NOSTALGIA. >> MY NAME IS DAN PIPER.
I OWN VINTAGE CAMPERS, PERU,
INDIANA.
INDIANA. ś VINTAGE CAMPERS IS AN
OUTGROWTH OF MY PASSION.
WHEN I COULD CAMP ON MY OWN, ALL
I COULD DO WAS CAM WEAPON AN OLD
CAMPER.
CAMPER. I RESTORED IT MYSELF AND HAD A
LOT OF FUN WITH IT.
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON
IN THE WORLD WHO WAS AN OLD
TRAILER NUT AND 17 YEARS AGO I
WAS CAMPING IN MY 1960 SHASTA
AND I GOT TALKING WITH A FELLOW
CAMPER ABOUT THE OLD TRAILERS.
I FOUND THAT THERE WERE OTHER
OLD TRAILER NUTS OUT THERE.
AND I GOT REALLY EXCITED ABOUT
IT.
IT. I STARTED BUYING AND SELLING
SOME OF THE VINTAGE CAMPERS ON
MY WEBSITE.
MY WEBSITE. THEN I FOUND THE VINTAGE CAMPERS
WERE WHERE MY TRUE PASSION WAS.
WE HAVE JUST CONTINUED TO GROW
FROM SELLING THEM TO RESTORING
THEM AND SELLING PARTS FOR THEM
AND JUST DOING A FULL SERVICE
VINTAGE CAMPER OPERATION.
I STARTED IN THE MIDWEST.
WE WERE PROBABLY THE ONLY ONE
THAT DOES THE FULL SERVICE.
WE SPECIALIZE IN '60s AND
OLDER.
OLDER. WE TRY TO DEAL WITH THE TRAILERS
THAT EMPLOY RI RIVETTED
CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION. THEY HAVE ALUMINUM SKIN ON
OUTSIDE AND IT'S RIVETTED TO
STUDS INSIDE THE WALL, WHICH ARE
TYPICALLY ALUMINUM.
TYPICALLY ALUMINUM. THE MAIN TREE THAT WE CARRY ARE
SPARTAN, AIR STREAM AND AVIAN,
BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER
TRAILERS THAT WE WOULD CARRY,
CURTIS WRIGHT, SILVER STREAK,
STREAMLINE, BULLS ARROW, AND
WEST CRAFT.
WEST CRAFT. THERE ARE A BUNCH OF THEM OUT
THERE.
THERE. THEY ARE NOT NEAR AS COMMON AS
THE AIR STREAM OR THE AVIAN, BUT
SPARTAN ARE STILL VERY COOL
TRAILERS.
TRAILERS. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S THE RV
INDUSTRY, THE BOAT INDUSTRY, THE
HOUSE INDUSTRY, THINGS WERE JUST
BUILT BETTER BACK THEN.
PEOPLE TOOK PRIDE IN THEIR
WORKMANSHIP.
WORKMANSHIP. IF YOU LOOK AT THE NAME TAGS ON
THESE OLD CAMPERS, IT'S NOT A
LITTLE PLASTIC STICKER OR VINYL
LABEL THAT SAYS THEIR NAME.
IT'S USUALLY A METAL DECAL THAT
THEY PUT SOME MONEY INTO BECAUSE
THEY WERE PROUD OF IT.
THE OLDER THEY ARE, THE MORE
WEAR AND TEAR AND THE MORE ABUSE
THEY HAD, AND THE MORE WORK
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED. THE OLDER ONES, THERE ARE JUST
NOT AS MANY OUT THERE.
SO FINDING A GOOD OLD ONE IS A
GOOD FIND.
GOOD FIND. MY OWN PERSONAL PREFERENCE IS
THE OLDER, THE BETTER.
>> AS FAR AS RESTORATION, OUR
PREFERENCE IS TO RESTORE
TRAILERS BACK PRETTY MUCH TO HOW
THEY WERE WHEN THEY WERE ROLLED
OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY LINE AND THE
FACTORY.
FACTORY. ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS WE
RUN INTO IS WATER DAMAGE.
SO A LOT OF THE EXPENSIVE WORK
ON A RESTORATION IS REPLACING
THE WOOD WORK IN THE TRAILERS.
WE WILL UPGRADE THEM
ELECTRICALLY.
ELECTRICALLY. THE PLUMBING, WE USUALLY GO
AHEAD AND REPLACE THE PLUMBING
AND THEN ALL THE COSMETIC STUFF,
THE LIGHT FIXTURES AND THE
HARDWARE AND SO FORTH, WE
LIKE -- A LOT OF TIMES THOSE
PIECES ARE MISSING.
AND SO WE'LL SALVAGE OLD
TRAILERS AND RESCUE THE OLD
PARTS AND PIECES THAT WE CAN USE
IF THAT TRAILER IS TOO FAR GONE
TO RESTORE.
TO RESTORE. WE WILL PRETTY MUCH DO ANYTHING
TO THEM.
TO THEM. SOMEONE ASKED US TO TOTALLY
BUTCHER AND CHOP UP A NICE, GOOD
UNIT, WE WILL SAY NO THANKS.
SINCE VINTAGE CAMPERS MY
PASSION, I WOULD LOVE TO KEEP
THEM ALL, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I
CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE OF THE
ECONOMICS, AND SO I DO HAVE WHAT
I CALL MY KEEPERS.
I WOULD -- LIKE I SAY, NOT SELL
ANY OF THEM.
MY LINE IS I SELL VINTAGE
CAMPERS TO SUPPORT MY HABIT OF
KEEPING THEM.
KEEPING THEM. THERE'S A LOT OF TRUTH TO THAT.
THE VINTAGE CAMPER CULTURE IS
GROWING.
GROWING. I THINK A LOT OF THE BABY
BOOMERS MYSELF, GREW UP CAMPING
AND THEY WANT TO