In our never-ending quest to bring you a full range of vintage wheeled vehicles, we present to you a recently-hot trend: classic campers! This one is apparently a 1970 Yellowstone, and it’s got less than 48 hours on the eBay sale here – let’s take a closer look!
Recreational vehicles date back to the horse-and-buggy days, but RVs as we know them today date back to the World War I era. Since then, they have changed dramatically from the basic shelter-on-wheels of olden days. With enough money, you can have a complete, luxurious, nearly-self-sustaining motorized palace with more interior room than a small house! Apparently, 85% of all RVs sold today are made in Indiana, and the town of Elkhart is “the RV Capital of the World” as its 200,000 residents proclaim. The example presented is no mansion, but it does hearken back to simpler times in American life.
We look now at the caravan for sale. From the pictures, we can see a well-used unit, but overall might not be a bad place to start. Much of the cabinetry looks good, the avocado-green stove looks clean, and there’s no major damage to the exterior. The seller tells us a few helpful pieces of information, like the facts that it is an 18-foot unit, it sleeps 8, it has had some replacement parts, and some roof repair. They let us know that there was some water damage, and good on them for being up-front about that. It apparently has a good title and weighs in between 2,900 and 3,300 pounds.
If you’ve read my work from the past, you know I dig things like this. I actually tried to fix up an old pop-up , but ran out of steam and ended up giving it to a friend, who did an amazing job where I had neither the tools nor the patience. In my humble opinion, this piece would make a good DIY project and make a sweet piece when complete – pretty valuable, too, if the current market for them is any indication.
That’s what I think, what do you think? Let us know!
Not only was Elkhart known for RVs, but
many mobile homes were built there as well. Brands like Fleetwood, Redmond,
Travello, and Buddy were built there. I
know this first hand as Dad drove for
Morgan Drive-A-Way in the ’70s. His job
was to take brand new campers to their
points of sale. Sometimes, he would
transport a new slide in pickup camper
along with a pull behind unit like this one.
And if memory serves me, Yellowstone
was a high end unit for its time. They along with Holiday Rambler practically
owned the high end market for years.
Thanks for the wonderful memories
you just gave me.
Nice one…..stored well I’m sure by the looks of the inside.
I remember waking up the smell of bacon, eggs, and a hint of propane as mom was working over a miniature stove in our 22′ camper (brand now escapes me).
One of the things I love about the vintage campers are the dated furnishings. I hate to see people rip all that glorious 1970’s out and put new stuff in. What’s the point new campers are everywhere.
Elkhart and Goshen, Indiana are the Capitals of the RV Industry. I doubt the cities of Elkhart and Goshen combined have a population of 100,000. I know for sure The city of Elkhart is only around 60,000.
It’s great to see these old RV’s making a comeback! Camping is a great way to Social Distance in these uncertain times.
More and more of this vintage camper trailers are finding new homes after being period correct refurbished – in retro style campgrounds as rentals in place of cabins! They’re redone and set in place with theme type surroundings..
A great way to recycle while revisiting a time of our history.
Back in the early ’90s ex and I had an 18′ travel trailer. The problem I found was if you only 1 axle, as mine did and as this one does, it’s all over the road, especially when a 18 wheeler passes you. Double axle is much smoother and safer.
Ours had a small bathroom with shower. We added a TV and a/c. We pulled it with exs 1972 Jeep Wagoneer.
Am looking for the 1970 Yellowstone Cavalier manual…any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!