Airstream design hasn鈥檛 changed much in the听80 years听since the company was founded. That鈥檚 part of the reason the iconic camping trailers have such a cult following. The simple design and aluminum construction is as much about retro-modern aesthetics as it is functional trailering.
Now Airstream is attempting to put its stamp on a new kind of trailer: its latest model, the ($45,900 and up), is made out of fiberglass. The 16-foot听two-person pod looks nothing like the Airstreams of yore. For starters, its two-tone white and gray exterior is sleek in a more subdued way, a noticeable departure from the aluminum panels that make traditional Airstreams look like shiny silver train cars. It鈥檚 also slightly boxier.
The move to fiberglass isn鈥檛 an entirely new thing for Airstream. Founder Wally Byam played around with fiberglass shells as the 1950s, though they never made it to market. In 2016, Airstream acquired the young Bend, Oregon, company Nest, which had just started prototyping a small fiberglass trailer. In a at the time, Airstream founder Bob Wheeler听said the company had been looking to make a fiberglass trailer for some time, was impressed by the Nest鈥檚 design, and wanted to 鈥渂ring this design to market.鈥澨
According to an Airstream听spokesperson, the appeal of fiberglass is as much about听appearance as it is about performance. Its lighter weight means that the Nest can be towed by a large SUV鈥攏o pickup truck required. But fiberglass is also an opportunity to take Airstream鈥檚 design stamp and cult following into a new market. 鈥淲e saw an opportunity to push the fiberglass trailer industry into good design,鈥 the spokesperson said. In other words: Airstream wants to make fiberglass trailers chic.听
To that end, it turned to auto designer Bryan Thompson, who was the creative mind behind Airstream鈥檚 other small听modern-looking (but still aluminum) trailer, the听($35,900 and up). In what Airstream calls 鈥渉ighly-aesthetic, automotive-like design and styling,鈥 the Nest features a large front windshield (supposedly inspired by ski goggles) and a row of three square side windows听on each size. Shape-wise, the Nest is vaguely reminiscent of an old-school VW bus: square-ish, with rounded corners and a gently sloping front.
Inside, the Nest looks similar to Airstream鈥檚 classic smaller model, the 听($45,900 and up). It has a queen-size听bed,听a counter听with sink and stove,听a full bathroom and shower,听and a closet. Clearly designed for the modern traveler, it听also has听built-in outlets and USB ports听throughout.
As more and more young people opt to buy trailers and vans instead of houses, it makes sense that Airstream would choose this moment to revisit fibgerglass.听Though more expensive than aluminum, it鈥檚 also more durable, less susceptible to denting, and cheaper to maintain鈥攁 gel coating means that scratches buff out easily. In 30 years, when today鈥檚 Nests become collectors items, they鈥檒l still (hopefully) look as good as new.