Packing up and moving on became surprisingly popular during the Great Depression both despite and because of an impoverished economy. All this activity boosted the tiny travel trailer industry from fewer than fifty local makers in 1930 to nearly ten times that by 1937. Lightweight and aerodynamic “canned ham” and “teardrop” shapes were particularly popular, since they could be towed by almost any of the underpowered cars of the day. But it was during the postwar period that trailer makers really gained traction: moving out of necessity gave way to moving for recreation. Today, vintage trailers from the “canned ham” era are all the rage. They’re cheap and charming, and so long as your ambitions are modest, capable. Here on eBay is a 16′ 1959 Shasta Airflyte – one of the more appealing makes, thanks to two-tone paint and the “wings” on its rear roofline. The price is $8500, and the trailer is located in Burbank, California.
The seller says that in the thirteen years that he’s owned the Shasta, he’s traveled all over the country without ever experiencing a leak. Other than re-crafting the wings using PVC so they won’t rot again (the original material would have been pine), replacing the floor with OEM inlay, and adding a removable loft, the rest of the trailer is original. Shasta made its trailers of corrugated aluminum over a wood frame, on a steel chassis. The Airflyte weighed only 1840 lbs dry.
The interior is quaint, with its “log cabin” paneling, “Princess” two-burner stove, tiny refrigerator, sink, and dinette. There’s no bathroom, but the seller notes that nearly everywhere he ever took the trailer, bathrooms and showers were available. The listing includes a photo with the trailer’s tow buddy – the pair is so well matched, it’s almost too bad to break ’em up!
Shasta was sold to Coachmen Industries in the 1970s, and then in 2008, Forest River bought Coachmen. The brand was still in use when, in 2016, the Airflyte arrived once again in showrooms, as a “reissue”. Not only did the new versions look identical to the vintage ones, but the jalousie windows were actually made by the original producer (Hehr), and the company contracted with Amerimax to reproduce the paneling. But that’s where the resemblance ceased: the reissue has all-modern amenities, including a bathroom. Of course, even on the used market, a 2016 Shasta costs twice as much as the real deal from 1959, so if the lack of a few amenities doesn’t bother you, maybe a call to the seller is warranted!
I remember our dear friend Howard was in the market for an RV or Van. Heck the trusty 4pot, 5sp Jeep could pull this around pal. And as an old trucker, no bathroom..no problem. He’s used to no toilet on board, save for the old milk jug 🚻 😲 Thanks for the article Michelle 👍
Mornin’ Stan, you haven’t driven a 4 cylinder Jeep, have you? I wouldn’t even attempt it, why, just going to look at it would try the thing. Yeah, I “cooled off” a tire or 2 on a ramp I’m not particularly proud of, strictly forbidden today, btw, never did the “milk jug”, I thought was disgusting, and I would miss my “Epsom salt” baths. I shelved the camper/RV thing and am pricing new recliners,,, :)
“Shasta ” minute( gathering thoughts, ow) as a kid, say 6 or 7 our family did a lot of camping. Since the old man didn’t like tents, perhaps a reminder of the war, we always had a camper. 1st one I remember, was a step down Friendship, that the old man never liked, then a Shasta just like this. I know there are pictures of it, just my brother hasn’t gotten that far in the mountain of slides we took. He had a plethora of inept vehicles to pull it, each worse than the last. Some that didn’t cut it, ’61 Plymouth wagon, ’61 Mercury wagon, ’63 GMC Suburban V6, ’66 Dodge wagon( that caught fire on Monteagle Hill), an IH Travelall( worst of all) and finally, a Chevy Suburban and moved on to motorhomes. Camping was huge, and the old man thought nothing of doing that, and we weren’t alone. All 2 lanes, cities, small towns,,,and tires, always with the tires, then camping for the night. My mom would drag out the “Woodalls”, and the search began about 3 PM. By 5pm, my mom had a place, usually 3 stars or less for overnight( not the 4 and 5 star for those snooty Airstream crowd) , only to repeat every night. After the Suburban, we took our Honda 50 and we didn’t have a license, so just putted around the campground, or to the beach. There was an upside I was not aware of, but I ended up taking my kids camping, and today, it remains one of their favorite past times. It’s a lot busier today, and highways aren’t exactly “tow behind camper” compliant, and don’t recommend such, but short trips, throw the phone out the window, and enjoy nature. Now, what to pull it with???
Jeep Cherokee with that horse of an engine straight 6…will do the job nicely.
Back in the early 70’s our neighbor picked one up for $300 that looked just like this. I was a freshman in high school. We went camping with them in Arizona and also got to use it as an extra bedroom when our cousins came to visit.
I remember doing that myself. We had a family reunion in ’86, & Dad rented an RV to park in the driveway for all the big kids to sleep in. What a party that was! Thx for the memories!
How ’bout a ’67 Ford Ranger with
air horns and a 428/4 speed? That’s what we had in ’68 I think.
It had plenty of oats to pull the 20 foot Scotty we had back then and a whole lot more. And the.air
horns? They were real alright. Got my ass beat for blowing them in my sister’s ear one day.
I was maybe 14 then. The Ranger
was a black 3/4 ton with lots of
factory chrome and those huge
West coast mirrors on the doors,
and running lights on the roof. And did I say it was a torque monster? It certainly was that and a whole lot more. And to my
knowledge, it was the only one with a factory 428/4-speed in it.
Dad traded it in on a new ’68 Chevy pickup with a 6 and a 3-speed tranny. Not as much fun as the Ranger, but it pulled the camper okay. Dad also had a topper on both trucks so we kids
could do some adventure sleepin
in the pickup bed too. Those were the days weren’t they.
Sweet story!
I’d like to know how you got axx past the filters? You know Ken, I enjoy features like this because of the stories these posts conjure up. Younger folks that can’t relate, may find it boring. You can’t “AI” some of our experiences. Since my old man hated trucks, and the irony of me becoming a truck driver, he tried to keep it civil with passenger cars he got cheap, and just dealt with what happened as it happened. Like I said, trailer tires. POW, we’d put the spare on, limp into the next town, 1st station, the old man had them put some rag on, and off we went. Overheating was another big issue. Then there were the hitches. We went to Fl. every winter, and with every different vehicle, was a different type of hitch. He was looking for a better ride, none worked. The camper always shook the daylights out of us. Brakes too, those electric brakes were terrible. Either they skid the tires or nothing at all. Lights too, always blinking out, bad ground I told him, “you be quiet, Howie”, he’d say, then fix the ground wire. Yep, that was my old man.
Correction, I think it was “W’s” instead of stars for rating campgrounds, one “W” was the overflow parking lot, and 5 “W’s” was the hoi-paloi, with a spa and golf course. The “Woodalls” was the bible of campgrounds, there were so many back then. I’m not so sure they were “the good old days”, we take a lot for granted when traveling today. I learned many a swear word from the old man on those trips, thinking back now, it was a huge undertaking, and we were never so glad to see “Milwaukee City Limits” sign,,,my( our) mom(s) put up with a lot, she was the real hero there.
And how they were! Things like that mean a life well spent!
This is so cool. I really like vintage campers. There’s just something about the wood and vintage appliances that I just can’t get enough of. Two toned Shasta “Canned Ham” have a great look to them too. Michelle….. All I can say is…. Wow!! You just never cease to surprise us here. This is great. And would be terrific for a camping trip, or show at a cars and coffee. Thank you Michelle!!!
You are so welcome – always a pleasure to see you in the comments section, Drivein!
My parents, being farmers who almost never took a vacation, rented a Shasta like this in 1956 and towed it from western WA to Yellowstone behind our 6-cylinder 1955 Chevy. I was 7 and my brother was 9, and we had a ball. What I remember the most from that trip was how many bears we saw. More recent trips there have paled in comparison. I’d love to tow this behind my ’57 Dodge wagon, but not at that price.
Thanks Michelle, Howard! Sometimes I think that it’s the boomer generation and their parents who were the last ones to experience life with such a hands on level that made you enjoy it more than you do today.
You never ever hear of such rich
goings on in the Nanny state we live in today. If a child falls down
and skins a knee, they try to ban
concrete sidewalks. At a school
sporting event, EVERYONE gets
some type of ribbon so they won’t
be psychologically damaged for
losing or coming in second place
at said event. Why Congress is
even trying to pass a law that would end football games early
if the leading teams is ahead by
more than three scores! WTF!!
Losing only makes you stronger.
You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and come up with a plan to beat that guy next time.
Being disabled, I did that a lot.
Had to. The only one that can prove you matter is YOU and only
YOU alone can do the steps and make the plans that will make your life fuller and richer than
anyone else’s. No Nanny state can ever do that and never will.
The kids I work with at my McDonald’s think I’m a tough old
man and they’re right. And it’s been that philosophy that helped
me retire from two professions and come back to one, and still
find time to putt putt around with
all my little projects like a self charging mobility scooter or the
auto art shop I run from my apartment patio. No brag…just
fact.
Some nice, thoughtful comments. Thanks for posting them.
In regards to the older campers, especially single axel. Make sure wheel bearings are still available when you might need them. Learned this from experience.
Happy memories towing my export model (door) on either side Sprite Alpine caravan with my Rover 90 nice days sunshine roof open. Not so much traffic back then.
Saw so many of these when they were new! If I could afford to, I’d love to have one, and just TRAVEL! But you don’t mention what it’s present “towing buddy” has been…
i remember seeing these all over in the 60s and early 70s but not anymore. real cool looking. if i were a camper i would be all over it.
Now days,you get screened for the year of your camper before them accepting a reservation. Talk about kids liking camping. Every other year we took the kids to Arizona Beach in Southern Oregon. (It WAS a great place to camp before the state took it over ) One year I had done particularly well and told the kids that they could pick where ever they wanted to go on vacation. Disneyland, Yellowstone, etc. They started to cry and asking why they couldn’t go to Arizona Beach? We usually went camping 3 times a year. And the kids loved it. They are all grown and on their own now. They still love a beach ,(since they grew up in the desert) And one goes caming/fishing on a very regular basis. Me,I’m done draging a little house behind me!
Never been a fan of camping out….tents, campfires, sleeping bags, rocks on the ground, bathroom seat on a fallen tree trunk, leaves for toilet paper….no thank you. My idea of roughing it is Motel 6!!!
…Where Tom Bodett still leaves
the light on for Ya’ lol!
Being a boomer like most on here, my parents had a couple of these little travel trailers. The first was a teardrop Scotty stepdown. I really liked that one. It had a double bed and the dinette converted into a single bed. A small sink, 2 burner stove (no oven) and a small refrigerator. No bathroom. But it’s simplicity made it my favorite. It ran on one of three systems. Outside electric, battery or propane. No matter where you went you always had power.
Took that little guy to Arizona several times from New Jersey. First in a 1964 Ford Fairlane 6 cyl., then a 1967 Checker Marathon and again in a 1970 Checker Marathon.
My mother used to take me and the dog on weekend “getaways” in her 1962 Buick Invicta convertible.
Then they had a Shasta just like this one. Again, no bathroom. I remember thinking that the Checker was bigger than the trailer.
Hubby and I bought a 18’er with a bathroom and a/c in the 1990s, for $1000. Where is this guy getting $8000? Pulled that with his 1972 Jeep Wagoneer from New Jersey to Michigan.
Pictured above is the teardrop Scotty with the 1964 Ford Fairlane out west somewhere.
Guess purchase price is cheaper than a weeks stay at the Hilton in Las Vegas…. then you would have something to drag back home .
Memories aside. That said, this would be perfect as a backyard bungalow. The entry fee is much cheaper than a new econo-barn!
At one point in my life, I lived in a 14′ Shasta. It was a might crowded!
@Gil Davis Tercenio
That 18′ trailer i mentioned in my post, hubby and I and 2 cats lived in that for awhile. My father had a small farm and we hid it behind one of the barns. Ran electric to it and a water hose. Drained the toilet into a hole in the ground and lived there for about 6 months. It was….. “cozy.”
In 1953, towards the end of the Korean War and still stationed at Nellis AFB near Las Vegas, my Dad drove us to Los Angeles to pick up a little Aljoa 12′ trailer that looked much like this Shasta but w/o the “wings.” Our little 1951 Ford towed it all over the surrounding desert areas. In 1954, Dad was transferred to Ohare in Chicago. By then the tow car was a green 1952 Buick Special. Towed over the Rockies and on to Chicago. No refrigerator but an “icebox” kept cool with a block of ice. A propane bottle mounted up front feed the little 2 burner stove. Kinda cozy for me, my sister and our mom & dad!
That Scotty is just like the one we
pulled behind our ’67 Ford Ranger
3/4 ton pickup. That thing had a
428/4-speed that would pull a house down if you wanted to. Ours was butter yellow and white
with the Z shaped pattern that defined the canned ham trailers of the ’50s. And yeah, Dad, Don Grimm, and I did the prep work on
the body and then Don shot it in
his garage after he moved the ’41
Olds sedan he just bought from an
older lady after he and Dad cuffed and stuffed a burglar that
tried to hide in the old lady’s garage. After their shift was over,
Don went to the woman’s house
with an 8-volt battery and $150 cash and he and his son DROVE
the olds back to his place! Meanwhile, back at the trailer, ours had the same identical layout inside as the one you just
described Angel 😇. And yes dear, ours was very nice too. And
while I got you here, head on up to Caddy Girl Garage where she has a ’60 Pontiac Superior hearse
for sale. It’s gutted ragged, and rough, but would make a great vehicle for a cadaver transport business when restored. I told her to post them both here where
we all can see them. By them, she also has a ’74 Ford pickup that’s complete except for the engine and and tranny. Whoa!!
just a minute!! Idea I’d coming, idea is coming, idea is here!! Buy
the pickup, drop in a turbocharged 300 straight six, and a C-6 tranny and call it a day.
Then, go get this trailer (after you
talk him down some) Or, just show up at his house, wave $5k
in his face, and I’ll bet he’ll bite. Oh my God it’s late! Had a rough
day at my store today. Think I’ll hit the hay do that I can wake up on the right side of the bed and not be such a grouch. Good night
Angel 😇 💋. Night all!
Wouldn’t mind using one for a VERY tiny house after reading the
post Angel 😇 left late last night.
If we ever get a place with some
land, something like this or bigger
would be just the ticket for me to
have my independence from my
neice and SIL whom I love dearly,
but sometimes they drive me bat
sh*t crazy. And if opportunity presented itself, I could have a date with, and entertain a nice lady from time to time while I still
can. Just park it under a roofed
structure preferably East to West
to use solar power to power the
trailer, get one of those mobile
Internet thingies for Internet service, hook up your water and
septic, and call it a day. And on top of all that, a TV that I can actually operate in time for football 🏈 season! Now that’s not so much, is it?