[Minnie's Mate]

In these days of Greener being the buzz word and with the President announcing yesterday that GM would begin making lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles and the requirements for higher C.A.F.E. standards looming overhead resulting in less powerful tow vehicles, it is wonderful to see the RV industry, I speak specifically to our mother ship Airstream in this, is willing to take a proactive approach to the future need for lighter towables.

I had the distinct pleasure of touring a fully restored 1955 Wally Byam Holiday two weeks ago at a forums rally in N. Georgia and thought the trailer was an excellent example of Wally's dedication to quality and desire to produce an entry level travel trailer with as many of the comforts that Airstream is/was known for at the time as possible. I commend Airstream for revisiting the past and looking at the same kind of concept again. Having said all of this, I must say that, while the Scout looks a lot like the Wally Byam Holiday, it doesn't really look like an Airstream and any one not familiar with Airstreams and Airstream's rich history in the first place wouldn't have a clue that this was an Airstream product if they saw it in the campsite next to them. I'd love to see this thinking carried over to a "Silver Bullet" trailer, but I don't think there is going to be much of a market for the Scout in this "canned ham" version as there was a very limited production run of the Wally Byam Holiday and, while hundreds more were sold, there was a somewhat limited market for the Argosys of the '70's and 80's. If these techniques could be transferred effectively to the traditionally shaped Airstream, you would be improving on an already classic design that has had a reputation for economic towing (the shape that reduces drag and need for horse power by 30% per Airstream marketing for the last 40 or so years) and would further cement Airstream's status as the most green RV available in the U.S. Also, should Airstream ever wish to get back into the drivable market, a hybrid power plant would be a good place to start.

Kudos for thinking ahead and producing a concept to explore ways a travel trailer can be made lighter using state of the art and readily available products and materials, but unless it looks like a iconic silver bullet, I am afraid it will be like the Base Camp with a too small of a market to justify production.