Shasta RV (as they’re known today) has been in the travel trailer business since 1941. Within 30 years, it would become the largest seller of recreational vehicles in the U.S. A hallmark of the brand is their recognizable “wings” on the rear sides that became a visible identifier at campgrounds across the country. This 1960 edition looks ideal for a couple and was restored in 2018 with apparently no expense spared. With the increased demand for camping over the past couple of years, this could be a great getaway home to help explore the hinterland of the Lower 48. Located in Polk City, Florida, the little camper is available here on Barn Finds Classifieds for $18,500.
The Shasta brand has changed hands a few times over the years. Only vintage trailers were part of their offering until 2008 when some more modern designs were added, including trailers with art deco interiors and complete electric power and features. But most Shasta buyers seem to migrate to the old-style campers, like the seller’s which looks to be finished in Matador Red and Polo White, a popular Shasta color combination.
This travel trailer looks to have seen little use since it was restored three years ago. The work included all new plumbing, electrical, paint, gas lines, appliances, water tanks, pumps, axel, bearings, and more. It looks as though a blank check was assigned to the project. The list of features this trailer has is rather long and consists of important things like built-in air conditioning and heat, water heater, freshwater and wastewater holding tanks, LED lighting, onboard battery system with automatic built-in charger, and a refrigerator and stove. Oh, and a bed, too!
Because campers like this are lightweight, we understand that almost any vehicle could tow it. If a giant RV is out of your price range, maybe a smaller vintage camper like this could be a good Plan B. And one that would look right at home being towed behind your classic car, like a 1959 Chevy Impala that comes with its own set of wings!
Aw,,jeez, ( something in my eye, you know it happens everytime,,,thank you Jim Croce) My parents Shasta, although, ours was a tad bigger. I was unaware of how campers were measured, I never heard of a “9 foot”,( measured by living space) I thought ours was a 14 ft., but I think my old man mistakenly included the hitch and rear bumper. Google does show 9 foot Shastas. This is the camper we took to Florida for years with a host of pulling vehicles. Not sure about pulling this with a compact car, it’s still as aerodynamic as a brick, and a compact will struggle, especially in a stiff wind. Trust me, I know. 454, baby, you’ll never know it’s back there. Naturally, I’m astonished at the price, but camping today caters to a different crowd than in 1960, but with the cheapest,,oops, I mean least expensive Airstream hovering at just north of $35GRAND, makes this a seemingly good deal.
Me, and many like me, saw a lot of this great country, for what is now peanuts, and it’s a shame others, that don’t have $20g’s to spend, can’t enjoy it too. Great find.
@Howard: I’m curious as to the interior height measurement. Being 6’4″ limits one’s access in certain spaces!! :-)
Hi moparman, yes, being tall would have it’s disadvantages in vintage campers. Before the Shasta, my folks had a Friendship with a step down floor for more headroom,, but for most, it was the “campers stoop”.
A friend recently looked at and almost purchased a brand new 21ft fully self contained Jayco travel trailer for $23,000. Airstream trailers are and always have sold at a premium price. There are and always have been numerous options available to fit within most people’s budgets.
Steve R
Hey Steve, I know, I always go for maximum results, and an Airstream is about as universal to most. While I’m the biggest complainer here, I realize, today, $20g’s could very well be in the budget for many, and usually, they only buy one, so it’s justified. Living in “RVland, USA”,( at least during the summer) I can say, a great portion, maybe upwards of 90%, are all these 40 foot gooseneck, slide out jobs, or Prevost motorhomes pulling a new Rubicon and 2 ATV’s behind that. It’s okay, I’m sure those folks worked hard for what they have, and bring in a ton of money to our area. The biggest problem here, is these tree hugging sticks in the mud locals, that are all up in arms when Loves wanted to put in a travel center( aka, truckstop, they complained) which the area SORELY needs for travelers of all kinds,,,you should’ve heard these crybabies,,,”Not in my backyard”,,,they bellyached, Loves already bought the land, and I’m sure the dozers are idling away once this gets settled. Colorado,,,getting quite a lesson living here.
Back in the early 60s these were like flies on a dead horse; the belly button of the RV world. Typical to see, one of these pulled by a six-cylinder Chevy Bel-Air sedan with a 3-speed manual; the smell of the clutch while the unskilled driver tried to maneuver it into place at the campground. And, don’t forget those super “stylish” mirrors clamped to the front fenders. Yep! See those zig-zagging down the two-lane blacktop bobbing like a cork on the ocean because most of them weren’t properly hitched, or lack of driving skills, or inadequate shock absorbers–or a combination of all THREE. Our family didn’t join the In-Crowd until ’68. Dad bought a Silverliner tent trailer in ’62 and called it good. I still can’t figure out how Mom, Dad, and six kids all fit in that thing. Yes, very poor quality picture (a slide), taken in ’63 but it shows the jist of what we had…
Hey pal, yeah, but those old Bel Air clutches had plenty of meat on them. Pulling campers like this back then, was NOT for the faint of heart. Unpredictable brakes, ( none or skid the wheels) bias ply tires, not to mention, it wasn’t all 4 lanes, like today, and I remember some tense moments the old man never talked about. Our greatest asset in camping, was the Woodalls Camping Guide. With no Innernet[sic] it listed every campsite from gas station overflow, to “where only the Airstreams” ( and their fancy shmancy club members) could camp. From a time when the camper was just a place to sleep, or wait out the rain, and the great outdoors was the cheese, not like the portable air conditioned apartments of today where they never leave the unit.
Desi and Lucy..Long , Long Trailer was one of my favorite movies. Reminded me so much of my Mom & Dad
My Dad had a camping guide back then. I don’t know if it was Woodalls but it was approved by AAA because I remember the stamp. And yes, I remember those Airstream caravans through Yellowstone Park, Glacier Park, and up to Canada to Banff and Jasper. Air-conditioned portable apartments, I think you said it all. I might add that most of the RV jockeys still don’t know how to handle them…
In ’63 that grand old Lancaster might have still been airworthy.
It’s awful close to it now…
My grandparents had one just like this and then bought a StarCraft as their last one. Good memories for sure
Hey Boo Boo, any picnic baskets in there?
Hi Bob, careful what you say, there are groups that think those cartoons are racist now. Try and find “Looneytoons” on any channel today. Unbelievable, hey?
Units like these are a much better choice than the 30 year old motor homes that show up from time to time.
Where was this photo taken? I can’t ever recall a Lancaster in the US, especially done up as a firebomber. Really a great photo.
Hi Jay. We were on a family camping trip up to the Calgary Stampede and Banff National Park and this bomber was parked alongside the highway in a town (Nanton) about 40 miles south of Calgary. I guess the town had a number of veterans of both wars and Korea, and when they got access to that old bomber they latched on and brought it there. The object of the game was to build an aircraft museum and they have done that quite successfully. They restored that Lanc to taxiing status (it’s capable of flight but inspections and red tape are nuts so they are content to have it in running condition.) and have accumulated quite a collection of other wartime aircraft. They’re currently working on a “Halifax” bomber which they are gathering pieces for, from the frozen north and the Baltic sea. If you’re ever in Canada and heading up Calgary way, it’s worth the stop. But prepare to spend a lot of time there… https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/
Thank you. That makes sense. My late Uncle (who was Canadian) flew Lancasters in the war do I have always had an interest in them. Quite a different sound than American bombers with its four Merlin engines.
I’ve heard the unmistakable sound of a bunch of radials on a B-17 but, like you said, the sound of 4 Merlins is something to behold too. I try to imagine the time when there were over a 100 planes lined up in one place, ready to take off…
I could park this in my backyard and charge $2000 per month in rent.
Had a 68 Aloha camp trailer in the mid ‘90s. You would call it a 13’. The factory called it 16’. Had lots of fun in it! Towed it with a ‘92 F150-hardly knew it was back there. It liked to do a little Hula Dance as it went down the highway-probably a special feature of the Aloha brand. Didn’t ever get too unruly, and didn’t affect the handling of the tow vehicle. 🤷♂️
Still had the decal from “Bob’s RV, Beaverton Or.”, so it was christened “ Bob N. Weaver”, Bob for short. I went all in and paid $800 for it. New tires, miscellaneous repairs, and a red strip to match my white with red pickup and we were stylin’! $1000 all in. Those were the days.
Wouldn’t this be perfect as a Mother-in-Law unit to tow behind your Winnebago?
Born and raised in Europe, camping was families only option for vacations; tents for the less fortunate, camping trailers for the “well-off”….motor homes were non existent back then. Trailers were hitched to compact cars, rarely more than 2liter engines, as was the norm back then. Slow going but hey, it was part of the vacation spirit. I love this trailer.
In 1963 my father bought a 1964 Ford Fairlane, strip model, Falcon 6 cylinder, 3 on the tree and the only options were an AM radio and heater. Sometime in 1964 or ’65 he bought a used travel trailer teardrop. Don’t remember the brand, but it had a dining area which folded down into a single bed, a kitenette with a small sink, small refrigerator and a 2 burner stove, and at the back a double bed. No bathroom.
We took that cute little trailer to Arizona twice from New Jersey and several times to Florida. I was looking for something similar, but the teardrops of today suck and with demand, prices are our of my range.
The Lancaster would have slept more but in use they were drafty and the heater wasn’t strong enough. They usually traveled in a tight-knit club, but they woke the neighbors wherever they went and of course left a terrible mess. A group of noisy Harleys had nothing on these. They were also hard to get into and out of small campgrounds. They never really caught on with the RV crowd like the wingless airstreams did.
They were capable of making their own entrance and exit although they sometimes got confused as to where they were actually supposed to be. They just made their own…
$18,500 and just a few years ago you would have to pay $200 to have it hauled off to scrap
Didn’t Paulie on the Sopranos haul one of these behind his Caddy?
My oldest brother and his bride bought a Shasta trailer back in the 50’s. It was probably 10’ or 15’ longer than this one. They parked it on our dads farm, hooked it up to water and electricity and there they lived for about 5 years until they saved enough money to buy a house. In those days my sil worked for ma bell and my brother was a union Carpenter. Together they did fairly well and were able to pay cash for their house. They never had any children of their own but adopted a boy in 1960 who was killed in a car crash in 1978. My brother passed 8 years ago and his wife now lives in a retirement home in West Texas.
God bless America
There were a lot of marriages that began in travel trailers back then, back when couples were content to start with the basics. A friend of mine lived for three years in 12-foot camper. He got married and his wife put up with it for the first winter then either THEY were getting a house or SHE was getting a house. But then she was pregnant and subject to the odd display of emotion…
It looks clean as a whistle, but I would want to spray the interior with Luminol.
How is it that this happens so often on this sight; we have a car or in this case a trailer for sale but so many comments go to a side attraction like an airplane or some other object of no concern to the posted item?
Oh by the way my brothers Shasta had another door by the bedroom so there were two doors on the side.
Okay, I’m through for now.
God bless America
I guess you can blame me for that. The only picture I had of our tent trailer was when Dad parked it beside that old bomber. Of course I had the feeling that there would be a few comments off the original topic. But I’m glad we can do that without getting arrested…