1957 Cardinal travel trailer restoration

About that same time (beginning of July 2017), I found an ad on Seattle Craigslist for what the seller called a '1957 Trailer', with no mention of manufacturer. My first impression was of underwhelming street appeal with the brownish stripe and painted windows, but that it had a nice hammy shape, great curved cabinets and yellow stove. On the other hand, the significant water damage at the roof vent and rear window made the asking price pretty optimistic. Photos from the original Craigslist ad    My plan was to keep it in mind, but let it sit for a couple of weeks in the hopes that the seller might be more realistic afterwards. Meanwhile, not much else within a reasonable distance was coming on the market. There was an Oasis and a Dalton in California that had potential, but that's a heckuva drive on a gamble. Ten days later, the ad for the mystery trailer had rolled off (I'd saved it, just in case). I texted the seller and eventually...

This was our '78 Apache hardside, stolen last fall. The thief cut through a locked cyclone gate and two hitch locks to get to it. I'd finished the restoration some years ago (not that it needed much), even added zippers to the cushions so we could keep the original upholstery while replacing the foam. Even had original curtains and wheelcovers. That definitely made things tough this camping season, so I started looking for a replacement. The Apache was a great trailer and a fabulous piece of engineering, but setting up/tearing down in the wind and weather could get old. I also needed something lightweight enough to tow behind a minivan or wagon, and I'm a sucker for old and funky stuff. While I love the old veneer-interior canned hams, in the interest of daughter-off-to-college budget friendliness I started out looking at '60s vintage Aristocrats, Aladdins, and the like. For some reason, most of the likely candidates seemed to be clustered in central Washingto...