Our Wish List for Airstream Jefferson Center

[Halford1]

a good long list for Jefferson Starship Center!

Keep the list long... Santa Clause has longer list...

[Native143]

Originally Posted by Darby Mc

With front placed beds, please put the wall mounted reading lights on the other side. This would put the head of the bed on the curb side, and facing the outside door. Viewing the television from bed would now be possible. Plus it creeps me out not to be able to see the outside door from the current reading light placement, behind the wardrobe closet. Convenience and safety factors are my concern.

I sleep with my head on the curb side and just use some pillows if I'm going to read in bed on the other side. Sleep and watch TV from the curb side. You can sleep either way.

[Native143]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

Do any of the upper management people at Airstream actually use an Airstream? If not, why not? Maybe an "Undercover Boss" type of arrangement would be helpful. Slip an order in for a trailer, so that the line people don't know where it really is going, and then give it to one of the management people to use for a week or two. When the trailer comes back, give it to someone else, and so on. I suspect that there would soon be some positive changes in the works.

Yes they do own and use their Airstreams, albeit a few older ones.

[Native143]

[QUOTE=Halford1;2277296]What is your wish for your Airstream camper? 45 footer? Slideout? etc. etc.

Why do you need a 45' trailer? Or slideout? The design of the sleek Airstream is its appeal. :-)

[LakeState]

Soon airstream will be an "SOB".

[OriginalMrT]

Originally Posted by Caffeinated

Lose the “use/store” switch, and replace it with a actual battery on/off switch. I know, the feds/propane detector etc, but really.
Mike

^ x2

[LiamG]

1) more exterior lighting would be nice for evenings. But we’ve added some with Christmas lights on the awning we put up when camped for long periods.

2) a hard sliding door (like the one used for the bathroom) to separate the bedroom from the living space.

[Wayne&Sam]

Jackson. Not Jefferson.

[Cobalt]

Originally Posted by skyguyscott

My wishes for AS are, I believe, rather modest:

1) Implement lean controls to increase the quality of the fit and finish of your trailers. Do you really want customers discovering incomplete or improper assembly, cables misrouted, loose screws, construction debris strewn about, poor caulking, etc.? Let's clean up the trailers and do it right, do it once, the first time.

2) Let's improve the product itself -- let's engineer the trailer to work in the environment for which it is intended. No more placing ammonia evaporation refrigerators in the BaseCamp in direct sunlight without adequate ventilation such that they don't work. We really should not have to point this out. No more designing trailers with suicide doors, or doors that impinge on open windows or awning arms. Let's make sure when we introduce new products like (nest) that they are not an embarrassment to the brand. Test products to failure, then fix the problems discovered. Design-Build-Test. Let's design intelligently, not lazily, or not doing it at all. Think.

3) How about putting in a sub-floor that will not rot? Other trailers have aluminum flooring. There is also a remarkable composite material called Coosa Board that is just as strong and easy to work with as plywood, but is water proof, critter proof, mold resistant, and 30% lighter than plywood! WOW! The added cost of the material is a fraction of the total cost of the trailer but would last for decades, if not longer.

4) Change the mindset of Thor from milking the Airstream brand for as much profit as possible, and focus instead on making the best TT on the market (while still making a handsome profit) and reap the rewards. In other words, be more like Apple in this regard.

If Airstream does this, it would set the standard in the domestic RV industry, become the quality leader in the market, burnish it's brand reputation, be more responsive to customer needs, innovate next generation technologies that are both useful and effective and set the company on the path to even greater success.

Good Start. I’m afraid the “Make No Changes, Only Improvements... Wally Bynum,” mantra w8ll be recognized as am excuse and not a mission statement. Some really great work being done, but not listening to customers doesn’t make them come back or increase.

[Overstreet]

I'd like to see in the Classic

1. installed surge guard equipment.
a. one that protects surges Ie 4200 jules
b. one that protects from low or high voltage
c. one that analyses for grounds, and neutral power before turning on power to the trailer.
d. one that gives me a digital read out.
e. similar to my plug in Southwire 34951.
2 . I'd like to see the electrical system prevent the two air conditioners from starting up at the same time. That would make operating a 50amp trailer easier on 30 amps service.


I suspect the surge guard would take care of a lot of the people's converter, and inverter problems burn out problems. The AC problem would make those 30A days more easier to live with in a Florida summer.

My buddy has the installed surge guard and delayed AC start in his motor home.

[MattB]

Good question. I am always a little wary of the "make a perfect trailer" sentiment, although I am entirely sympathetic to the idea. The problem is that I think it likely that too many of those wishing for a perfect trailer are not the ones that will be buying new trailers from Airstream, and thus Airstream is not as inclined to pursue this idea whole-heartedly. Although it is high time for a more durable subfloor.

Probably the best approach is to adopt a mentality of being a clear, distinguished step above the white box crowd, and keep it built to travel, not a living space for in the mode of a fifth wheel or large coach.

A few that come to mind:

- I second the idea of the surge protector, especially with all the more advanced electronics going into the trailers. Shout this from the rafters, it's kind of like the rear-view cameras.

- Replace fiberglass showers with something steel or aluminum and glass. It looks like someone snuck a white box trailer into my Airstream. After my backsplash, this is the next upgrade to my 2012.

- Get rid of the hanging tanks under the belly, and find a way to make it fit without hanging down in the back. It creates a condition likely to receive road hazard damage, and would be tremendously better to have the weight associated with the tanks better balanced over the axles.

- I would love to see a resident ability to retrofit late model trailers with factory parts. I can understand that older trailers would be nearly impossible to do this with, but since the measurements have standardized, it should be fairly easy to be able to order a different couch, cabinet, or dinette that already exists in a different floorplan option for your model trailer and have a dealer install. Nothing against the Ultimate Airstream guys, but they are a little spendy, and geographically limited.

- Seek more advanced appliances. This does not mean high end, although they may be a little more expensive, but look for more durable refrigerators with AC/DC options like the Snomaster, and more reasonably sized and convenient on-demand water heaters, etc. Incidentally, both of these options can significantly reduce or eliminate big holes cut in the side of your lovely aluminum trailer. Perfectly in line with the philosophy of improvements, not changes.

- Design in drain points in likely leak areas such as windows, storage areas, etc to channel the water away from areas susceptible to damage. This is not exactly a new idea or difficult, as it is present in my 1950 Spartan, but gosh, it seemed to help that trailer 69 years on. My observation is that every trailer leaks, full stop, from any manufacturer, if not from the factory, very very soon thereafter.

Cheers!

[L.D.Clara]

How about a quieter water pump?
For the money I spent on this trailer it should sound like an angel sighing, not a zeppelin landing on the roof [emoji39]