As a young man, Wally signed on with the merchant marines, attended Stanford University, owned an advertising agency, and became a magazine publisher. A do-it-yourself magazine he published featured an article describing how to build a travel trailer. When readers began complaining about the plans, Wally tried them out for himself. Indeed, the plans turned out to be flawed.

Wally's innovative spirit drove him to build his own model. While he considered it primitive, his design forever changed the history of travel trailers. By dropping the floor down between the wheels and raising the ceiling height, the revolutionary design made it possible for campers to stand up straight when inside the trailer. Wally wrote an article describing how to build his trailer for under $100 - this time drawing an enthusiastic response from his readers. During the late 1920's, Americans were beginning to take to the roads in greater and greater numbers.

Wally's new trailer was a perfect match for the new mobile lifestyle. Wally began making a living selling sets of plans for five dollars each, complete trailer kits, and finished trailers he built in his Los Angeles backyard. The fledgling business survived the crash of 1929, and by 1930 he had abandoned law, advertising, and publishing to become a full-time builder of travel trailers.

During the mid 1930's, Wally perfected his skill of fusing form and functionality. By incorporating aircraft construction methods to lessen wind resistance and improving the trailer's strength-to-weight ratio, his designs began taking on a more aerodynamic and contemporary look.

The mighty Clipper

On January 17, 1936, the Airstream Trailer Co. introduced the "Clipper," and an American legend was born. The Clipper was truly revolutionary. With its monocoque, riveted aluminum body, it had more in common with the aircraft of its day than with its predecessors. It could sleep four, thanks to its tubular steel-framed dinette which could convert to a bed, carried its own water supply, had an enclosed galley, and was fitted with electric lights throughout.

The Clipper boasted of its advanced insulation and ventilation system, and even offered "air conditioning" that used dry ice. At $1200, the Clipper was expensive, especially during the Depression years, yet the company could not build them fast enough to keep up with the orders that poured in and Wally Byam's meticulous attention to quality would prove crucial.Of more than 300 trailer builders operating in 1936, Airstream was the only one to emerge from the Depression years.

However, with the onset of World War II, leisure travel and the materials necessary to build trailers both became luxuries the country could not afford. Airstream Trailer Co. closed its doors. Wally decided that the best way to help the war effort was to use his experience with aluminum fabricating in the aircraft industry - taking positions at Lockheed and Curtis Wright for the duration of the war.

When World War II ended, the economy boomed and people's attention once again turned towards the open road. By 1948 the demand for Airstream trailers seemed to know no bounds, and like the Coca-Cola bottle and Zippo lighter, Airstreams became one of the most recognizable products in the world.

During the next 15 years, the company continued to prosper. More and more people discovered that their Airstream travel trailer offered more than a stylish form of transportation — it gave them new lifestyle possibilities. Enthusiastic Airstreamers regularly participated in local and regional rallies, and for many, these events are still the highlights of their social calendars.

Wally even led some of the most adventurous Airstreamers on caravans around the globe.

Airstream is currently undergoing a renaissance — with more new products being developed than at any other time in the company’s history. Motorhomes with Skydecks and ultra-stylish CCD travel trailers are just some of Airstream's originative products currently creating waves throughout the RV industry.

Today, Airstreams can be found in the lobby of MTV, on movie sets, and on display at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Airstream’s appeal is as strong as ever. The Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) is 10,000 member-strong and holds nearly 1,500 rallies annually. Airstreams are regularly seen in movies and on television. They can be found at Airstream-only campgrounds, used as traveling medical facilities, and of course, cruising into the sunset.

Airstreams are truly an American legend.

When I first got interested in the Airstream it was out of a boyish interest in technology. The Airstream stood out because it could be appreciated not just because it fulfills it's brief. Looking at the Airstream you can see that it’s derivative of all the technological advances throughout the 20th Century. But it’s much more than that! It is one of those rare things in industrial design – it’s unnecessarily beautiful!

As an iconic design, the Airstream belongs to us all. How else would something of its utility make it into some of the finest Museums in the world? I remember as a child seeing an exhibit at the Museum of Art in my home town of Stoke-on-Trent. The exhibit case was 45’ long and 50’ feet wide! I pressed my face up against the glass to get my first close-up look at the beautiful Spitfire. R J Mitchell, the designer, was born just a mile from my childhood home and the city rightly honours him. Before that day I had only seen it’s silhouette as it flew with the Lancaster and Hurricane in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

I’ve been fortunate to see some interesting things in my life but I didn’t get that same feeling of excitement until I was looking through the windows of my own Airstream on the docks at Southampton. As a contented soul, I don’t make a habit of owning something just for the sheer pleasure of it. However, I do believe that if you need something, choose well and get involved.

Marc Harris