Earlier this year, Airstream debuted a trailer it called the lightest, most aerodynamic in its class, the 22-foot (6.7-m) World Traveler. A half-year later, it's back with an even lighter variant: a 17-footer with the same style of streamlined exterior and pared-back Scandinavian-inspired interior. The new World Traveler 17RB becomes one of the brand's smallest towables, adding a clean, slippery shell that promises to go easy on the vehicle's fuel gauge.
The all-new World Traveler 17RB follows closely in the footsteps of the 22RB, taking Airstream's minimization strategy even further with its small 17.3-foot-long (5.3-m) footprint. The 17-footer undergoes much of the same aerodynamic streamlining and weight optimization as the original 22-ft Traveler, giving up features common across the rest of Airstream's lineup without sacrificing any major comfort or convenience.
To start, the 17B trades out Airstream's signature wraparound, triple-pane front window treatment for a single pane and shifts major rooftop appliances like the air conditioner to an under-dinette bench placement that maintains a smoother, flowier roofline. Airstream's latest trailer also joins the larger World Traveler in a simplified, Scandinavian-guided interior design philosophy.
At the end of the day, the 17RB's weight loss isn't quite as dramatic as the 22RB's, but it's still noteworthy. The trailer has a base weight of 3,150 lb (1,429 kg), which is equal to Airstream's smallest Bambi trailer despite the World Traveler 17RB measuring just over a foot (30.5 cm) longer with a similar floor plan. The minimization regimen is also effective at lightening the price tag, cutting an even $11K off the base price as compared to the Bambi 16RB.
The World Traveler 17RB can carry up to 350 lb (159 kg) of payload before hitting its 3,500-lb (1,588-kg) gross vehicle weight rating.
Simple doesn't have to mean uncomfortable or under-designed, and it certainly does not appear to in the case of the World Traveler 17RB. Airstream is still able to offer two separate sleeping areas, though it does take a serious chunk out of the massive 80 x 80-in (203 x 203-cm) rear bed of 22RB fame, swiveling the fixed rear mattress into a transverse double that measures 53 inches (135 cm) wide.
The convertible dual-bench dinette, meanwhile, appears to carry over unchanged from the 22RB, and Airstream even re-releases several of the same dinette photos for the 17RB that it originally used to highlight the 22RB. The central table drops down at night and rearranges into a second bed.
The bathroom is often the first thing to go when a trailer model gets sized down, but that's not the case for the 17RB. It does consolidate the 22-footer's dry bathroom into a single wet bath compartment with a shared shower/toilet area, however. Across the aisle on the entry side, the compact kitchen block equips trailer cooks with a dual-burner gas stove with hard lid, rectangular sink, 59-L fridge and two wing-like worktops - one that folds down and one that removes and stores away.
As in the 22RB, buyers can add an optional second fridge in the form of a drawer below the dining bench. A microwave is also available optionally.
Other standard features around the interior include a 24-in smart TV, under-mattress storage compartments, a Truma Combi Eco Plus air/water heater and a ducted air conditioning system. Buyers can upgrade off-grid readiness with up to 2,500 Wh of lithium battery power and 200 watts of solar charging.
Airstream has begun production of the World Traveler 17RB in the United States, where prices start at at $64,400, which is $7,000 less than the 22RB. That 17RB base price also undercuts the $69,900 Basecamp 20X (the only Basecamp model currently advertised on Airstream's website) to become the cheapest camper in Airstream's lineup.
The World Traveler was introduced as a global product line, and Airstream plans to launch worldwide 17RB production this fall (Northern Hemisphere).
Source: Airstream
