New sub-$65k aluminum trailer trades classic Airstream features for small-SUV towing and a lower price.
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Clearly, there are a lot of folks willing to spend the extra money on an Airstream trailer, but can’t—or won’t—necessarily be able to swing another $70k for a full-size pickup or SUV to tow one. Good news for Airstreamers on a budget: The Ohio-based manufacturer has introduced a new 17-foot version of its World Traveler series priced at $64,400, which is $3,900 less than the 22-foot World Traveler and $11,000 less than the 16-foot Bambi. Like the Bambi, it’s light enough to be towed by smaller pickups and SUVs.
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The World Traveler isn’t merely a cheaper Airstream; it’s also a smaller Airstream, sort of. Based on a platform developed for Europe and Asia, the World Traveler trailers are six inches narrower and stand five inches lower than standard Airstream travel trailers, the latter dimension courtesy of an air conditioner mounted inside the trailer rather than atop the roof. But the base-model length of 17 feet is a foot longer than the smallest Bambi and Caravels. The World Travelers also put less weight on the hitch. The new 17RB’s empty weight (3,150 pounds) and maximum gross weight (3,500 pounds) are identical to the 16-foot Bambi, but the World Traveler puts 375 pounds on the hitch versus the Bambi’s 475 pounds.
A Lighter Trailer That Lets In Less Light
A key weight-saving element is that the World Travelers have smaller windows, made of plastic rather than glass, and fewer of them. That means buyers will miss out on the big wraparound windows in the dining area, which, in our opinion, is one of the Airstream’s most appealing features.
Airstream pitches the World Traveler’s interior as “Scandinavian-inspired” minimalist. The walls are lined with white aluminum (and there’s a lot of it, given the lack of windows), but this is no mere shell trailer. The 17RB has a bed, dining table, kitchen with sink, a two-burner propane stove, and an optional microwave. It also features a lavatory with integrated shower, a 24-inch TV, air conditioner, water heater, furnace, and a narrow coat closet. The bed is taller than a standard full-size mattress but slightly narrower, and the dining table converts to a second (smaller) bunk.
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Fresh water capacity is slightly smaller than Airstream’s standard-profile 16-foot trailers (19 gallons versus 23), but unlike the baby Bambi, the World Traveler has separate wastewater tanks for shower/sink (24 gallons) and toilet (12 gallons). The fridge is also pretty tiny at 2.1 cubic feet—basically, a small dorm fridge—and there’s an optional 1-cubic-foot fridge that goes under the dining table.
Pack Light!
The World Traveler 17RB’s 3,500 GVWR (the maximum allowable weight of the trailer and everything in it) puts it well within the towing range of many smaller SUVs and pickups, though most of these vehicles require trailer brakes to tow more than 1,500 pounds or so. The World Traveler 17RB has electric brakes, but this requires a 7-pin connector and a brake controller on the towing vehicle which few small SUVs (and some small pickups) have as either standard equipment or factory options. European-market World Travelers use surge brakes, which require no electrical wiring; why Airstream didn’t fit these to the U.S.-bound trailers is beyond us.
(Please, please, please, for the love of all that is holy, do not even think about towing a trailer of this size without working trailer brakes. You’re endangering your family and everyone around you.)
The 17RB’s light GVWR also leaves it with just 350 pounds of carrying capacity, and less, presumably, if you opt for the microwave or the second fridge. A full water tank takes up 160 pounds of that capacity, so that leaves less than 200 pounds for the stuff you want to bring with you.
Still, we think the Airstream World Traveler 17RB is worth the trouble of packing light and fitting a brake controller. There are less-expensive lightweight trailers, but not all are fully equipped. This new Airstream gives you places to sleep, cook, eat, clean up, and, uh, eliminate, all in a compact package with the cool Airstream aluminum-Twinkie look.
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After a two-decade career as a freelance writer, Aaron Gold joined MotorTrend’s sister publication Automobile in 2018 before moving to the MT staff in 2021. Aaron is a native New Yorker who now lives in Los Angeles with his spouse, too many pets, and a cantankerous 1983 GMC Suburban.