The Dream of an Airstream

"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.  Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for."  Louis L'Amour

The decision to purchase our 28-foot International Airstream trailer in May, 2010, was a life-altering one.  Travel is our passion and we had been spendng a few months every year in San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, Mexico.  After a rash of kidnappings there, we decided that traveling to state and national parks, historic sites, and the various festivals across the United States would be an intelligent and rewarding alternative. We never quite get used to just about everyone saying, "Are they still making those things?"

'The company was created by Wally Byam, who began building trailers out of Masonite in his backyard in Los Angeles during the late 1920s. A lawyer by training, Byam published a magazine selling "how-to" kits to customers wishing to build their own trailers.

1934 Bowlus Road Chief

He then acquired the struggling Bowlus Company. In 1936 Byam introduced the "Airstream Clipper", which was essentially a rebadged 1935 Bowlus, with the door relocated from the front to the side. The design cut down on wind resistance and thus improved fuel efficiency. It was the first of the now familiar sausage-shaped, silver aluminum Airstream trailers.

1937 Clipper

Of more than 400 travel trailer builders operating in 1936, Airstream was the sole survivor of the Depression.  During World War II, travel became a luxury most could not afford and non-military industries faced an acute aluminum shortage. When World War II ended, the economy boomed, and people's attention once again turned towards leisure travel. Byam's company went back into production in 1948. In July 1952 a new facility in Jackson Center, Ohio, was established. 1979 saw the last Airstreams to be manufactured in California.' Wiki

Kitchen, 1934 Bowlus Road Chief

Wally Byam is said to have created the unique aluminum trailer in response to his wife’s refusal to go camping without a kitchen. In 1936, Wally stated that he is in business “to make people’s dreams come true.”

1957 Caravaner

Airstream is the oldest manufacturer of recreational vehicles in the U.S. and is the most commonly recognized aluminum travel trailer in the world.  When Airstream began, there were less than 48 trailer manufacturers that were registered for business. Five years later, nearly 400 companies squared off against each other. Today of those 400 companies, only Airstream remains.

1937 Clipper

The aluminum-skinned Airstream is based on an airplane fuselage, with rounded corners to help increase gas mileage – its aerodynamics cuts drag by 20 percent vs. square “white box” trailers.  It takes about 280 human hours to build the average Airstream.  Airstream was the first trailer to have a holding tank, the first ladder frame, the first pressurized water system and was the first fully self-contained travel trailer.

Before leaving the production floor, every Airstream spends 40 minutes under 100 pounds per square inch of water pressure in a special booth to ensure that it’s water-tight.

Celebrity owners include: Tom Hanks who was gifted by his wife, Rita Wilson, Johnny Depp, Adrian Brody, Diablo Cody, Steve Carrell, Colin Farrell, Matthew McConaughey, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, Matthew Modine, Kate Pierson of the B52s, David Duchovny, Tim Burton, Lenny Kravitz, Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong, John Mellencamp, Eddie Vedder and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson.

Matthew McConaughey used an Airstream trailer while promoting his 2005 film “Sahara,” and lived in a 28-foot Airstream in Malibu for several years before buying a home with enough space for his 3 Airstream travel trailers.

In 2008, Airstream partnered with longtime fan Jesse James to create a one-of-a-kind motorcycle and sidecar featuring Airstream design elements. The $300K Airstream Chopper was built by James’ company West Coast Choppers, in exchange for an Airstream trailer which he gave his wife at the time, actress Sandra Bullock, for her birthday.

By the 75th Anniversary of Airstream in 2006, nearly 66%  of all Airstreams ever built were still rolling down the highways.'
www.airstream.com

Spending 2/3 of the year in our Silver Chalet has been a real adventure. The Chalet is around 225 square feet of aluminum efficiency, meeting all of our basic needs and then some!  Since we spend most of our time outdoors, the Chalet is mainly for sleeping and cooking.  Having the ability to live anywhere we choose is an exhilarating life experience and oh, so exciting! Thank you, Wally Byum, for your vision and genius!

"Life is the road." Jack Kerouac

"Adventure is where you find it, any place, every place, except at home in the rocking chair."  Wally Byam