When entrepreneur and outdoor enthusiast Wally Byam came up with the design for small, lightweight travel trailer, it was primarily a means of getting his wife - who refused to sleep on the ground in a tent – to better enjoy their camping excursions. That travel trailer that he built in the late 1920s to satisfy his wife’s desire to “glamp,” would set the stage for Byam to found Airstream in 1931, giving birth to a new era of comfortable, elegant, and stylish outdoor travel for couples and families all over the world.
Byam’s quest to create comfortable travel likely started in his youth. He was born in 1896 in Baker City, a boomtown along the Oregon Trail. As a kid he spent time working with his grandfather on a sheep farm where he lived in a wooden cart pulled by a mule. He spent his formative years in the outdoors away from the big city, where he developed a lifelong love of exploring wide open spaces. After college, he moved to Los Angeles and went into the magazine publishing business.
Armed with nothing but his degree from Stanford, a deep love of the outdoors and a burning desire to get his wife out on the road with him, Byam built his first trailer in 1929. It was made primarily of plywood and featured a rigid tear drop shaped design set on top of a Model T chassis. They hooked it up to the back of their Dodge and set out to conquer the road. During his travels, Byam noticed a growing interest in trailers and decided to take out an ad in Popular Mechanics to offer building plans for his design for $5 a piece. The plans sold well but there was more demand for building sets to go along with the plans as well as increasing requests for ready built trailers. Seeing a growing interest and business opportunity, Byam began building trailers in his backyard. Orders were steady and he was able to survive the financial crash of ‘29 by building and selling an ever increasing number of trailers.
Byam opened the first Airstream factory in Culver City, Calif. In 1931 and dedicated himself and the company to building lightweight travel trailers that were easy to tow, made of high quality materials and built with outstanding craftsmanship. Byam named his invention the Airstream because he was fond of saying that they rode as smoothly “as a stream of air.” By 1932, he’d sold 1000 units and in 1936 Airstream debuted the Clipper model which for the first time featured a riveted aluminum frame that mimicked the sleek, aerodynamic shape of Pan Am’s then famous China Clipper airplane. Cleverly capitalizing upon the glamor and excitement of the aviation era, the sleek, now iconic “silver bullet” travel trailer design was born. Pricing began at $1200 and boasted room for four to dine and sleep in unparalleled mobile luxury. Soon his factory had a staff of 75 working 18 hours a day to meet the demand for Byam’s “airplane without wings” and units were even sold to Hollywood stars and the President of Mexico.
During World War II, aluminum became hard to come by due to its use in the aircraft industry and Byam closed the original Airstream factory and went to work for airplane manufacturer Curtis Wright. Armed with the latest knowledge in aircraft technology, Byam opened a new factory in downtown Los Angeles in 1947 and started the first of the now famous international Airstream caravans in 1951 with a group caravan tour to Mexico and Central America.
Eager to expand to the East Coast, Byam opened a second factory in Jackson Center, Ohio, in 1952 to continue selling luxurious trailers and building his brand based on a culture of using only high quality materials and workmanship. To this point, Byam was quoted as saying that “Airstreams are handcrafted, not handmade” and that “Conversation is cheap, and Airstream is not.”
The 1950s and 1960s were a heyday for Airstream and saw the first redesign of the trailer in 30 years that included an internal facelift as well as both exterior and as structural changes that further enhanced the recognizable silver bullet shape by adding a foot in length and four inches in width. The company also introduced the first self contained trailer, the International, which no longer required the use of external hook ups, and its smallest self contained trailer, the Bambi, that is still produced today. Other notable models produced during this time were the Land Yacht, Pacer, Caravel, Globe Trotter, Tradewind, Flying Cloud and Overlander.
Byam died in 1962 and Airstream suffered a few setbacks and financial hardships the following decade due to the soaring price of gasoline and the ensuing fuel crisis. The company had fallen into debt of $12 million and was acquired by businessmen Wade Thompson and Peter Orthwein, who later founded Thor Industries, now the world’s largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles. Thompson and Orthwein (whose first two initials of their last names combine to form “Thor”) turned the struggling Airstream around and were able to generate $1 million in profit after only one year at the helm.
Today, Airstream celebrates 93 years of operation and as such, is now the longest-tenured recreational vehicle manufacturer in the world and is admired and collected by thousands of devotees around the globe. Says Gary Akin, Airstream’s Director of the Western Region, “The idea of traveling is core to our brand. Our founder’s vision for Airstream and our current vision for Airstream is that it is to be a tool to go see the country, and see the world.” And see the world, they do. Airstream owners have been caravanning on nearly every continent for decades and because of their solid construction and quality materials, numerous vintage Airstream models are still on the road. “Many people don’t realize that it’s not unusual to see 40- or 50-year-old Airstreams in the service shops at their local dealership. That simply doesn’t happen with other RV brands.”
Founder Byam was often fond of saying, “Don’t just make changes, make improvements,” and the company’s recent designer collabs are a perfect example. “We’re always looking for associations that fit our brand and fit our clientele,” Akin says. “Over the years, we’ve done collaborations with Pendleton, Tommy Bahama, Pottery Barn and REI. Akin admits that the company is at work on future collaborations, but is tight lipped about details. When asked about what the company plans for the future, he points to the newest model. “The new Trade Wind model that we introduced last year has now become our most popular. Electrification is the trend right now – people want to go off the grid,” he says about the model that has the largest battery bank, inverter and solar power in Airstream’s history. And why, after 93 years, is Airstream still so popular? Akin believes it’s the legions of loyal Airstream devotees. “Our customers appreciate the quality, the durability and Airstream’s timeless design that evolves every year.”
Airstream in the IE
Come check out the new electrified Trade Wind model or view the elegant Pottery Barn edition at Airstream Inland Empire. Outdoor enthusiasts and Airstream devotees can shop all the latest new and pre-owned models at the showroom at 27969 Jefferson Ave, Temecula, CA 92592. airstreaminlandempire.com.