 The Coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantine may be the most significant negative impact to the American economy in history. Many people are out of work for an undetermined amount of time, making the future unsure. A government stimulus may help those that are eligible. As time goes on, some families may need to liquidate assets to make ends meet. Fortunately, vintage trailers have been appreciating in value should it become necessary for you to sell yours. For most of us, the thought of HAVING to sell our vintage trailer is something we may not want to think about. If selling your vintage trailer or tow vehicle becomes a necessity, we want to help. www.buyvintagetrailers.com utilizes the social media following of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine to notify the community every time a new trailer becomes available. Your ad is posted to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Standard and Featured ads include targeted boosted posts on Facebook and Instagram. Your ad is seen by even more potential buyers in your region. Buyers can use tools on the website to search for specific types of trailers or to search within a particular region of the country. Buyers are notified on one of several social media platforms when a new ad is placed. Your ad shows up in the feed of their choice. We don’t wait for buyers to come to the site, we go to them. If you are selling a vintage trailer or classic tow vehicle, we have over 700,000 contacts waiting to see what you've got.  FREE Ads
1 Comment
 Some vintage trailer rallies have been cancelled or postponed and campgrounds are closing or changing their status due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We asked the hosts of the rallies in the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine what the status of their rally was. We also contacted several of our favorite parks and found some resources online to help you pre-plan before you make travel plans. This post was accurate when published but things are changing rapidly. Call ahead. June Rallies are still “As Planned”. Based on local requirements this may change as the June dates get closer. Rally in the Pines, May 29-31, 2020 in Grass Valley, CA is “As Planned” at the moment, but a final decision will be made within a week. Confirmed Canceled Rallies
 Some of our Favorite ParksLIST YOUR FAVORITES, AND THEIR STATUS (IF YOU KNOW IT) IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. Bonelli Bluffs, San Dimas, CA Effective Monday March 23rd, 2020, Bonelli Bluffs RV Resort is closed. We are currently taking reservations for arrival on April 20th, 2020 and beyond. https://www.bonellibluffsrv.com/ (909) 599-8355 Casa De Fruta, Hollister, CA Open for campers. http://www.casadefruta.com/ (408) 842-7282 Durango RV Park and Resort, Red Bluff, CA Open with some limitations: However, during these unprecedented times, we feel it’s important to prioritize the health and safety of our guests above all else. As such, we have temporarily closed all amenities including the restrooms, pool, spa, lodge and exercise room. The laundry facilities will remain open and we have taken extra precautions with our cleaning. https://www.durangorvresorts.com/ (866) 770-7001 The 49er Village, Plymouth, CA Our offices will be staffed with reduced hours and will not be open for resident/guest interaction except for emergencies. Please contact the resort directly for revised check in processes. Clubhouses, activity/club rooms, and other indoor amenity spaces will remain closed. Activities programming, pools, waterparks, golf courses, stores, and restaurants will be closed to avoid the congregation of individuals. Website (209) 245-6981  Other ResourcesPismo Coast Village, Pismo Beach, CA For the protection and safety of our staff, guests, and the community, and in compliance with San Luis Obispo County's emergency mandatory shelter at home order, Pismo Coast Village will be closed until 4/17/20. The county plans to reevaluate the situation every 14 days, and they may extend or shorten the order. Kampgrounds of America Some KOA campgrounds have been closed. Below is an updated list of campgrounds who are closed, due to local government shutdowns. We will continue to update this list in as real-time as possible. https://koa.com/blog/update-on-covid-19/
Campendium has a list of public and private campgrounds, RV parks and camping locations that are either closed, not accepting new reservations or are operating with restrictions. https://www.campendium.com/camping/covid-19-state-by-state-campground-closures-responses/  From “business as usual” to “closed to the public,” the Covid-19 virus pandemic has altered the way many of us live, play, and work. Along with many other events scheduled for this spring, we had to cancel our Cajun Rally in San Dimas, CA, less than a couple of weeks after hosting Boot Camp. We are under a mandatory Shelter in Place order in Sacramento, CA. We operate our family business from our home, so while we are required to stay home, we can get caught up on projects that usually get pushed to the side. As far as the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine goes, it is business as usual. We always appreciate the support and the input of the community and our subscribers. I wanted to know how our advertisers were handling the current situation, so I reached out to them. Many are operational, and one is even observing the Shelter in place order and staying at the shop to be able to finish customer’s trailers. These dedicated professionals are just some of the businesses that cater to the vintage trailering hobby and would appreciate hearing from you. Steve at Hemet Valley RV says it’s business as usual. If you need siding for a project, give them a call. Hemet Valley RV can match most aluminum siding patterns and supply you with everything you need to reskin your trailer or make repairs. www.hemetvalleyrv.com or (951) 765-5075 Rachel at Harps RV Service says that although it is a tough time, they are still open and working and hoping to continue to do so. “We will stay working as long as it is safe,” Rachel said. Harps services new and vintage RVs and reminds us it’s easier to prepare than repair. www.harpsrv.com or (916) 434-9151  GT Services Vintage Trailer Works is open for business! Glenn let us know, “We have no storefront; in fact, we are located next to a huge wheat field, so we have almost no interaction with the public.” They are taking new Restoration, Repair, Modernization, Maintenance, and Service projects for the summer season. GT Services Vintage Trailer Works is also Montana’s premier Airstream collision repair center, for vintage trailers all the way up through the 2020 models! They are offering new clients a 5% discount on any work totaling $25,000 or more. GT works on all makes, models and years of trailers in an effort to support the members of our small community. Glenn said, “We always make room in our shop so local Montanans can get service work done!” www.gtservicesvintagetrailers.com (406) 599-6963 Gary at Heffrons Retro Design is up and running. Full staff, taking precautions, self-quarantine to the best of their ability and self-distancing in office, warehouse, and workspaces. It seems people are taking advantage of the downtime to catch up. “I believe this may change, how some things are done, in our workforce, all over the world, and how we conduct business futuristically, for a long time to come,” Gary shared. He went on to say, “Without this pandemic, it would be nice to slow our bump and grind workforce, to be more casual, as it was years ago all the while, still keeping up with demand. It seems like it would make for larger productions, with people more relaxed, rested, and being able to enjoy the family, just a little more. Like taking a drive through the Smokey Mountains.” Heffrons is starting to sell a lot of Metal Vintage Lawn Chairs, Gas Pumps, Car Sofas, Neon’s, as well as stools, booths, and all of the other items on their web site. www.heffrons.com (315) 363-7726 Airparts Inc. is still taking phone and online orders and shipping daily! Chris agrees that now is a great time to work on at home projects. She is hoping everyone’s projects get lots of attention during this time. www.airpartsinc.com 913-831-1780 James Polk Appraisals is business as usual if you need an appraisal. www.polkValuations.com (805) 646-7293 At Vintage Campers, Dan says it’s business pretty much as usual. The majority of their business, whether it be vintage trailer sales or parts, is done online and via telephone. The trailer restorations are done at their shop in Peru, IN. Correspondence with customers is done by email and phone. Dan is still very actively selling and shipping parts. If you are stuck at home because of social distancing, what better thing to do than work on your vintage camper. Vintage Campers is very proud of the fact that they have all their “custom made” vintage trailer parts manufactured in the USA. Even though it costs more, Dan would rather support American workers. You should not see any problems or delays in receiving custom made parts from www.VintageCampers.com. All of their vintage trailers and campers are on sale. FREE storage of any trailer you buy from them for up to one year. (765) 473-8088 Retroluxe Vintage Trailers, for the most part, is following the direction of the Shelter in Place mandate in California. Damen (one of the crew) is temporarily living on-site with his wife in their vintage Silver Streak trailer. (even though they just bought a house). He will continue to work on customer’s trailers at the Retroluxe shop. Scott and Wendy, the owners, are caring for Wendy’s elderly disabled mother, and they have chosen not to go out for her sake. They will continue correspondences and schedule future projects by phone and email. They said, “We will get through this and hope to be back up and running with our full staff after the crisis.” www.retroluxevintagetrailers.com (530) 303-3936 At this time, Heintz Designs will be closed to the public. This will include shop tours, consultations, trailer inspections, and client meetings. Any previously scheduled trailer deliveries and/or pick-ups will still be executed as long as the CDC will allow such activity. Tim says he has already seen an increase in delays from our suppliers. Tim will continue to do his best to move forward with all client projects. Please monitor their website www.HeintzDesigns.com for updates. Tell us how the current state of the nation has affected your life in the comments below.
This 1954 Boles Aero is truly one-of-a-kind. Although it has endless unique features, the thing that I always remember about Billie and Dave O'Neel's trailer is the narrated audio tour that is played over the sound system as you tour the trailer. Billie recorded a narrative of the trailers vintage journey along with details about it's restoration and information about America in 1954, the year the trailer was built. You can listen to her audio recording above or read more about this trailer in the Vintage Camper Trailer Rallies Book.
Books available from Vintage Camper Trailers
 If you have ever attended a vintage trailer rally you likely have at least one trailer that you remember. An incredible restoration that took years to complete. A project where money was no object and someone bankrolled a mid-six figures budget to have a renowned restorer work his magic on a carcass that was headed for a scrap heap.  We have been publishing the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine for eight years and hosting the Trailerfest Rallies even longer than that. We have seen and photographed 100's of trailers over the past decade. We are privileged to have seen some incredible work and many one-of-a-kind and unique builds. Several of them stand out in my mind for different reasons.
One of my favorite builds wasn’t highly polished, didn’t have fantastic woodwork and was built with stuff the owner had sitting around. While Scott has restored some trailers in his day, he does not do it professionally. This project came about in part because of Scott's large collection of vintage camping-related gear. How better to display it than in a trailer? It just so happened that Scott had a 1952 Boles Aero Montecito sitting around.
I first saw this trailer at the Pismo Beach Rally and was taken aback. I had long had the vision of doing something similar, but for me, it was just a dream. Scott had exercised restraint in not over restoring the trailer and made it look like it was a survivor. The trailer has plywood flooring with a shuffleboard court down the middle! The finished display struck me in such a way that it inspired me to build our Mid-Century Mobile Museum. Scott's trailer was featured in Issue #26 of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine and in our second book, Vintage Camper Trailers Rallies.  Collecting vintage camping gear is part of the hobby. Scott's collectibles that are displayed in Arnie’s Sporting Goods Store appear to be in very good and even “new in the box” condition. Usually, we don’t get that lucky and we need to restore all the goodies that go with the vintage trailering hobby. This year at Boot Camp we have both an appliance repair and troubleshooting class along with a class on getting your vintage lanterns and stoves in good working order. If that doesn’t sound like fun we have sewing classes and crafting like making Rag Rugs.
Scott Burud’s Boles was sold at the first rally it was shown at. The Murphy Auto Museum bought it and it was displayed at the museum for a couple of years before being sold to another collector. Looking at the photos in the book and the magazine remind of how cool this budget-minded trailer is and why it still stands out to me as one of my all-time favorites -PAUL  Click on the above image for information regarding the magazine.
Vintage trailer prices are based on supply and demand. A limited number of vintage trailers available in the market has driven the asking price of trailers up over the past decade. The large demand for classic trailers makes RIGHT NOW a good time to sell. If you are waiting until spring, you may want to re-think that. Buyers are looking for trailers now to be ready for the camping season. With fewer trailers for sale in the winter months, the supply is less. Limited supply, high demand, you do the math. A Testimonial that we received this week: Please place a SOLD SIGN on my De Ville ad, I have always had great results with ads on Vintage Camper Trailers Classifieds. I got a hot buyer the same day the ad was placed. The money, and title changed hands the same week. He lives only a few miles from me and came over to look at the trailer "in the rain" the first day it was listed. It was a full price sale, and he's paying me expenses to tow it up to Zephyr Cove in South Lake Tahoe in the spring. Thanks for all of your help, Happy Holidays. -John P.  Tips for Selling Your Vintage Trailer:
If you have a trailer for sale and would like to use the VCT classifieds to let potential buyers know about it, use the coupon code BEST to save 30% on the cost of your ad. (Offer Expires 12/31/19) VCT Magazine Subscribers ALWAYS save 20% on classified ads. Click Here to read the rest of our blog.  Click on the banner above for more information about the VCT Magazine.  Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine subscribers have online management tools at their fingertips. This includes a free digital issue every month with your subscription and improved ways to change your address, renew your subscription or give a subscription as a gift. You don’t even need to know your password. Simply use your account number on your mailing indicia or use your email address attached to your account to access the digital copies or manage your account. Here are links to help you navigate:If you have a recurring payment set up through PayPal you do not have access to these features. We can fix that for you. You need to re-subscribe on the new platform and then email us to let us know to “Merge My Subscriptions” (in the subject line). We will add any issues you have remaining on your PayPal account to your new subscription and cancel your old PayPal account for you. You will not miss a beat and you will have access to the digital issues beginning with the next issue.  So Cal Vintage Trailer in San Diego created a classic barbershop inside of a 1948 Spartan Manor for the Cremo Company, a national men’s beard, shaving and hair care brand. The trailer was to be used for a campaign focused on Cremo’s “barber grade” quality and is featured in issue #45 of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine. Vintage trailers are popping up everywhere as “Vintage Vendors” or as in this case, a work of art that brings attention to the brand.
Taking design inspiration from historic barbershops, the Cremo Spartan includes a fully functional barber station, lounge, bar and bathroom. The classic barber chair is a focal point. Two floor-to-ceiling safety glass showroom windows were added to let everyone get a look at what’s happening inside the trailer. Other modifications to the Spartan Manor body and chassis included a six-inch body lift to increase the interior height for Cremo’s crew of barbers. The trailer was also converted from a single axle to a tandem axle setup with a beefed-up frame and an extended tongue to accommodate the installation of a 7,000-watt generator up front. A custom aluminum luggage rack was fabricated for the top of the trailer.
The interior features all new birch paneling, oak cabinetry and distressed hickory hardwood flooring in the main cabin. The bathroom includes a stainless-steel shower and inlaid ceramic tile floor. Two hidden split system air conditioners cool the interior and a vintage-look, full-size refrigerator and built-in blender provide cold beers and margaritas for clients. A large serving hatch over the bar provides more views inside and a place for answering questions and handing out product samples. All of the exterior signage was hand painted - no wraps or vinyl lettering was used. The traditional hand lettering included the use of gold leaf to emphasize the quality of the Cremo brand. To add even more historic style, a classic lighted rotating barber pole was installed.
According to So Cal Vintage Trailer owner Denny Stone, “It was great fun working with Cremo to put this together. Almost every inch of this trailer was modified in some way and nothing about it was easy, but the result made it all worthwhile.”  
Vintage Trailers Supply had it's grand opening in Sante Fe, New Mexico in September of 2019. VTS has moved its operation from Vermont to the South West. I was honored to have been asked to speak at the festival. I gave a talk on “Selling your vintage trailer.”
Here are 7 things that you can do to sell your trailer quicker and for more money:
Consider selling (and buying) on the Vintage Camper Trailers Classifieds. Sell your trailer parts on the classifieds for FREE! People LOVE vintage trailers and there seems to be no end to the families that want to be involved in the hobby. Magazine subscribers always get 20% off of their classified ads. 
Consider this your warning:
 What can you do to ensure that your vintage trailer doesn’t get that funky musty smell? Mold and mildew can make your trailer stink and do damage to the soft surfaces inside your RV. The musty smell when you walk into the RV is an indication that there are damp areas where mold could be growing. A dehumidifier in your RV when it is stored for extended periods of time will prevent the build-up of moisture. Mold can occur during winter as windows are closed and the surface of walls and windows become colder because the outside air temperature is lower. Simply opening a window is not a solution in the winter months, this is where a dehumidifier comes in. It will reduce the level of humidity in the air by sucking in air from the room at one end, removing the moisture, and then blowing dehumidified air back out into the room again.  Many RV owners find that compressor dehumidifiers would not work well at temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and there were often problems with the compressor dehumidifier machines icing up. These dehumidifiers address these issues, functioning consistently well at all temperatures. You can also attract and remove moisture from the air with a scented moisture absorber. For $10-$30 you can protect your vintage trailer from moisture damage while you eliminate musty odors. Excess moisture is absorbed into the white calcium chloride crystals. The white crystals begin to harden and form a solid mass. Hardened crystals must be discarded and re-purchased as they are used. Another trick is to place open containers of coffee (a cup or so) in your cabinets. The coffee grounds can help neutralize any odors that you may already have. Courtesy of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine    |
The Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine BlogCLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE VCT MAGAZINE  Archives
March 2020
Categories |
RSS Feed