Some families full time…others part time…we sometimes.

We have a 1959 Airstream Overlander.  In her former life she was a tiny house (before they were popular), in someone’s backyard, where “Grandma and Grandpa” lived (not mine). I hope she was loved and adored!!

I bought her in 2013 and spent 18 months renovating her into a fashion truck.  You can read about it here….the photos disappeared in a site host transfer.  🙁 🙁

I had the foresight/decency of mind to think about the future (many fashion truckers with vintage trailers don’t think beyond the short time they’ll use their trailer as a boutique).  We wanted to have the trailer be double duty – boutique and camper.  This was easier said than done.

In 2017, I closed my boutique to spend more time with my kids, and do the traveling I had intended to do with the fashion truck.  I realized that my trailer meant more to me as a camping vessel than a fashion truck.  I didn’t have the heart to permanently affix garment racks where a bed had always been planned.

I had a ‘mid life crisis’ and went camping. Since that fateful trip in July (where we really weren’t prepared, and 3/4 of our family had a great time), we have planned short weekend trips…long enough to reset the brain, and disconnect from the world.

About Us

We LOVE Junior Ranger Programs, and wish state parks had these.

We LOVE exploring.  Follow us on Instagram – I post about fun little adventures around Denver.  I really believe that life is exciting, if you look for adventures along the way.  You don’t have to go to a far off place, or the mountains. You can explore in your backyard! Take the time to watch baby bunnies, and birds.  Stop and watch a sunset. Take time to connect with your kids, they are world changers!

I homeschool, so our travels may take us to fun places while most of the country follows a traditional school schedule.  We don’t like fighting crowds.

We have a Havanese pup who travels with us.  She LOVES the Glamstream.  She spent 18 months in, around, under the trailer while I renovated it. This is her dog house.

Our trailer has taken on an identity of her own.  I’m not one to name my vehicles.  With my boutique, my mannequins had names (I made a mannequin.  Her name was going to be Stella. But she was SUCH a pain in the rear that she was more of a Helga.  So Helga was my first mannequin.  My customers responded to it that when I switched to a professional mannequin, they still called her Helga)  Naturally, my Airstream boutique needed a name.  I believe a customer suggested Glamstream.  It stuck!

Even though I no longer operate my boutique, I have left the name up on the side of the trailer.  This is part of her history.

A Peek Inside

I always like seeing what the inside of other people’s Airstream looks like.  Here are some pictures if you want to see.

She is a work in progress…so you’ll have to keep coming back to see what I add.  I’ve had a few folks say, “Oh. It’s not done.” Nope. And it doesn’t bother me.  I’d prefer to use it and see what works…then add to it.  Think of it as an open loop with marketing 😉

This is what she looked like when we picked her up. Good thing I have a great imagination.  It was rough and dirty!!  Truth be told, the thing that sold me on this trailer was the mirror in the bathroom! 😂 😜  I LOVED it, and used it until it had an unfortunate accident at an event…I was hurried in tearing down at an event (to get out of the way of another vendor)…and neglected to put the mirror down. Sad day!

As a fashion truck.  I had 2 fitting rooms – a luxury in a fashion truck.

About the Glamstream

Everything runs off a 12v battery. We don’t have an A/C, so all the systems can run on one battery.  I have a MaxxAir fan (better than Fantastic because it has a shroud that doesn’t allow rain in).  All the lights are LED – I’d link you, but I put in high CRI lights, which are used mostly in retail settings.  They are full spectrum, and are sort of bright at night…
We have a Nature’s Head composting toilet.  It works really well.  My only complaint is the #1 reservoir is not large enough for a family of 4.
The key to an enjoyable camping experience is a good night’s sleep.  I wouldn’t go camping for 13 years of marriage because I didn’t want to sleep on the ground…and having 2 kids meant that someone would need to go potty in the middle of the night.  A memory foam mattress and a composting toilet were the answers!!  A frequent question in RV groups is “What kind of mattress do you like?!”  I bought a queen mattress for the center twin beds (each is 30″x76″), and cut it in half (Janice, I still have your electric knife! 😜) with an electric knife.  We currently have a king “trundle” for the parent’s beds….this may be reworked in the future.  We took a king memory foam mattress (so affordable!!), and cut it more or less in half (I think we took off 6 – 8″…then in half).  And cut out curves.  We may be reworking this to create a dinette…but that has its own challenges.  I haven’t really decided what to do…so for the time being, it stays as is…These beds are amazingly comfortable!  I sleep better on them in the trailer than my expensive mattress at home!!  I wouldn’t have thought that a $250 bed would provide a better night’s sleep than a $1000 mattress.
The insulation is green – no off gassing.  My husband found denim insulation for our house.  I had an interesting problem with my reno….what insulation fits in 1.5″ space?!  Bonded Logic makes an insulation that is 1.5″ thick!  Perfect!  It’s made of recycled denim (ok, so it’s blue…not green…but you get the idea!!).  That, plus Prodex make for a great insulator and sound dampener.
We don’t have a shower, much to my husband’s chagrin.  I’m mentally working on how to do this.  But for the time being we don’t have a shower.
We also don’t have running water.  We currently take jugs of water.  Again, this is in the plans, but haven’t done it yet.
We cook outside – because we are camping. 🙂
Really, it’s a glorified tent.  And perfect for what we need it to be