Vintage trailers offer blast from past at show
<p>Steve Stein and wife, Marlene Stein stand in front of their vintage 1959 Aljo trailer in Coeur d'Alene, on Tuesday morning. Two of their trailers will be on display at the 2nd annual Phuddy Duddy Cruisers Vintage Trailer Rally the 15th of this month.</p>
<p>A vintage 1959 Aljo trailer sits outside Steve and Marlene Stein's home in Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Steve Stein and Marlene Stein of Coeur d'Alene talk about how they began showing their vintage trailers, on Tuesday.</p>
"Mountain man" Steve Stein cracked open the vintage yellow refrigerator inside his 1959 Aljo travel trailer.
Inside were jugs of ice that stayed cold thanks to solar panels on the roof.
"That way I can have ice cream," the white-bearded Stein said with a smile.
Stein calls his 19-foot aluminum Aljo and his 15-foot 1968 Bell Aire travel trailers "therapy."
"Arthritis had gotten to me, so this exercise (of working on the trailers) has helped my muscles," he said.
There's also the joy of living retro and away from the hubbub, having a pastime to shake the winter blues, he said.
"When I get sick, it helps me get well," said Stein, who formerly participated in mountain man encampments before refurbishing vintage trailers.
Stein and his wife, Marlene, will have their trailers on display during the free Phuddy Duddy Cruisers Vintage Trailer Rally on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at River of Life Church, 3263 12th Ave., Post Falls.
More than 100 trailers are expected to be at the event. Unusual combinations, including a 1965 Corvette with a 1963 Aristocrat trailer, will be at the show.
"Vintage trailer owners thrive on the good times memories and a slower pace," said Linda Shinn, a vintage trailer owner and an organizer of the rally.
Aljo trailers from the ’50s such as the one the Steins own were an affordable trailer favored by soldiers returning from World War II who wanted to get away from it all, camp and travel with their families.
"It's living in another time," Steve said of the vintage trailer experience.
Marlene added: "We like the old flavor — always have."
She said Steve has an "endless list" of projects that trick out trailers. He even sews to have vintage-themed upholstery.
Both trailers have LED lighting.
"When you're on battery power and use solar you want to conserve energy," Steve said.
A dome light from a 1949 Kaiser car is used above the table in the Bell Aire. A turn signal cover from the same vehicle is rigged above the sink. Steve made a "kitchen" counter of wood from a water bed frame.
It's tighter quarters in the Bell Aire, but Steve still sees some advantages. The aqua blue Wedgewood stove is within reach of the bed.
"It's convenient when you're lying in bed to light the stove for your coffee," he said. "You don't even need to get out of bed."
The Steins, who camped a lot growing up, said they’ve made a lot of friends camping with their vintage trailers.
"There's always somebody stopping to tell us, 'We had one of those,'" Marlene said. "It's a fun way to meet interesting people."
When there are other vintage trailers around, that tends to attract visitors, Steve said.
"At Redfish (a lake near Stanley, Idaho) there were three in the same campground, so we toured each other's trailer," he said.