Patrick R. Foster - Vintage Campers, Trailers & Teardrops

On vacation. Unavailable. Away for the week. Gone. Are there any sweeter words in the English language? Its a fact: everybody needs to get away from it all now and then, to clear the brain, recharge the batteries, to just feel free for a change. And for millions of people around the world, the best way to do that is to hook a camper or trailer to the back of the family vehicle and head out. To freedom and the great outdoors. To live!

The fastest growing segment of the camping craze is camping out in a vintage camper, trailer, fifth wheel, slide-in, or pop-up. Its a cool way to travel. When youre trucking down the highway with your vintage camper in tow or all set up in a campground with your vintage Airstream, Shasta, or Holiday Rambler, youre the one that everybody wishes they were, seemingly just a bit more special than everyone else. Okay, well say ityou rule!

Just how popular is vintage camping? Well, Instagram has more than 4.5 million posts with the hashtag #vanlife! An online search for the term vintage camper on Airbnb turns up with a whopping 90,000 entries. Thats a lot of rental opportunities if youre looking to give it a try before you buy.

There are lots of vintage camper clubs to join too. As just one example, the website for Vintage Camper Trailers has two groups: Tow Boyz and Tow Girlz. They cost nothing to join and there are no dues or fees involved, but they do offer a pretty useful website (www.vintagecampertrailers.com) and publish a good magazine targeting vintage camper enthusiasts. Lots of other resources are also included later in the book.

For a more classic 1940s look, try a classic breadbox-style camper like this 1948 Alma, which was built in Alma, Michigan. Its roomy, stylish, and sure to attract attention wherever you go.

This cartoon says it all; wherever you roam in your vintage camper, youre always at home. You sleep in your own bed, eat in your own kitchen, go in your own toile... well, you get the idea.

SO, WHO GOES CAMPING?

Approximately 40 million people go on camping trips in the United States each year. Not surprisingly, the number among those who pitch a tent and forgo the pleasure and convenience of indoor plumbing is considerably fewer than that. Camping out today increasingly means trailers, campers, vans, pop-ups, and, to a lesser extent, truck-mounted caps and slide-ins.

According to online sales reports, RV shipments in the United States were right around 500,000 units in both 2017 and 2018 (2017 was a record-setting year with 504,600 units). Thats a whole lot of campers, trailers, and vans out on the roadsespecially when you factor in all the vintage models out there. And although more RVs are manufactured in the US than in the rest of the world combined, its really a worldwide phenomenon. (Amazing factoid: more than 80 percent of all RVs made in America are manufactured in just one state: Indiana!) Its been estimated that the RV industry has an economic impact of $50 billion in the US alone. The industry encompasses more than 22,000 businesses and provides nearly 300,000 jobs. Its a big businessreally big.

According to a University of Michigan study commissioned by the RV Industry Association, US RV ownership has reached record levels. Believe it or not, about 10 million American households now own one. Multiply that times 3.2 people per household, and thats a whole lot of people hitting the road in campers. The typical RV owner, according to the same report, is married and has an above-average annual household income of $62,000. RV owners also are likely to own their homes and on average spend three to four weeks on the road annually. Theyre smart and generally pretty happy folks. Who wouldnt be, owning an RV?