I have a 1968 Airstream Caravel 17′ travel trailer.
I bought it in 2003 and camped in it that summer. Then in 2004 I did a partial floor replacement, welded up cracks in the frame, replaced the axel and replaced the fridge and heater, and did a few other miscellaneous things, but left it as original as possible. I have been enjoying it like that ever since, with tweaks here and there. It is time for an update.
The original layout was a dinette in the front, and a gaucho on the side, which is a couch that pulls out into a bed. My issue with the gaucho has always been 1) we have to pull it out every night and put it away in the morning. 2) the bed design is terrible and the legs fall off frequently while you are on it and then you have to get up and put them back in. 3) If you sleep with your heads at the back end the heater blows in your face all night, and you are right next to the bathroom with it’s bathroom funk (we keep it clean, but be real, RV toilets can be funky sometimes).
We like the dinette for sitting at and eating, playing games, etc, but much of the time we will have it folded down into a lounging area.
Barclay enjoying the dinette lounge while camping.
So I decided to do some upgrades to the layout. This was a hard decision for me, because I have always taken pride in my trailer being original, and just how people have enjoyed it since 1968. But my choices were coming down to selling it and let someone else enjoy its originality, and buying another trailer to remodel to my taste, OR redo it so I could enjoy it more. I decided to stick with ‘the devil I know’ and do a remodel.
The plan is to build a two person dinette on the side, and put a permanent bed in the front. The dinette will also fold down into a lounging area, and will have storage in the seats. None of the existing utilities will be moved, so the dinette must work around the existing ‘utility tunnel’ against the wall where the wheelwell is, and the water pipes and wiring runs. The bed will not disturb the existing water tank, and will lift up for access to the two big storage areas in the corners. I think I will leave the center section of the bed open because it is handy to be able to store things under it for quick access, Well, maybe half of it anyway, if things go too far back you’d have to crawl under to reach them.
So that is my plan. It is not undertaken lightly, I put a lot of thought into it. Because I love my trailer, and all the good times it has given us. I want it to be our vacation home for many years to come.
I started by piling the entire interior of the living space into the garage, so I had room to measure and work in the trailer, and got started building the dinette.
Mighty guarding the pile of trailer interior that buried my kayak.
Off we go…to be continued.
Steff Does Stuff! 
Best of luck! My ’67 Overlander is in a similar situation.
Tom
On Wed, Mar 16, 2022 at 9:21 PM Steff Does Stuff! wrote:
> stefrobrts posted: ” I have a 1968 Airstream Caravel 17′ travel trailer. I > bought it in 2003 and camped in it that summer. Then in 2004 I did a > partial floor replacement, welded up cracks in the frame, replaced the axel > and replaced the fridge and heater, and did a f” >
LikeLike
Oh, you have a much bigger trailer to fill! I’m so glad mine is only 17′! Good luck to you as well!
LikeLike