Most of the times Dal Smilie and his 1949 Curtis Wright camping trailer have met up with caravans of their peers, it’s been to the west of the Cascades.

That changes this weekend when Smilie hosts one of the first vintage trailer rallies in Central Oregon at J Bar J Youth Ranch on the eastern outskirts of Bend.

“Vintage trailers are becoming less of a niche and more of a popular thing here,” Smilie said, citing four Bend-area businesses that specialize in trailer restorations.

One, Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restorations, is featured on the Great American Country television network show “Flippin’ RVs.”

Though the rally lasts all weekend, the public session lasts from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. today, and is free to attend.

Many attendees will treat that time as literal open house and let people see the insides of their classic campers, according to Smilie.

He’s hopeful that their overlap with the Flashback Cruz classic car event today will encourage crossover between the two clans who share a common interest in vintage transportation.

That said, Smilie sees key differences between the two events that he hopes will showcase why he prefers vintage trailers over cars.

“Car shows are all day, but people leave to go home,” he said. “Trailer rallies are all day and night. It’s more participatory than observatory. There’s a real sense of camaraderie in the community. It’s camping, not competition.”

Another way in which Smilie believes trailer rallies set themselves apart from car shows is the all-inclusive atmosphere.

While it’s true that women are becoming more involved as individuals in the classic car scene, one can still find others reading books while their husband conducts his business during the show.

It’s a sentiment shared by Michele Hammer of Sisters. She owns a 1957 Cardinal travel trailer and is a member of the Vintage Women and Trailers group on meetup.com.

“(Trailers) have a more family-friendly feel to it,” Hammer said. “If you’re a single woman, you’re a young couple, you’re all accepted because you have that shared interest.”

It’s not as though car shows can’t be a fun experience shared by all, nor that there aren’t highly competitive trailer restorers out there.

A number of people split their time between the two worlds; Smilie expects a few campers will be pulling double-duty today. He himself will be towing his trailer behind a 1948 Studebaker pickup truck.

“After all,” he said, “we’re all just people who want to replicate the past and have some nostalgic fun.”

— Reporter: 541-382-1811, wrubin@bendbulletin.com