The book,  Scratch-Building a Vintage Camper Trailer brings a wealth of problem solving tricks of the trade, and offers new ways of thinking about old practices and techniques. Author Joe Mirenna brings a fresh look at doing things better, smarter, and less expensive by questioning everything from basic construction methods to choices of materials. Let these clear descriptions and hundreds of photographs become an inspiration for anyone contemplating joining this expanding world of interest. (Available in print and digital formats.)

• Use affordable prefinished cabinet plywood by back-kerfing, enabling interior curves to follow the traditional “canned ham” profile
• Build stronger roof framing modules with added aluminum extrusion reinforcement to replace traditional “rafter & curbing”
• Raise the level of craftsmanship with lightweight aluminum edged cabinet doors and drawer fronts inset into face frame cabinets
• Easily install affordable, durable, full-extension and self-closing modular metal drawer systems from the modern kitchen cabinetry industry
• Build in efficient LED lighting from widely available parts and fixtures
• Design a battery-based electrical system to enable off-grid camping
• Save on the cost of skins by sourcing locally heavier 40 mil aluminum from the trucking industry. Overcome the challenges to fabricating, installing, cleaning, and buffing to a mill finish or custom painting with hand tools
• Choose materials and fabrics for a custom bed tailored to your comfort
• Create an awning with a pole hoop system to avoid rain puddling
• Design and build a custom storage shed for home enjoyment

The digital version of the book offers an extra 100+ pages of content. There is a bit more about the authors experience with vintage campers, a considerable addition to the historical significance of camper trailers in the USA and many cool photos. There is an addendum on the workshop that may help any home DIYer. 

On Amazon you are able to “look inside” and read the first 20 pages. It includes the extensive table of contents, the preface, and details on the authors commitment to follow the safety protocols. Click here for more information.

By Caroline Lacitinola

​“A place for everything, everything in its place.” This Benjamin Franklin quote runs through my mind repeatedly as I walk from trailer to trailer in 105-degree heat, looking for clothes hangers to display t-shirts we will sell at an upcoming rally. Why can’t I seem to get this down? I have a coat rack with this saying on it. I write this saying down on my goal sheet. I know this saying is true and makes life so much easier, so why don’t I do it? I don’t have an answer for you, but I keep striving to make this true in my life.

Prepping for a rally is an old story but one I always reflect on when going through the process. Every camping trip, rally, road trip, or vacation has variables. Tomorrow, we leave for a rally 8 hours from our home. We are going without children. We are leaving the dog at home. Those two sentences take a lot of prep work out of this camping trip.    

I am a list maker, and I find they are more and more necessary the older I become. I will remember for a moment, and if I don’t write it down at that moment, it may not make it to the event. I have lists for food, personal hygiene, our store, camping gear, dog needs, outfits, etc. WRITE IT DOWN – CHECK IT OFF!

​Divide and conquer. If you have a camping partner, divide the responsibility of prepping for a trip. In our home, the lines are blurred, but Paul ensures the trailer is safe and ready for the road while I buy and pack and inventory supplies. The blurry lines sometimes result in things that don’t make it into the camper for an event, but after 15 years, we both realize that it wouldn’t be camping if we remembered everything! (Pillows are always a contender for not making it as we both prefer to bring our own, and they are last-minute additions as we run out of the house at o-dark-thirty.)

While reflecting on life, you never remember the times when everything went 100% as planned. You tell the stories of tires blowing, kids getting sick, luggage catching on fire, sleeping on a cot in a minivan, awning poles going through the side of a trailer, and many other crazy tales that come from doing life. So, when things don’t go as planned, take a deep breath, and remember that it will make a story to tell down the road.

​This note is a glimpse into my scattered mind as I race around, getting ready for a rally. I did find the hangers. After looking in all the right places, storage shed, enclosed trailer, the last camp trailer we used at an event, back to the storage shed, back through the enclosed trailer, they were in the last place I looked. The other truck that we used at our previous event! Sure enough, the hangers were neatly boxed and ready to go in that truck. OH, DEAR!

Looking forward to hearing everyone’s stories around the firepit.  

​What do you make sure you don't leave home without? Comment below.