New aero travel trailer
 

Apologies if this has already been posted.

Super high dollar limited production aero travel trailer. It looks just like one made several decades ago.

Bowlus Road Chief ​805-278-9800​ - Home - Bowlus Road Chief

http://www.bowlusroadchief.com/uploa...-edit_orig.jpg

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ain-34533.html

This is most recent. There have been other mentions. The Bowlus was partially the inspiration for my teardrop trailer design, along with 'faster backwards':

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...17-trdrp1a.jpg

It would have four 10" wheels and the door in the back, and is actually a low resolution fit to The Template.

Worth noting on the Bowlus is that all weighty items are on, or ahead, of the trailer axle in order to keep the trailer tongue weight percentage on par.

And that full monococque is a step up from an Airstream in terms of sophistication.

It also has the torsion axle that should be on Bigfoot, Oliver and Casita trailers.

And it costs $137,000 for the basic and $219,000 as pictured.
Even if I had $100,000,000 I still wouldn't spend that much on a camper no matter how beautiful it was. Which it is. I would just compare what $200,000 buys in say a new sailboat. Or spend $80k on a really nice Airstream and then maybe feed and orphanage for a year. I would basically feel embarrassed to pull into the KOA with people knowing it cost over $200k but I suppose it would be right at home next to this "tent" at Paws Up Resort down the road from me.
Honeymoon 'Glamping' at The Resort at Paws Up | Junebug Weddings

$80K into the Airstream and the rest into a matched pair of ski boats and an aluminum girder bridge with perf metal wheel tracks to make a roll-on roll-off catamaran with the hitch between the transoms and catwalks over each ski-boat hull centerline.

Look at the picture the OP posted. Look at the reflections between the end caps and below the windows. Not up to Street Rod standards. The front cap looks better. For the same money the interior could use the hexagonal stamping as in Elon Musk's Dragon 2 capsule

There must be a market for counterfeit "Bolus' trailers. :)

$140k buys a new Airstream 31' with plenty of options. But it doesn't buy the fit and finish of the topic trailer.

FWIW, if a person can't afford to buy a second average price American house, then these RVs are out of reach. But unlike conventional RVs that fall apart by or before 15-years, these trailers have an indefinite lifespan.

Small size means limited appeal. Same for a Porsche coupe.

Guess you'd commit suicide pulling up in a $2.5-million dollar Newell. Pulling a $335,000 Bentley convertible coupe in a custom air conditioned trailer itself worth over $250k. (Its relative).

Were my rig brand new and completely optioned with some upgrades I'd be past $225,000. That ain't much in the way of Class A motorhomes out there by the dozens any day.

There is waaaay more in a modern diesel pusher class A then this little 18' single axle trailer. There is waaaay more in a Bentley but even in that case I think there are many other car's just as good for less then 1/2 the price.

Let the record show this is a 35ft single axle trailer.

Bucky Fuller always contended you should be able to build a house for the price of a car, and demonstrated that with his Dymaxion houses. A house-car would logically be more expensive. Also, not as good a house (a hot-dog instead of a hemisphere) and not as good a car (high CG and CdA).

Stuffing a Tesla battery pack under an Airstream would likely improve it's roadability.

35' really? They don't count the tounge you know. Still it doesn't even look 30' counting the tounge unless those are 36" tall tires.

Not sure what "record" you are getting that 35' length from but the Bowlus website lists the length at 23' 9" (and I'm pretty sure they are counting the hitch in that length). On the Road Edition - Bowlus Road Chief - Bowlus Road Chief ​805-278-9800​

They also list the tongue weight at 170 lbs which is very light for a TT with a GVWR of 3000 lbs. Typically we try to keep at least 13% of the trailer's weight on the tongue for towing stability and to reduce the likelihood of trailer sway. I'm sure that with the aero advantage of the Bowlus vs a common boxy travel trailer you can get away with a bit less tongue weight but that 170 lbs is pretty low for the weight trailer.
For the $140,000 price of that 23' Bowlus I could buy a lifetime of roomier standard construction TTs of the same length with more creature comforts and lots more storage and be many $s ahead in the end. But I guess there must be a (very small) market for few of them actually produced.

Both models are listed as 23' 9" in length. 35' didn't look right.

Okay, I was wrong. It's a clone of the original Bowlus Road Chief.

Here's the papoose. It was 11ft long.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...iler-show1.png

But compare this post from the owner of a new one:

Bowlus Road Chief - Page 2 - Airstream Forums

So there's a 5 1/2ft discrepancy. and the clone weighs twice what the original did. ???

It has less frontal area and half the weight of an Airstream. :cool: The Papoose is not much bigger than a 4x8ft teardrop, just 6ft tall.

FB, you'll want to find certified scale tickets of any claimed travel trailer weight. And then find out if the TT is loaded in any manner. From there, comparisons about features. The original trailer probably had no electrical system to speak of. No toilet or shower. No waste tanks. Etc. The Papoose isn't a useful comparison in any fashion.

As said before, weight considerations don't mean much with good aero. The Bowlus overemphasizes same to the detriment of storage and other capacities. On a price neutral basis one isn't gaining another class of vehicles which can tow the more aero trailer due to the very high power to be found across car lines today. I'm having a hard time seeing a bottom dweller econo car pulling one of these. What would be the point? They're uncomfortable for anything past commuting.

Towing an aero design trailer up to 4K is small beer. It's the quality of the lash up.

Airstreams are way too heavy today, granted. But they sell every one as it straddles the line on weight versus efficiency. The mpg difference in ordinary use solo between one class of vehicle and another is slight.

I believe they'd sell more and gain in stature with attention to "space age materials". Simplicity and robustness. But not bare bones. Getting rid of wood cabinetry would be my priority. Humidity and condensation and insect or rodent damage amelioration is a big deal, long term. But that's not who owns this company.

A TDI VW Jetta can pull a 20' Airstream without much complaint at 30-mpg on the flats at 55-mph. Neither that TT nor the Bowlus are the likely choice by an owner for much more than 3-4 day trips.

Neither will be favored to wait out bad weather. Etc.

"Lifestyle" trumps the rest. As with carrying bikes or canoes, it's status signaling. Read some of the blogs of these web-connected illiterates. Wouldn't know Erwin Schrott or Elina Garanca or a whole host of fast disappearing culture. But they know all about gizmos. Actively disdain reading for every purpose outside of these he minimum to remain employed.

Nothing new about this. The Bowlus is cool. Like a Porsche coupe. Excuses for a new wardrobe.

Anyone else think of this every time they hear the name?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolus_(digestion)

Permalink #5
Here's Wally Byam's original Airstream. He sold the plans for $5.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...qevko1-250.jpg

Here's the oldest existing Airstream, built in 1935 from plans

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NcfFQDBG-...s5fo1_1280.jpg
Just A Car Guy: 1935 Airstream Torpedo, the oldest existing Airstream

Want to spend a week of cold rain & wind inside that with your (now ex-) honeybun?

My mpg might go from averaging 15 to 18.

As I go along with mine -- thinking adapting to contingencies -- it has occurred to me that there is no real penalty for me to be able to run the trailer with all electric or all propane. Cooking. Heating water, etc. And not give up convenience. Propane oven or convection/microwave. Cast aluminum pressure cooker or the latest "Hot Pot". Not to mention cast iron for a campfire. Or the old cast aluminum charcoal cooker. Etc.

Let's remember that these things sit for pretty much 18 of every twenty four hours on an extended trip.

That little trailer runs out of supplies every three days. I can go about two weeks at same consumption rate. That more than pays for "improved aero".

The other use case for the Bowlus is an electric tow vehicle with already limited range. When fuel isn't as quick to obtain or as dense with energy as petroleum, every mile counts. The balance between efficiency and comfort tip closer to the efficiency side, because otherwise you might not be able to make it to your desired destination(s).

It can be argued that the exercise is foolish, given that capable TVs are widely available. Wrong tool for the job and all that. But if one has a self-imposed constraint of using electricity to fuel their transport, it can limit the trailer choices.

I know a number of Tesla owners have ordered this particular trailer. I met one who has been towing it, and had the opportunity to tour it. It's nice, but I found flaws with the trailer that wouldn't make the extra range worth the price to me. I think it's quite beautiful, and has a number of impressive features, but I have a very difficult time seeing $137k-$220k of value in it. Others disagree, and that's fine.

The trailer is not unfairly priced. It is likely to be on the road in another 75-years after being rebuilt at about the thirty and sixty year mark.

Travel trailers of ordinary construction are good for about ten years.

If it could be used as a range extender I'd like to see the testing. Not a disbeliever, but sceptical at utility.

Hybrid makes more sense. Same as for the trucking biz.

I don't see that being a reality. I believe self-driving will be viable prior to battery density getting high enough for this kind of scenario. Once true autonomy is a reality, the trailer will just meet you there. Very sci-fi sounding, but it does sound better than trailering a bunch of batteries to keep your charge realistic.

Why would the trailer meet you somewhere? Why wouldn't you just be in the trailer moving with it? Besides a self moving camper is not a trailer but a motor home. There will always be a demand for just a trailer that uses your existing vehicle to move. If your existing vehicle can drive itself then maybe it can tow the camper too. I would be a bit worring about waking up jack knifed on some forest service road where you have know idea where the car has taken you LOL!

range extender
 

I believe AeroStealth has found one in Germany,which also provides traction drive,coordinated with the tow vehicle,as Mr.Sharkey (on the original Tesla Roadster team) did with his Porsche 944 range-extending Golf/Rabbit trailer.When accelerating or hill climbing,the trailer assists the tow vehicle,so as not to impede surrounding traffic.On down-grades,both tow vehicle and trailer harvest the gravitational potential rather than braking to prevent over-speed.On the road,aerodynamic forces out-shadow rolling resistance,so one could essentially 'double' the capacity of the battery pack.At the campsite,there's no need of a generator.Owning one would be pretty lame,when one could simply rent one for holiday travel,letting others utilize it for the rest of the year (like a washer and drier at a laundromat).
If carefully matched in frontal area,and with an 'accordion' gap-filler,Cd 0.10 is pretty easy to achieve for the trailer in tow,as was found for the Union-Pacific streamline tail car of the 1930s.
For aerodynamic die-hards,it's also possible to have a trailer with negative drag coefficient,although at reduced space utilization.

I find it more than a little funny the price-balk expressed in posts above. This really is custom-made. I’ve handled shotguns that cost more.

Second, have ANY of you accounted your lifetime expenditures for transportation? I doubt it. Balking at this trailers price is an equivalent to pricing cars based on the monthly note and weekly fuel expenditure. None of you are thinking in terms of being able to see it pass to grandchildren. MORE THAN fifty years service with your family. (Poor men, not rich).

The trailer I own (and the pickup) I inadvertently mis-priced in an earlier post. The truck would retail at $70k. This trailer (modernized) would be nearly $200k at retail. Given finance costs, the package past $300k.

It’s much better built than an Airstream (the entry level choice), but it’s by no means on the level of the revived BOWLUS.

“Camping” is being outdoors. The trailer size isn’t as important. One needs some clothing and some food. That’s it.

And the family car that can pull it needn’t be a pickup. It’s size means it’s easier to store garaged than most others. It’s beauty guarantees there will always be interested buyers from across the planet, not just those 30” from your house.

“Price” isn’t a problem. Quality is always the problem.

Sure, the appeal is limited. But they don’t have to make many. Silver Streak — my brand — never built more than six per week. Airstream kicks out more than that per hour.

The rarity means the used market won’t ever fall far. 50% of retail price may only ever appear due to damage. And that, 20-years from now.

It’s efficiency is the only interesting argument. Light weight doesn’t mean much, but in combination with the aero design . . it’s nice. Not great. Not world-changing. Like a hand-made wooden boat built today that’s a Hacker-inspired design, it’s the pleasure of another era.

So the efficiency is low. Worries over damage and theft preclude ordinary use (trouble-free means also low concerns re these two).

No one will ever buy it for “efficency” (a Porsche Gullwing replica).

I’ve stated it elsewhere and will here again that (in the above sense: efficiency) will be in sourcing an Airstream at the ten-year mark where depreciation has bottomed. Yet it’s new enough that next to nothing will be required (relative to others travel trailers), making it a pain-free acquisition.

A family car that can take multiple hits in an accident, (4K lbs, 122” WB) is large enough for a family, and is otherwise a fleet vehicle ensuring continent-wide ease-of-service (thus Charger/300) is its natural mate. But prospective buyers are in the class where more than one $100k car at home is a norm.

25-28’ is the most popular Airstream size (highest used price) and there aren’t any FE concerns that make larger or smaller much of a difference. There’s a decent minimum size in travel trailers and cars. Less isn’t a savings.

Acquisition Cost + Refurbishment (both vehicles) is where the savings are located for the typical (90%+ of Americans) working class citizen. (Middle Class is $250k annual income plus $500k net assets as minimums ).

The Bowlus is UPPER middle class. When my parents bought their Silver Streak, they already owned a Formula Thunderbird boat and a Beechcraft Bonanza. They’d have fit the expected buyer profile. (Can afford both to buy new and to hire out maintenance to keep as new).

I’m part of the group that can choose one of two of those three, but only used, and nearly all maintenance & repairs are on me. And my income is above average.

Does the Bowlus cost as much as a house? It’s dead center, then, on price historically.

You aren’t the market.

OLIVER and BIGFOOT are where to start for dollars spent well (besides used AS). They need to be upgraded (first thing) to fully independent suspension plus anti-lock disc brakes.

Plan out covered storage. Install a 30A outlet next to a concrete pad plus fresh water & sewer. (This is where to start the entire process). An RV means you can always shelter your family, no matter where you go (the guiding ideal).

The 90% have to think about practicality.

.

35-foot Silver Streak
 

According to one research reported by Hucho,your trailer,at 35-ft is approaching the drag minimum for a lozenge-shaped body,which would occur at 42-feet.:thumbup:

35ft park model is the ideal tiny house.

slowmover — Is your Silver Streak 7 or 8ft wide?

When I got my 23ft Silver Streak in the 1970s, what I wanted for a tow vehicle was a jet black 1952 Hudson Hornet. But the old couple wanted $1000 (and they probably got it). Ten years earlier a guy at my high school had gotten a Hudson business coupe for $75.

Everyone left went widebody in nineties. Avion gone. SS almost gone. AS built widebody on largest trailers from mid 90’s. Look up sales brochures.

Yours rode a rail car?. Crew housing? Most of those we’re 43’. . Can yo imagine the tail swing on a two lane road?

The Hudson would’ve been very cool. My “ideal” of the era was a DeSoto Suburban. Today, drape body over an air-ride half-ton chassis.

Thanks. The 1952 Silver Streak Clipper was 7ft.
Don't know, it's been on the county tax roles as long as I've owned it. I might move it someday, but it's in this overlapping Venn diagram of Lane Transit District, Springfield Utility Board and Grocery Outlet that is hard to beat.

My lil brother [RIP] bought and resold three SP Airstreams in the 1980s. He was delivering the third one in California where [I hear] he managed to put a crease down the side.

The Hudson probably wouldn't respond well to a chassis swap with it's step-down frame, but would it be the 1950s equivalent to your Magnum/300/Charger ideal? 3650lb on 124" wheelbase.

This seems to be the most recent Bowlus thread.

I've been thinking about the Cybertruck (and the potential for a Cyberhouse), and it went from stainless steel being an electrical insulator to thermal insulation.
https://onesky.ph/blog/thermal-condu...teel-aluminum/

The gored and riveted construction from the 1930s is compatible with 30x stainless steel.

For the home builder, maybe a single layer stainless exoskeleton with a spray-on cork inner lining?
edit: To be answered: relative cost of materials.

2nd edit: I cleared this with the relevant individual (caught him enroute to Bike Week in Daytona FL), so in celebation of my 15,000th post, here is the Cyberhouse:

https://ecomodder.com/forum/member-f...cyberhouse.png

Five (not four) monocoque boxes supporting a triangular grid. Sound familiar? The boxes are projected from triangles at steep pitch, so with, e.g., a six foot edge the boxes would only be 18-24" thick.

With a low-conductivity skin and spray-on cork lining, plus insulated soffits over the entries, it would be a passive house.

I think all forms of metal have high conductivity. Something like carbon fiber would better by a bunch, but compared to dry wood they aren't even close to efficient.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...conductivitiesThis is in (W·m−1·K−1) (whatever those are) not BTU. Calculator here. But generally, my interpretation is that stainless steel is 1/10th the conductivity of aluminum, twice the conductivity of Manganese and 20x wood or fiberglass. Which is why I recommended the insulation.

3mm of wood isn't going to be very stout.

IIRC White Southern Pine has waxes that phase change at room temperature, but I can't find a reference. And there is some issue with 'setting' the resin for woodworking that might affect the result.