RV test: Airstream Safari 22.

On an 18-day, 3500-mile adventure from Milwaukee to the top of the Canadian Province of Manitoba and back, we lived in the Airstream Safari 22 travel trailer. And after experiencing a spectrum of camping scenarios (everything from full hook-ups to standalone camping in the north woods--even one night in a Wal-Mart parking lot), we are pleased to report that this unit performs very well. The creature comforts and utility offered by this compact Airstream travel trailer proved more than sufficient for nearly three weeks of continuous habitation.

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Built Tough. The Safari 22 model sits on 14-inch wheels mounted to rubber torsion axles, with each axle rated at 2800 pounds. The chassis is welded steel, with C-channel main rails, formed cross members between the frame rails and formed outriggers outside the main rails. The A-frame (tongue) is boxed tube steel.

The interior floor is a one-piece structure of "strand board", a durable wood-sheet product made specifically for flooring. A blanket of 1.5-inch fiberglass insulation sits between the main rails, cross members, outriggers and interior floorboard. The underbelly of the unit is covered with aircraft-grade aluminum.

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The sidewalls, two end caps and roof start out as five separate structures …