​Is Boot Camp Right for You?

Is Boot Camp Right for You?

6/1/2021

Once a year, vintage trailer enthusiasts from across the USA and Canada converge in Hollister, CA. A dozen professional builders and retired craftsman present seminars on a wide variety of skills needed to rebuild a vintage trailer. Participants can select from several different classes that will help them hone their talents in the areas they need to complete their restoration.
Is Boot Camp the right thing for you? From novices to experienced builders, Boot Camp is a mix of like-minded people building relationships that will last long after the informative weekend. You can consult with the pros directly and experience their expertise in person. Many have interactive displays and hands-on opportunities that you just don’t get from a book or computer.

You have found your people! Boot Camp participants converge on Hollister, California from across the USA. (Not shown on this map are the groups coming from Alaska and Canada.)

4 things to consider if you are still unsure:

Do you own (or are you looking to buy) a vintage trailer? If you already own a vintage trailer, it likely needs repairs or upgrades or will require them in the future. Knowing how to fix and maintain them will give you the confidence to tackle many of the projects and save you some money. If you are looking to buy a trailer, you will have a better sense of what to look for and what will be required to restore a trailer that needs repairs.
Do you learn things best by doing or being shown? If you are like me, I am much more apt to understand how to do something if I am able to receive instruction in person. I can ask questions and clarify things I may not understand in real-time. Blogs, books, and videos are good in a pinch but fall short of a face-to-face experience with an expert.
Connect with the community. You have something to share and so do all the other participants. The Boot Camp experience creates a casual environment to meet, eat and socialize with 200 people from all over the United States. Each one of us has skills and strengths. The relationships you make at Boot Camp will benefit you in more ways than just restoring trailers. Read what past participants had to say about their experience.
It only happens once a year. The timing may never be perfect, and assembling this amount of talent at a venue that can accommodate our needs only occurs in Hollister, CA. An investment in yourself has many returns. Get away for a weekend. Surround yourself with experts and like-minded people. Be prepared to restore like the pros.