For Gray, a love of camping began early. As a child, he spent countless summers camping with his cousins at Refugio Beach in Southern California. The family’s teardrop trailer, with its rear galley for cooking, was the hub of their outdoor adventures—and the spark that ignited a lifelong passion for life on the road.
That passion eventually led him to vintage trailers. In 2002, Gray purchased his first—a classic Argosy—though he later sold it to fund another one of his favorite things: old trucks.
Years later, always on the hunt for a good deal, Gray spotted a simple, one-line listing in a local sales flier: “For Sale: Old Trailer.” Curious, he called the number and was connected to the original owners of a 1964 Field and Stream. They hesitated to show the trailer, saying they were too busy, but Gray quickly replied that he was heading to the bank and would be there within the hour—cash in hand. Reluctantly, they agreed.
What Gray found when he arrived was a hidden gem: a 12-foot 1964 Field and Stream trailer, parked in a barn and unused for the past 10 years—aside from a single trip. Even after all that time, everything still worked. Remarkably, the trailer was spotless. “There wasn’t even a single mouse dropping inside,” Gray recalled. As he hooked it up to tow it home, the original owner started having second thoughts—his phone had started ringing off the hook with other interested buyers. But the deal was done, and Gray had scored a truly rare find.
Outside of his love for vintage trailers, Gray is a commercial fisherman and co-owner of the Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Winery in Buellton, California. It was in 2014, while working at the winery, that he spotted a line of vintage trailers rolling into town. Intrigued, he followed up and discovered Buellton Vintage Trailer Rally at the Flying Flags RV Resort. Gray dropped by, took in the scene, and added his name to the list for the following year.
Though relatively new to the vintage trailer rally world, Gray has decades of camping memories under his belt. These days, he and his wife Charlotte continue the tradition, often returning to Refugio Beach with their children and grandchildren to relive the joy of family camping—only now in a beautifully preserved Field and Stream.
Field and Stream trailers were originally manufactured in Gardena, California, by Vacation Industries Inc., and remain a favorite among collectors for their compact charm and California roots.
