Vintage Campers, Trailers & Teardrops by Patrick R. Foster

My cousin, one I have not seen in decades, has an Airstream that I have seen photos of, lusted after, and always wanted to see up close and personal. And I would like to see Sandy again when I see her Airstream. When I saw this book, I knew that I had to request it to read and review and what a fun book this proved to be! My parents never camped and the one time mom stayed in a tent for part of a camp meeting she was aghast at the bugs that made their way inside an we were soon on our way home again…after one night in the tent.

What I liked:
* The photographs – numerous, reminiscent of the past, illustrative, evoked memories and the desire to camp even though I have not done much of it myself.
* The information – precise, historical, fun, provided definitions, made me smile, reminded me of my childhood looking at the clothing.
* The writing – easy to follow.
* The jokes
* The mention of current groups to join.
* Information on how to find campers with additional information that is helpful.
* Thinking about what it would be like to be on the road now, or in the past, knowing that I would be pulling into a campsite…or a place by a lake…to spend some time.
* Being reminded of my sister’s discussion of how they chose the trailer they purchased a few years ago and also thinking about the VW bus she and her husband drove across the USA and back in.
* The information related to the companies and what they created.
* The chapters and what they included:
- Vintage Campers
- Tinned cans, canned hams, wooden teardrops & camper trailers
- From covered wagons to covered wagons
- Pickup shells and slide-in campers
- Vintage European camping and the VW Phenomenom
- Vintage camping life
- Silver Bullets – The Airstream Story
- Pop-up trailers
* All of it, really :)

What I didn’t like
* I can’t think of anything except perhaps not being able to look at, go into, and perhaps take one or more on the road and give it a whirl.

Did I like this book? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Motobrooks for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

Vintage Campers, Trailers & Teardrops by Patrick R Foster is a fun and nostalgic look back at these wonderful vehicles as well as a source of information for those considering a vintage camper or trailer. For my interest level, that of someone mostly interested in the nostalgia (of my days growing up in the 60s), this was a great read.

I will say upfront that my interest in many books of this type is one of curiosity with a touch of some other element, in this case nostalgia. So what I want is a nice history or story about the topic with pictures that elicit some kind of reaction. For this book, I was mostly commenting (to myself) "wow, I remember those!" If this sounds even remotely like what you look for in these books, then you will be happy with this one. Plus, how can you go wrong when a Lucy and Desi movie is mentioned and the Apollo 11 quarantine unit is shown.

In addition, if you're interested in them for both the history and the potential investment of time and energy in these vehicles, I think you will be very happy with this book. It offers a lot of advice and information for anyone considering a vintage camper and, more important, it points you in the direction of other sources of information. This would be a nice first step toward making that decision and making an informed decision.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )