An avid tent camper and rock climber, Outdoorsy owner Jonathan Kitto always knew he wanted to experience the outdoors with his kids, but knew tenting wasn’t going to cut it. “I recognized the challenges that can come with camping with little ones,” Jonathan tells us, “especially with Alberta’s ever-changing weather and toddler sleep schedules.”
Jonathan’s solution? A small, old trailer that he would renovate to be the perfect camper for his family. “After renovating my first Boler, I was hooked,” he shares. “The process of taking the camper apart and putting it back together was equally as exciting as having a modern home-on-wheels for my family.”
Once he was hooked, Jonathan pulled his friend Jerad Thon in on the fun. “We originally bought our first two trailers to use for ourselves,” says Jonathan. “As we started to fully renovate them together, the idea popped up about making some extra income from them, then starting an actual business renting them out and renovating.”
From that idea, a business was born. “What started as a one-time project evolved into BLK Bird Campers,” Jonathan continues. “Conversations around the campfire moved away from current events and the ups and downs of running small businesses to renovation ideas and plans for hunting down and picking up old campers from across western Canada.”
And find old campers they did. Not only that, Jonathan and Jerad also renovated each one with care. Once they had a couple of campers ready to go, the friends listed on Outdoorsy. “We listed our RVs on Outdoorsy because we thought it was a good platform to connect to people looking for RVs in our area,” Jonathan explains. “Like anything, we were concerned about damage happening, but so far we have had very minimal things happen.”
BLK Bird Campers has done very well since those first listings and the duo has been able to grow their carefully prepared fleet. “We now have three RVs finished and rented out,” Jonathan tells us. “We have another Boler that will be ready in August 2022, a 19-foot 1963 Airstream that will be ready for next season, and a 1969 28-foot Airstream that is being worked on.”
Clearly, Jerad and Jonathan are very passionate about their campers, and they hope that their passion inspires others to get outdoors. “Each BLK Bird camper has been around for a while and comes with its own unique origin story,” says Jonathan. “We both love making memories of our own while camping with our families, and we hope that by renting our meticulously renovated vintage campers, other people will be able to comfortably connect with the outdoors and create some epic memories of their own.”
All About Jerad and Jonathan
Favorite morning beverage: “Coffee with a little bit of Coole Swan in it.”
Favorite campsite meal: “Mussels with white wine and garlic sauce made on the fire.”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite: “Beanbag toss and crib.”
Favorite season: “Fall; I love the crisp mornings and all the colors.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go? “Jerad would visit Norway. I would say Arizona or California coast.”
