Meet Shelby

She's home. I did it! At last! I finally became the owner of a camper. This beauty is a 1971 Shasta Compact. Matt and I purchased her from a lovely lady in the mountains of South Carolina, for whom our camper is named. Shelby was a bargain and will be a great project for Matt and I this fall. We brought her home yesterday.

Shelby is about 10 feet long, 7 feet wide, and full of potential! We plan to completely gut and refinish the interior, making it a mobile shop for Sally Ann shows and festivals, and then someday I can be a crazy street vendor in a big city. And Shelby will also be capable to be transformed into a camper for our travels.

All the windows are original and functional! I love the little wheels inside that open them.  

American made! My kind of camper!

Shasta was the ideal camper for me, because it is one of the most popular camper brands from this era. There are countless forums that will be very resourseful for Matt and I during this renovation. I'm good with tools but this is a whole new kind of project for me. We'll be rewiring the entire interior, replacing the sunroof, resealing the top, and possibly, just possibly, looking into solar panels for the top as a power supply. I'd love to have a few car batteries inside that can be charged entirely by solar power. It may be pricey, but it's definitely something I am considering.

The entire process will be documented and shared with you all on this blog. I'm looking forward to the countless hours I will spend in the near future making this camper my dream mobile! More soon!

Next weekend is the scheduled interior demolition. Tentatively.

I have to give a shout out to the rad chick that sold us this camper, Shelby herself. Visit her Etsy shop for some fun photo booth props! Also, you can follow her on Twitter, and like her on Facebook.