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.
Before the restoration. All photos by Imgur user ranbn8
“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.”
The bathroom before renovations
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.
A critter 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 leaky roof
The bathroom was in the worst shape. They needed to replace the walls in addition to the inner framework.
Fixing up the rotten bathroom
And voilà! Some wood paneling and beer decor gave the room a new and improved look.
The renovated bathroom
They installed an inverter and two golf cart batteries to run the A/C, lights, and stereo.
Inverter and batteries
The stereo receiver and subwoofer were placed under the bed. Speakers were set up throughout the inside and waterproof speakers outside.
Stereo receiver under the couch/bed
The camper got all new hardwood flooring throughout.
New hardwood flooring
And vintage beer ads were hung on the walls for decoration.
Quirky beer decor
The windows were updated with new custom beer curtains. They also added in some matching throw pillows in the dinette.
Kitchen and dinette
The owner shares how the most time-consuming part of the restoration was the bodywork.
Exterior bodywork
They first painted the yellow stripes and other yellow parts.
Yellow stripes
Then they taped off the yellow parts so the white paint could be applied.
White paint being 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.
Finished product
The camper, dubbed Der Bierwagen, has since been on several float trips on the Huzzah River, Table Rock Lake, and to a motorcycle rally.
Der Bierwagen
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.