Don’t get me started on retro designs. I mean, you can give an automotive piece of art from 1950 – 1980 over any $500m Leonardo, but faux retro leaves me stone-cold. Now of course, it is foolish to take an absolutist approach to this doctrine, case in point the Happier Camper.
So my first response when coming across this example in Topanga Turquoise was akin to that of an ornery curmudgeon. Yes, it looks like the sort of retro toaster you might buy at a large-chain department store. No, it doesn’t have the authenticity of an Airstream.
But there was something about this that made me pull out my camera; its shape doesn’t come across as trying too hard.
I didn’t shoot the interior, but the above image comes from the manufacturer’s website. Of course it’s easy to enlarge a space with a shorter lens, but this unit seems practical and unsophisticated. Maybe not ideal for grey-nomading, but I can see the possibility of enjoying a week or so away in one of these.
It wouldn’t look so bad behind the right car. Definitely not a Land Cruiser, but perhaps a new Corolla or classic Cresta, or suchlike.
Further Reading
As an ornery curmudgeon myself, I feel for you, but I don’t know if I hate retro as you do. At least with retro, somebody is referencing the past, for good or for bad. This one does not really try to be an airstream, so it works in its own context. Plus, a genuine Airstream is so pricey that few can afford one. And, at the end of the day, the idea of living for any length of time in a RV ends up far from the fantasy. We picture carefree getaways, waking up in a serene spot and enjoying coffee by the beach, or lounging beside a campfire before retiring to a comfortable night. The issue with this one is that it LOOKS like it would be fine for a week’s getaway, up to day 2 of the journey. After that, we want a real toilet, a shower, a bed that we fit into, and a place to sit that does not convert into something else. In other words, we want a hotel room. Most of my friends who have tried this ended up with one or the other of the couple demanding a hotel stay instead of the camper at some point of the trip. Most campgrounds leave you parked beside a family of 12 kids under 7 years of age or unwashed hippies or meth dealers evading warrants (I jest, but…..) And when you factor in gas cost to drive, plus park rental fees, there is not much of a savings in cost overall. Plus, most folks don’t like towing a trailer, so unless you are set to do all the driving yourself, there’s that. The fact that this is affordable makes it possible. And hey, it’s much cheaper used once the happy first owner unloads it on you.
I’m not a fan of the styling either, especially the way the mono-chrome door cuts into the body line on the other side.
That porthole style window on the door also seems out of place- It’s just a weird mix of styling cues.
I’m struggling with the retro trailer thing, which seems to be exploding. This one is decidedly better than average, because it’s retro-inspired, rather than trying to be a cheap copy of a classic trailer, but not pulling it off by using off-the-shelf parts that stick out (doors and such).
On the other hand, I’m also sick of the very predictable design of most American trailers the past 25 years, with their flat sides and swoop graphics.
Has something of a ‘European’ look, rather like this (genuine) Eriba from Germany.
https://www.henandhammock.co.uk/renovating-vintage-caravans
Actually this reminds me a bit of an original iMac.
They need to do a ‘Flower Power’ version!
My old Minx could pull that successfully, a friend has recently imported three large Airstreams from the US, biggest problem with the is their weight, they are not a light caravan to tow.
The brochure I downloaded said dry weight is 1.100 pounds…which means if can be pulled by pretty much any vehicle made today. I’d be interested after my vehicle goes out of warranty(the owner’s manual says not to tow with it).
I kind of like this, it’s like the old Boler trailers that were apparently made in Winnipeg. Anybody ever done a CC on that?
Mrs DougD and I have discussed the eventual need for something like this, our 8 foot Jayco pop up is adequate for a few days of camping but a bit of a nuisance to take up and down every day.
At first glance, i thought it might be a Boler or Trillium but this retro model lacks the cute and charming factor of the vintage originals. I purchased a 1979 Boler a few years back and you can’t go anywhere without people snapping pictures and asking questions. Mine looks pretty much factory original, but often they are as restored or modified as the classic cars that are often found pulling them.
Perhaps the ideal car to tow this might be the equally ‘fake/retro’ Nissan Figaro.
Too bad my wife has an aversion to camping, even her 4 cyl Terrain could pull that thing. Many family vacations growing up revolved around camping because it was cheap.
I kinda like it. I wonder if my HHR could pull that?
HHR’s are rated for a max towing weight of 1000 lbs. I pull a small trailer with mine. I’ve pulled it loaded to about that weight it does pretty good. I wouldn’t take it on a long trek pulling that but I just use it locally.
I could see this trailer being pulled by a Nash Metropolitan of the same color scheme.
I’m waiting to see one of these pulled behind somebody’s Class A RV as a getaway home-getaway home.
Oh, I like that!
This looks like a reinterpretation of the original Boler “egg” shape, with larger side windows. That open, airy interior looks so cheerful and homey, but notice what’s not there- a closet, cabinets (save one) or any provision for storage. No stove and no bathroom. Scamp and Casita and Trillium pack those amenities into a similar footprint, but it means smaller beds and windows. This one relies on outdoor cooking, which isn’t always fun (or possible).
The shape of this trailer isn’t a retro styling cue. It’s just the shape you wind up with when you make an enclosed space out of molded fiberglass. Inspired by, I’ve heard said, by the septic tanks made of the same material. But it’s a great shape, with elegance and ideal aerodynamics. The wind just can’t grab hold of those slippery curves, so they’re much less subject to weather-vaning in crosswinds than a square-cornered box.
Agree that this is a ‘natural’ shape which is probably why it sort of appealed to me. Those fender bulges, however, definitely put it in the retro category.
My sonny boy lives in a trailer. 1963 Airstream Globetrotter. The new slab sided trailers and retro designs didn’t interest him.
Nor does he look like Petrocelli. Styling digs, son-of-Heath-and-La-Esposita.
Awesome, love the details on that thing. Just look at the door hinges.
If he’s in central CA that tree must really help with regulating the interior temperature.
Looks like a half-sucked boiled lolly.
But at least it’s not 30-odd foot of striped aluminium siding, weighing three tons, pulled by a 2.5 ton 4wd, giving 8mpg and an irritating 55mph, all so that two geriatrics can tow it to a succession of parks that precisely resemble the millimetre-measured-lawn dull suburbs they left in which they park up, turn on the a/c and tv and the roasting oven, and shit n’ shower inches from their own bed. (Seriously, the way these things are equipped, you wonder why they didn’t just buy the biggest tv they could, subscribe to Neo Geo, watch at all home, and save a few hundred grand).
So, though another curmudgeon when it comes to retro, on balance, I like it.
The whole retro thing is cool, I suppose, just not for me.
I have friends who camp nearly every weekend if there’s not snow on the ground…I’m not opposed to sitting around the camp fire for a bit, but I need real plumbing and a real mattress.
I accumulate Hilton HHonors points avidly, so my hotel stays wind up being inexpensive as long as I stay away from the “luxury” properties.
If the blue is not your favorite, the trailer is available in other colors. The brochure has more colors than the picture.
If you’re still not happy with the color, shrink wrap in various colors is also available.
I’m okay with Retro, but this is more just Too Cute. My ongoing dream pull-toy is a teardrop design riding on an Alfa Romeo 116 DeDion axle, minus the drivetrain bits, to be pulled by my Milano. The only real downsides, aside from my own history of daydreaming projects and then leaving them on paper, is the difficulty of devising a trailer hitch for those cars – there was one available, but I’m pretty sure they’re NLA – and that California law requires a maximum trailering speed of 55 mph. Not that anyone pays much attention to that, but as odd a combo as this would be hard to keep under the radar …
As a camping cook, I would rather have a semi-sheltered outdoor kitchen than most in-trailer or motorhome ones I’ve used, and a lot of teardrop designs feature some very fine examples. As for toilet facilities, Google Maps is your friend.