‘Vintage Camper Trailers’ to Host Online Boot Camp Summit – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
Nostalgia is a most powerful force.
How better to explain the recent resurgence in popularity of vintage camping trailers. For many, the trend hearkens back to a time when simpler times prevailed. And for those same folks, it represents an opportunity to capture the magic of memories, when those moments were present and new.
Enthusiasts of the vintage camper movement are invited to participate in an online summit dedicated to the phenomenon of restoration and preservation. It’s called the Boot Camp Online Summit, and it’s taking place this coming weekend, Aug. 23-24. It’s a presentation driven, as it were, by Paul Lacitinola, who with his wife, Caroline, publishes the magazine Vintage Camper Trailers.
Throughout the course of the Boot Camp Online Summit, guests will be privy to the wisdom of camping and recreational vehicle aficionados, as they provide presentations on various aspects of collecting and renovating their historic homes on wheels. Lacitinola has a catchy and affectionate term for those who are deeply devoted to this craft – he calls them “trailerites.”
This year’s version of the Boot Camp is quite different, in that the format is entirely online rather than an in-person affair, which Lacitinola said was a development borne of necessity. “Because the park we used was undergoing renovations, we decided to try it online and make the talks available to more people, wherever they live,” he explained.
Another consideration in moving the summit to an online project was in recognizing that people simply have more time constraints and less availability to commit to traveling as they once did. “In the future, we hope to blend an in-person event with an online event,” Lacitinola said. “While many will gain knowledge on multiple different aspects of restorations, sometimes I think you also learn what you maybe should have someone else do. Our forum allows you to chat with the presenter during the class to have your questions answered and ‘get to know’ a variety of different restores in the hobby, in the event you do need some help down the road.”
“We are the only ones that I know of that do any sort of program of this type on this scale,” Lacitinola added. There are additional plans to host other events that celebrate the culture of vintage trailer owners. “We also host several vintage trailer rallies that tend to be more of a party, but we often include classes and workshops within that weekend when we can.”
There will be another chance to register for the Boot Camp Online conference in February, and there is a tentative schedule to present an in-person event in August.
“Historically, people had a connection to the past, and positive memories of their childhood while growing up in these campers,” Lacitinola said about the allure of these antique campers. “As the hobby progressed over the last decade and a half, young people who may not have these memories entered into the hobby. They may be ‘old souls’ who appreciate classic cars and vintage trailers, and have a perception of an idyllic mid-century America…the good old days.”
To learn more information or to register for the summit, visit http://www.VCTBootCamp.com. And to sign on for more details regarding the trailer rallies, head to www.trailerfestrally.com.
