When did TT's become "Campers"

[LVJJJ]

Having been on the planet over 7 decades, I must be falling behind. When I started RV'ing in the '80's, a "Camper" was a unit that slid into the bed of a pickup, a unit that was bumper hitch towed behind a vehicle was a "travel trailer", a unit that hitched to the middle of a pickup bed was a "fiver." So, I guess now everything you can camp in is a "camper?"

Just wondering.

[atreis]

I suspect there is (or was) regional variation in the usage. Growing up (70s and 80s) a "camper" was any mobile unit used for camping - a generic term. An RV was a large truck-based (e.g. bus-style, or large class C) camper. A trailer was a tow-behind camper. Fifth wheels either didn't exist or were so rare that they didn't come up on my radar. The sort that slide into the bed of a pickup were "truck campers" and still are.

[_1nobby]

Depends who I am talking to.

Mostly...I just say trailer.

I would modify that if I still had my work trailer....which I also called trailer.

At this point of the season....I just call it that piece of sh*t clogging up my driveway.

One more adventure planned for next week and then the "trailer" goes into storage.

[Mike_Up]

LVJJJ wrote:
Having been on the planet over 7 decades, I must be falling behind. When I started RV'ing in the '80's, a "Camper" was a unit that slid into the bed of a pickup, a unit that was bumper hitch towed behind a vehicle was a "travel trailer", a unit that hitched to the middle of a pickup bed was a "fiver." So, I guess now everything you can camp in is a "camper?"

Just wondering.

Since the 70s, I always heard travel trailers and pop ups called campers. Never, ever heard anyone refer to them as travel trailers. They were campers.

Truck bed campers were never really popular but those were called truck campers or camper tops. Also, my family had truck campers made with truck caps, and finished the truck bed's floor and walls in carpet and made furniture and sleeping beds for those. My uncle was a handy carpenter and carpet layer, so he converted many Vans and Truck beds with Caps, into campers.

[iuki]

TV news anchors need to learn correct terminology. They almost always refer to a motor home as a mobile home, and older mobile homes are called trailer homes on the news. SMH

[jerryjay11]

When I lived in Rhode Island I used to eat Grinder sandwiches, but now that I've been in Delaware I now eat Hoagies and Subs???

I just purchased a new Pioneer travel trailer and if I want to call it my camper I will. I'm paying for aren't I. I also call it my house, home away from home, or my cabin.

Then again when I lived in RI I would take my girlfriend out to the bay to watch submarine races.

[toedtoes]

LVJJJ wrote:

gmw photos wrote:

LVJJJ wrote:
I never figured I was camping unless I was in a tent and cooked my vittles over an open fire.....

snip....

Oh now you went and did it. Are vittles a specific kind of food, or is it a generic term for all things we consume in the name of eating ?

Can you have vittles at home ?

Or can you only have vittles while camping, and being a camper person ? Or is that an RV'ing person ?

....I'm confused now....

Vittles is the food cowboys ate in the old west on cattle drives

Unless they're tender - in that case they're for the cat.

[LVJJJ]

when I was just logging on to RV.Net and going thru the index, I realized this very forum proves that I am right. The only RV called a "camper" by ourownselves is a "Truck Camper", the kind that slides into a pickup bed, all the rest are Fifth-Wheel, Travel Trailer, Hybrid, folding, class C. etc. Class B's are called Camping Vans.

I rest my case and thank all those who participated.

[LVJJJ]

gmw photos wrote:

LVJJJ wrote:
I never figured I was camping unless I was in a tent and cooked my vittles over an open fire.....

snip....

Oh now you went and did it. Are vittles a specific kind of food, or is it a generic term for all things we consume in the name of eating ?

Can you have vittles at home ?

Or can you only have vittles while camping, and being a camper person ? Or is that an RV'ing person ?

....I'm confused now....

Vittles is the food cowboys ate in the old west on cattle drives

[jimlj]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyXgMal3C1U

This is a caravan.

[2oldman]

jimlj wrote:
When I was in England, the English called a travel trailer a caravan.

The kind you take 'a holiday' in.

[rbpru]

Like the aforementioned vittles, the term camper is subject to regional definitions.

Some of us might recall when RVs were called Rec Vees.

Call it what you want, it does not change the fun factor. 🙂

[valhalla360]

I think it's a context thing.

If you are telling someone you will meet them back at the site, you might say, see you at the camper" and it doesn't matter what type of RV that you are using.

If you are discussing the pros and cons of different types of RV's, you specify the specific type.

Of course, they are often called "camping trailers" and hence shortened to "camper".

In the big picture, it's not an issue.

[kknowlton]

Everything north of a tent is a "camper" to us. Well, maybe not a full-dress Blue Bird. 🙂

[jimlj]

2oldman wrote:

mike-s wrote:
Are you talking about caravans?

I don't know. What's that?

When I was in England, the English called a travel trailer a caravan.

Since my dad bought a 16' Shasta trailer new in 1966, it was always called a camper. I have owned several "campers" over the year. Most of the time when I get to go camping, I'm a happy camper.

[RinconVTR]

3rd generation camper here.

My father and my fathers father of which held Wisconsin Camping Association events on our property...everyone said "camper" or "trailer"

Even those with Class A's called their unit a "trailer" sometimes.

Today my family calls our TT the same thing. A trailer or camper.