A trip through Canada’s history of leisure vehicles

Die-hard tent campers disdain them. Road warriors love them. Yet there are few experiences that capture the essence of cross-country touring better than a recreational vehicle and tent trailer.

Love them or loathe them, these cottages-on-wheels have become a quintessential aspect of the Canadian camping adventure, providing adventurous travellers with a unique way to appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty of the Great White North.

But where did leisure vehicles get their start?

CAA visited the Canada Science and Technology Museum to explore the fascinating collection of historic Canadian leisure vehicles in the Ingenium Centre with curator Dr. Emily Gann and discover the stories behind these remarkable machines.

On the road in horse-drawn carriages and the “car tent”

Like many forms of modern transportation, the earliest version of what would evolve into today’s leisure vehicle was horse-drawn. Originating in England in the 1880s, the caravan concept quickly spread to France and across Europe, representing a reinvention of the carriage with an emphasis on comfort.

Yet the first true modern leisure vehicle – the aptly named “car tent” — didn’t emerge until the widespread adoption of the Ford Model T in the 1910s and 1920s. For the first time, cars became accessible to the North American public, bringing with them a variety of accessories and gadgets designed to enhance the driving experience.

Thus, the car tent was born – an ingenious and straightforward tent attachment that turned the earliest cars into a leisure camping opportunity. With Ford’s innovation in vehicles, people began to explore Canada in unprecedented ways, sparking a revolution that would forever redefine the concept of ‘roughing it, notes Dr. Emily Gann.

“There was this push where industry and individuals were really charged with exploring Canada. At the same time, we’re seeing the establishment of national and provincial parks in the 1950s. We see the creation of the Trans-Canada Highway,” she says.

“So, there’s this sort of boom and movement pre-1950s.”

Glamping’s real roots: Postwar Expansion and the Fleet Cabin Car

Following the 1940s, the world saw an explosion of automobile and recreational vehicle manufacturing. The available options varied from sporty two-seaters to big six-seaters, swinging culture towards cars as the primary form of transport. Leisure vehicles were prevalent these days, and for Canada, no product was more symbolic of this time than the Fleet Cabin Car.

Produced by Fort Erie-based Fleet Aerospace, the cabin car was a consumer product designed to be simple and affordable. While it could only hold two people and lacked enough room to stand, it provided essential protection from the weather while camping and had enough space for a small kitchenette. It was equally unique in that its aerodynamic esthetic, which is still reiterated in campers today, was directly tied to its aerospace roots, says Gann.

“Fleet was an airplane manufacturing company and, during the Second World War, was quite staffed and had a lot of manufacturing capacity. Postwar, they endeavoured to diversify their production line. As we saw with the Ford Model T and the car tent, there’s this boom. There’s an increase in recreational vehicles, and Fleet wanted to take advantage of that. So, they started producing the Fleet Cabin Car, a teardrop trailer. It’s quite straightforward to manufacture. You just need a four by eight piece of plywood to create a streamlined esthetic.”

While popular at the time and easy to make, it had some design problems – largely connected to the wooden exterior easily degrading, warping, and moulding in outdoor conditions. By the late 1950s, the Fleet Cabin Car had diminished in popularity but remains an emblematic and nostalgic symbol of a moment in Canadian campaign history.

Luxury on the road: The Brantford Travel Coach and Modern RVs

The car tent and Fleet Cabin Car offered straightforward outdoor utility, but they were not as luxurious or comfortable as the 1937 Brantford Travel Coach. Made of metal and massive in size, only a few automobiles from that era could haul it.

The travel coach was outfitted with a stove, pullout bed, kitchenette, multipurpose space, ice box, and enough room for an awning. While lacking electricity, the Brantford provided that ‘comfort from home’ feeling that remains a central appeal of leisure vehicles to this day.

“This would have been the first kind where we’re camping, but we’re not roughing it. Early glamping, you could say.”

The more modern iterations of leisure vehicles take a lot of notes from the travel coach and soared in popularity through the 1950s and 1960s. The ensuing decades saw the quick development of RV Parks and the expansion of leisure vehicles on the consumer market. To this day, they are an essential aspect of outdoor activities that won’t go away soon.

Make the most of life with CAA

While not all of the Ingenium Centre’s leisure vehicle collection are on regular display, make sure to drop by the Canada Science and Technology Museum’s Into the Great Outdoors exhibition.

CAA Members save 25% on single admission tickets or memberships to all three Ingenium Museums.