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Vintage International Harvester Truck Camper Special Ordered In 1960

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

We found this super cool 1960 International Harvester truck camper on the Vintage Camper Trailers Facebook page. It’s rare to find a complete back story with most of these vintage camper finds, but this one is an exception. The truck is from Washington State, where it was special ordered in 1960 by a boat builder. The camper is a one-of-a-kind handcrafted beauty and the boat building skills are not in doubt with the craftsmanship apparent in this truck.

This 1960 IH truck camper may be the only one of its kind.

exterior of truck
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Beautiful color matched awnings provide great outdoor living space.

awnings out
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This camper is the only one known to be registered because International did not build campers for their trucks. The story goes that the builder, John Erickson, decided that a road trip up through the wilds of Canada (and into the Northern American frontier that was 1960s Alaska) would be the best way to break in his newly completed camper. The truck still bears vintage decals from this trip.

The vintage cab is so clean it’s practically a time machine.

classic vintage cab
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The exterior brings to mind a simpler era, with its hunting and fishing inspired decals and classic two tone sixties paint scheme. The interior is completely custom and hand crafted with a very nautical feel. A hand built wood stove is more than adequate to handle your heating and cooking even on cold Alaskan nights.

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Beautiful “galley style” kitchen featuring a hand built wood cook stove.

hand crafted stove
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The cab is in near mint condition, with original upholstery, door panels and floor mats that look as good as the day it was delivered. Light rust was treated in the floor and it has a fresh coat of black paint that adds a great background to the high contrast color scheme. The vintage CB? Goes with the truck and it still works! Score!

Two great interior shots showing the table transformed and gorgeous wood trim.

rectangle ceiling trim
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bed transformed
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The truck has side and rear awnings in a matching fabric to extend the living space into the out-of-doors. Under the hood, more of the same. For a vintage vehicle that has not undergone a major rebuild, it is immaculate, with everything exactly as it should be and plenty of room to work on the mechanics. A roof rack has been added by the current owner, who took care to use vintage oak wood slats!

Awesome vintage look roof rack, built with genuine vintage oak slats.

roof rack over cab
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The original motor has less than 50,000 miles on it and has been regularly serviced and recently gone over for new fluids, gaskets and servicing. The transmission has one glitch, in that the park gear has a tendency to slip into reverse, if the shifter is not held in place with a bungee cord or similar device.

Vintage CB and a clean engine compartment.

under the hood
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Inside you’ll find the same mid-century glory in the striped flooring and wood framed back door. The table converts from dinette to full sized bed with tons of overhead space, unlike many cab-over designs. The plaid upholstery fabric is in excellent condition and neatly mirrors the rectangular pattern of the oak roof frame. Storage is ample in the dinette seats and along large shelves at the back of the cabin.

This truck camper is a vintage classic from every point of view.

rear step view
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The galley features a cabinet with a work counter and storage underneath, facing the wood stove. Under the stove, there’s plenty of room for wood storage to keep campers snug inside on a cold wintery night. The roof pops up at the rear for standing room in the galley and a large sylight vent allows for plenty of fresh air to circulate. All in all a gorgeous little camper. If you like what you see, you can subscribe to Vintage Camper Trailer’s popular magazine here for more fabulous vintage RVs!

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