Inside the 90-Year History of the Original Riveted Aluminum Bullet

Before it was the silver beacon sparkling in the sun at campsites and RV parks across the country, the Airstream was a gamble. In 1936, Wally Byam rolled out an all-aluminum, riveted travel trailer in Culver City, California, and basically invented a part of road-trip life and American summers that we now take for granted. Until then, Byam had been producing DIY trailer plans and boxy wood-and-Masonite units. Utilitarian, but not the stuff of legend.

The Clipper was. Borrowing from aircraft tech of the era—Duraluminum skin, flush rivets—Byam built a trailer that was streamlined and wind tunnel–tested. People at the time likened it to a wingless airplane, and it more or less was. The Clipper was lighter to tow, aerodynamic, and tricked out with amenities the competition couldn’t touch: a stainless steel galley, a cocktail bar, bottled propane, even a radio. The price ran from $1,465 to $5,200, which is why the earliest owners skewed Hollywood and political-class.

Over the years, the silhouette only received minor updates. Ninety years in, a new Airstream rolling down I-70 still looks like a cousin of that first riveted bullet.

This article is from the Summer 2026 issue of Outside magazine. To receive the print magazine,become an Outside+ member here.