Introducing a rare classic: An original 1972 Trail Mite!
This is a trailer that all fiberglass trailer enthusiasts will want to have! This is a piece of history, and almost impossible to find any more.
In 1968, Boler (Canada) invented the fiberglass trailer, and over the next several years, EVERYONE wanted a piece of the action! Franchises were sold, and copycats made copies. It seems that about seventeen dozen different companies made fiberglass trailers between 1968 and 1972, including ECO, Love Bug, Pacer, and, of course, Trail Mite. Most of these companies went right out of business, as quickly as they started. The only ones that have actually lasted are Scamp and Casita. So this 1972 Trail Mite is as rare, as rare can be.
This baby is in good shape! It was driven for me from Phoenix to El Sobrante, and I have taken it on two trips this year. I can tell you with confidence that it's solid, safe, and quite road-worthy. All the important bits have been updated, everything is clean, and everything works. (She is the same age as me, lol, and like any 50 year old lady, there are a few wrinkles and sags. But it's all cosmetic, and with a little TLC, she will clean up and look better than Madonna or Shania Twain.) It's small enough to park in a friend's driveway, yet it is fully self-contained and complete.
My first trip was from the SF area to Death Valley, and the second one to Vancouver. I enjoyed it, my dogs enjoyed it, and people waved at me as I drove down the freeway because they enjoyed seeing it too! If you're the kind of person who likes to chat with people, and show off your stuff, this trailer will be your number one conversation starter. Believe me, it gets attention.
Why am I selling it, you ask, if I enjoyed it so much? Well...turns out... I suck at pulling a trailer. I can't back the thing in a straight line to save my life. And back it around a corner? Forget it. (And not for lack of trying and practice!!!) Fortunately, it's super easy to unhook, push around, and hook back up again. (SMH, yes, really, I had to do that more than once.) And even though it's light as can be, and tows like it's not there (when properly balanced), turns out I'm the kind of person to panic at every little squeak and rattle. So...on to another owner, she goes.
Specifications and equipment and stuff:
- 1250 lbs dry, it can be towed by pretty much any vehicle. (Well, maybe not a motorcycle, but a golf cart probably could.)
- 13 feet long from nose to tail (from tow hitch to spare tire), and 10 feet long on the inside. It's 6 feet wide, and fits easily behind your vehicle into two lengthwise parking spaces. (So you don't have to be the jerk who takes up 4 or 6 spots to park). It's 8 feet tall, which of course, is about 6 inches taller than the entrance to my garage, lol.
- Brand new propane tank. (Yup, I was all prepared for breakfast on my first trip, with my frying pan and eggs in hand - and of course the propane didn't work. Turns out the tank was so old, that they couldn't even refill it. So, brand new tank she got.)
- Brand new tires. (Well, 2136 miles on them, which was the trip to Vancouver and back, with a few little side diversions.)
- 15 gallon fresh water tank, with pump sink spigot thingy. (It seems to be clean - I can't smell anything stinky when the water runs. And also, I just today bleach cleaned it out.)
- Regular water tap for when it's hooked up to a hose.
- Outlet outside for an extension cord, which charges the battery. Chock full of 12v outlets inside, to run anything from fans or lights, to a coffee maker or toaster. There are also two regular outlets. Three super-bright LED lights inside, and one outside. (I camped for 6 nights, running lights and the fans, and the battery lasted the whole time without charging.)
- Benches / table thing that converts to a bed, (just like all RVs have). Bed is 45 x 75, and fits me with three 50-lb dogs. If you haul it in bed configuration, there's a big storage space area underneath the table part.
- Separate couch area, with a back that goes up and turns into a flat platform. It was originally marketed as bunk beds. Maybe in 1972, people would let their 5 year old kid sleep on a piece of plywood held up with chains, but now it's just pretty great to use as an extra table / work area.
- Three burner propane stove, and all three burners work. There's a hood overhead that doesn't have a fan but does have a light. And there's a vent on the wall, so you don't die of carbon monoxide when you're cooking your eggs or running a heater.
- Big empty space where there used to be a fridge. (The person before me took the fridge out, and I don't even *want* to imagine how nasty a 50 year old fridge must have been.) It's currently set up to hold a cooler, but you could put a fridge back there easily enough. Or make it into more storage. There's a propane hookup inside there, which you could use for a fridge or a heater. (And there's a cooler, and a little propane heater included, too.)
- Brand new camping cartridge toilet. (Pro tip: If you go up a mountain and back down, put the lid down before you pull the flush thingy. Because otherwise the pressure buildup will leave you with a face full of...yuck. Not that I would know anything about that from personal experience... Really... Ugh.)
- Lots and lots of storage. Like, an amazing amount of storage for such a compact living space. Storage under the front seats, under the back seat, drawers under the sink, three full sets of overhead bins, and a full set of shelves in a closet area. And, there's a secret "hidden compartment" that I'll show you, where you can put your valuables.
- Ceiling vent, plus three windows that open. Metal break-in resistant screens, so you can leave the trailer with the windows open for ventilation.
- Three anti-theft locks, and you can have them all if you want.
- The door is fine. At some point, they replaced the hinges and put the door back a half inch lower. So the stripe doesn't match up. But it closes and locks and is secure.
The trailer is in El Sobrante (East Bay SF Bay Area). I have a paper title in hand, and I can be quite flexible on scheduling a viewing.
