November 2020
WHAT HAVE I GOT MYSELF INTO????
For several years I have dreamed of owning one of those adorable vintage "canned ham" trailers. I have visited blogs, watched endless YouTube videos, read books and fantasied for some time about the day when I too could be just like those talented individuals who had glamed up their traveling home. Initially I had longed for a vintage trailer to fix up. This idea seem to be what everyone was doing. I searched craigs list, local sales and online, but living in the North East, these types of trailers even in the worst conditions are far and few and cost an insane amount. I also know I don't have the skill set to redo to the bones or the finances to buy one fully renovated. I then started pricing out the new retros thinking this would at least give me the look I've been longing for. BUT..these babies are pricey for such a small space. One thing I knew was that I wanted some way to travel on my own and not pull a big trailer solo.
My search was redefined over the years from a vintage to anything I could tow myself and was financially friendly. After looking at what was available and within a budget I started thinking about pop up trailers, small travel trailers, I fell in love with the teardrop, the r-pod and the T@b trailer, and even found the most adorable SCAMP on Marketplace for an insane deal only to find out it was a SCAM. (I did blog about that heart break).
Feeling that I would never find the "right" TT for me, I happened upon the new NoBoundries TT while visiting Gander Mountain for winterizing supplies. Even my husband was impressed. Although still pricey for the size, I felt it had all the features I was after and BONUS....my Husband and biggest financial supporter was into it. I simply knew it would be a while before such a unit would be mine so I would have to wait patiently HOWEVER....read multiple reviews and the construction was rated very poorly.....I do not want issues. SOOOO with the NOBO off the radar, the r-pods, t@Bs, vintage and smaller trailers either to expensive or needing so much work, what was a girl to do.
One thing I have learned from most of research on traveling in the fashion I long for is start with what you have. Soooo.... yes I do have a 37 foot travel trailer at my disposal BUT I am absolutely terrified of pulling her myself and the camping (glamping) I want to do is to places off the grid, dispersed or in National Parks where a 37 foot rig would not fit.
I guess I could wait for my husband to retire and have him pull the TT, and I really do not need to stay in off grid places or in national parks....BUT I really don't want to wait, and I really do want to live these boon docking experiences.
This started me thinking...why not camp out of my car? I started watching youtube videos on car camping. I even attempted to lie down in my RAV4 just to get an idea of how comfortable this would be. Realizing this might not be as easy as I'd like and seeing that many people live in a van more comfortable as well as multiple van conversions, I started leaning towards doing my own van conversion.
This was my mind set, …….BUT that's before I happened upon my new Travel Trailer......I had been scanning Marketplace for used vans. Still, as always taking a look at recreation vehicles...just in case and in this case...I FOUND ONE....
Oh she was so cute....I quickly texted the seller and asked about her availability and searched my maps for distance and directions to her. Yep, she was still available. I asked a dozen or more texted questions and was told that the seller was actually the women's mother in law and provided me with a phone number. I called and it went to voice mail. OH NO.....
A short while later a women called back and I told her of my interest. She reported that she had just spoke with a man from Mass who was interested. Oh I said sadly.....she informed me that she would have to speak with her kids and get back to me. Oh I was sad..... BUT she called me back after some time and asked if I had spoken with her daughter in law, and I said yes....she then said well actually you had claimed her first and if I was still interested she was MINE!!!!! I was so excited.
My husband and I drove the hour north to give her a look over and make payment. I was so excited about the possibilities, that even if she had a broken vent cover and it really did seem like there was a soft spot in her floor, and even though the seller did not have any answers for me, and we had the wrong sized ball for the trailer hook and couldn't take her home right then and there, I still handed over the cash......We decided to come back the following weekend to pick her up.
As I waited to pick her up I did some research as well as connected to a Casita group on Face Book. This was both a positive and a negative. On the positive side...everyone seemed to love her. I received several she's great etc and tons of support. On the negative side, I got a few comments on the difficulty of fixing any floor damage. This caused me to obsess. DID I JUMP IN TO DEEP?
Well, she is mine now, so no turning back.
As I awaited the weekend, I did have some adventures during the week. Renee and I got our finger nails done, I had lunch with my friend Pat and enjoyed Tully's chicken dinner.
My oldest came to visit on Wednesday and he did offer to support/help me on my Casita if I needed it. I gave him and my daughter fun Disney face masks.
He also gave me a Birthday gift. Thursday, my actual Birthday I received 100's of face book wishes, a gift from my daughter, flowers from my parents, Chinese takeout for dinner and a surprise Birthday Cake from my family. I was indeed an amazing Birthday.
On Saturday morning, Mark and I went to retrieve the Casita. The Seller still didn't offer me any additional information about the camper, but she did have some very cute pets….(See below) who came to see us as we hooked her up.
We were worried about the tires, the lights, and actually getting her home. The left rear light seemed to be out, but otherwise the tires although they will need to be replaced, seemed good. There really was no problems getting her home. We decided to take the back way on slower roads then the highway, but I think we would have been fine. Once we got her home, I realized that most of her broken air-conditioned cover had fallen off some where on our route. Sorry to someone, at least I knew we planned to replace this anyways. My husband took the remaining pieces off and it looks like despite being exposed to the elements, the air condition looks intact and there does not appear to be any leaks.
I had my family and a few friends investigate her inside and out. I was surprised that my youngest son was quite interested and even asked if he could "live" in it. Sorry Kid, this gal is mine. I need to come up with a name for her, and begin taking steps towards addressing her "broken" pieces. We haven't plugged her in to the power as of yet, so that could be an issue. I haven't even looked under the rugs to see if there is any floor damage either.....
Once I had her in my possession and I could really give her a look over, it's clear there is so much more that needs to be done. Dings in her exterior, stains, chips in the door. tears in the carpet. The wobbly table, crushed city water valve, those FLOORS.... I am NOT going to get discouraged. It will be a process and it will take some time, but everything is fixable if I can be patient and just do it.
Here are some pictures of the visual damage.
Easy fix
Not sure how easy this might be.
Wobbly table, but it does not appear to have any screws in it. Also very rusty. (Could it be water in the flooring?) This could be an issue.
This is the water hook up. Notice it is BENT....Not sure if this will be an easy fix or not.
Above is the view of the AC before we added the new Shroud. (Already fixed)
Mark and I found a new AC shroud and installed that, at least now she looks less "beat up" and we tried the electric.
From what I could tell all the lights work except the light over the stove. The fan component of the AC works, but we didn't test the AC itself. There was a component that was running immediately when I pulled her in, but I couldn't tell where this was coming from. I will have to do some research. I also was unable to turn the refrigerator on. It may be propane only, but I am not sure. I also can't seem to lift the table top to create a bed. These bolts also seem to be a bit rusty. There is also a big dent in the outside door.
This is where I have stopped for the time being. She needs some cleaning ASAP, but the weather has not been in our favor and it is COLD out. I might have to start doing some projects like curtains, and decorative items that I can do inside until it gets a little warmer.
What I am finding is although she looks rough, she's actually not in that bad of condition.
Until next time. TTFN
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