Meet Jenny: The Janky Vintage Camper

Remodeling a 1969 Zipper Camper Trailer.
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may make a commission at no extra cost to you. For more info, please see my full ad & affiliate disclosure.

While aimlessly scrolling Facebook, I came across a janky, old camper trailer for sale.

At 50 years old, she is a little rusty, full of water damage, wood rot, and moldy upholstery. And she is absolutely PERFECT for us!

We hadn’t been looking for a camper. But it was an idea that I tossed around before and my husband hadn’t said, “Hell no!” So, obviously, it was a plan set in stone 😉

We bought a set of temporary lights, a new trailer hitch, and made the hour drive to Clayton, North Carolina to pick her up.

And I’ve been smitten ever since!

Vintage Trailer Voyeur: A Peek Inside the Unique Custom Trailer CultureVintage Trailer Voyeur: A Peek Inside the Unique Custom Trailer CultureVintage Trailer Voyeur: A Peek Inside the Unique Custom Trailer CultureCamper Rehab: A Guide to Buying, Repairing, and Upgrading Your Travel TrailerCamper Rehab: A Guide to Buying, Repairing, and Upgrading Your Travel TrailerCamper Rehab: A Guide to Buying, Repairing, and Upgrading Your Travel TrailerBefore You Buy a Vintage Camper: finding, choosing, assessing, buying, & figuring out what to do with an old camperBefore You Buy a Vintage Camper: finding, choosing, assessing, buying, & figuring out what to do with an old camperBefore You Buy a Vintage Camper: finding, choosing, assessing, buying, & figuring out what to do with an old camper

 

Naming Jenny

Apparently, every good vintage camper owner names their sweet slice of home on wheels. After a few minutes of debate, my husband threw out the name Jenny.

Built by Zipper in 1969, she comes from the era of the Vietnam War. Since one of our favorite movies is Forrest Gump and its set in the same era, we decided that Jenny was the perfect name for our new girl!

Meet Jenny: A 1969 Vintage Zipper Camper trailer
(The other just as dirty side of Jenny.)

Plus, it goes great with the word janky – which is definitely the condition Jenny is in!

Thus, Janky Jenny was named (alliteration for the win!).

All the Before Pictures

The seller was very upfront about Jenny’s condition. He pointed out several areas with water damage and told us that none of the lights worked, interior nor exterior.

Regardless, we decided to take on this HUGE project! Here are all of the {janky} before pictures:

Before pictures of Jenny the Janky Camper
(The kitchen was in pretty good shape, but unfortunately the stove didn’t work.)
Before pictures of our vintage camper
(The front of the camper contained a dinette that folded down into a sleeping area.)
The disgusting bathroom in Jenny the Janky Camper.
(Jenny’s tiny and disgusting toilet-only bathroom.)
The couch/pull out bed in our Vintage Camper.
(The back of the camper contained a sofa/pull out bed.)
Water damage in our vintage camper.
(The water damage in the back left corner was probably the most severe.)
Janky Jenny: 1969 Zipper Camper Trailer
(Another shot of the exterior…without the fancy Instagram filter.)
The back side of our Zipper camper.
(Jenny’s very dirty back side.)

Now, you can definitely see why Janky Jenny is the perfect name for this vintage camper! She’s definitely in rough shape.

There are all kind of different ways to update and decorate the camper. These are the styles that I’m most interested in, but I’m also torn between the two!

I can’t wait to get started on re-furbishing this camper! Hopefully, the excitement is contagious and my husband catches it soon!

Vintage Campers, Trailers & TeardropsVintage Campers, Trailers & TeardropsVintage Campers, Trailers & TeardropsToysdone Camping World - Retro Camper KeychainToysdone Camping World – Retro Camper KeychainToysdone Camping World - Retro Camper KeychainCamping Journal & RV Travel Logbook, Vintage Camper Journey: Road Trip Planner, Caravan Travel Journal, Glamping Diary, Camping Memory Keepsake and ... for Campers & RV Retirement Gifts Series)Camping Journal & RV Travel Logbook, Vintage Camper Journey: Road Trip Planner, Caravan Travel Journal, Glamping Diary, Camping Memory Keepsake and … for Campers & RV Retirement Gifts Series)Camping Journal & RV Travel Logbook, Vintage Camper Journey: Road Trip Planner, Caravan Travel Journal, Glamping Diary, Camping Memory Keepsake and ... for Campers & RV Retirement Gifts Series)

 

Share:
, ,
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may make a commission at no extra cost to you. For more info, please see my full ad & affiliate disclosure.

4 Comments

  1. Julia Warren
    May 20, 2022 / 1:29 pm

    Hi, Mandee, I just want to warn you about getting too much weight in your trailer. I have a vintage 1966 Zipper, and it has two large storage boxes at the back, but the weight has to be near the front. I’m loving redoing mine!

    • findingmandee
      Author
      May 27, 2022 / 4:58 pm

      Thanks, so much, for that tip! We added a tool box on the front and try to put the heaviest stuff in there to help balance the weight.

  2. Bobbie Cowan
    February 4, 2021 / 11:05 am

    Do you have after pictures of Janky Jenny? I would love to see what you did with it.

    • findingmandee
      Author
      February 4, 2021 / 2:26 pm

      Unfortunately I do not 🙁 The wooden frame of the trailer was too damaged by rot for us to salvage. So, we ended up turning it into a utility trailer instead. I’m sorry!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *