Food & Wine
Gourmet on the Fly
Sisters on the Fly are a group of sassy women who travel the West in lovingly restored trailers, stopping occasionally to fish, play poker for pennies, and tell tall tales while they relax around a campfire.

Maurrie Sussman has bought and restored dozens of vintage trailers and shares tips for restoring them. She formed Sisters on the Fly—women who have restored trailers and meet every few months in predesignated locations throughout the West to fish, eat, play poker and share tips about trailer remodeling. Maurrie has bought and restored dozens of vintage trailers and shares the following tips:

What to look for: Walk around inside. Sit down. Either you love it or you don’t. It’s that simple. The great models are Scotsman, Fireball, Holiday and Cardinal from the 1950s; Oasis, Golden and Play-Mor from the 1960s; Fleetwing from the 1970s.

What to avoid: Stay away from any trailer that has rain damage. The structure is made from wood strips, so if it has rotted, you’ll have to rebuild the entire trailer. Try not to fall in love with a trailer that’s been flipped—that is blown over in the wind—because the frame is likely to have been bent.

What it’s going to cost: Vintage trailers can cost from $200 to $1,500. Ones with all the original parts are the most desirable and most expensive. If the trailer doesn’t have any structural damage, remodeling will run between $4,000 and $8,000.

Remodeling: Take everything out and scrub down the trailer. After your trailer is clean, give it a name. Once it has an identity, it will be easy for you to rebuild and redecorate. Don’t restore to perfection. Fix what needs to be fixed. Put paint, fabric and wallpaper over the rest.

For more information about vintage trailers, visit www.sistersonthefly.com, www.vintagecampers.com, www.vintage-vacations.com, www.tincantourists,com.

An additional resource is Portable Houses by Mary Abel and Irene Rawlings (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2004). Purchase the book by clicking on our Amazon.com link.

"Gourmet on the Fly"

Cooking with limited equipment over an open fire doesn't stop the Sisters from creating truly delicious meals. Here they share with us some of their favorite camping recipes -- a lot like the campfire fare you remember, but with a grown-up, gourmet twist. Check out the recipes in our recipe database. Look for Dutch-oven cherry cobler, Jack's chicken fingers, Mosey Froghead's country-style pork ribs, pan-fried whole trout, lemon-thyme grits and roasted romaine salad.