New less expensive Airstream

[Glenritas]

I suppose this would be the Weewind & the monster ...

[Fly at Night]

Luxury for the masses - "masstique." (Harvard Business School).

I can't see Airstream pulling this off without dilution and dehancement of the brand, and Airstream has lost its appeal, regardless of the potential customer's age.

[Oxen]

I wonder whether the new trailer will just not have all the features that don't work in the existing trailers. That would save costs.

Jer

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by prudencepb

Hey Paula, Oliver is making a 23 or 24 footer/double axle model now with king or twin configuration.

It's 22 feet. And yes it is a nice LOW MAINTENANCE trailer. When the Avion is done it'll be the "residence" trailer (post retirement - somewhere in the southwest - and the OTHER trailer will be my summer traveler....

But will the OTHER one be Eddie?

Paula

[SSquared]

Originally Posted by bolerama

Maybe Airstream still has the moulds for the Wally Bee. Now that would be something!

Lisa

Even if they don't have the old molds, they could start from scratch. Scamp's factory burned down, destroying all their molds. And they recovered. Their trick was to take existing trailers, strip them down, and cast a new mold based on those parts.

But I don't know if Luke is willing to part with his Wally Bee!

I think there is potential for an Airstream-designed fiberglass egg trailer. Our first trailer was a Scamp. We still have it for weekend mountain getaways. If Scamp or Casita made 25 footer, we would probably have that instead of our 25FB Airstream. A good molded body has a lot more integrity than what Airstream is turning out. Just today I found evidence of a serious leak in my 2013 Airstream, and I don't know where the water is coming from. On the other hand, my 15 year old Scamp? I have had window leaks that were easy to find, but the shell is as good as new.

[Seemore2006]

Check out relic trailers.com now that's cool! Airstream might pull this new idea off if it's really unique. If sales are up why not perfect what they are already selling - I don't think price is an object for existing target so why not improve on that. The example of the Cimmaron is right on - no one wants one if everyone can afford one - 'snob appeal' sells.
My experience with the generation that Airstream is looking to target is that most not only do not like maintenance but they don't even want to go outside!

[Oxen]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

It's 22 feet. And yes it is a nice LOW MAINTENANCE trailer. When the Avion is done it'll be the "residence" trailer (post retirement - somewhere in the southwest - and the OTHER trailer will be my summer traveler....

But will the OTHER one be Eddie?

Paula

The trouble with the Olivers is they are lick hot tubs without water. They are too confining not only in length, but also in width. While sitting there is no room for leg movement. With more than two people at a meal you'd have to sit on the bed to eat. It's like a jail cell. I would be claustrophobic in one.

At least the ASs more closely approximates a home setting in appearance and function.

Jer

[mandolindave]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

I'm 32 and this thread is hilariously entertaining.

You are an exceptional person….in the good way, and in the literal way.

I guess the majority is gonna have a louder voice.

[Piggy Bank]

Yes Bold, you certainly represent a different market segment altogether!

I think that I feel particularly on this topic because we are the last year baby boomers, with millennial children.
We are 51, plan to work 15 or more years, bought a 22 as opposed to something bigger, DID trade in the Honda Pilot for a truck (which my kids 26 and 23 HATE), pay for offsite storage because we can't store at home, and really only liked 1 or 2 other options we saw when looking.

We liked the 23 foot microlite by Forest River as to its size and layout (which is basically the same as a 22 sport, but with a slide and bigger more plastic-y everything. It would have cost around ½ the cost of our AS. Which is still real money.

We also like the IDEA of the teardrops, but at closer look found them intensely confining.

Popups, which I had as a kid, still involve setup and teardown, and are about 10K new now anyway. That's some real money too.

Our financial evaluation was a bit of a choice in the end between a really nice tent setup for $1500 which would still involve cold weather and rain problems. Or a SOB trailer that was real money. Or the AS.

We chose the AS because we understand that total cost of ownership over 10-15 year was probably the same as the SOB. Because the AS would be worth about ½ what we paid in 10-15 years. The SOB, worth nothing.

[55AS]

Originally Posted by Piggy Bank

And then there's this.

I also think that maybe, just maybe, the 30-50s would actually prefer a low headroom unit if that tradeoff meant that the trailer would fit in their garage at home.

Lots of these people live life with HOAs and city parking and would find a unit that didn't need offsite storage a big advantage.

6 foot headroom is still possible if the A/C can be put somewhere other than on the roof. Casita and Whitewater Retro mount them through the wall. Split system units like I put on my Flying Cloud seem like a viable option and are actually cheaper, quieter and use less amps than roof units. If the trailer were designed around this concept the compressor could be mounted on the tongue or rear bumper...

[Piggy Bank]

Oh, also backing and hitching are intimidating. If the weight was low enough, you could back up close then wheel over the trailer to the hitch, like with a pop up.

[SteveH]

A 16' Casita, which has the airconditioner in the closet, will fit in a garage, but a 17' with the unit on top, and 6' standup head room will not. A 16', or 13' does not have 6' standup head room/

[AtomicNo13]

Perhaps they're going the route of a pop up?

[mandolindave]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

Perhaps they're going the route of a pop up?

Wheeler said

"The new trailer won’t come in the traditional aluminum shell, Wheeler said, but will be unmistakably an Airstream when it arrives in the middle of 2016."

[field & stream]

A well-integrated poptop that raised only one foot could achieve the goals of unmistakably looking like an Airstream, fitting in an 8' garage, and standing room for people 6' and taller. (From a 6'2" former VW poptop owner.)

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

Wheeler said

"The new trailer won’t come in the traditional aluminum shell, Wheeler said, but will be unmistakably an Airstream when it arrives in the middle of 2016."

Based on Wheeler's statement, I would guess it's going to be an aluminum colored fiberglass trailer. Totally feasible.

[jonnyo]

i m 37 right now, in the middle of having kids (2 so far) and big house renovation, busy working life and love to travel and adventure with the wife and kids.

The airstream is beautifull but it s out of price range in our situation. Yes, i could afford it when retiring but right now... it dosnt fit the reality of younger couples with kids.

the only option was the used market and i m not with a Argosy....redoing it to adapt to family needs.

If airstream had a sporty model that was in the 20-30 000$ range, that would definitely be very interesting. But i do hope the new model will still ''look'' like a airstream! And it would be nice if they come out with a more 4 season friendly model!!!

[BoldAdventure]

Buying new just doesn't make sense to me. Especially when considering the price point. At times I think I'm unusual in that I am debt free and financially stable at my age with a large savings and investments. We could buy an Airstream new, it just doesn't make sense to me. Consider the thing is going to depreciate 30% within the first 2 years.

While we are full-timing, I am not sure for how long. I think we'll keep our unit, but it seems like a 90K ++ trailer is better suited for a retiree' than it is a young couple with kids.

But since I have been in the west, I have seen more people in our age group with 5th wheels and travel trailers. And I follow close to 160 other couples with Airstreams on Instagram who are in our age range. 30-40. But most of them all bought late model used.

Getting a product into the price range of some of the other travel trailers, and I'd say into car price range is probably a good idea.

I don't think I'd want 2 kids in a 16ft bambi when I could get a 27ft TT for the same price. No matter how fancy the Airstream is.

The need to appeal. A good chunk of that is price, another part is lifestyle.

Lastly on the ease comments, what's difficult about hooking up a two hoses and a power cord?

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

Lastly on the ease comments, what's difficult about hooking up a two hoses and a power cord?

Nothing is difficult about hooking up the hoses and power cord, unless you are old, have arthritis, a bad back, and can't bend over very far. And then there is the hitching up, for us old guys, sometimes that is difficult.

So, some of us decide to switch to a motorhome.

Enjoy your youth while you have it.

[Ray Eklund]

A lot of interesting information for Airstream to harvest from this thread!

I spend most of my time within my current trailer sitting or laying down. Being six feet tall and 6 foot 4 inches wearing my "western hat"... the interior height is not that critical.

Airstream needs to define the purpose of this drawing on engineering paper. Major car manufacturers came out with some real dogs of autos in the 1960's and 1970's for cheaper options. Corvair. Vega. Gremlin. Yugo. Geo. Scamp. Rust buckets and the Corvair... a vacuum cleaner with wiper blades.

Some of these Airstream engineers and promoters need to get out and talk to people at RV Parks and Campgrounds Off the Grid. Having a booth set up at a RV and Boat Show... is like asking if gambling is a smart option to those leaning against a Craps Table in Las Vegas. The information will be far from reality.

Had a reliable, well priced Off the Grid set up trailer in the 16 to 20 foot range been available to me in 2006... I probably would be pestering others on a different Forum. Most in 2006 looked my mother's house furniture and curtains.

The depreciated value of a new Airstream after three years would easily buy a NEW other brand for my kind of camping. Most trailers sit for 10 months and get 60 days use a year. A smaller trailer will fit into a garage at home... although a three car garage today is someone's imagination unless you drive a riding lawn mower to work.

The interior should be for sitting and sleeping. A shower set up with a outside shower tent. The cooking done on a flip out. Sink on a flip out. Think "tent camping" going to a small trailer. A radio with an antenna that actually is adequate for AM in the remote areas. Small solar panel. Two small propane tanks for a grill and small furnace. Minimal fresh water tank as the tow vehicle can carry six gallons. Toilet... flip out tent with a "groover" for the bashful... or a shovel in the forest. Mini fridge for cooling... like my wife's SUV. You are not going to have a 40 gallon black water tank...

Tent campers are the future trailer buyers as they save some money for outdoor recreation.

There are so few potential customers in the under 35 or even 40 year olds, who find camping a terrible option to a hotel room. They want large mirrors, indoor flushing toilets, Air Conditioning, television, internet... and now you have a 18 foot drawing stretched out to 32 feet and counting. The "trailer" population has peaked and only downward is the direction left... and smaller... and cheaper less profitable trailers to a smaller market of buyers.

Go to Alaska and ask an Alaskan what they would want in a minimal equipped travel trailer. Probably make me out as living an opulent lifestyle sleeping in the back of a 1967 Bronco.

To include all of the necessary wants of most trailer owners... you hit a base price that is hard to break through to attract smaller budgets. Airstream had better know their "target market customer" before they find themselves selling them at a Flea Market.