Deborah Maddock and her 1950 Aljoa "Betsy Ross"
Meet Deborah Maddock and her 1950 Aljoa Sportsman, Betsy Ross. Deborah lives in San Jose, CA with her canine companion “Oh Josephine” (Josie).
Deborah owned and camped in a ‘Kuffle Creek Cubby’ Teardrop trailer for several years but often lamented the inconvenience of the teardrop in rainy weather. “There was not much to do but sit cross-legged inside playing cribbage and wait for the rain to subside,” she confides. After discovering the trailering community, and attending a Trailerfest rally with the teardrop, she was exposed to the vintage camper trailer hobby. Thus began Deborah’s dream of owning a vintage camper trailer.
Touring so many different shapes, styles, makes, and models at a few subsequent rallies helped Deborah determine her personal preferences and once funding was available, the search began in earnest. Pinning the VintageCamperTrailer.com sale page to her “see this first” Facebook posts and viewing many posts, finally, there she was! A 13-foot, 1,600-pound 1950 Aljoa Sportsman Travel Trailer! The trailer was in complete working order, registered, and insured. The floor, cushions, and even the keys were original.
Deborah told me “This trailer ticked all my boxes, except that I was not a fan of the color, especially not the baby blue accents.” But she made a phone call to the seller and found an instant connection with the lovely woman on the other end of the phone. She and the trailer were living in one of the beloved hometowns of Deborah’s youth, Atascadero, CA. “We chatted easily for a while and ultimately closed the deal during that first call! Only later did I learn that the lovely woman was Jaime (Carl) of Tinker Tin Trailer Co! That’s when Deborah knew the trailer would be exactly as advertised when she finally saw it in person.
Collecting the trailer in July 2016 - it was love at first sight – and once home in San Jose, Deborah spent many hours inside her prize imagining how to personalize it to her taste. Being respectful of its vintage history and vibe, she did not want to renovate, and restoration was not in the budget, so updates were cosmetic for a while. She didn’t change the stove, icebox, or dinette seats because they were original. A patriotic theme made the bright blue exterior totally workable so the trailer (still unnamed) was outfitted in red, white, and blue décor with a red and white striped awning from Marty’s Awnings.
Eventually, with the help of a well-qualified fellow vintage trailer hobbyist, Deborah exchanged the mechanical ceiling vent for a 12-volt Fantastic Fan and added extra 110 outlets interior and exterior.
We met up with Deborah at a Tow Girlz campout at Clearlake Campground and got a tour of the inside. It was at this camping trip that Deborah first revealed that her trailer name would be “Betsy Ross” in keeping with the patriotic theme and a nod to the inspirational woman who created our nation’s first flag.
In April 2018, Betsy Ross got an update to the exterior paint job, complete with 13 stars and now the lovely blue finish with white strips and red pin-striping looks even more terrific with her red and white awning. And in 2019, restoration of the crumbling 69-year-old wooden walls began. The entire lower half has been fully replaced so far, and the upper half will be scheduled as time and money permit. All but one panel of the interior birch was able to be saved. A retractable spare tire system was added for safety as well. Deborah feels that finishing the wall and ceiling restoration will make Betsy Ross complete and roadworthy for many years to come.
Deborah says her favorite part of Betsy Ross is having the luxury of keeping her at home to camp and relax in anytime the mood strikes. Many hours are spent reading, crafting, napping, and socializing with Betsy.
Here’s wishing Deborah and Betsy Ross lots of StressLess Camping!
