We Turned a Retro Camper Into Our Home for $10,000

How to UPGRADE 106 SQUARE FEET FOR YEAR-ROUND LIVING

- Allie Wall Joe, Lessard and Jordan Golson

BEFORE OUR BIGFOOT TRAILER, WE WERE TENT people. But after our 2013 Subaru Forester became cramped with outdoor gear, and a few epic Colorado storms terrified our Chihuahuas, we started to consider alternatives.

Our gateway to the Bigfoot was a 1992 Jayco pop-up camper. It allowed us to camp much more comfortably, for longer, and tour around the West for Joe's bluegrass band performances. We started to consider camping permanently, but wanted a hard-sided shelter to better withstand unpredictable mountain weather. A fiberglass trailer became our best choice to replace the Jayco. Molded fiberglass is durable and easier to clean than materials like wood that are affected by moisture. These trailers are also considerably lighter than many other typical RVs and trailers (our 1981 Bigfoot B-17 SM Deluxe weighs in at 2,300 pounds, while an aluminum Airstream Bambi 16RB, a new camper of roughly the same size, starts at 3,000 pounds). And fiberglass trailers hold their value, particularly Bigfoots, a higher-end brand with plenty of reliable models still around today.

We had some unique requirements for our home. Joe is 6'1" and plays violin, which means he needs roomy proportions to play while standing up inside the trailer. And being outdoorsy people, we need sunlight. Most RVs and campers have hardly any windows, it seems, but after venturing down a forum dedicated to fiberglass RVs, we found our 1981 Bigfoot trailer in the classifieds. This particular model is 106 square feet, boasts 6'6" of interior headroom, fell within our budget at $7,500, and has windows facing nearly every direction. It ticked all the boxes. We had to have it.