This 1969 image was featured in a weekly newsletter, called "Camping News Weekly" dedicated to camping in the American west. It is now the highly renowned "High Country News". In every issue a "camper of the week" was on the front page. This small family is seen parked with their camper and truck in a scenic forest.

With the Roads and trails filling with more and more Jeeps and Land Rovers there then rose a demand for a way for the family to spend several days and nights away from home without having to head to a hotel. This demand was met by a technology had existed for several decades but hadn't seen much use or production until this era. The camper-trailer.

"After the war, the returning GIs and their young families craved inexpensive ways to vacation. The burgeoning interstate highway system offered a way to go far fast and that combination spurred a second RV boom that lasted through the 1960s."[1]

The mobile camper movement represents the amalgamation of increased interest in the outdoors and the desire to spend more time with the family. This growth of recreational vehicles really rode on the shoulders of the automotive industry which was booming. (see the Cars in outdoor Culture page for more on that subject) Following WWII the economy was strong, the market was good, manufacturing was at an all-time high and companies were innovating like never before.

Take those points and combine them with the fact that American culture was really focused on strong family values and you get a way to transport your family with the car you already own on a long vacation. Pop-up tent trailers, camper shells, self-contained motorhomes and travel trailers are just a few of the examples of different options offered to consumers.

This aritcle from 1969 discusses the many benefits of traveling the country by camper rather than the more traditional hotel-to-hotel manner.  

Traveling the countryside using your mobile home became increasingly popular during the cold war and gave rise to Kampgrounds of America (KOA) as well as other similar companies and services. KOA was founded in 1962 in Billings Montana right in the middle of the rise of camping as a part of popular culture. Its growth was truly astounding: by the end of 1969 KOA had grown to include 262 different locations and added another 300 campgrounds within the following 4 years.[2]

Families were traveling and staying away from home like never before. The article at the left makes many good points concerning the benefits of camping as an alternative to traveling in a more traditional fashion. It is taken from an edition of "Camping News Weekly" (Now called High Country News). The article’s author, Les Bowman had been living next to a trailer park not too dissimilar from a KOA and had this to say:

“Tourist Travel may reach all time high this year but now the trailer parks, the camping areas and the supermarkets are getting the trade. Tourists just don’t stop at the plush motels and motor hotels these days… I have talked with many of the campers and they are a very enthusiastic group. The young ones have more fun and their parents enjoy longer trips for less money than before.” [3]  

Not only was camping fun time to spend with the family it was economical and available to the middle-class family that had been cooped up in the suburbs for most of their time together. Getting out to the more wild parts of the country allowed these families to escape from the social worries and political tensions that were so prevalent in this era.