The Airstream Dream

Last weekend, I went to look at an old Airstream that’s been languishing on a local travel trailer dealer’s lot. To my mind's eye, it was an overlooked gem - I could see such potential when I peeked through the windows. The reality was much different. My first clue should have been the amused smile the salesman gave me when I asked about the Airstream. The second clue probably should have been when he just handed me the key. "You just go take a look at it," he said, with a grin. "We don’t own it - we’re trying to sell it for someone else."

My heart beat a little faster as I approached the only slightly dented aluminum twinkie. I fitted the key into the lock, and when I turned it, the door popped open slightly, as if to invite me inside. I stepped up, and took a serious look at my first used Airstream.

The first thing I noticed were the half-empty boxes of D-Con on the floor. I squared my shoulders and prepared for the worst as I headed to the back of the trailer, to the bathroom. Figured I might as well start at one end and go all the way through.

I really have no idea of the age of this particular trailer, although I suspect it is a 1972, from the photos I've found. Airstream has a reputation for good construction, for being "the best of the best." I suppose at some point in time plastic would have been the wave of the future and the "best of the best." Everything was plastic. All of the trimwork (some of which was detached and laying on the floor); the tambour doors of the cupboards (which, of course, would not open). Even the slightly warped drawers that almost opened when I tugged really hard on them were plastic. The plastic faux-wood grain on the front of the fridge was bowed out of shape from years of exposure to heat and cold. I held my breath and opened the fridge - it was amazingly clean, as was the freezer. The stove, however, was a mess. No wonder the mice had moved in.

Even my expansive imagination couldn’t wrap its comforting arms all the way around this project.

Maybe once I have my major travel trips out of the way, I could consider buying an Airstream in this kind of shape and refurbishing it. You know, as a hobby or something. But until then, I think I’m going to look at an alternative - a Rockwood Mini-Lite 1809S. I was going to post a photo of it here, but you'll just have to Google it. This little beauty costs a fraction of what the Airstream Flying Cloud I’d been lusting over costs, and I wouldn’t have to buy a heavy-duty truck to haul it, either.

Win/win.