The Changing Concept of Trailers - Polly Auyeung

While airstream trailers are superior to the models used in FEMA camps, using airstreams in the camps would not make them significantly better places to live. Similarly if average trailers were used as travelling shelters, people would still find them enjoyable. What needs to be questioned is the concept of the trailer, its purpose. By altering the conditions of its use, it affects how the trailer is perceived. The trailer (especially the Airstream) was originally designed to prompt americans to travel, to explore the land, "to place the great wide world at [their] doorsteps". As a FEMA camp unit, it was valued for its cheap production, easy transportation to the site, and packing efficiancy. Without the choice of movement, the fundamental idea of the trailer is lost. So though it succeeds as a luxurious, nomadic shelter, it is a failure when it's a cheap alternative to a fixed address.