Tiny travel trailers; moving up from tent camping to a classic travel trailer

You’re an inveterate traveler, one who travels by car, either tent camping or stopping at motels throughout the West and beyond. You’ve seen your share of small travel trailers, and wondered, “would that be right for my family“? You likely wonder about cost to purchase and utilize, how challenging is towing a small trailer and will you get your money’s worth from ownership.

Small travel trailers are easy to store and relatively easy to tow with many four-cylinder and virtually all six-cylinder autos and SUVs. They are light-weight, yielding good gas mileage, offer comfort and, as my spouse would offer, “safety from bear attacks”! Today we will share insight on both true vintage tiny trailers, and modern classic travel trailers. Purchased wisely, vintage travel trailers can be sold for as much as or more than you paid for them years later; even modern trailers will hold much of their value over the years.

For a two-person family or family with several kids, vintage and modern classic trailers can be found in the range of 13 to 20 feet, offering room for up to four family members.

Fall is the perfect time to buy, with several months of lovely touring weather ahead, and many owners reluctant to pay for storing their trailers over the winter. Generally private owners, even trailer retailers, are willing to accept mark-down prices compared to spring or summer pricing. Set up a daily search in Craigslist or eBay, and you will be intrigued by some of the offerings you’ll find. Check the websites of various manufacturers for the weight of various trailers and the towing capacity of your current or future small to midsize car or SUV, to be sure you have compatibility.

We are owners of two vintage Scotty trailers, a refurbished 1958 Scotty Junior teardrop trailer, and a larger, 1964 Scotty Sportsman trailer, which I rebuilt from the frame-up. We found the Scotty teardrop on eBay, rebuilt by a West Virginia high school shop teacher, and bought the trailer on a trip back to Gettysburg. We have crossed the country 2.5 times with the little Scotty, towed with a Ford Focus 5-speed, yielding 27 MPG towing. Of course, teardrop trailers range from 4’ X 8’, or 5’ X 10’, essentially a cozy bed on wheels, with a small kitchen of sorts built into the rear hatch. Teardrop trailers are ideal for two people, but “cozy” is the key word!

Six years ago, I found the ‘64 Scotty for sale in S. California; purchased it for only $900 but faced a year-long rebuild of 500 hours and another $5,000 invested. Result is a cute, retro-trailer that offers a full bed in back, small cabinetry midship with a two burner stove, icebox and wardrobe cabinet, and a dinette up front that seats four adults and makes into a second bed. The Scotty is just right for two people, or a family with small kids. Towed with a Ford Escape, we get about 20 MPG towing. Another big plus, both trailers store behind the six foot fence beside my home, and we face no storage fees.

Here’s a sampling of beautiful vintage trailers we’ve seen in recent years, offering quality, collectability and proper “coolness quotient”:

Airstream: These aluminum trailers offer the iconic shape, starting with the tiny Bambi and offering a number of slightly larger trailers that can be towed with mid-size vehicles. Often the talk of a campground; they are also the most expensive to purchase.

Shasta trailers: Classic “canned hams”, originally made in southern California, so you’ll find lots of them spread around the west. They sprouted the cute Shasta wings in 1958, continuing through the mid-80s.

Serro Scotty trailers: Made in the late '50s to the '80s with simple construction (making them easiest to rebuild), they also offer the classic canned ham profile. Our 64 Scotty Sportsman provides plenty of room for two, featuring a double bed in back, small dinette seating for four that converts to another bed, and center cooking area with small sink and two-burner stove.

Find vintage trailers on sites like e-Bay, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace; popular out west are those already noted, as well as Boler, Burro, Little Caesar, Mobile Glide and Scamp. They range in size from about 13 to 25 feet in length. A good reconditioned trailer can set you back anywhere from $7,500 to about $20,000 depending upon make and model. Bought wisely and well cared for, one can recoup the investment years later, perhaps seeing some appreciation in value.

New trailers also come in “classic design”; sleek, small and cute. They include Shasta, which has recently re-issued a retro Shasta Airflyte, as well as Casita, R-pod and T@B trailers, all of them well-built, stylish and made to last. Search for a modern trailer that is two to five years old; find a well-maintained camper and pay only about half of what the trailer sold for when new.

For more information: A variety of classic trailer web sites offer insights into buying or rebuilding, including Tin Can Tourists, tincantourists.com; Airstream trailers, airstreamclassifieds.com; Serro Scotty trailers, nationalserroscotty.org; Shasta Trailers, vintageshasta.net. To purchase, search Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace.

Contact Tim, tviall@msn.com; happy travels in the west!

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tiny travel trailers; moving from tents to a classic travel trailer