Safari Vintage Travel Trailer

If you read the blog about our 1948 United Sports-Tour you know we purchased that trailer after losing out in the last second for a trailer we were bidding on through eBay.  Well, this is that trailer.  We had sold our 1956 Benroy Teardrop trailer back to the original manufacturer's family and were on the lookout for something new to camp in.  This one was for sale in a neighboring community.  After going down and looking at it, we decided it'd be a good match.  But, alas, sniper programs being what they are, we lost the auction.  So, we moved on to the United.  Well, then about a week after the auction ended we received an email from the successful bidder for the trailer.  They had picked up the trailer and decided it was too small for them and wanted to know if we were still interested in it.  They hadn't even gone to look at it before bidding, and they were in a neighboring community as well.  What to do.  We had already looked at and purchased the United.  So, I emailed them back and said yes, we wanted it, but at the price we would have won it at if they hadn't come in and sniped us.  They agreed, and so now we owned 2 trailers.  One for us and one for the kids. 

Now we have 2 trailers in the driveway.  I'm sure the neighbors are thrilled.  You can see in the pictures above the size difference between the Safari and the United.  So, now what.  I started working on the inside of the trailer.  The wood was very dry, so a couple of rounds of lemon oil made it shine back up nice and pretty.  The mis-matched different color doors all got a coat of turquoise paint and new hardware.  The drop-down table was in good condition, as was the stove, so nothing was done there.  I started cleaning the galvanized trim piece in the middle of the trailer, shining it up nice and pretty.  It looked great, but what a messy, tedious job!  We took the trailer camping several times, the kids liked having their own place to "hang out" but this is only practical if you're camping close to home where you don't mind pulling 2 trailers.

Eventually we decided it was time to sell the Safari, and it went to a new home. That person then sold it several years later to someone else.  We saw the trailer again at that point, and it looked the same with the exception of new flooring.  Part of me wishes we still had this little beauty.  It sure was fun.