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Airstream is an American brand of
travel trailer A caravan, travel trailer, camper, tourer or camper trailer is a Trailer (vehicle), trailer towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent (although there are popup camper, fold-down ...
easily recognized by the distinctive shape of its rounded and polished aluminum coachwork. This body shape dates back to the 1930s and is based on the Bowlus Road Chief, an earlier model of the all-aluminum travel trailer. Airstream trailers and
recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and ca ...
s are manufactured in Jackson Center, Ohio, United States. The company, now a division of Thor Industries, is the oldest in the industry.


History

Airstream was created by Wally Byam who began building Masonite trailers in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
during the late 1920s. In 1936, Byam introduced the "Airstream Clipper", which was essentially a rebadged 1935 Bowlus Road Chief, with the door relocated from the front to the side. The design cut down on wind resistance and thus improved
fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency (or fuel economy) is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical energy, chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or Mechanical work, w ...
. It was the first of the now familiar sausage-shaped, silver
aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
Airstream trailers. In 1936, the first Airstream was introduced. It sold for $1,200 and was able to house four people with electric lights and a water supply. Of more than 400 travel trailer builders operating in 1936, Airstream was the sole survivor of the Depression. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, 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. During the
1970s energy crisis The 1970s energy crisis occurred when the Western world, particularly the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, faced substantial petroleum shortages as well as elevated prices. The two worst crises of this period wer ...
, Airstream launched a line of painted travel trailers in the same 'twinkie' shape as Airstreams that the company dubbed the Argosy. At first, Airstream did not market the Argosy relationship with Airstream. This changed in 1973. Argosy travel trailers of this shape were manufactured from 1972 to 1979 in a factory Versailles, Ohio. These trailers were also built largely of aluminum like their Airstream brethren, but the external panels were painted and the interior components were lighter and less expensive, making lighter travel trailers that would take less fuel to pull. The list prices were also lower than that of Airstreams. Other differences between Airstream and Argosy were the galvanized steel endcaps featured on the Argosy, as well as the Argosy panoramic front windows—the first to appear on an Airstream-produced trailer. The steel endcaps required paint to avoid corrosion and rust. While the Argosy of this shape were no longer made after 1979, Airstream produced a rectangular version of the Argosy from 1986 to 1988. The company also briefly produced a fifth wheel version. The company produced rectangular versions of the Airstream Land Yacht, often referred to as 'squarestreams'. This version of the Airstream, as well as all versions of the Argosy, were not allowed into the Wally Byam Caravan Club for many years. In 1974, Airstream began manufacturing a Class A
motorhome A motorhome (or coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which is as the name suggests, like a home on wheels. Features Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed o ...
, which were also badged as Argosy. They were followed in 1979 by the first examples of the Classic model motorhome, with an unpainted aluminum body much like the trailers. In 1981, Airstream's Commercial Vehicle Division marketed a Class A motorhome as a funeral coach. It was designed to transport family, flowers and the deceased from the funeral home to the cemetery. The aluminum motorhomes were followed by more traditional-looking
fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...
models in the 1990s. Airstream discontinued the manufacture of Class A motorhomes in 2006.


Nest Acquisition

In 2016, Airstream acquired the Oregon-based company, Nest Caravans. Nest trailers were made of molded fiberglass. The Nest was a smaller and lower priced trailer than any in the Airstream line, but at the upper end of prices for its market segment. Airstream moved the company to Ohio and expanded staff for production with Airstream Nest trailers scheduled to be available in early 2018. The Airstream Nest was withdrawn from the market in September 2020. In February 2022, the company unveiled the concept for an all-electric Airstream that can recharge from electric outlets at campgrounds and that has
regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy or potential energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. Typically, regenerativ ...
.


Airstream Distribution in Europe

Airstreams are distributed in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Lowdhams Airstream Direct (Lowdham Leisure World Ltd) with four models made for Europe and specifically tuned for the British market. The International "534", "604", "684" and the new "25" have been created with smaller dimensions to accommodate narrower European roads. The International models are still entirely manufactured at the headquarters in Ohio and shipped over for final fit of market specific items. Airstreams are also popular amongst the European market for takeaway diners and business stands. Airstreams in Europe are distributed by Airstream Germany and Airstream Italy.


Airstreams in U.S. Government


Space Program

Upon their return from the Moon, the crewmen of the missions
Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...
, 12, and 14 were quarantined, until it was deemed that there was little likelihood of them having brought back lunar pathogens. From the crew's collection aboard an aircraft carrier, until their arrival in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Houston, they were housed in the mobile quarantine facility, which was a modified airtight Airstream trailer. Four were built in total and the three that were actually used can be seen on display at various space museums. For decades,
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
has used a fleet of Airstream motorhomes to transport
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...
s to the launch pad. The space shuttle program used a modified 1983 Airstream Excella beginning in 1984 dubbed the Astrovan. On October 21, 2019, Airstream and
Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
announced that a modified Airstream Atlas (which also uses a
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, ...
chassis), will be used to transport Boeing commercial crew astronauts to the launch pad where they would board the CST-100 Starliner on their way to the
International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
.


United States Air Force

The
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
uses a modified version of the Airstream Silver Bullet aboard C-17 aircraft when officials from the Air Force,
Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...
, or the United States Government are traveling overseas. However, in 2019 it was announced that by 2022 it would be replaced by custom Roll-On Conference Capsules that are airworthy for the entirety of the flight, unlike the modified Airstreams. The trailers are strapped down inside military cargo planes and feature leather seats, air conditioning and climate control, wood paneling, porcelain toilet, LED televisions, surround sound, and Blu-ray players.


Airstream Parks

There are more than a dozen Airstream parks throughout the United States. These are RV resorts or campgrounds where owners of Airstream-manufactured units are allowed to buy, rent, or lease a site such as AutoCamp. Some of these facilities welcome non-Airstream products, while others are more strict in their admission.


References


External links

{{Commons category
Airstream Company Website

Airstream Camping
(Vince Patton, Oregon Field Guide)
Airstream Life Magazine, an independent magazine covering the Airstream lifestyle
Caravan and travel trailer manufacturers Companies based in Ohio Shelby County, Ohio Streamliners