Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Mike Perini and Zellie Wright Perini we have been married almost 20 years and have enjoyed all kinds of camping Tent camping, motor home camping, motorcycle camping, We love to take camping trips on the Oregon coast any time of the year but we enjoy the fall and winter the best.
bike and trailer we used for camping trips
When I was growing up we lived In Arcata California on the Northern California coast and it seems that we were camping almost every weekend. My folks owned a teardrop when I was just a baby but with 3 kids in a few years my folks switched to tent camping. Life was much different back then, slower pace than today.

Back in 2007 I bought a PT Cruiser which started this whole vintage trailer saga. The buddy of mine that I bought the car from owned a teardrop trailer and I offered to buy it to go with the PT Cruiser. Sadly I was informed that he had just sold it to another dealer. So I started looking for a vintage teardrop because I like to restore things, any way how hard can it be? 3 months later I was the proud owner of a 47 Ken skill teardrop. The only response from the wife was you paid how much and what the hell were you thinking. After a full year of restoration most of the time looking for the correct lights, tires, wheels, hubcaps, paint, and the wife took ownership of the trailer.

Our first teardrop rally was the IRG 2008 a week of camping good food and good friends one of the best camping trips that we ever had, the following year we went to the Dam gathering and I can honestly say I have never camped in so much rain and I live in Oregon

I bought a 1949 Chevy custom as our new tow rig and we have gone to 4 or 5 camp outs every year with T.O.W. teardrops and car shows and have had a blast. The wife has enjoyed here self so much over the last few years and has stated that we have found something that she loves to do

The wife mentions it sure would be nice if we had a trailer that we could stand up in. so the search was on for the 2nd trailer,
The 2nd Vintage Trailer a 1957 cardinal 14ft about 150 miles from us. Took a day off from work and made the trip in the PT Cruiser and made the deal and took the truck the next day to pick up my canned ham. Little did I know that it would be a full restoration with all the hidden water damage and before I could start any major work something funny happened on the way to the trailer restoration?

The 3rd trailer I found on craigslist a 1951 Boles Aero 16ft after a 350 mile drive on way to look at the trailer, I said what I was thinking. After some serious horse trading we hooked up the trailer and headed home. It needs a full restoration the trailer is complete but with major water damage
After polishing the trailer and repairing the lower edge with new aluminum modeling and replacing the bottom rivets, we started on the interior, but for some reason only known to the Vintage trailer gods I stopped and started the 57 cardinal restorations.

The 1957 Cardinal restoration was a 2 month restoration ,almost a complete tear down removed all the dry rot and water damaged interior panels hand sanded all the birch interior 5 coats of amber shellac hand sanded between coats polished exterior, lowered the trailer new tires and wheels’ new wiring for the out side and inside. I have spent months collecting the interior furnishings for the trailer. We have gone to 4 rally’s since the restoration and regular camping trips, we belong to the Rollin Oldies vintage trailers club and T.O.W. Teardrops

The wife mentions that a bath room would be nice, so I found one. I removed a full enclosed bathroom out of a 1972 ford F-250 motor home complete with holding tank now to find a trailer to put it in, but what do I do I buy trailer # 4

Trailer # 4 1957 18 ft Traveleze already restored bought it for a song and was totally disappointed the trailer looks very nice and has a nice bathroom but is not original so do I spend more money or sell it? Question answered bought Trailer # 5
GONE, gave the trailer away
Trailer # 5 1956 Roadmaster 18 ft completely original does not need a restoration; all it needs is our camping gear. Found this trailer on Craigslist about 10 miles away from me. I believe I paid about a 10th of what the trailer is really worth. Change of plan on the Traveleze my Brother decided he did not want the traveleze trailer, but my step son does, a friend of his is homless and we delived the trailer and will set it up this week for her

The only thing left to do on my restorations is to find a small Vintage trailer that my shower unit will fit in so I guess I am looking for vintage trailer #6 Damm i still have to restore the 51 Boles Aero


Link to our photo albums
http://community.webshots.com/user/mvperini

Best regards,

Mike and Zellie Perini

Mike,

One of these days you are going to have to design the perfect trailer, and have it custom built for you. I think that would be number 8, right?

Mike...

Love the story and pictures! Looks like you have a couple of nice "old" trucks too.

All this sounds eerily like the Coleman Keepers ( addicts.. ALL of em !)

Good eye on them vintage trailers ! Happy Trails !

Miss my 72 Ford F-100

Mike your next pruchase needs to be the wharehouse for " Perini's Museum, Restoration, Parking Garage and Home"!!! I figure at the rate your going 50000sq ft might be enough room for ya!

Cliff

Oh, thats another story , my vintage coleman lantern collection, and my vintage cooler collection, lets not forget my vintage coleman stove collection, or the vintage mopeds, , all the vintage stuff i have been collecting for 5 vintage trailers, the collection of portable bar cases from the 50s i have enjoyed sampling the different kinds of rum that i am filling the cases with.

Mike your next pruchase needs to be the wharehouse for " Perini's Museum, Restoration, Parking Garage and Home"!!! I figure at the rate your going 50000sq ft might be enough room for ya!

Cliff it could be, but i also have a 34 ft motorhome luck would have it i just traded it for a 78 chevy 4x4 shorty now i have 3 tow rigs, i am sorry i forgot about the conversion van i bought last year 4 tow rigs, sounds about right i have 4 trailers and i just park in the neighbors yard untill they start bit...n

Mike

Mike,

One of these days you are going to have to design the perfect trailer, and have it custom built for you. I think that would be number 8, right?

Mike the truth be known i have the perfect trailer, the 47 kenskill. the problem is i enjoy working on them more that i do using them, and the wife likes all of them and does not want to sell any of the trailers but that will have to change or buy a bigger place

Mike

Miss my 72 Ford F-100

I feel your pain ,................ ok i am better now

That's more than a great story, Mike. It's a great saga! It aint over 'til it's over. Hopefully, you two still have at least another decade to enjoy all that you do and have done!

Sharon wrote;
That's more than a great story, Mike. It's a great saga! It aint over 'til it's over. Hopefully, you two still have at least another decade to enjoy all that you do and have done!

I hope its longer than that, My wifes grand mother lived to be 95 and at 80+ she was taken care of senior citizens , and mine where in there late 80s and were still camping and going strong

Mike and Zellie

Picked up the trailer today, i had to relocate my 57 cardinal and the 47 teardrop so i could set up the roadmaster trailer so i could start working on her. first thing i did was put it up on blocks so i could flip the axle and lower the trailer. all the neighbors who usually give me a bad time about all the old trailers have come over to take tours






Mike and Zellie