What happened to all the vintage trailer people?

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

*****

At a 16, attending High School in 1966, driving a 1956 VW and working evenings and some weekends to pay off the $300, money was tight.

It was a bit embarrassing to ask my date on the weekend to give the VW a push downhill to jump start the VW, while saving up to replace the six volt battery.

I knew my wife was a perfect match, when she climbed under the hood of her pickup truck, checked the oil and added a quart. Sometimes we find the worst of times were the our best of times.

Those of you who dedicate hours and hours restoring or just getting into working order your vintage airstream... you are among friends. The dirt under those finger nails is something to be proud, not embarrassment.

... and, could you give me a push?

Cool post Ray.

[lonewolf1977]

Still here too. At a pause for working on my '57. Putting off bathroom stuff until next year. We can finally use the wig wam now & are attending our first rally at the end of Oct.

[Driftin Di]

We are here busy trying to figure out how to keep things running and fixed but not much in common with new trailers and their TVs and microwave issues. I joined a few vintage clubs and forums for that matter. Check the threads here that occasionally have to do with really vintage like our '58 and some of the new tech we have put on it to make it boon dock ready. Reach out we are here listening and waiting if we can be of help as so many here have been to us!!

[Caroyl]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

As a member of the forum for 8 years now.
The majority of the threads I see are about trailers or camper vans that are less than 10 years old.
Or "whats for dinner"
There are many threads that are just beating things to death. Tires; equalizer hitch; tongue weights; hitch weights; and the list goes on.
Same guys arguing about the same stuff for years.
I spend most of my time trying to find something of interest to read here. Or someone who may need a hand in resolving problems.
I am losing interest fast.

I agree, and the aurguments hey very tedious and annoying. I get the daily forum emails and they rarely contain posts of real interest to vintage owners. I have posted a number of times and get little or no response. I spent my time on Facebook Airstream Addicts where my posts there are met with great interest and my questions get a prompt reply. I’m nearly finished with a total rebuild. I’ve enjoyed the encouraging comments on my work there and am happy to answer questions about the how-to’s of my projects.

[Ultradog]

It's called gentrification.
Just like the old neighborhoods in cities.
Those neighborhoods used to be filled with people who were lower/working/middle class and lead interesting, creative lives. Then the yuppies moved in and then the redevelopers came and the old places got gutted and turned into fancy, upscale places. And the old crowd didnt fit in any more or couldnt afford to live there. New urban myths got formed, HOA boards founded, new rules, new regs implemented and new first world complaints and expectations. And so the place becomes just another bland, urban address.
And the new residents don't actually do anything interesting but they vie with one another to see who can outspend the rest in fashion, cars and the number of gew gaws they own. This place has become gentrified. $150K trailers and $70K tow vehicles with every kind of add on and option. Where god forbid that you actually get dirty fixing something when the dealer is there to do that for you. And all that's left is to complain about the poor work they did as you snidely allude to all the gew gaws you have. Those gew gaws become de rigueur and myths get started and if you don't know about them or dont have them or disagree with them you don't fit in any more than the old crowd would in the newly gentrified old neighborhoods.
The idea that you must have WD is a myth folks. And having the newest television in your trailer - while you're camping for Pete's sake - is goofy and having an array of solar panels to support all that tech so you can boondock longer than anyone and never miss an episode of All in the Family whe whole time you are in the wilderness is ludicrous but increasingly the norm here now.
The hippies are gone folks. They left the old place when they renovated it for the gentry. And they ain't coming back because it's too upscale and too pricey and too bland and too uninteresting for them.
That's all folks.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Once upon a time there were bulletin boards. The internet didn't exist yet and you posted messages on your local BBS. In maybe a week or so, you might get a reply back. That was not very long in people years, but a long time ago technology wise. Mailing lists have been around for a long time as well. I still read a few of those. Been a long time since I shut the BBS down ....

Facebook groups simply didn't exist a decade or two ago. Now they are a fixture for the "need an answer this second" stuff. YouTube has been around for a bit longer. The number of videos on "this is how you do XXXX" is pretty massive. Need to pull the starter off of a specific marine diesel? There's sure to be a video.

So what happens when you hit a forum (not just this one) ? If you are Facebook centric, you just start a thread from your phone. Search / memory / archives, what's that? Just ask and you'll get an answer in a few minutes. If you are YouTube centric, you do a search a couple ways and see what comes up. You drill into a few people's "channels" and up comes the answer. Come on here and ...errr .... search ....channels ... hmmm ....

Time marches on. Technology changes. That impacts how people use resources. It is by no means Air Forums specific. It's happening in a lot of areas. The nature of the discussion is changing. How many people ask "which one (trailer, TV, hitch) should I buy?" in a given day? Yes it is crazy. That's how things work today. The topic could be any of a few thousand on hundreds of forums. They all are flooded with the same sort of repeats. Some try to funnel it to specific areas ("new hitch buyers sub-forum, read the sticky posts first"). Talk to an admin someday about how much work *that* turns out to be .... No good answers.

Lots of fun !!

Bob

[Petsul]

I've learned so much in the short time I've been a member I have always been a hands on guy. I worked professionally in the collision repair trade and stil love working with my hands. Looking forward to the next chapter since it won't be restoring or repairing automobiles but doing woodwork, plumbing, electrical work . Lots of head scratching. Wouldn't have it any other way.

[Air83]

When I purchased my AS 4 years ago I had never been inside an AS. If it was not for the "vintage people" I would have given up. I can step back and say I know were ever pipe, wire and rivet is. I read the forum everyday in hopes to learning more about my AS. (Ray) I'm the girl that checks the oil, changes tires and install an alternator on weekends and has my nails done on Monday. I have now towed this AS over 20,000 miles and hit 3 of the past 4 international rallies. I'm so looking forward to 2018 and heading to OR and into Alaska. I could not have done this without the "good old vintage people". Your help is greatly appreciated. Ginger

[driftwood]

Originally Posted by overlander63

We can always start a thread about what the meaning of "TV" is.

OOOOOOOH ! That is funny '63'

[susangenz]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

This lack of interest has more to do with the... age and experiences of those interested in 'vintage', anything. Airstreams included.

We find our interests towards what we could not afford when young and today can afford, spending time to restore. The younger crowd do not have this interest, nor skills needed to even attempt to restore a trailer, none the less repair the hot water tank in their home.

This is not an ALL, but the majority of people have no interest in camping, trailers or what cannot down loaded onto their phones or computers.

I find that the majority of interests I had in my long gone youth has very little interest today. I collected a long list of things that were popular to me from the age of 10 to 45, that today has NO interest.

Why? Because there is less interest among those who are younger. Automobiles are a great example, but this also extends into vintage trailers, jukeboxes, slot machines, coin collecting, rock & mineral collecting, books... and so on and on.

A 'vintage automobile' can be a 1985 model today.

Since I have always been in business buying and selling various large and small items, today some things you cannot give away that had a high value twenty years ago. Trailers are no exception. Most younger people today cannot change a flat tire and restoring or repairing a trailer exceeds their experiences.

I take to the City Landfill more books each week than some small libraries have on their shelves. Hundreds of technical geological science books that can be downloaded to a computer for FREE, today. , School and university libraries have rooms of computers to do research, and fewer current books on the shelf that are out of date once printed.

Digital, Print on Demand, DVD and in house computers take up less space than books and are much cheaper to update and cater to those who grew up with these 'advances' in technology.

I recall as a seven year old dreaming of owning a pedal car of my own. Today there are piles of them with no one interested here in Boulder City, Nevada. Cap pistols... out with BB guns. The list is long. Our Culture is changing and some of us have noticed.

There are plenty of people that are interested in vintage. Younger people are busy building careers and raising families.
Our kids are almost raised and we have more time and cash to enjoy this pricey hobby. We have found countless posts on the forum that have guided us in learning everything Airstream, it makes renovation of one of these beauties a lot easier.
My husband and I have very much enjoy restoring and camping in our Excella.
We will soon have a 1985 Airstream 345, this is definitely an addiction and we are loving every minute of it.
There's a time for everything, everything changes. That is what makes life interesting.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by susangenz

There are plenty of people that are interested in vintage. Younger people are busy building careers and raising families.
Our kids are almost raised and we have more time and cash to enjoy this pricey hobby. We have found countless posts on the forum that have guided us in learning everything Airstream, it makes renovation of one of these beauties a lot easier.
My husband and I have very much enjoy restoring and camping in our Excella.
We will soon have a 1985 Airstream 345, this is definitely an addiction and we are loving every minute of it.
There's a time for everything, everything changes. That is what makes life interesting.

Hi

If you dig around here and there, a number of "kids" are converting Airstreams into permanent houses. From the look of most of them, they aren't taking them on the road. It's a fixed location forever conversion. Still vintage, and still very much aluminum ....

Bob

[1973Argosy]

My trailer and I are the same age, both circa 1973. Amongst most rv`ers myself and family are young in comparison. When compared to most Airstream owners we are VERY young. Our trailer has been our main mode of family vacations for the last 15 years and will be the vessel the wife and I use to enjoy our golden years.

My trailer didn't cost 100k but I have already gotten well more than 100k of enjoyment and memories from it. So many young families have no clue of the enjoyment an rv can provide because they have never been exposed to camping or traveling with your own private clean lavatory in tow.

When I first purchased our argosy 17 years ago, it was for a lodge at my hunting camp. The more I slept in her over that first year the more I fell in love with her. By the end of year two we upgrading this or repairing that. Since year two we have put 5 to 10000 miles on our trailer per year and have made some great memories and had a lot of fun. Without the trailer I could not have afforded many of the destinations we have visited.

As a fairly young couple we do wish more young folks were into camping. We don't care if someone is camping in unrestored vintage, restored vintage, brand new 100k AS, or sob the point is we need more young people involved in rv camping. Much like hunting and fishing the more young people that are exposed to rv`ing the more we as a group can insure that rv`ing will stay a great American past time for generations to come.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I'm sitting here (in the rain) looking out over the campground. The place is thick with kids. They don't seem to mind the rain at all I'll admit, there are not a lot of Airstream's here. We aren't the only one though. Parks with a lot of kid friendly beaches / play grounds / bike trails / stores / activities seem to attract "young" families ... who wold have guessed that? A lot of the other places we go are not quite as kid centric. The average age changes as a result ....

I've spent a lot of decades looking around campgrounds. I don't think the average age of the typical AS owner has changed a lot in at least the last 40 years or so. I could not have afforded a new one back then (in my 20's). I also was more focused on "hop in it and go camping" than taking on a big project. There simply was no place to do the work on a trailer back then. Living in an apartment / starter home *does* have it's limitations

Bob

[J. Morgan]

FWIW, There were lots of kids in the little 30 space park in Bisbee this weekend.

[70CT]

Hey, we have a 2 yr old and a 1yr old. And a “vintage” and “new” trailer. Airstreams are not only for those with silver hair.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by 70CT

Hey, we have a 2 yr old and a 1yr old. And a “vintage” and “new” trailer. Airstreams are not only for those with silver hair.

Hi

We most certainly have run into a number of other AS addicts with kids in tow. I did not mean to imply it's a "never happens" sort of thing. My only point is that the idea of the AS crowd getting older (on average) probably is not a good assumption.

Bob