This is a GREAT video from RV Travel about a two story trailer. Her father built a second story onto a 1955 Spartan.
She lived in that trailer from the time she was three years old until she went away to college in 1969! Her family traveled all over in that trailer and her parents lived in it until they died!
What an awesome story!
Via: RV Travel – The video we did of the classic two-story trailer has…
The 2009 Keystone Outback Loft was a MASSIVE camper that I really don’t have a vehicle to tow it, but it was sure impressive. Just check out this video of one:
I like the floor plan.
The pictures remind me of The Del Rey Kamp King Sky Lounge Truck Camper.
It doesn’t look like Keystone is making these campers anymore, so that’s a shame. It looks like a great toy hauler with a loft and a view!
Photos and floorplan via: Trailer Life – Keystone Outback Loft
Over the President’s Day weekend, we saw this double-towing accident waiting to happen.
This is called Double Towing, Tandem Towing, Triple Tow or Piggybacking and it’s DANGEROUS. It’s not legal in many states and many other states allow it only if you have a special driver’s license. This particular vehicle was towing in Utah, where it is legal with only a Class D license, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.
You can find out whether this is legal in your state, or any states you might be driving through here:
There is a discussion about it here:
The best answer to the question came from luckyinkentucky:
It would be a heck of a lot cheaper AND wiser to teach your wife how to tow a trailer, and have her follow you in the minivan or whatever. Sorry, but I think the only people who should be allowed to tow 2 trailers are people with a CDL license.
If you have a boat (or ATVs) that need towing in addition to your camper, be smart and stay away from piggybacking. No vacation or trip is worth the risk to your family.
I was looking at KSL Classifieds and saw this interesting popup truck camper called the Chevy Blazer Chalet.
The owner described it here:
i have a chellet camper desighned for full size gmc/chevrolet blazers. it is in good condition, it has a 2burner stove,fridge and a furnace. it has bench seats that fold for a bed, and is desighned to be open into the cab of the blazer. the top pops up single hadedly.and reguiers no drilling or mods, it bolts on to the exsiting hole for the shell bolts this camper was built 1976.it will fit all modles up to 1989. i belive these campers wher only made for a few years in the 70s.
Here are the rest of the photos:
I found some photos of a fully restored one here: Photo Gallery – Automobiles
There is a Yahoo! Group Forum for these truck campers: The Big ‘Nook. – Yahoo Groups
I love this advertisement for it that I found here: Pop-Up Truck Camper, The Blazer Chalet From 1976 | Motornomadics
The reason these campers look so good is because they were designed by Chinook. I love how streamlined they look with an original Chevy truck. They’re not the right camper for me, but they definitely have that cool retro style!
When my grandpa died, I scanned every photo that was in his house and gave copies to all my relatives, but I didn’t really look at any of the photos. My grief was too sharp to reminisce.
The other day, I was looking at those photos and this one looked very interesting.
The man on the left is Lawrence “Shorty” Lipe, my great-grandfather. The man on the right is Wayne Wilcox, my great-uncle-in-law (he was married to my grandmother’s sister). I absolutely adore this photo because Uncle Wayne looks so happy and proud of those fish, whereas, Shorty just looks confused.
In the background, however, is a rare, Hy-Lander Fifth Wheel camper. Hy-Lander was one of the first companies to make fifth wheels.
sirdrakejr: The Hy-Lander was 1st introduced about 1965. I tried to get a franchise in California but they were not approved for sale in that state due to electrical and plumbing concerns. later on, two large RV sales giants stated in CA with that 5th wheel. Hy-Lander was the 1st to market a 5th wheel for large scale sales. But they were also not very responsive to user compaints and they had other problems that led to their demise. Many dealers dropped the line when the dealer had to assume the repairs when the manufacturer would not.
I never stepped foot in that camper, even though Uncle Wayne hosted many fun adventures. He took us to Lava Hot Springs, flew us in his airplane to see the damage from the Teton Dam disaster, and took us hiking all around Idaho Falls. All of that, but I never saw that camper. I suspect that by the time I started coming to Idaho Falls (around 1977 and later), it had already been retired.
I wonder what towed the fifth wheel. The only vehicle in the picture is that late Sixties Jeep Wagoneer in the background, but it couldn’t tow a fifth wheel. Uncle Wayne must have owned a pickup back then.
It doesn’t surprise me that Uncle Wayne was an early adopter. He owned the first fifth wheel, just like my grandpa owned computers as soon as they were available and useable. Both of them were willing to be on the cutting edge, even if they got sliced up sometimes.
No wonder he looked so proud…
I’ve been desperately looking at the local classifieds for a new trailer. We bought the Subaru XV Crosstrek, so we can tow 500 more pounds than we could before and I’ve been obsessive. Then I got some good advice…
from a video game…
The Kap’n sang to me,
Yo-ho, me eyes! Don’t stare at cool new boats. Yours is fine. Just blink, and look skywise!
He’s right. I keep finding myself looking at new campers when my cute little tent trailer is just fine. Just look at how adorable it is with its homemade awning.
I actually LOVE that camper. Sure, I’d like it to have a toilet, but then again, I don’t particularly want to EMPTY that toilet, especially when we camp in places where there are facilities within walking distance.
The problem isn’t that I want a new camper. The problem is that I want to go camping, but we are buried in snow.
Even our usual winter camping favorites, like Saint George and Lake Mead, are too chilly for us right now. Sure, we could go camping in 23 degree weather, but it’s not very pleasant when we do.
It doesn’t help that the dead of winter is the absolute BEST time to look at campers in the classifieds. People are desperate to sell their trailers to pay for Christmas, to get it out of their driveway or to unload it before they move away. There is a screamin’ deal on a 2010 tent camper with a toilet right now that is so appealing to me that I have to stop myself from looking at the listing every day.
I don’t want that camper. I want to go camping.
I just need to blink and look skywise, I guess.
While we were driving back to Salt Lake City from St. George over the Thanksgiving weekend, we saw this awesome lime green motorhome and matching toy hauler.
It’s very hard to take pictures on the road, but Mike was passing him slowly so I could click as many as I could.
I love how the trailer matches the motorhome.
It appears that they race somehow. I don’t know what was in the trailer (motorcycles, a car, etc.), but I was very impressed with their motorhome.
If any of you readers recognize this vehicle, please leave a comment telling me all about it.
After over a year driving either the teardrop or our tent trailer, I have yet to learn how to back up with a trailer connected to our vehicle. This video is helpful.
I think the best bit of advice is that learning this takes LOTS of practice. Mike and I chose lightweight trailers because we have been scared of this part of the process. We have tried to learn to back up the trailer properly, but every time we screw up, we just take it off the hitch, put on the wheel and hand roll it into place.
That’s the benefit of having a lightweight trailer, you don’t have to learn how to back it up.
Then again, that’s the BAD thing about having a lightweight trailer. We have never learned how to back it up.
I’m beginning to think that we need to purchase some traffic cones and just practice backing up the trailer over and over until we can do it without thinking about it. If I ever want a cute canned ham trailer, I’m going to need to know how to do this.
A special thank you to Paleofuture for posting this drawing of the GM Bonanza.
It’s a concept vehicle that never made it to the production floor, but I would have loved to see one in action. Instead of a boat stowed on the top of the motorhome, I would have loved a full patio where I could sunbathe and overlook the campground.
I’ve talked about my desire for a patio on top of a motorhome before here:
Back then, I said:
Ever since I owned my Barbie Star Traveler, I have fantasized about hanging out on TOP of a motorhome. Right on the box, it showed Barbie and Skipper laying out in the sun on top of the motorhome.
It’s something that was hardwired into my brain by the sheer repetition of play. Barbie and Ken enjoyed that Star Traveler every day for YEARS. The act of putting Barbie up on the roof every day, sitting on her lawn chair that came with the camper, made me want to do it in real life, even though it’s impractical and dangerous.
The GM Bonanza is just another in a long line of fantasies that can never come true for me. Just like flying cars and magic pills that make me feel full even though all I’ve eaten is the little pill, that beauty of a concept motorhome will have to stay just that, a concept.
The Long Long Honeymoon had a wonderful experience camping in the snow. Here is the video they made about it.
I particularly like seeing how they back into the camping site. It looks so easy and efficient. I’ve seen hundreds of campers trying to back into their sites at campgrounds all over this nation and it is NEVER this easy and efficient. Either clever editing has occurred or they are SO used to camping life that it is down to a science for them.
Most of the time, a big camper like their Airstream would still be pulling in and out, inches at a time, while we hand roll our tent camper into its spot. We can get our little tent trailer into its spot, hooked up and set up before most big trailers can park. It’s a lot more heavy labor to do it than positioning a huge vehicle, but it certainly takes less time.
Last year, we camped in freezing weather that surprised the camping folks in Las Vegas and Arizona. The RV resort in Vegas was SO surprised that they didn’t turn off their water features, which froze solid overnight.
We were able to stay warm all night with two electric heaters, even though temperatures dipped down to the upper teens. It appears they were camping in the national park, however, so there are no electrical hookups to run electric heaters. They had to stock up on their propane.
The next time you feel trapped at home because it’s too cold to go camping, remember this. You can have an inexpensive and beautiful get-away as long as you’re willing to prepare for the cold.
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