Honourary Boler – K Line Mark

The holiday trailer seen in this report is known as K Line Mark (something) and will never be confused with a Boler. It in no way looks like one, yet at the same time it has many Boler-like qualities. It’s constructed of moulded fibreglass, it’s small in size and has a cute appearance and for these reasons we’ll include it here as an honourary Boler. I guess it is quite a rare find as it turns out.

Not much can be found in regards to the manufacturer of this trailer. We know they were made in Red Deer Alberta, by a company known as K-Line Manufacturing. A sticker by the door tells us this. Doing some research, it appears this company was in operation for only a few years in the early 1970s and not many of these little trailers were made.

I believe this is actually a Mark 1 model. There is a faint embossed number beside the word Mark, that looks like that digit. If so, this suggests that there were several sub-models using that same name.

This tiny RV has two rather unique features, the back facing door (most Boler-ish trailers have side doors) and the pop up roof, not seen from our angle. The latter of course provided much needed extra head room. K Line was not the only one to make trailers in this form. In the late 60s and into the 70s, there was a number of other brands that were similar in appearance, in layout (all have back doors for example) and in features (the pop up roof). The most popular was called the Hunter and in fact we originally thought the trailer seen here was from that manufacturer.

You’ll notice the KOA (Kampgrounds of America) sticker near the door. This is a chain of RV camps that’s been in operation for about fifty years.

We spotted this K Line trailer in May 2014, in Calgary. This is a new one to us and is the first of this make we’ve stumbled across. We never knew they even existed prior to this. Like most Boler (or honourary Boler) sightings, we found this one completely by chance. Driving around on business we caught a glimpse of it parked on a driveway as we passed. We had to stop!

Boler: A small cute-as-a-bug fibreglass travel trailer made in Canada in the 1970s and 80s. Very collectible and a we make a fun game spotting them on road trips. We also include other similar trailers here, those from other manufacturers who are close in appearance or in configuration to Bolers.

If you need any more information, by all means contact us!

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K Line camping trailer

A rare K Line Mark trailer.

K Line Mark trailer

It was made in Red Deer Alberta.

K Line pop up trailer

It’s hard to see from this angle, but it has a pop up roof.

27 responses

  1. Kevin says:

    Not sure this blog is still alive but thanks Chris for your attention to history. We just purchased a 1967 K-line Mark 1. Serial number 670155. Seems like the earliest one I have been able to find on the internet. From my digging they may have been made from the same mold as the Trails West Campster in Idaho, which looks like it dates back to mid to late 1960’s as well. Sort of parallels the fibreglass canoe molds that circulated around western canada high schools around the same time, making shop classes interesting.

    • The site is very much alive, busy and always growing (over 1 million words), but posts like this that touch on our little trailer obsession, are never busy. Thank you for adding to the story and this is something we’ve never heard before. We’ll have to look into it. Fibreglass resin and high school students – what could go wrong? I recall hearing about that before.

  2. Diane says:

    I just bought this 1974 little gem of a trailer that looks like a K Line Mark. It has been completely rebuilt inside. It still has the original stove and furnace in working condition. The manufacturer’s plaque near the door Wright Manufacturing Ltd. Port Coquitlam, BC SPORTSMAN. Fiberglass
    I have not been able to find any info About Wright Manufacturing, but curious.
    It seems I can only upload one photo per comment, so I will add a photo of the trailer next.

  3. Logan says:

    This is our little K-Line M1

  4. mikek says:

    Hi there,
    we just bought a K-Line 1974 trailer that has had its original pop up roof replaced with a sun roof that is way to big and heavy for it’s frame. We live in Vancouver and are wondering if anyone knows of any specialists or of how one might replace the roof on their own, back to a pop up roof.

    Thanks for your help everyone,

    MIke

  5. Will says:

    I own a Model MARK 1, SN 171176, near Saskatoon.

    • That’s so cool. Heard from a number of owners – never knew there would be that many – and they all speak highly of the design. Happy camping!

  6. Tom Goodwin says:

    We bought one a year ago interior was in rough shape We have replaced it from the parts of an old tent trailer we are now travelling with it we get lots of questions everywhere we stopped it’s a great little trailer

    • Another one comes surfaces. Would love to see it if you’re ever in the Calgary area.

      • Stephanie says:

        Hi, I bought a cute little K-line from a family in Calgary December 2018. We loved camping with it last summer. The interior has been re-done to look more modern. New mini-fridge inside. However, the windows and around the pop-up leaks when it rains. Just wondering if anyone would know someone who works on these types of trailers. Would I need to replace the windows?

        • We’re not technical or repair types but maybe search out an appropriate forum online (there are many) and pose that question there. Good luck.

  7. Susan Knopp says:

    Hi there. I can tell you a bit about K-Line Trailers. K-Line was a company started by my dad, Bert Knopp and his brother Jerry Knopp in the early 1970’s in Red Deer. This little start up was just in it’s early years when Uncle Jerry tragically passed away and shortly afterwards the company folded. They were fantastic little trailers – ahead of their time really. Once the oil crisis hit and everyone started buying smaller vehicles, these trailers would have been great. My dad’s love of RV’s and RVing continued. Today, one of my brothers, Greg Knopp, co-runs an RV dealership that dad and mom purchased in Lethbridge in the 1980’s – Eldorado RV. My family would love to have a K-Line! So if anyone ever comes across one in good shape, it would sure be wonderful to know about it!

    • They do seem quite advanced for the day. Thanks for sharing your connections to the make. Very interesting! I’d love one myself.

    • Gerry says:

      You run into your cousins in the strangest places! I’ve yet to see one around. I keep looking!

    • Suzan says:

      We just found a Mark 1 very close to Red Deer. The inside is all intact, although needs some TLC. Original pop up roof…..very intriguing!

      We are going to use it as sleeping quarters on a cross Canada trip next summer…..can’t wait!!!

    • Troy says:

      I have a K line trailer in excellent original condition, I’ve owned it for about 15 years and it’s always been stored under cover in a dry climate. I bought it off of my uncle who also took great care of it. I’m not sure how long he owned it before he sold it to me. I think it’s a 1972.

  8. kirby rawsthorne says:

    hi today i went to help a friend load a travel trailer on my car trailer to take it to the dump,but ounce we got there i decided to bring it home instead .it is a k line mark 1 till today i did not know about these great little trailers.this one has been parked in the bush for 12 years and is in amazing shape .so a little faded and a little smelly i am going to refurbish and use this cool little trailer next year .it will be perfect for my wife and i to get away on little trips .so thanks for your post .i thought i would share my good fine …kirby you can email me if you like

  9. rob simpson says:

    Our family has had one model mark 1 s/n 770160 they our a nice little two person trailer. k-line.

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