Compact and Hunter history

[Tom Trostel]

As with all of the orphan brands, little seems to be known about the history of Compacts and Hunter. Hunter Structures (or Industries) made trailers in Chatsworth, California from 1968 until 1977. They made two models, the Jr. and the II. Both were 13' with rear doors and a roof section that lowered for towing. The II was better equipted (hot water heater, furnace, 3 way frig, toilet) and was built later. That's about all I know. If you can fill in more, please do so.
Tom Trostel

[thomast]

We have a Compact II. We purchased it 3 months ago from a hunter for $675.00. We love it. People stop by at campgrounds and want a tour. It was almost perfect condition when we purchased it but replaced Vinyl with carpet and added an electric fridge. We enjoy camping in it and wonder if there are anymore people out there that own them. Thanks

[Brian B-P]

According to the poll in the topic How Do You Like Your Eggs?, Taking a Poll by FGRV Brand, there are at least three recently active members with Compacts...

[Dennis Theurer]

According to the poll in the topic [b]How Do You Like Your Eggs?, Taking a Poll by FGRV Brand, there are at least three recently active members with Compacts...

We have had 2 compact ll. Our first one was totaled. We got our second one from Arizona. It was shipped to us. We love it. It is white with black trim. We named her arizona. We love camping in it and get a lot of comments.

[Frederick L. Simson]

That's about all I know. If you can fill in more, please do so.
Tom Trostel

I had a Compact Junior that I rebuilt. The previous owner had gutted it out to make a cargo trailer out of it.
My Compact Juniors was narrow, only 66" (5'6") wide. It did not need extended mirrors. Most of the intact Juniors I have seen were simple:
Sink with hand pump. 3-burner cook-top. Maybe an optional heater below the cook-top.
Ice-Box. Closet & Drawer storage.
One easy way to tell a Compact Junior from a Compact II is that the raised roof is the full length of the trailer in the Junior and only over the back half in the II.

[Mike Taylor]

I have had my 1973 Compact II for several years and love it. The Compact II came in several colors over the years they were made. I have seen pastel blue and white ones like mine along with pastel pink and white and solid white ones. The later models had a battery access panel on the lower right front corner. All early ones like mine have battery access by lifting the dinette seat. The vented heater uses no electricity which is nice when boondocking in cold weather. Mine also has the toilet with 10 gal holding tank, 3 way fridge and 3 burner stove with oven. Water tank is 15 gallons. Mike

[Chuck H]

My name is Chuck H and I'm new to the forum. I purchased a 1974 Compact II from one of my co-workers and have been pretty much totally re-doing it to our likes. It was pretty much a wreck inside and I've gutted it out and started over from the floor up. Currently I've glassed in the hole where the frig was and the furnace and vent for the toilet. We've installed a ice box, microwave, drawers to carry the toaster and electric can opener. The bathroom is now a closet with shelves and porta potti. Oh yea, I'm also working on a built in vac system. We've camped in it even though it's not done. A bit ugly on the outside but will soon be painted in the color scheme of my tow rig which is a blue and white 1956 Chevy. We towed to Coeur D Alene for the big car show and that was our maiden voyage from Marysville, Wa. We also have taken trips to Waldport in Ore. and Astotia area. We really like the cozy trailer and everyone asks what the heck it is. I've got a few of the original parts if any of the other Compact owners are interested.

[Terry S]

well, i'm the newest member to this website (as of 9-8-06), the "proud" owner of a compact II and this is my first post. i bought it from my father's cousin (both have since passed away) about 11 years ago for 300.00. unfortunately it has been in "backyard" storage since then but i have a strong desire to fix it up and start using it after all these years. i have only seen a few of these on the road so it's nice to have the opportunity to connect with other owners. mine is light green and white. there is a santa fe rr logo painted on the sides as the cousin's father worked for them. the body is good but the frame is a little rusty, tires gone flat, some exterior plastic is cracking and i will probably need to replace or repair the fridge since is has sat all this time. any suggestions concerning that would be welcome. it has a built in toilet but no holding tank that i am aware of. i wasn't even aware of the water heater. i'll have to see if mine has one. i have the original paperwork and sales brochures too (perhaps i can scan and post them sometime). on a light note, some bees took it over a couple of years ago by going up the under the sink drain pipe. i had to call an exterminator to get rid of them. and i still need to clean out the dead bees! that's about all for now. stay tuned! :^)
Terry

[thomast]

Welcome Terry,
I'm new also. Probably with all the electrical hook ups now just a regular small fridge would work. Ours has a holding tank under the toilet only about 5 gal or so but it's enough for a week. Ours was in great condition just needed cleaning and some small repair work. for the fiberglass renewal for shine I uswed penetrol a paint additive and it made the glass shine like new. I changed out the lights and and added Sat TV and we are ready for anyrthing. check out the frame and wheel bearings walmart is cheap enough for these. My frame was a little rusty also but not to bad. You can always take ot the six bolts that hold the camper to the frame and jack it up like a boat and slide the frame out from under it.

[Linda of San Diego]

Hi everyone, I have a 1974 Hunter I. From the pictures and discriptions it is the same as a Compact II. I bought mine out of someones front yard, they were using it for storage. The trailer is red on the outside, the curtains and cushions were Southwest theme before the fell apart. I would love to have copies of the manuals when you get them posted. I too get asked for tours everytime I camp out. I camp around San Diego, but have taken the Hunter up to the Sequoia/Kings Canyon area. I would like to replace the icebox with a 3 way fridge if I can find one thats affordable. I would like to polish and seal the outside or have it painted.

[Terry S]

thank you for the replys and feedback. we tend not to stay at hook up campgrounds, so i would prefer to keep the 3 way fridge (but as linda indicated they aren't cheap to fix or replace), thomast, but i will keep your suggestion in mind. how do you keep your electric fridge cold while under tow etc? is it battery operated too and if so, how's the drain on the battery? it turns out i do have a holding tank. it appears to be housed in the raised floor directly under the toilet, so it can't be very big, probably five gallons also. i know my cousin used an external plastsic tank for gray water from the sink. and the under sink drain i referred to isn't that, it's actually the tube to feed the electric cord through to hook up the trailer to electrictiy. it seems a little akward because you have to take out stuff from the cabinet to reach the cord to feed it. but if you don't change campsites alot or don't hook up i guess it's not an issue. i'll need to check the bearings as suggested. the frame bolds are rusty so i don't know how easy they will come apart. the exterior seems in surprisingly good shape when i wipe it down. my theory is that the mossy coat it develops in the winter keeps it protected in the summer when it drys. well, that's the theory anyway;^) the inside will be a chore. the dead bees are a mess and there seems to be some mold here and there. i think the santa fe logo i mentioned will have to go as it is cracked an peeling. oh, i'll also need to replace the propane tank with a new one as the law changed on those a few years back concerning the fill up valve. i don't remember if that was nationwide or just california. i'm not sure about adding sattelite tv, i usually camp to get away from that stuff. lol. the microwave chuck mentioned sounds like a good idea, if one is hooked up of course. my thanks go to tom for starting this thread.

[Mike Taylor]

I just replaced my 2 way old 1973 Dometic fridge with a new Norcold 323-t 3 way fridge. You loose the freezer option and is 2 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower. $499 free shipping. Mike
Norcold

[Terry S]

I just replaced my 2 way old 1973 Dometic fridge with a new Norcold 323-t 3 way fridge. You loose the freezer option and is 2 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower. $499 free shipping. Mike
Norcold

thanks for this info mike. i will definitely keep this in mind as things progress. while not cheap and costing nearly twice as much as i paid for the trailer, it's more allordable than i expected.
you mentioned the battery compartment in your earlier post. well i need to replace the battery connector cable portion from the in line fuse to the battery. my dad took the battery out one time with that portion attached and it somehow disappeared. so....if anyone knows how to replace that without running a whole new cable, let me know.

[chelak]

Luckily, my Compact II was found in the Arizona desert, so no mold and little rust. I purchased it from the Tennessee man who bought and restored it. He put an interior room air conditioner where the frig was originally. We've had some issues with the venting of that, but are working on a solution. "Daffy" is a lovely light yellow. It looks as if the pop-up canvas may have been replaced, because mine does not have the vinyl windows in it.

[DonDeutsch]

....but does anyone know more of the history of these campers?

[FlyingCat53]

Originally Posted by Frederick L. Simson

I had a Compact Junior that I rebuilt. The previous owner had gutted it out to make a cargo trailer out of it.
My Compact Juniors was narrow, only 66" (5'6") wide. It did not need extended mirrors. Most of the intact Juniors I have seen were simple:
Sink with hand pump. 3-burner cook-top. Maybe an optional heater below the cook-top.
Ice-Box. Closet & Drawer storage.
One easy way to tell a Compact Junior from a Compact II is that the raised roof is the full length of the trailer in the Junior and only over the back half in the II.

Hello, (new member/first post!), I'm in the market for a Hunter Compact or Trails West Campster. I like everything about their design, but I would like to tow without extended mirrors. In the Document center, both the Compact Jr. & II, and the Campster show 6'6" (78") wide.

Were the earliest Jr's (yours a 1971, at 66" wide) a foot narrower? Does anyone know what year they got wider? I'm hoping to find something no wider than 68" Thanks... this site is GREAT!

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by FlyingCat53

In the Document center, both the Compact Jr. & II, and the Campster show 6'6" (78") wide.

Were the earliest Jr's (yours a 1971, at 66" wide) a foot narrower?

I have a correction to make. I have totally striped everything off my Compact Jr. in preparation for fiberglass repairs to the body and then painting.
The 5' 6" measurement I gave before is the width of the plywood floor.

My 1971 Compact Jr. measurements

Total length from hitch coupler to back bumper____13' 0"
Body length at "equator" (longest part of body)___ 9'10"
Body length at floor______________________________ 9' 7"
Body width at "equator" (widest part of body)_____ 6' 0"
Body width at bed/bunk (bottom of mattress)_______ 5' 9"
Body width at floor_______________________________ 5' 6"
Floor width between wheel wells___________________ 3' 6"
Ceiling height w/ roof closed_____________________ 5' 4"

[Rick Brown]

Ken
I own a Jr and do not need mirrors with my PT Cruiser. I believe the Compact Jr's were made for only 3 years 1971, 1972, and 1973. Because of their short manufacturing life there are not to many to choose from, but they are posted for sale from time to time. Just keep looking. By the way they are great to work on and if you find one in fair shape it does not take to much to get it in camping condition. Just check the frame were the body and A frame meet. Good luck.

[Bob Miller]

WOW, that scared me, I thought that I had shrunk when it was asked if the Hunter was only 66" wide. As Fred mentioned, they are all the same width at the bed surface, about 72".

I tow ours with either a Honda CR-V or a GMC Sonoma pick-up, both without using extra mirrors, but your PT Cruiser might be a bit narrower.

I bought mine in the S.F. bay area, where it had been a project for about 7 years and was, basically, gutted, for about $1600. Here are some current "after" pics.

Hunter Compact II pictures by advocateone - Photobucket

We will be at the Lake Casitas meet at the end of the month if you want a look-see..

[Bobbie Mayer]

I tow my campster with the regular mirrors that came on my Forester (2000, then 2012.) No problem with visibility. I also leave the curtains open in front and at the back door so I can see things like headlights through the trailer.