The saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” rings true for this 1973 Prowler camper. Imgur user ranbn8 bought the vintage trailer off Craigslist for only $1,000 and gave it a total (and much needed) restoration.
“I had been looking for a small single-axle vintage camper for awhile,” The owner shared on his Imgur gallery. “These vintage campers are getting hard to find and those that aren’t completely rotted beyond repair sell for a premium.
I guess something is only worth what people will pay for it. I was one of six people to answer the ad that was posted early AM. I showed up with the cash first and it was sold before noon. Although it had been sitting outside for a few years, it was the size I was looking for and was repairable.”
Much of the inside was rotten since the camper had been left out in the elements for so long. It had also caused most of the PVC pipes to freeze and a critter had made itself at home in the refrigerator access panel.
The roof was leaky and in bad need of a cleaning. You can see the difference in this photo after half the roof was pressure washed:
The bathroom was in the worst shape. They needed to replace the walls in addition to the inner framework.
And voilà! Some wood paneling and beer decor gave the room a new and improved look.
They installed an inverter and two golf cart batteries to run the A/C, lights, and stereo.
The stereo receiver and subwoofer were placed under the bed. Speakers were set up throughout the inside and waterproof speakers outside.
The camper got all new hardwood flooring throughout.
And vintage beer ads were hung on the walls for decoration.
The windows were updated with new custom beer curtains. They also added in some matching throw pillows in the dinette.
The owner shares how the most time-consuming part of the restoration was the bodywork.
They first painted the yellow stripes and other yellow parts.
Then they taped off the yellow parts so the white paint could be applied.
The final step was topping off the camper with a clear coat for a nice glossy finish. The entire project took about 3 months and $4,000 total.
The camper, dubbed Der Bierwagen, has since been on several float trips on the Huzzah River, Table Rock Lake, and to a motorcycle rally.
You can’t have a battery inside a camper and the 2 6 volts certainly don’t look to be vented outside !
Batteries inside the living space? Lead acid batteries produce flammable hydrogen gas when they discharge
Love it!
I have a newer (2015) Prowler…
I’m glad the Prowler brand lives on!
Very nice restoration. Brings up memories of my parents first bumper pull trailer.