My First Camping Trip

I took my first trip with my sweet vintage trailer!

It all came about when I was asked to photograph my cousin and her husband renewing their vows (21 years!). They have a neat spot near Ocean Park on the west coast of Washington state. It’s a good 5 hour drive from my house to get there. In the day it’s a nice drive. Not so much in the last part where the road becomes very windy (and it was very dark by then). I left my home at 7 pm arriving at my cousins place near one in the morning. After locking my keys in the cab of my truck, I decided to deal with that in the morning and settled down for a wonderful sleep in my cozy little trailer. Just like Goldie Locks I found it to be “just right”. Cozy but not cramped. Cool but not cold. Room for the things I needed and of course COFFEE in the morning! I parked near the edge of their property where their yard met up with a woodsy area that was lovely and perfect for getting the camping vibe.

Towing was a dream. Sometimes I could almost forget I had my little trailer behind me. Now that I know I can make a pot of coffee and I can tow my little trailer there will be no holding me back!

On to creating all kinds of camping memories!

As Tigger would say TTFN (Ta-ta for now)!

Kari

My Little Slice of Heaven August 2020

My Little Slice of Heaven August 2020

Hot August Nights

I’m not sure how I feel about naming cars and trailers. But I kind of like Gilda. Especially when I think about the hilarious and talented Gilda Radner who gave us many great laughs. So for conversation sake, let’s call her Gilda for now.

So the trip to bring Gilda home took a whole day and left my mom and I quite satisfied but tired. Gilda looked lovely sitting in our drive, except for the residual dust storm and baked on bugs she brought back from Eastern Washington.

Last night I finally had time to take her out and give her a bath. She’s so sparkly and shiny I decided to take some twilight photos.

PS: I backed her into her carport for the first time today. It went all right but I ‘m going to need to practice. A lot! There isn’t much clearance so it took a few tries. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to just swing her in like a pro!

Here she is freshly bathed!

Different Direction

After a lot of work and planning to get the garage ready to begin on the Little Dipper restoration I decided to go a different direction. The opportunity to buy a fully (beautifully) restored 1962 Oasis landed in my lap. What could I do but go for it! She’s a really pretty trailer and I’m excited to be able to go on adventures right away!

I am a little sad that I didn’t have the opportunity to restore the Dipper. I had dreams of how she was going to look when I was done. I knew it would be a huge job. I had too many obstacles to being able to get it done without a lot of stress. I’m happy to say a couple who are anxious to rebuild their own trailer so they can ditch the tent and be able to camp in a trailer with their dogs bought her. It’s fun to get updates from them as they work on getting her camp ready.

This page will now become a portal to stay in touch and follow our adventures with the little 62. I’m excited.

Since I won’t be rebuilding the Little Dipper, I am turning my attention to restoring my 1971 Chevrolet C-20 Pickup truck. Some day the truck and trailer will be a set. I can’t wait to tool around with both of them.

For now here is a short video showing the 71 on her way to get her engine ready to go.

Until next time,

Peace!

Kari

Greg and Katie. New owners with big plans of their own. Happy Trails!

Greg and Katie. New owners with big plans of their own. Happy Trails!

Rain Rain Go Away!

Here in Western Washington we haven’t had 90 consecutive days of rain. But it sure feels like it! The incessant rain and some days of snow has taken a toll on my trailer. I had her covered with a tarp. When I went to replace the old tarp I discovered that water had found it’s way in through the holes in the roof. Very discouraging. I don’t think it is adding any more to what already needed replacing but what a revolt’n development!

Today the new tarp I put on blew off because of some very strong winds we are experiencing. Grrrrr. The good news is this has all motivated me to clear out the garage so I can get her out of the weather!

I hope to get some help to get her pulled in tomorrow. Wish me luck. Until then I have put the tarp back in place and secured it with lots of strapping.

On a fun note, I have purchased new Clearance Marker Lights from Vintage Trailer Supply. They had been out of stock for a long time so when I saw they were back I put my order in right away.

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VIDEO Little Dipper Episode 1

Taking a look around. Even before cleaning. Yuk!

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Introduction

Hi my name is Kari. I have a goal of rebuilding my 1966 Northwest Coach Little Dipper. It’s a “vintage trailer”. Little did I know when this idea came to me that there was already a vibrant community of vintage trailer enthusiasts. I have been researching and learning so much about the process it will take to make my trailer safe, cool and fun. I expect this process to be filled with a lot of learning and growth. The end goal is to have something small I can tow myself. Something I can pour my creative ideas into and something I can have to get away from the city life and go where I can see the stars and hear the springtime frogs. I also want to be able to have it to go places where I can bring my camera.

As it turns out I put the cart before the horse. I should have done a lot more research before I purchased a trailer to restore. I am happy with the one I found. She’s what is referred to as a “toaster style” vintage trailer vs. the traditional “canned ham”. In her I see a George Jeston style cosmic silhouette on the outside. On the inside I see a more traditional look with the beautiful Ash wood interior. I’m going to enjoy doing the hard work, the designing and getting away from the noise when it’s finished!

Day One

Day One

Goal. 1966 Northwest Coach Little Dipper pulled by my restored 1972 Chevy pickup.

Goal. 1966 Northwest Coach Little Dipper pulled by my restored 1972 Chevy pickup.

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Purchase List

  • Pocket Hole Jig

  • 6” Metal Seamer tool

  • Impact Tool

  • Tack lifter

  • Blaster penetrating catalyst

  • Mothers Aluminum Polish

  • Ospho

  • Rock Guard (will need to be modified to fit)

  • Fantastic Fan

  • 2000 Watt Continuous/4000 Watt Power Inverter

  • New locks and matching keys for compartment doors

  • New door knob and lock

  • One replacement window crank

  • Subscription to Mobiltec on Patreon

  • PDF Book: Vintage Trailer Repair by VK Lee

  • Replacement Tail Light Lens (2)

  • Jalousie Window to replace damaged window.

  • Rebuilt Compartment Door to replace dented one (no cost)

  • Reproduction Emblem

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How I found my trailer

I got a tip from my new neighbors who have 2 vintage trailers of their own. They educated me on how to search other states listings on Craigslist. Of course I wasted no time checking local states like Oregon, Idaho & California. I found the Little Dipper on a Portland Oregon posting. She was rough but I saw the potential. Armed with a little knowledge and accompanied by my friend I set off from the Seattle area to get her. I did poke around and looked under the chassis for damage. Looking back though I don’t recommend anyone haul a trailer that distance without a little more planning and preparation!

Gladly we made it safely home. That was May 25, 2019.

So begins our journey.

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What I've done so far

During these winter months while I work to clear out our garage to bring Dippy in, I have been cleaning cabinet hardware, purchasing tools I will need as well as some bigger ticket items if they go on sale (ie: Fantastic Fan). As well as general cleaning.

I took the Bill of Sale and Oregon title in and had it changed over to my name and received a shiny new Washington State license plate!

I have become a big fan of Harbor Freight. I am able to purchase tools I need to do this project at a much lower price than brand name tools. I am fortunate to have access to some tools already since my husband was in construction for many years. Yay!

I’ve done research on where to buy supplies such as the aluminum I will need to replace the roof that has been punctured and is pulling apart at the seams (https://www.hemetvalleyrv.net/) I have found a local plywood store that can get the Ash wood plywood I will need to rebuild some water damaged pieces of the interior. I’ve made a purchase or two of vintage items I will need on eBay and Craigslist.

I am anxious to get started but the time it’s taken to begin has helped me gain a lot of knowledge that will help me avoid some big mistakes. I know there will be more mistakes made along the way, but not ones that will make the Little Dipper dangerous on the roads.

I just can’t wait to go camping!

I’m thinking about naming the Little Dipper Hazel after the character I loved on TV as a kid. What do you think? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_(TV_series)

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Learning the Ropes

It didn’t take long to discover there is a deluge of information on the internet about restoring vintage trailers. I’ve discovered some information is legitimate, much of it is not. I learned that a vintage trailer should be restored in the opposite way from how it was built. Outside in. And I learned that the interior layout is designed to strengthen the trailer. That changing the layout will change the strength and could lead to owning a trailer that may come apart on the road making it potentially very dangerous.

There are some very knowledgeable ethical people out there willing to help help guide newbies through rebuilding their trailers. I am glad that I discovered Larry at Mobiltec. For a small fee I have unlimited access to his videos and can directly ask questions of him via email. You can find him on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cannedhamtrailers/posts. I also purchased The PDF book Vintage Trailer Repair by VK Lee https://vintagetrailerrepairmanual.weebly.com/. It’s a helpful step by step description of a ground up restoration with photos. The author is also willing to answer questions via email if you purchase her book.

Armed with good resources and a decent foundation of knowledge; the next step is get her in the garage and get started. Woohoo! Can’t wait!

PS: The general rule of thumb is a vintage trailer is any trailer built on or before 1969. You will find there is debate about this but I find it’s pretty well recognized in the vintage trailer community.




Helpful Links:

https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/

Vintage Trailer Supply (VTS) is a great resource for parts and information.

http://vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/

A recommended resource for access to folks who know the correct way to restore your trailer.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/repairingyesterdaystrailers/

Another recommended resource for access to folks who know the correct way to restore your trailer.

http://www.cannedhamtrailers.com/

Larry owns Canned Ham Trailers and Mobiltec. You can find him on his canned ham website. On Youtube as well as Patreon. Patreon is where you will have the ability to sign up for his training videos.

https://vikxtrailers1.shutterfly.com/

Vik is the one who created the trailer restoration book. She is another resource for accurate information about trailer restoration.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/2279131292405301/ Northwest Coach Little Dipper Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/littledippertraveltrailers/ Northwest Coach Little Dipper Facebook Page (there’s a difference)

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