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66Overlander · 01-24-2016, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Personally I believe any new non-aluminum trailer will be built off site by a third party. Possibly a current rebranded Thor product.

This article quotes Bob Wheeler as stating that in addition to needing 50 more people for their current opetations, Airstream will be hiring an additional 100 people to build two new products to be coming online in the later part of 2016:
http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/ne...e150-next.html

timhortons · 01-25-2016, 11:53 PM

Just make a 17'ft fiberglass Scamp/Catista with nice modern interior, and clean paint job/treatment and it will sell in my opinion.

'55 Airlight · 01-26-2016, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timhortons

Just make a 17'ft fiberglass Scamp/Catista with nice modern interior, and clean paint job/treatment and it will sell in my opinion.

What makes it an Airstream? In travel trailers, have mostly owned riveted aluminum airframe trailers -- an Airstream, couple of Spartans -- and presently own an Airlight, uniquely with her door in the delightful rear entry position. I've long admired fiberglass trailers, the double-hull Oliver, especially, the Compact Jr because of the rear entry, and the fifth-wheel Casitas. But any fiberglass trailer that had its two halves joined along the belt line rather than longitudinally.

As to the question, what makes it an Airstream? All y'all are gonna have to answer that for yourselves. Badging, I guess.

For less than a grand, you can have a real nice car wrap applied to a trailer. Could be rivets and gussets and even eyebrows over the windows. How about a whale-tail, Holmes?

Or, these ideas by BryanThompsonDesign.com

Michael

SeeMore · 01-26-2016, 11:48 PM

Maybe they are taking a lead from this English firm who used some Airstream interior concepts.

'55 Airlight · 01-27-2016, 07:35 AM

[QUOTE='55 Airlight;1741143]What makes it an Airstream?

...Or, these ideas by BryanThompsonDesign.com

<<In 2002, I wrote to the president of Airstream expressing an interest in doing a joint project with the trailer manufacturer and my then employer, Nissan. That letter sat unanswered in a desk for three years, until Dicky Riegel the new president, found it in an empty desk and called me out of curiosity. At that point, the wheels began to turn, so to speak, and we collaborated on several projects. The BaseCamp trailer and Nissan Actic Interior evolved out of that phone call, and to this day, much of my design work is for Airstream.>>

Denis4x4 · 01-27-2016, 09:03 AM

I owned a t@b when it was under Thor ownership. Great European design features and very high quality construction. Some parts were hard to get as they were made in Germany. I dropped the air pressure in the tires to 12 psi and was able to put it in the garage. They introduced a larger version with a wet shower that was discontinued. Never figured out why they sold the brand.

field & stream · 01-27-2016, 11:35 AM

'55 Airlight : Thanks for the tip on http://www.bryanthompsondesign.com/.

I'd bet that the styling ideas for this new Airstream are in there somewhere -- click on Airstream on the home page for an eyeful!

**Rocinante** · 01-27-2016, 03:41 PM

Similar story for CC Deam when he wanted to do Airstream interiors for them. They turned him down flat. Thank goodness he persisted!

xrvr · 01-27-2016, 05:22 PM

I think he did work with them. Called a CCD.

Jim & Susan · 01-27-2016, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Similar story for CC Deam when he wanted to do Airstream interiors for them. They turned him down flat. Thank goodness he persisted!

Isn't he the guy that had his one of kind CCD stolen a few years back? He posted the story here of the rig here and asked us all to watch out for it. It had an unusual window design or something that would make it stand out.

Wonder if he got any leads on it......

Jim

Jim & Susan · 01-27-2016, 07:37 PM

Yup, here's the story.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f48/...mbi-13867.html

Bummer.

Jim

xrvr · 01-28-2016, 05:26 AM

TheCCDs were unique. Would be nice to own one again.

**Rocinante** · 01-28-2016, 11:42 AM

Maybe we're confused, but we're pretty sure every International is a CCD design. Signature, Serenity, Sterling, etc. All designed by him and his team. That's why we said, "Thank goodness he was persistent!"

If the only choices had been FC, Classic and Land Yacht, we probably would have moved on to another solution. EB was a possibility of course, but the interior living space felt too utilitarian for us. (Pendleton edition looks. Awesome, btw, even though it's not a CCD).

Lastly, despite our love for the exterior of our silver bullet, we didn't quite want to buy our parents' Airstream. The International line was exactly what we wanted - a more modern, up to date interior was key for us.

BoldAdventure · 01-28-2016, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Maybe we're confused, but we're pretty sure every International is a CCD design. Signature, Serenity, Sterling, etc. All designed by him and his team. That's why we said, "Thank goodness he was persistent!"

If the only choices had been FC, Classic and Land Yacht, we probably would have moved on to another solution. EB was a possibility of course, but the interior living space felt too utilitarian for us. (Pendleton edition looks. Awesome, btw, even though it's not a CCD).

Lastly, despite our love for the exterior of our silver bullet, we didn't quite want to buy our parents' Airstream. The International line was exactly what we wanted - a more modern, up to date interior was key for us.

That's been my understanding as well. Ours is stamped with the CCD logo/decal at the front of the Airstream.

I believe for awhile though they were advertised as CCD and now I think they have dropped that portion from the official named title of each unit.

The CCD design lead to the additional units and was a stylistic treatment. But a lot of those elements are being carried over now which may be why the distinction has been dropped. Classic's now feature exposed aluminum walls for example.

As much as I love the modern design, when I saw the new Pendleton edition I wanted one. Things are beautiful and rustic. Love it.

I wouldn't mind seeing an update to the CCD style in Airstreams. It's been 10 yrs with very minimal layout changes, and I think it's been long enough to know what does and doesn't work. I can think of tweaks to the layout that would work better.

DoublTrouble · 01-28-2016, 12:29 PM

I'm with you Roc, if not for Int Sig CCD, I would have saved 40K. I had huge new 5er picked out. My wife fell in love with CCD interior. I like it too.

rmkrum · 01-28-2016, 04:45 PM

We really like our 75th anniversary International CCD 22 footer. Interior is really nice and it ties in really well. The desk work area in the back is unique to the 2007. Last year for a desk area.

Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

Vaughn Hobbs · 01-28-2016, 10:25 PM

I just read these five posts and they are interesting but What do any of these posts have to do with a new less expensive Airstream?

**Rocinante** · 01-29-2016, 01:49 AM

Cheese it, the topic police!

Foiled Again · 01-29-2016, 03:06 AM

The topic must drift - until AIRSTREAM brings out the much anticipated model - we're all just speculating. It is like Seinfield, a show about nothing... we're interested... but clueless.

It's kinda like "the best pizza in town" People can come to blows about it but it's largely a matter of individual taste and early conditioning.

The new Pendleton leaves me "meh" which doesn't mean there aren't other people who totally adore it. I'm glad Airstream makes more than one model of interior. (I'm thinking THAT has waked up the "gold plaid" interior makers to a new reality. I'm also sure there are STILL a few people who think wagon wheel chandeliers are all that and a bag of chips.

Here's a bit more drift - apropos of nothing - I bought REAL latex foam to make replacement cushions for the Avion's dinette. Measured and cut the new fabric, sewed it ALL and put ONE cover on - then sat on it. And realized that the ORIGINAL cushions with 30 year old filler still felt more comfortable. ONLY then (DUH on me) did I unzip the cover on the old cushion (I'd avoided doing so because I didn't want to get a boatload of disintegrating stuffing all over the interior of the trailer. It's too darn cold to sew on the picnic table!) AND guess what? The old cushions are filled with multiple layers of poly fiber fill sandwiched between non woven interfacing fabric (Pellon is one brand name for the interfacing). The stuff looks like it is brand spanking new, doesn't seem to have lost any of it's loft, and it doesn't even smell like cigarettes or ancient farts or anything. I am going to re-use the old cushioning material. Sometimes "NEW" isn't really better and this time "Free Re-use" was the right path. I have a fellow full-timer friend whose husband is in the military. She's been begging me to teach her to sew and help her redo her dinette cushions which are truly awful - the fabric will fly in her SOB on Saturday!

Back on topic - sort of...
Most dinettes don't make really comfortable beds - and many aren't all that darn comfortable as dinettes either... ditto for gauchos or ANY sofa bed... bad sofa, bad bed.

It's a problem that I'm rather indifferent to since I rarely have overnight company in the trailer. For those who have larger families converting dinettes to beds and vice versa is a pain in the neck. Worse it has to be done before most meal prep can be accomplished because the table IS your kitchen work surface in most trailers. And don't get me started on the sofa. Oh, and just where do you store the bedding when you're in daytime mode?
Why doesn't someone start a thread on "quick easy comfortable bed conversions" and post some brilliant ideas for that? For instance there used to be a company called "Travasack" or something similar - they made what in essence was a sleeping bag with sheets that could be buttoned or snapped in, and removed for easy laundering. During the day it could be rolled up and stuffed under the sofa.

Foiled Again · 01-29-2016, 03:29 AM

Last insomniac thought

- If you ever redo slipcovers or upholstery

SAVE THE ZIPPERS and reuse them. (I didn't do this myself - But now I have them for neighbor's job... and as a military family they are on a BUDGET!)

If the fabric on the zipper itself hasn't rotted those zippers won't have been used since the cushion was stuffed inside the fabric. They are like new, and a long heavy duty upholstery zipper can cost $10. Upholstery shops actually carry endless rolls of zipper and sell it by the foot, putting on the operator and stop clips at either end when they are cut and sold. Your OLD zippers are already the right size.

Paula