Everything old-school is new again, as evidenced by the fact that people are transforming Airstream trailers into smart homes on wheels and Pendleton wool-filled playgrounds. But the distinctive trailer isn’t the only retro camper out there. People who are fans of the egg-shaped look can get updated versions from Barefoot Caravan or Relic Trailers.
Jayne Barocela, a former Federal Aviation Administration contractor, found the inspiration for Relic Trailers in a 60-year-old design she found on a vintage trailer blog. A Michigan man posted pictures of the unfinished trailers he’d acquired from an estate sale. Then, a welding instructor named Roy had designed and started to build the trailers in the early 1960s but never finished them. Barocela snapped up the one nearly complete trailer, two finished shells, and all the rest of the equipment. She found North Star Fiberglass, to make the shells, vintage trailer restoration expert Brian Morrow to work on the interiors and ensure they’re true to the era, and SC Autokraft to paint the exterior.
It takes between four and eight weeks to make each one, and the interior can be customized with different kitchen, sleeping, and dining layouts. The 1,000-pound trailers are 12-and-a-half-feet long and can sleep two. Starting at $16,000, the price goes up the more customizations you add. Just like many of the details, the colors are retro, too. Options include Relic red, Celeste blue, butterscotch yellow, flamingo pink, and Jetson black.
“I try to have everything as close to the period design as possible to carry on Roy’s vision,” Barocela tells Tiny House. “Everything I do with these trailers, I do for him.”
