I was admiring the teardrop shaped travel trailer idea shown above, and wish to add these 1940's designed travel trailer pics and a video for consideration. Wally Byam, the founder of Airstream is given credit for the all aluminum travel trailer. The man was a marketing genius of sorts, and for those of us who love car camping, his death in the mid-1960's marked a turning point. But during the war there were plenty of others who'd seen, thought and experienced travel trailers from the 1920's forward, and the sheer number of skilled sheet metal workers and aluminum fabrication facilities in Southern California from airplane production led to other companies as well, and they charted their own paths. One of these companies to form was the SILVER STREAK Corporation. Over it's years of production (ending in the 1990's) they turned out but a handful of trailers per week and never suffered, as did Airstream, the vagaries and cost cutting of changed ownership. And they always built to a higher standard than did AIRSTREAM.
During the 1950's these two competing companies built a highly similar trailer from their joint venture under CURTIS WRIGHT Corporation during the early postwar years. By 1960 things had changed in design direction. Below are links to pictures and a video of early '50's SILVER STREAK trailers.
#"VINTAGE!" 1954 Silver Streak Clipper..
1953 silver streak clipper | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
better shelter blog: 1952 Silver Streak Trailer
1953Clipper
The restored trailers you see here are expensive. Think sailboat/airplane/1930's Packard. The appeal is timeless, as the shape and interior design is an outstanding version of form following function.
Trailers aren't on the road -- for most Americans -- much more than 5k miles per year. Even those who fulltime may not run 20k annually. After all, the point is to have comfortable accommodations at a variety of locations across the continent. No unpacking in a strange hotel. No reliance on generic fast food. Mediated privacy as I see it, for RV campgrounds run the gamut from cheap (free overnight at WalMart parking lot) to exclusive members-only resort quality. Plus state, national, Corps of Engineers, etc. So a trailer is
mostly about 3-day to 2-month flexibility in only a few locations.
And the era of these trailers ended in the 1970's. Until this point it was doctors, lawyers, business owners . . these trailers cost as much as a starter home. In todays money, over $100k (for early 1970's comparisons of larger units). Some even more. But all of them well more than a new Cadillac or BMW. The ruination of the airlines -- called de-regulation -- and the ascendance of finance since 1980 (longer work hours, fewer benefits, women having to work) PLUS the increase in fuel costs (Peak Oil having arrived in the US after 1970) caused those who could afford these trailers to fly and rent on their shortened vacations. AIRSTREAM survives due to deeper corporate pockets, but cheapened construction (and glitzy interiors) as a sort of prestige brand for it's owner (THOR).
Enough of context. Note the length and the accommodations. Search elsewhere for capacities (fuel, fresh water, holding tank) as well as weights. The entry and exit angles reduce interior space without a commensurate interior benefit (and expensive, fitted interior not amenable to assembly lines). More powerful cars and better roads plus a desire for a bigger set of trailers ended the era of the Clippers.
I would offer that this is still -- likely -- the best overall shape for a travel trailer as headroom and shoulder room do not change. I've had the time to view one (a survivor) and the ingenuity of fittings (interior accommodations) is excellent whether standing or sitting. While I prefer a later shape and larger size (for extended travel), these trailers shown offer an outstanding blend of road-ability and live-ability.
It is the latter which most matters. Fuel economy is down mainly to the tow vehicle. Aero means more than weight. But live-ability trumps road-ability at an early point. I believe the trailers shown in links above are still the best point of departure for modern iterations where aerodynamic considerations are fundamental.
.