of our families lifestyle so our kids experience it like I did.

[Vintage465]

Well interestingly enough, all of our first experiences as kid-camping were with my grand parents who had a new 1966 GMC pickup with a V-6 and 4 speed. They purchased a new Siesta crank up camper for it. Each grand-kid got to go some where once a year with them. Since there were four of us at home at that time the grandparents were pretty busy keeping the Kids-Camping Score even. Then in 1971 for some strange reason my dad decided to open an RV shop. He was a farmer...knew nothing of RVs but for some reason. All of us worked in the RV shop learning how to repair everything and I mean everything. When my wife and I got married we tented out of rebellion for two episodes 'til the Mojave Desert wind tore it to shreds.............then rebellion over and started the life of travel trailers after one slide in sleeper shell. First trailer was a 1962 Oasis. Cool rig...Dometic Fridge with a zip tube to light it. Second trailer was a 1967 Terry Trailer, definitely more modern. Then, kids, so a 1984 25' Nomad Bunkhouse. Lots of goodies compared to the previous two rigs. Living the high life with this rig. Had that rig from 1992 to 2015. Now we have the Creek Side and it's almost like cheating. Both our kid loved camping in the trailer and have very fond memories of our camping trips. We are planning a Mojove desert trip with my son. He will likely rent a mini home for the trip. Good, good times for sure!

[Drbolasky]

Have lots of memories much like Camper G describes. In my case it started with my dad renting a Tartan tent trailer and pulling it with his new 1966 Buick Special wagon (yep, clamp-on bumper hitch). That Tartan had nothing except maybe a sink. Cooking was done outside on a Coleman "green box" stove; light was provided by the gas lanterns that put Coleman on the map. No refrigerator - just an ice chest.

Oh, and that Buick wagon? Black vinyl seats and NO air conditioning. And our first trip was through the deep South in summertime.......

[Murphsmom]

We started out in a 17' 1970 Aristocrat Lo-Liner towed by a 1969 Buick GS400, with three kids ranging in age from two to seven. Our longest trip was from the SF Bay Area down to Las Vegas, across to Albuquerque, north through Denver and on to Yellowstone before heading back west on I80, and ending up at Tahoe for a week. Rain chased us everywhere, but having that snug trailer after a disastrous Oregon coast tent camping trip the year before sold us on trailer camping.

We hit every zoo on the itinerary, museums in several places (including the fabulous Museum of Natural History in Denver) and watched Old Faithful from under the protection of the Old Faithful Inn. We met many wonderful people, and the kids had a great time getting to know other kids who were traveling. It was only after we got home and turned on the network news that we realized that the family we were chatting with while waiting for the eruption were a national news anchor and his family.

You meet the nicest people!

[hppytrls]

Sure stirs the memory pot! My parents went from surplus WW2 canvas tent to a 16 ft or there about tag along tt in about 1962. I'm still making memories.

[Alabama_Jim]

Mom and dad had a tin can looking Kamp Mate, 15 ft. TT. We often went to the Smokey Mountains and my brother and I would jump rocks in the creeks. We usually
came back wet, from falling off the slippery rocks. A larger campfire would dry us off. We sat by the fire and see bears walking through the park looking for food in the garbage cans. Oh what fun we had; family, love, nature and camping. All that was in the 60's.

[K_Charles]

My parents bought a pop-up in '62 and pulled it with a falcon wagon. We went every where. One year we went around the Gasps Peninsula, Dad wanted to see some light houses so for a few days he thought it would be fun to only take right turns.

[jfkmk]

Not specifically vintage TT, but I sure have a lot of memories camping and traveling all over the US!

Way back in the 60's, my parents rented a pop up, attached a clamp on bumper hitch to the a Rambler and took off for the Smokey Mountains. I still have memories of that trip!

At about 8 or 9, my parents bought a big canvas tent from Morsan in Paramus, NJ. The thing was so big it had to be carried on a roof rack, as it wouldn't fit in the trunk of the Plymouth Fury. We camped all over the place and used it for years! The worst part was, if there was rain approaching, is dad would get us up to pack the tent before the rain started, no matter what time it was.

I continued tent camping for years, and started bringing my kids very early on.

In the 90s, when mom and dad retired, they bought a class c and drove all over the US with that too. At times, I went with them and my kids....3 generations camping in one rig!

As they got older, my parents gave up the class c, which we purchased, and my wife and I enjoyed the heck out of it. We finally gave that up and purchased a small TT.

Mom and dad, now in their 80s will be going camping with us again this year. We rented a park model for them when we go to Lancaster this spring. They're looking forward to sight seeing, sitting around the fire at night, etc.

Memories of cooking on the Coleman stove, coffee in the am outside, sitting around the camp fire, my wife and I love it all! Hopefully, when we retire in a few years, we'll carry on the tradition of the extended cross country trips!