Small-Scale Camping In This 1991 Chevrolet Astro Tiger GT Could Be Yours!

Camping in the Pacific Northwest is a must, whether you are a native or a tourist. Between well-known sites as Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens, the Pacific coasts of Westport and Ocean Shores, or hidden gems like the AYH Ranch on Vashon Island or campgrounds located deep within the Hoh Rainforest… and that’s just western Washington State alone. You can’t go wrong with oceanside adventures, rich forests, spectacular mountains and small towns for supply runs. But what would you take for one of these excursions? Take it from someone with years of experience in that region: don’t bother bringing that 50-plus foot diesel pusher that is effectively a house with license plates. Try something cozier instead, like this 1991 Chevrolet Astro Tiger GT that is currently up for auction on Hemmings.com.

Chevrolet’s Astro (and it’s GMC Safari corporate twin) were the opposite of Chrysler’s minivans: they were truck-based (courtesy of the S-10) and rear-drive based, compared to the K-car, front-drive based Mopar people-movers. After that, the goals were the same: you got a box on wheels that could seat seven easily in a relatively small area. Buyers liked the Astro/Safari twins and would scoop up nearly 3.2 million units between the two generations produced from 1985-2005.

A GM van with proven mechanicals, a powerful V-6, and all-wheel-drive… what more could you ask for? Well, Provan Industries had an option: the Tiger GT or XL. The difference between the two was the roof: the XL had a hard top made of fiberglass, while the GT had a pop-up aluminum top that capped vinyl material. This allowed the Tiger GT to fit in a standard garage, yet when you decided to park in the pines, you could raise the roof to a maximum ceiling height just over six feet. Add in two sleeping areas that could fit a maximum of four people and a full kitchen that included a sink, stove and refrigerator standard and even the cheapest Tiger could be a comfortable home-away-from-home. The optional features just added to the atmosphere: a shower and toilet, a microwave oven, air conditioning, and a bumper-mounted generator could maximize the experience. This Tiger GT has the toilet, shower, two-burner stove, water heater and microwave.

Asking for perfection out of a mini-RV that’s over 30 years old is a big stretch. But finding a useful one that needs little to hit the road for more adventures is still very accessible. The seller of this Tiger GT has provided numerous videos on how the van functions, from popping the roof to setting up the interior for sleeping. There’s a bit over 156,000 miles on the clock now. It’s time to go double that.

May I suggest a personal favorite spot of mine? The Salt Creek Recreational Park near Port Angeles, Washington composes the former Fort Hayden and you’ll be able to inspect 16-inch Mark 2 guns and plenty of camping spots that overlook the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Happy bidding, and happy trails!

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