How it all began

I think it all started long before we actually thought about getting a vintage trailer. My love for antique, vintage and retro things started years ago. I’ve always loved camping and being in the great out doors however, I have never been a fan of sleeping on the ground in a tent. So we started talking about getting a camp trailer. My search took me in a couple of directions…should we get a Class C RV, tent trailer or hard walled pull behind? I ruled out the RV and tent trailer as both had draw backs that I didn’t want to contend with, so that left the pull behind.

I was online one day looking at various new models and stumbled upon a photo of a vintage canned ham style trailer. It was love at first sight! I new right at that moment that someday we would own one. So the hunt began for a vintage trailer. There are so many brands and styles to choose from that I narrowed it down to a Shasta. I loved the layout in most of them and of course the Shasta brand name has been around for eons.Next came the type of Shasta to consider. Would we go with a little Compact, 16 footer or an Astroflyte. After many months of searching we finally found a Shasta. Now let me back up just a bit and say that during all the searching I had a list of criteria that I felt I needed to stick with. The first being that it had to already be restored simply because I knew I wouldn’t have the time nor the know-how to restore one. Next, we needed one that we could all sleep in. In the end I compromised a wee bit on the second criteria and found a 68 Shasta Compact that was adorable AND restored! We drove down and picked it up and camped in it several times. What fun!

While we all could fit in the Compact it was just a bit too small. I think the biggest aspect being that there isn’t a lot of floor space. So I decided to just watch the ads on Craigslist and Tin Can Classified to see what came available. That is when I spotted Daisy. I swear my heart began to palpitate as I gazed at her ad on Craigslist. I knew she was the perfect trailer for us!

With some saddness I listed the Shasta Compact on Craigslist and sold her within 4 days. It was difficult to let the Compact go, but she has a delightful new family that will get years of enjoyment with her.

All the while I was talking to the seller of the Astroflyte and trying to figure out the best way to get her home. She was in Maine and we are in Michigan. My first thought was I could drive out, hook her up and tow her home. However, after thinking on that for a bit and realizing just how far it was I thought it would be better to have her transported by a professional vintage trailer hauler. So that is the route we went. I made arrangements with the sellers who were kind enough to work with me on getting her here. It took her longer to get home that first thought but she finally made it after 8 days. I was waiting with baited breath for sure.

Daisy on the transport trailer. The car was being transported to CA.

I knew we would have many adventures in our Daisy Shasta and this first summer has proved that theory correct.