Home > Features | Subscription | Contact Us

The Airstream Classic 30W Travel Trailer (33-1)  By Garth Cane

Airstream has been known for many years as a trailer that can travel the world in all conditions, without sacrificing any of the comforts of home. Wally Byam, a publisher of do-it-yourself magazines, sold blueprints for travel trailers with a dropped floor and raised ceiling. He began building improved versions in his back yard, and went on to form the Airstream Trailer Company in 1931. Experience gained while working in the Curtis-Wright aircraft factory during the Second World War exposed Byan new methods of construction with aluminum, including some techniques, which are still used today at the Airstream factory in Jackson Center. They stand the test of time, as more than 60 percent of all Airstreams manufactured are still on the road today. It was Byam who is widely credited for developing the concept of caravan travel. He organized and led large groups of Airstream owners on trips throughout the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, Canada, Europe, Africa and China. As long as there were roads, no corner of the planet was out of Byam's reach. Today, Airstream owners in the Wally Byam Caravan Club maintain the tradition of boldly going where others don't. The Airstream monocoque body shell is riveted together with no separate frame. Spacers are then added to support the insulation and the attachment of interior walls and ceiling. The underbelly of the trailer has two-and-one-half inches of insulation to help prevent holding tanks from freezing, while ducted hot air from the furnace gives greater protection from the elements. ... (Read full article in the magazine.)