WBCCI Doesn't want New Members ?

[m.hony]

I do like rallies in campgrounds with full hookups.
Parking in a field with minimal or no hookups is not my cup of tea.
I use my Airstream trailer for a combination of my own personal travel, some WBCCI rallies, and many non-WBCCI rallies- with full hookups-
I actually use my travel trailer to travel.


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[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

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...
It is sad to find that an Airstream Owner finds their trailer of value only to camp in a field near town and consider this a 'wise use of their money'.

I think this is the challenge with any club. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but there's just no way you can speak for every Airstreamer. No one can.

[Ray Eklund]

You are all correct. My opinion should have been a separate Thread. It was foolish of me to think otherwise.

[xrvr]

You did it again.

[Jim Flower]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

We need a like button. 👍🏻

I agree.

"share your sentiments. We are in agreement.
I promise not to be found at a WBCCI Event so you can attend. You are welcome to camp with me in the other 90% of open space at any time. No special hat, flag, sticker, number or membership required."


👍

Jim


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[SteveSueMac]

Sadly - this thread is really what's wrong with us these days. Since when does it have to be an either/or? If you call "that" camping, you're somehow less. Oh no, if you call "that" camping, you're somehow less. All sounds terribly Seussian....

Camp for God's sake. Go alone, go with groups, go with WBCCI, go without them, camp in a Walmart parking lot, camp on BLM lands, camp in your backyard, camp in a National Park....just camp - do it whenever and wherever you can in whatever formats work for you and be happy for others who are doing it their way.

Have we been so brainwashed by current political strategies (generic of course - I'm not referring to any particular country or any particular pair of candidates) that we can only see one way as "the" way?

Depressing as hell. I gotta get out of this thread and go camping 😀

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

All sounds terribly Seussian....

Well, I suppose Seussian is better than Freudian or Jungian or Nietzschean.

[Arcticfox]

Thanks for a post with a little sanity SteveSueMac!


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[dwightdi]

Original Airstreams, designed by Mr. Byam, were travel trailers, not camping trailers. Later models were offered that did not have 12 volt systems, for those who preferred to camp in places with ac electricity. Wally built his legend and company on selling the dream of travel to distant interesting places, but maintaining some of the comforts of home. They were much better than tents.

WBCCI is principally a caravan club that has local units who do what they want. Some advertise themselves as camping units. Our NIU group prefer to hold our April and October rallies at a County fair campground because of the availability of good heated building to hold our events in the cold weather that frequently occurs in our area during those months.

WBCCI has a central staff of 4 people who's living depends on holding these jobs. The salaries, benefits and social security payments uses up the majority of the money the club takes in for dues. The quarterly financial statement, showing what comes in and how it is spend, is available from the jackson Center HQ upon request.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

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Sawdust cabinets covered with colored formica

Hi, I have previously challenged forum members to prove to me that their trailer has press board or particle board cabinets. People said that the cheap Safari's were made out of particle board and I have informed them that all of the cabinets in my Safari are indeed made out of plywood. And I had pictures to prove it. There is no use of particle board anywhere in my trailer. No-one to this date has shown proof of particle board cabinets in their's or anyone elses trailers.

Now I challenge you to show proof of "Sawdust cabinets with colored Formica."

[rdepas]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

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Most Airstreams... maybe consider it ALL Airstreams are not currently built to even hold together on paved roads. Airstream promotes the original purposes of Airstreams of the past, but builds them for parking lots and open fields for the 'social trailer owners'. It is the quality of Airstream that has been diminished, not their uses. So lets not go there. For the cost, the quality is lacking.

Good point Ray. My '79 Ambassador had the cheap cabinets you speak of and I was told by vintage members years ago that was because Airstream cheapened and lightened up on the cabinets to save weight during the gas crisis of the late '70's and early '80's.

Now I have a 2014 Classic and on my second trip I have screws pulling out of cabinets and just changed out all the interior lights to LED. Also looking at changing out the charging unit so I don't fry my batteries when I leave it plugged in for long periods of time in storage.

It used to be that Airstream cost a premium because they were offering amenities in trailers that no one else was and the quality control was excellent. Now there is a ton of warranty work that Jackson Center is doing and they are just worried about pumping out trailers to go over seas. Let the owners pay top dollar and then upgrade parts to make it what they want.

I like my 2014 27FB but sure am glad I bought it second hand and didn't pay full price because it sure isn't worth the $98k list price! After tearing apart my ;79 multiple times fixing things and then looking at the inner workings of the 2014, the craftsmanship if much lower on the new units and the overall engineering is nil so I don't know whey they are still charging a premium except that people keep paying it. I didn't even consider buying new because there was no way I was going to pay that kind of premium.

Sorry - this is off topic for the original post but I had to say it.

[Bill M.]

I worked in the forest products industry so I know the products. My 2 1988 Excelled have OSB floors and particle board under Formica tables and tops. The cabinet walls have a vinyl overlay. Both trailers are still in good condition after continuous use all these years but I have repaired the on table in both and replaced one will under the window.

[airdreamers]

I am sure Wally is rolling somewhere. To think we have time to discuss the the dos and don'ts of enjoying our Airstreams seems to me pretty petty. The open road is what you make of it! By yourself if you choose or with friends with the same interest. The same interest is "Airstream" for sure. I love talking about Airstream to/and with anyone who will listen. Not fair game to make statements that are negative in nature on a forum that attracts Airstream loving people. For those who wish to be alone, be alone. For most of us we all enjoy all of it with and without this negativity.

[Rich Jenkins]

Originally Posted by airdreamers

I am sure Wally is rolling somewhere. To think we have time to discuss the the dos and don'ts of enjoying our Airstreams seems to me pretty petty. The open road is what you make of it! By yourself if you choose or with friends with the same interest. The same interest is "Airstream" for sure. I love talking about Airstream to/and with anyone who will listen. Not fair game to make statements that are negative in nature on a forum that attracts Airstream loving people. For those who wish to be alone, be alone. For most of us we all enjoy all of it with and without this negativity.

Well said.

[SeeMore]

...I don't know whey they are still charging a premium except that people keep paying it...

Well that is the essence of capitalism isn't it!

[lsbrodsky]

Actually, I like the idea that the Units should get more money, although I do not know what my Unit could do with it. I suppose, we could eliminate rally fees. I see that some of my Unit members participate in the International stuff, many more have been on Caravans. But it strikes me that the Caravans are supported by the leader and the fees paid by the participants, not the International office. Well, I pay my fees so that I can support Airstreaming and join in my Unit activities. Here is hoping this post is not deleted....
Larry

[Bill M.]

Why would your post be deleted?

Yes, the participants pay the fees on the caravans. Yes, the leaders donate their time so they support the caravan. I think each caravan pays a small fee to WBCCI for the caravan insurance.

But it all would not happen without the International office and the WBCCI. WBCCI provides the central organization for the leaders and to train the leaders and to keep the long running caravans going. WBCCI makes it possible for the leaders and the volunteers on the caravan to have some liability insurance. Who would lead a caravan if they thought they were going to get stiffed for a financial problem or sued for who know what with no backup? What caravaner is going to mail a $5,000 kitty fee check to a stranger that is not affiliated with a solid organization.

WBCCI is a corporation. A non profit corporation. Its incorporation defines how it is run. It takes a full time staff to operate it and to comply with all the tax regulations. The magazine and stuff like that is just extra.

Join or don't join. It is definitely a better deal if you can go on the caravans. But our local unit has many members who have never caravanned and they still get something out of the club. But if sending $60 or so bucks a year to WBCCI corporate to keep the organization going and some of which helps organize caravans bothers you just don't join. Sorta like don't buy at Cabelas or eat at Longhorn if you don't want to.

I personally like WBCCI just fine the way it is. Our local unit does not seem to need more money. And it is probably more nearly fair for the rally participants of each rally to pay the cost than having the whole membership pay for the people who attend.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I have previously challenged forum members to prove to me that their trailer has press board or particle board cabinets. People said that the cheap Safari's were made out of particle board and I have informed them that all of the cabinets in my Safari are indeed made out of plywood. And I had pictures to prove it. There is no use of particle board anywhere in my trailer. No-one to this date has shown proof of particle board cabinets in their's or anyone elses trailers.

Now I challenge you to show proof of "Sawdust cabinets with colored Formica."

I am certainly not an expert on all details of all years of Airstreams, but I have never seen one with particle board cabinets. As far as I know, the vinyl applique on the cabinet walls was applied over plywood. Not stating that there never were particle board cabinets in an Airstream, just that I don't have evidence of it.

The floor, however, was made with OSB from about 1984 to 1993, give or take a year on each end (our 1994 had plywood floors, though). I have seen this with my own eyes on several trailers and have owned one such Airstream, a 1985 model. At the time, they touted this as an improvement, because the entire floor was one sheet of OSB that ran the full length of the trailer did not have the seams every 4 feet that eventually would show through floor tiles or sheet vinyl flooring.

I have heard that in the early 2000's some Safari's and/or International CCDs in the shorter lengths may have used OSB flooring but I have not personally seen it and I do not know precisely which years and which models. If some of the larger and more expensive models continued to used plywood in the early 2000's, I would guess that the OSB was probably made from 4'x8' sheets during that period . . . again just a guess without proof.

[AWCHIEF]

I am halfway thru a two month road trip. Almost 800 miles so far. I have camped alone in the woods, commercial campgrounds, state parks, national parks (some with minimal hookups and several dry camping along the Blue Ridge Parkway), I have been flooded out of a river side mom and pop campground in West Virginia, spent a night in a Lowe's parking lot, a couple of nights in an unfinished campground courtesy of the Local Chamber of Commerce and finally made it to the largest gathering of Airstreams in many years. For the last couple of weeks I have been in the company of fellow SECU members. We have shared the joy of camping as Wally intended and intense personal sorrow for the our West Virginia host. It has been a journey of many first and I think Wally would approve.

[xrvr]

Good post.