Pendleton and Airstream Partner for America’s National Parks
A corporate collaboration that makes real sense.
Some things just mesh. Like, Pendleton blankets and Airstream trailers, which is why we’re so happy that the two American-as-Buffalo brands have teamed up to make a product whose sales will benefit the institution that perhaps did more for them than any other: America’s national parks. This year, Airstream will produce 100 Pendleton National Park Foundation Trailers to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service’s founding. More significant: $100,000 of the proceeds will be donated to the National Park Service. For, you know, polishing the elks’ antlers and cleaning the cliffs.
The Ohio-built trailers build on Airstream’s shiny, luxurious vibe with a sport hatch for greater visibility (of the views!) and Pendleton upholstery and accessories. The whole thing is an enjoyable 28-feet long, with room for six pioneers; the queen-sized master bedroom comes with a full set of Pendleton bedding in the brand’s classic stripe. MSRP: $114,600.
When companies make commemorative products, money’s the bottom line, no matter how flowery the copy in the press release. Still, Pendleton, Airstream and the National Park Service are a pretty sensible trifecta, held together with a web of piney, adventuresome goodness. In 1916, Oregon-based Pendleton Woolen Mills produced what would come to be an iconic symbol of the West, the National Park Blanket in Glacier Stripe. It’s the pattern of green, yellow and red stripe on a white background that, these days, also adorns many a hat and coat. Wally Byam, who founded Airstream way back in the early 1930s, went into travel trailers, not widgets, because he believed in the restorative powers of fresh air and the wide American plains.
That’s gospel we buy into. With a special-edition “silver-bullet” trailer or not, why not get out and enjoy America’s natural grandeur. Let’s show the world we’re not all gun-toting, park-occupying libertarians.
