When it comes to RVs and travel trailers, there is arguably no name more recognizable and beloved than Airstream. While many of us dream of hooking up a brand-new double-axle Airstream to our vehicle and hitting the road, not everyone has the six-figure budget to buy one or the full-size truck to actually pull it. That’s why Airstream is introducing a new 17-foot version of its World Traveler single-axle travel trailer, the 17RB, which it announced on Thursday.
The World Traveler model sits between Airstream’s Bambi and Caravel models and offers a classic Airstream experience in a more accessible, easy-to-tow, and easy-to-store way. The 17RB joins the 22-foot World Traveler 22RB in the lineup and is specifically designed with light weight in mind, so it can be towed by crossover SUVs and midsize pickup trucks — aka the vehicles that most Americans already have in their driveways.
The exterior of the World Traveler 17RB is still the polished aluminum Twinkie that we all know and love, while the interior is very modern, minimal, and inspired by Scandinavian design. The layout looks nice, but lacks the wraparound front windows as seen on the Bambi, which starts at $68,900.
The 22-foot World Traveler isn’t much more expensive than that, starting at $69,400. We don’t have a starting price for the 17RB yet, but we’d expect it to be Airstream’s most affordable model when it hits the U.S. market later this year.
Among the 17RB’s standard features are a 12V fridge/freezer, a propane-fired stove, a 24-inch TV, air conditioning, and a water heater. It’s not a long list, but it’s a base-model trailer, and at the end of the day, we suspect it will be built pretty well and be a nice place to spend time. It’s still an Airstream, after all.
Buyers can add options, of course. For example, a 200W solar setup is available, as well as a lithium-iron-phosphate house battery for longer stays without shore power. Microwaves and backup cameras can be optioned, as well as soft goods like bedding kits.
So, ultimately, who is this trailer for? We’d say it’s targeted at first-time trailer buyers who very much want an Airstream to the exclusion of all else. They also want something they can tow with a basic midsize SUV or truck, so they don’t have to buy a whole new vehicle to take the trailer out.
With a starting price likely in the low- to mid–$60,000 range, we wouldn’t say that the World Traveler 17RB is necessarily a great value. But that’s not what makes people go out and pay such a huge premium for an Airstream. They’re buying into a dream or nostalgia. They’re buying a culture and an aesthetic, which is cool, but cool is rarely cheap.
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