Re: [VAC] Park model?

[TOM WALDEN <twalden1@xxxxxxxx>]

Sarah,  
Good information and now I think I see what the distinction that I'm
making in my mind is compared to what steve and joe were talking about. 
The Airstream was created at a time when services even at parks were
sometimes no more than a spot staked out with no hookups.  Also Wally
was a demon for caravans through the wilderness.  There were always
options available to make the trailer more or less self contained from
the beginning.  
   Think of there being three options for camping.  One is BOONDOCKING
in the woods or desert or seaside or mountains with no campground, just
out in the wilds on your own in a TRAVEL TRAILER.  The second is a
CAMPGROUND, which might have varying kinds of hookups or hookup options;
the campground being a temporary or relatively temporary stopping place
on a trip or tour in a TRAVEL TRAILER.  The third is a TRAILER PARK
where you live full time in and are wired and plumbed into the services
in a PARK MODEL TRAILER.  
    The options on an Airstream we have been discussing are those that
make it more independent of hookups for boondocking or more convenient
for comfort in campground situations.  Don't forget that the lack of a
holding tank was the standard up until the late fifties and early
sixties - it wasn't a lack that made it designed for use only with
campground hookups - you dug a hole in the wilderness and filled it in
when you moved on.  The same is true of electric versus gas appliances. 
Many buyers only intended to stay where they had full hookups in
Campgrounds and chose electric only.  Others wanted to go hunting in the
north woods and opted for gas.  As for batteries the early models were
six volt systems not 12V and usually only served to give a little light
for a short time while hooking up and turning on the 110 or gas lights.
    Again, a look at some of the true PARK MODEL trailers would point
out the real difference between an Airstream and SOB. (I am not knocking
Park Model trailers, I drooled over the Airfloat and some of the
Spartans).  This is also not to say that there aren't a lot of travel
trailers permanently ensconced in TRAILER PARKS. 
    While some of the options we are discussing made a trailer look like
it was meant only for a PARK in today's terms, that was not really the
aim.  After the early sixties, all had holding tanks and I think after
the late sixties they all had black and grey separate tanks.  Note that
Airstreams always had everything built in for traveling.  They weren't
made for trailer parks but they were increasingly made to hookup to
everything available in a campground.  Now that includes phones and
cable TV.
This is my way of conceptualizing the options anyway
Tom Walden
56 Overlander
55 Safari
58 Traveler
96 BVAN