FASHIONABLE GLAMPING

AN IDIOSYNCRATIC ICON DELIVERS THE AURA OF CLASSIC RV LIFE, BUT AT A COST

- SCOTT EVANS

Not many products actually deserve the label “iconic,” but Airstream travel trailers have earned it. Most people can’t tell a matte-white Starcraft from a Chinook or Gulf Stream being towed behind a truck. But catch a glimpse of one of those big aluminum Twinkies going by, and you know exactly what it is.

Airstreams are so associated with the golden era of RVing that boutique “glamping” resorts have popped up around the country consisting entirely of refurbished Airstreams. With the constraints of life in 2020 bringing a desire for socially distant, self-directed escapes, RVs and travel trailers are as popular as ever. What better time, then, to test an Airstream Flying Cloud. We used it as our dead weight in our towing tests for Truck of the Year. We also lived in it, for a long weekend in the country.

Airstream offers the Flying Cloud in five lengths and 14 floorplans ranging from 23 to 30 feet long and priced from $78,900 to $102,400 to start. Depending on configuration, it can sleep up to eight. Our 23FB test unit was the smallest and least expensive model, configured with a queen bed at the front, a full bathroom with shower at the rear, and the capacity to sleep four if you convert the dining table and banquette into a small bed.