Posted by Mark Williams | May 22, 2012

Story and photos by Mike Magda

Back in the day, travel-trailer owners used their personal vehicles or shop trucks to tote their Airstreams or Vagabonds cross country — there were no one-ton turbo-diesel crew cabs with navigation systems and leather seats. This is how real truckers went on vacation with their families.

The fifth annual Trail Along to Pismo vintage RV show was held last weekend in Pismo Beach, Calif., and it featured an eclectic collection of old pickup trucks, station wagons, woodies and a few truly unusual home-built tow-vehicle creations. Highlights included a BMW pickup along with the Boles Aeros, Streamliners, Silver Streaks and the always cool Teardrops.

The show offers a nostalgic atmosphere, with kids riding around on Stingray bikes, women dressed in poodle skirts and all the trailers decorated in classic vintage decor. We strolled through the 300 allotted spaces at the Pismo Coast Village RV Resort looking for the coolest tow vehicles we could find. We'll let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy!