Bella the Boler Goes Home (Cheers!)

Bella the what? Boler…a cute retro camper made in Canada. Like many, this one has a name and it’s just a thing…usually something fanciful or silly, but meaningful to the person doing it. Although it may seem peculiar to those outside looking in, it makes perfect sense to members of that special fraternity. These adorable little trailers are an expression of their owners’ personalities and not just rolling accommodations.

Boler is family.

These were produced for a couple decades starting in the late 1960s, but peak output was in the early to late 1970s period. Two models were offered, in 13 and 17 foot lengths. The trailer seen here is one of the latter and it’s an early example. These longer Bolers were only introduced the same year Bella was made.

The Boler story is rather complex and makes tracing the lineage of these campers a sometimes difficult proposition. If there’s no original papers or builder’s mark especially, but Bella came with both, and it’s easy when you have that.

The reason it’s such a challenge is that many firms produced these trailers. Neonex made Bolers in-house (like this one), and under contract to other firms. They came from (variously) factories in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, sometimes concurrently too. There was limited US production as well.

If you had a plant that could do fibreglass work you could jump on board and get a franchise. For a time Bolers sold like crazy, but the market cooled considerably after about 1980.

Known manufacturers include Neonex itself (Calgary, Alberta), Vanguard Neonex (Winfield, British Columbia), Glass-Fab (Peace River, Alberta), Earlton Manufacturing (Earlton, Ontario), Midhurst Fibreglass (Midhurst, Ontario – they made the last ones) and Tri-Fab (Boler America).

Boler Manufacturing of Winnipeg was the company that started it all (and later purchased by Neonex) plus Triple-E in Winkler Manitoba also produced some. In addition some contracted firms also made bootleg Bolers using company supplied moulds, but sold under their own name.

The majority of factories concentrated on one size of Boler (so mostly the more popular 13 foot model), but research suggests at least one plant produced both. They came and went, got the contracts and some soon went belly up. It’s all curious and this suggests some sort of underlying problems.

Now let’s check out this former plant, a nondescript warehouse located in a Northeast Calgary industrial park. Today, it’s a building supply place, but for a couple short years (1977-1978) it produced 17 foot Bolers. Perhaps 13 footers too and we’ll address that in a moment.

Neonex initially listed the earliest of the longer models as 16 feet when introduced (which carried a b1600 model number), but soon changed it to 17 feet (as a model b1700), even though the actual size was never altered.

Further complicating matters, we’ve found some 16 and 17 footers advertised at 16.5 feet which suggest they were always part way between anyway. Sort of the like the Subway Footlong that’s a bit shy of a foot long.

This was plant was specifically built for Boler production and situated not far from the big Neonex Mobile Home factory a couple blocks away (last a big furniture warehouse). The Calgary Boler plant didn’t last long and due to high inflation, killer interest rates and fuel shortages, it closed not long after opening.

Other plants continued production of Bolers for a time, but only few years later only one remained. Then there were none.

Afterwards this building has had many tenants but it’s doubtful any knew of its past history. We filled in the Uppal guys, who were curious of our request, but very helpful once we explained it further. They loved Bella and were proud of the connection.

A full page ad promoting the the Neonex Calgary plant shows up in a November 1976 issue of the Calgary Herald. It states: “Boler moves to Calgary, a new 30,000 square foot factory to serve the recreational needs of Western Canada and USA markets.”

The ad also announces the new 16 foot Boler, which will soon morph into the 17 foot Boler, but without actually changing. An attached photo shows the newly completed plant and it’s suggested production for the 1977 model year was weeks away.

More from the ad: “Boler trailers, the fuel savers, modern aerodynamic designs save considerably on fuel consumption.” The owners of Bella, our pals Dan and Emily confirm it tows easy. Cheaply too and it’s nothing compared to the fifth wheel they downsized from.

Further, it states the plant at full capacity would produce ten trailers a day. Eight is later said and it’s further broken down as four per day of each of the two sizes.

In more than one instance it’s stated that 13 footers were to be produced here but in the end, we’ve not found company records to corroborate it actually happening. Still, we can’t say for certain and approach the subject cautiously. In couple records the address of this plant does come up as a sales outlet for 13 foot Bolers built elsewhere, however. Both Earlton and Vanguard Winfield are mentioned.

So welcome to where it all happened. The building that is the backdrop in this post is where almost fifty years ago Bella was built. It’s good to be back home. To Boler aficionados like us, this rather utilitarian block becomes a sacred place…hallowed ground…a star in the Bolerverse. Not just because of Bella, but due to all the fun we have chasing Bolers, some which came from this very same factory.

That door seen in back, we believe, is where new trailers emerged from the production floor. An old aerial photos from the time the factory operated shows many new trailers grouped around this spot and all appear to be 17 foot models too.

Neonex was a Jim Pattison Company (he’s a big name in business circles) and apparently, his conglomerate still holds the trademark to the Boler name.

Look on your (17 foot) Boler and if it has a sticker or badge with the Neonex name (often “built with pride by Neonex”), it may have come from here. BC produced Bolers, 13 footers included, often carried the same badge so it’s not 100% assured. An Uncle Ben’s RV sticker shows above the Neonex badge.

Random thought – you got to wonder how many Calgary-built Bolers pass by on the busy highway a few blocks south? Betcha more than a few.

Bella belongs to some good friends – but then again we say that of all Boler owners – and they were thrilled to bring it home after almost half a century. Let’s celebrate!

In spite of being two of the biggest Boler fans out there, we don’t have one. Yet. We’re that close, however, and all we need is to win the lottery so we can purchase one and a proper vehicle to pull it. Other than that, we’re good to go.

All together it’s said they (all firms) made around 10000 Bolers in total and the 13 foot models were by far the majority. That Neonex ad from 1976 states they had already reached that number that year, so the total must be greater than that, but it’s hard to guess by how much. The market tanked soon afterwards and by the early 1980s production slowed to a trickle.

Some websites says as high as 20000 but that may a little pie in the sky.

The first Bolers were produced in 1968 and the last twenty years later. There is still a lot on the road (with proper upkeep they could last almost forever) and they’re so legendary that demand remains high. They don’t come cheap, and the wonderful retro appeal (a flashback to simpler times) partly explains the cost.

BolerColada: a drink made in celebration of Bella going home and while we’d like to claim it as our own invention, it’s simply a PinaColada lazily renamed. We didn’t even try to get creative, but it sure tasted good. Cheers!

Know more (new tab): Boler Camping Trailers (it’s a deep, deep rabbit hole).

They’re saying…

“Chris and Connie are the real deal – their adventures are truly interesting and fun!” Justine Cooke.

Random fun…
Comox Fisherman’s Wharf Comox BC.
Chinook Motel Crowsnest Pass ~50 Years Apart.
The Lost LAV: Which Way to Wainwright?.
Twilite Drive-in Wolseley.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: October 2023.
Location: Calgary, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Our good friend Dan & Emily (from DanOCan.com), the fine folks at Uppal Building Supplies, BolerTrailerHistory.ca, the Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society, old Calgary Herald newspapers, UofC Archives, and the City of Calgary.

Bella the Boler goes home!

Made by Neonex and sold by Uncle Ben’s.

Bella has been on the road since the 1970s.

BolerColadas to celebrate.

Bolers are an iconic camper made in the 1960s-1980s.

We believe this door is where new Bolers left the factory.

The highway calls.