Vintage RV: 1977 Okanagan Kokanee Class C GMC Vandura Motorhome

Over-the-cab units like the Okanagan Kokanee are still popular with RVers and those who like a home on wheels.

At one point in time, not that many years ago, the Okanagan was a hotbed for RV manufacturers (primarily before the 2008 economic downturn). Some were even tempted to call the region "Elkhart North."

Okanagan RV, whose assets were eventually bought out, was one of the biggest manufacturers – making Class C, Class B, trailers and truck campers. Others included General Coach and Citation trailers and RVs built in Oliver. Bigfoot, in Enderby, was once a huge RV manufacturer – though the company has been revived on smaller scale it seems to keep a pretty low profile these days. Northern Lite campers continue to be manufactured in Kelowna.

This week’s vintage RV is a rather unique model which was manufactured by Okanagan Industries—it’s a Class C motorhome called the Kokanee, I think the year is somewhere in the 1974 to 1978 range. These over-the-cab units are still popular with RVers and those who like a home on wheels.

It was built on a GMC Vandura Chassis and sported all the RV amenities popular in the day, including a 400 Chevy engine—this one sits on a 3500 chassis. These distinctive units are often easy to spot with their bright gold or orange stripes.

Can you shed some light on the RV manufacturing industry in the Okangan’s past? Share your classic RV restorations, or tell us your favourite story about a cool vintage unit you've encountered by filling out our Classic Vintage RV form.