When it comes to pictures of travelers, there are few shapes more distinctive than that of the Airstream trailers. Talking about which, I recently came across a neat collection of images from the 1970s where they star in large numbers. So why not a short gallery with Airstreams as the main act? From small caravans to parks stuffed with them?
So here is a small collection of such images, providing a nice way to gaze at the phenomenon and culture. And well, check out the variety of machinery doing the hauling back in the day.
US had a wealthier market for these, and there was nowhere near, the massive cult following here. From my distant childhood memories on Central Canadian highways, these were almost exclusively owned by wealthy retirees. Folks already over sixty-five, in the mid-’70’s. And they were pretty rare then. I used to spot one regularly, pulled by a Chrysler Town and Country wagon. Impressive to see, at the time.
Wealthy retirees are definately what I associate with these as well. I grew up in BC’s Okanagan Valley, and every fall a large group of these would appear on thier way to Arizona or wherever. Most were older farmers from Alberta or Saskatchewan escaping the oncoming winter.
The picture with the Olds wagon is the way I recall these, always seemed to be an Olds or a Chrysler hauling them. These days of course its the largest diesel pickup available. I’ve even seen old class 8 (Think Kenworth) tractors hauling them!
Its a lifestyle for some folks, but not for me! I’ll take a tent, a canoe and my pickup thanks.
The pics were fun.
I do recall, they’d often had their grandchildren with them. Backs seats always had kids, even if the front seats were occupied by retired couples. lol
I’m not sure everyone who has an Airstream, even a late model, is wealthy. They are good investments as they don’t lose their value the way a lot of others RV do in a relatively short period of time.
Chrysler Town and Country Wagons were a popular choice as a tow vehicle. In the mid sixties our next door neighbor bought a new 28 ft. Airstream. His ‘63 Rambler Ambassador was not up to the task, so it was traded on a new vehicle that certainly was. A 1966 Chrysler Town and Country with the 440 TNT and all the heavy duty tow package goodies.
Looks like a refugee camp for the affluent? Parking with hundreds of others in a parking lot is not my idea of camping or getting away from it all. To each their own.
The only time we “camp” like that is Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley. Sleep and shower there and explore every day. Being a National Park, there are, understandably, restrictions on back country camping. Doable, but not always worth it.
Most are Wally Byam gatherings. Some charter Byamites in the second picture, 2-digit and low 3-digit numbers.
I just googled Wally Byam, so thats what those red numbers are!
Yes, I’ve always admired these as individual examples. Vast parking lots of them that look like the Davis-Monthan aircraft boneyard, not so much.
But it definitely is interesting to see what’s pulling them. The green Buick Electra (with the French flag…maybe it’s a LeSabre 😉 ) in the second picture is eye-catching. As are the GM wagons in the 5th and 6th pictures and the 2 MoPar wagons in the 8th photo.
Can anyone identify the location of the 7th picture? The one with the Ford wagon. Somewhere in Florida….
Regarding Picture #7, there were a few Airstream-only campgrounds in the 1970s, including a few in Florida. If this is, indeed, Florida (which seems likely), my guess is that this was Traveler’s Rest Airstream Park in Dade City. That park hosted Airstream rallies in the 1970s that attracted hundreds of Airstreams.
But I don’t know what the big structure is on the right – I don’t see that, or the building behind it in old pictures of the trailer park. Could be another similar park elsewhere in the state (Port O Call in Melbourne was another).
Something about an Airstream being towed by a ’67-’72 Suburban or ’68-’75 Travelall.
Pretty neat, in the 1960s I remember these and thought ‘to be -so- rich to afford one ! .
Not too far from me was a ”Bambi” left forgotten in the corner of a low rent trailer park, I always thought one year I’d be able to buy it when the old folks running that park sold out/moved on/died but it was the very first thing to go when they died .
-Nate
Chrysler Town and Country (440 of course) pulling an Airstream. What kind of mileage can I get on a good day? 🙂
Count it on one hand.
Remember a Scottish cousin who visited in the 70’s and was fascinated by these. Excuse the language if it is offensive but it was a memorable and fitting description;
Bloody Huge Caravans towed by Bloody Huge Cars!
A large group of Airstreams featured prominently in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”
My grandparents had an Airstream they towed with a Dodge 440 Sedan.
Grandpa subscribed to the Airstream newspaper.
He was a rock hound and I remember he would go to Airstream rock hound get togethers in the south west.
My first real experience with RV’ing was as a child, with my aunt borrowing her neighbor’s “canned ham” trailer. She was towing it with the ’67 C10 Chevy stepside (250 six, three on the tree) they’d just bought from Dad after he bought his ’75 GMC Sierra Classic pickup. We went to the south Texas coast, Padre Island IIRC, and stayed in the trailer, for a week during the summer. Five of us in that little thing, me, my youngest cousin, Mom, Aunt Beth and Grandma. My cousin was the only male and at all of twelve years old, decided he was the “protector” of the family womenfolk. The trailer had a bed at each end, and so he slept on the floor, since the beds only had room for two of us.
First Suburban I was around much was a ’73 or ’74 that family friends had. They towed a 23′ Holiday travel trailer with it, and their daughter was my bestie in third grade. Her mom and the big red and white Burb were always there for class field trips. We eventually bought the trailer from them, but couldn’t afford to get the Burb too. Hopefully it went to a new owner who took as good care of it as they did. Was well maintained and spotless inside and out. We towed the trailer with Dad’s 75 Sierra Classic, not so great with its smogger 350. The ’78 GMC Sierra shop truck (Heavy Half regular gas 350, much better performer especially after headers and dual exhaust) towed it more capably, to Galveston State Park and several trips to the DFW area and north Texas.
Airstream trailers were really ahead of their time, and it’s still neat to see one today. My family has lived in an older RV park in Houston for the last few years (cheaper and safer than many apartments!) and there are a couple of them here currently. Money no object, I’d have a smaller one to tow with my Chevy crew cab one ton(truck probably would barely know it’s there!).
Interesting to see the ’69-70 Chevy Suburban in the first picture, is flying the Texas flag. The square body Suburban (generation after these, and first Burbs with 4 doors) was voted the “National Car of Texas” by Texas Monthly magazine….with good reason as they have always been quite popular here! Every day on my work commute, I’m practically guaranteed to see several generations of them, plus their Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade smaller siblings. Very versatile and capable vehicles; the older 2500(3/4 ton) models are excellent tow vehicles.
I worked in Hershey, PA where Airstream had a national rally during the 4th of July 1970. Never saw so many in one place! There are black and white photos on the internet if you can find them.
HDB
Ahhh yes, the silver submarine Airstream trailers.The classy king of the trailers.
It was common to see Airstreams being pulled by American sedans on America’s highways during the early 60s. My father (a Navy WWII veteran) took our family of five baby boomers on epic two week camping vacations. We played Automobile Bingo in the car (a ’63 Impala station wagon pulling a one-wheeled trailer carrying our camping gear); but, the cars had to have an Airstream in tow. It was impressive seeing Detroit’s sedans from GM, Ford and Chrysler blasting along the Interstate with Airstreams in tow.
From 1970 until the 90s my parents lived in an Airstream almost exclusively without a permanent address. My sister managed their mail. They traveled over 150,000 miles towing and loved it!