Inside My Surprise Free Trailer (1961 Aloha Compact)

She doesn't have a name yet, but this is the free trailer I brought home after accepting it sight unseen in an offer from a friend of a friend. I didn't even know the make or year when I set out to go pick it up...the ultimate surprise package.

The trailer turned out to be a 1961 Aloha compact, last registered in 1999 and parked ever since. I had a split second to peek inside before my benefactor had her hooked up to my truck and was wishing me a safe trip home.

Twenty-five miles later, the trailer was in my driveway. Inside the wood-lined door--right where you'd need them--were a homemade, carpeted trailer step and a set of homemade wheel chocks.

The kitchen is in the front, with a sink, brown stovetop and oven, and a rose-beige countertop with tiny gold flecks.

The little sink is enameled cast iron. How about those two faucets? One for water from a tank behind the wall, one for hose-input.

The icebox, plus three roomy cabinets, are on the street-side wall. Note the magazine rack and original coppertone reading light. (I took this photo during one of the cleanup rounds.)

The gaucho/pull-out bed is across the rear. The original upholstery in brown/orange plaid was intact (though ultimately too dusty to be kept). The trailer came with two tables that attach at the walls to make a tabletop the width of the gaucho.

There was a bunk over the bed at one point; note the wooden brackets.

The interior is lined with sheets of birch. I'm not sure when Aloha made the change over to paneling, but it wasn't long after this trailer was made. The light fixture runs on propane.

Here you can see the little built-in nightstand at the left side of the door. Handy!

I spent the rest of my first day with the trailer working on her initial exterior cleanup. She had about 15 years' worth of barn dust and lichen growth to get rid of.

The trailer turned out to have a tiny flag bracket on a front J-rail. So I got her a flag after she was 'de-barned,' and she seems to fly it rather proudly--as if to say, 'Hello, I'm back!'

Next: Transformed by decor.