We bought this 1971 Golden Falcon in 2013.
It was a family project.
We ripped out the large couch (which had been stuffed on one wall) with a chain saw. The 14′ by 8′ travel trailer worked perfectly for electricity, but could not sleep a family of four–mom, dad and two boys. Jerry, my husband, replaced the upper bunk, built extra cabinets and we all installed a refrigerator.
The boys and I handled the cosmetics.
Unlike a lot of vintage restorations we did not strip it down to the bones. We taped, sparkled, painted and covered what was not perfect to make it a family friendly vintage camper we could use by the end of the summer.
My favorite memory of fixing up the old camper is of my youngest son.
Picture this: with a paint brush in each hand, standing on the wooden bed frame, he yelled “I’m in yellow world!” as he slapped paint on the ceiling of the camper with both hands. Paint was dripping on his head and down his face. The huge smile on his face was worth all the mess.
I’m in Yellow World!
Why don’t I have a picture of this? We were all covered in paint and laughing so hard we just rolled with the moment. After spending 2 months on the vintage camper we took our first camping trip to Grand Lake. It was perfect! We all fit comfortably. We were overjoyed with heat, hot water, and refrigerator.
Vintage Camper Camping
Camping is affordable and often close by. We camped with tents for years. Wonderful for shutting down the electronics.
Moving from tent camping to the vintage camper lifestyle improved my attitude toward camping. Most families are not worried about staying warm in late August while camping but we live in the High Rocky Mountains where night temperatures drop below freezing in mid-August. Being off the ground and having a propane heater made local camping in the fall foliage amazing. Having a counter and a sink to produce meals made cooking a snap with more time to play. One thing we did not complete was a bathroom- maybe next year.
Watch More on Our YouTube
Complications of a Vintage Cmaper
Leave a Reply