In 1929, a man by the name of Wally Byam purchased a Model T Ford chassis,built a platform on it, towed it with his car to a campsite, and painstakingly erected a tent on it.
Building the tent was tiresome and unpleasant, especially when it rained, so Wally built a permanent shelter on the platform, that enclosed a small ice chest andkerosene stove. Byam’s first wife, Marion, refused to go camping without a kitchen!
Byam then published an article that ran under the headline, “How to Build a Trailer for One Hundred Dollars.” Readers wrote Wally for more detailed instruction plans, which he sold at a cost of one dollar each.
The response was extraordinary, earning him more than $15,000. After building several trailers for friends in his backyard, the neighbors had had enough of the noise, so Byam rented a building.
Airstream Trailer Company went into full production in 1932, when fewer than 48 trailer manufacturers were registered for business. Five years later, nearly 400 companies squared off against each other.
Today Airstream continues to build quality trailers. There are several innovations in the RV industry that Airstream is credited with. Airstream was the first to have holding tanks, the first to have a pressurized water system and the first to have a completely self contained travel trailer.
We have several Airstreams on the Explore USA lots. The length of our Airstreams range anywhere from 16′ to 31′, so we have several to see.
Come out and see for yourself!
