The Riveting Blog

Top Airstream Trade Wind Upgrades: What 2024 to 2026 Owners Add First

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:33 GMT

The Trade Wind is a lot of trailer. Airstream built it to leave the hookups behind: a 3-inch lift, all-terrain tires, a big lithium battery bank, a Victron inverter , and solar on the roof.

Owners love it, Then they live in it for a few months, and a list starts.

Airstream brought the Trade Wind name back on September 12, 2023, introducing it as a 2024 model built around heavy-duty solar and a lithium battery system. That’s why every modern Trade Wind is a 2024 or newer. Since then, we’ve had a steady stream of 2024, 2025, and 2026 Trade Winds through our shop in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. The requests are surprisingly consistent. People want somewhere to put the bulky stuff. And they want more power than the battery bank can give them once the air conditioner kicks on. Here's what Trade Wind owners ask us for most, and what's worth knowing before you book.

The short answer: The most popular Airstream Trade Wind upgrades are an onboard LP generator, a cabinet over the fridge bench, under-bed storage drawers or a wardrobe-to-drawer conversion, Victron power and heat management upgrades, a bathroom window, Maxim skylights, and a permanent Starlink mount. Midwest Silver Stream Customs installs all of them at our shop in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.

1. An onboard LP generator

This is the big one. The Trade Wind can run its air conditioner on battery power, but here's the math. The A/C pulls roughly 100 to 140 amp-hours from the batteries every hour, and the Trade Wind's lithium bank holds about 810 amp-hours. That's six to eight hours of A/C from a full bank, and only if nothing else in the trailer is drawing power and you're willing to run the batteries all the way down, which you shouldn't. Solar helps. It just can't keep up with an air conditioner in July.

We install the airkrafters jenRAK mount with a Cummins Onan 2500i LP generator. It mounts to the frame and runs on the propane you're already carrying, so there's no portable generator riding in the truck bed and no extra gas can. It ties into the Victron system, which means it can top off your batteries as well as run the A/C.

Steve Prouty, one of our owners, has one on his own Airstream. He can start it with the push button, the touch panel, his phone, or his laptop, and he'll happily show you all four if you ask.

We plan every generator installation around weight and tongue weight. If you're adding a generator plus other upgrades, we'll talk through where everything should sit before we start.

Learn More

2. Victron power upgrades and keeping the inverter cool

The Trade Wind ships with a Victron MultiPlus II 3000VA inverter/charger, and it works hard. The most common complaint we hear (and see on the forums) is heat. When the inverter is running the A/C or charging, it puts out a lot of warm air, and on a stock Trade Wind that air ends up back in the cabin. On a hot day, the inverter and the air conditioner can end up fighting each other.

Our fix is a temperature-activated vent and fan. A sensor and relay tie into the Victron Cerbo GX, so the system reads the temperature around your Victron components in real time. When it hits a set threshold, the fan kicks on. We add a vent to the cabinet that houses the Victron equipment and an exhaust port through the trailer's skin, so cooler cabin air gets pulled across the components and the heat goes outside instead of back into the trailer.

We also upgrade DC-to-DC charging, so your tow vehicle charges the trailer batteries while you drive. The Trade Wind comes with a DC-to-DC charger, but it runs through the factory 7-pin connector. We install a Victron charger with a dedicated line to your tow vehicle's alternator. Once it's set up, it turns itself on and off. We've done these on GM, Ram, and Ford trucks, and the install is a little different on each.

Learn More

3. A cabinet over the fridge bench

If there's one Trade Wind mod we could build in our sleep, it's this one. One owner on the Airstream forums summed up the problem well: plenty of storage for small things, nowhere to put bulky things.

The fridge bench is the answer. We build a cabinet that sits on top of it, sized for what you actually use in the kitchen. Most owners want a home for the air fryer and the coffee maker so they're not living on the counter. We can go fully custom, or we can match the existing finishes so it looks like a factory option, which is what most people ask for. We've also built removable versions for owners who want the option to take it back out.

4. Under-bed storage drawers, bed platform extenders, and wardrobe-to-drawer conversions

Under-bed storage works differently depending on your floor plan. The queen bed platform flips up. The twin beds have small flip-down doors. Neither is great for anything you need every day.

The most common job we do here is replacing the twin bed flip-down doors with drawers, so you can get to your stuff without crawling on the floor. Bed platform extenders support the part of the mattress that hangs past the factory platform. And a lot of owners convert the hanging wardrobe into drawers, because most people living out of a trailer fold far more than they hang.

Tyeler, our lead cabinet maker, builds these to fit your Trade Wind's floor plan, twin or queen.

5. A bathroom window and the 2026 bathroom look

The 2026 Trade Wind added a window above the bathroom sink, and owners of earlier models noticed. We add the same window to 2024 and 2025 Trade Winds. It brings in daylight and fresh air, and it's a lot more affordable than trading in for a new trailer.

While the bathroom is open, many owners add our medicine cabinet upgrade for more countertop storage. We can also take out the angled mirror (nobody likes it) and rework the shelf that sits underneath it.

For customization and renovation, click here.

6. Maxim skylights

We install Maxim skylights. Factory plastic skylights tend to get brittle and crack over time, and those cracks turn into leaks. Maxim skylights are heavier-duty and better sealed, and they cut down on the heat a basic skylight lets in. Airstream owners on the forums call the switch one of the best upgrades they've made.

7. Starlink mounting and setup

Trade Wind owners go remote, and plenty of them work from the road. A permanent Starlink mount means no dish on a pole in the dirt and no setup every time you park. We mount it, route the cable through the roof, and seal it properly so it doesn't turn into a leak later.

For owners with the Starlink Mini, we can wire a 12V plug so it runs straight off the batteries without going through the inverter. For the standard Starlink dish, we add a dedicated exterior smart plug power port.

Watch: What one of our trade wind customers wanted to upgrade

Here's a 2025 Trade Wind that came through our shop. The owners wanted the 2026 bathroom without trading in, plus a few smaller mods that make a big difference in how you live in the trailer.

The 2026 bathroom upgrade on a 2025 Trade Wind:

Added the bathroom window (the major upgrade)
Installed the 2026-style bathroom cabinet
Custom storage solutions
Bonus: bidet installation (because why not)

Same bathroom. No trade-in needed.

Other upgrades, big difference:

Starlink Mini with a 12V plug installed at the roof vent. No inverter needed, and no wires running the length of the trailer.
12V fridge cabinet with proper storage and adjustments
Our signature "Trade Wind Cabinet" + other hidden storage changes
erPOD vents (airkrafters) replacing the stock Airstream vents

Planning your Trade Wind upgrades

The bigger upgrades on this list take some planning. A generator install has to account for weight and propane routing. Custom cabinetry gets designed and built to fit your floor plan. Parts get ordered ahead of time so your trailer isn't sitting in a bay waiting on a shipment. A little planning up front is what keeps the project on schedule.

A few things to think about before you call:

Start with how you camp. If you boondock in the summer, power and cooling come first. If you're mostly on hookups and short on storage, start with cabinetry.
Bundle the work. If you're planning more than one upgrade, doing them in the same visit saves you a second trip and lets us plan everything around each other, like weight and where components sit.
Book around your camping season. Pick a window when you can live without the trailer for a while.

Every project starts with a project consultation. Clayton will talk through how you use your Trade Wind and what you want it to do, then put together a plan.

Our schedule is booked through spring 2027, and we're reserving spots for later in 2027 now.

If you'd like to reserve your spot, fill out this form.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most popular Airstream Trade Wind upgrades? An onboard LP generator, a custom cabinet over the fridge bench, under-bed storage drawers or a wardrobe-to-drawer conversion, Victron power and heat management upgrades, a bathroom window, Maxim skylights, and a permanent Starlink mount.

Can you add a generator to an Airstream Trade Wind? Yes. We install the airkrafters jenRAK mount with a Cummins Onan 2500i LP generator. It mounts to the frame, runs on the trailer's propane, and ties into the Victron system to run the A/C and charge the batteries.

How long can a Trade Wind run its air conditioner on battery? The A/C pulls roughly 100 to 140 amp-hours an hour, and the Trade Wind's battery bank holds about 810 amp-hours. That's roughly six to eight hours from a full bank with nothing else running, and you don't want to drain the batteries all the way down. An onboard generator is the most practical way to run A/C for longer while boondocking.

Why does my Trade Wind feel hot when the A/C runs on battery? The Victron inverter produces heat while it powers the air conditioner, and on a stock Trade Wind that warm air vents back into the cabin. We add a temperature-activated fan and exterior vent to move that heat outside.

Can a custom cabinet look like it came from the factory? Yes. We can match the existing Trade Wind finishes so the cabinet looks like a factory option, or go fully custom if you'd rather.

Can you add drawers under the bed in a Trade Wind? Yes. Our most common under-bed job is replacing the flip-down doors under the twin beds with drawers. We also build bed platform extenders and wardrobe-to-drawer conversions for both the twin and queen floor plans.

Can Starlink be permanently mounted on an Airstream Trade Wind? Yes. We mount the dish on the roof, route and seal the cable, and add either a 12V plug for the Starlink Mini or a dedicated exterior smart plug power port for the standard dish.

Where can I get Airstream Trade Wind upgrades in the Midwest? Midwest Silver Stream Customs, 1115 Commercial Ave., Reedsburg, Wisconsin. We work on Airstream trailers exclusively, by appointment. Call 608-495-9978 .

Ready to upgrade your Airstream?

If you're planning your own Trade Wind upgrades, whether that's power , storage, or the 2026 bathroom, contact us to talk through which upgrades make sense for how you travel and camp.

Steve and Julie's Northwoods Journey: A Wisconsin-to-Michigan Airstream Loop

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 23:17:43 GMT

This summer, Julie and I hooked up our 2020 Globetrotter 23FB and pointed it north. Most Airstreamers name their trailers. Ours is the Guinea Pig, or just the Pig. The plan was a loop. Up through Wisconsin, across Michigan's Upper Peninsula, down the Lower Peninsula's west coast, and home across Lake Michigan by ferry. No backtracking.

We were gone about two weeks and covered 1,137 miles. We kept every drive to 300 miles or less between stops. That rule made the trip. You arrive with enough daylight and energy left to actually enjoy the place you drove to. We planned the whole route with the RV Life Pro app, which is built for RV-safe routing and campground planning.

Before we left: the tow setup

Over a thousand miles of highway is a real test of a tow setup, so we made sure ours was ready before we pulled out of Reedsburg. Our truck runs a Rockstar rock guard. It's lighter than a traditional mud flap, and it keeps road debris from getting thrown up at the trailer's front end. We pair it with an AirSafe hitch for a smoother, safer tow. A safer hitch and a protected trailer is the combination we'd recommend for any long trip, and after this one, we wouldn't tow without it.

Here's how it went.

Stop 1: Interstate State Park, St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin

We rolled out of Reedsburg and took I-94 northwest to St. Croix Falls. Interstate State Park sits right on the St. Croix River, which marks the line with Minnesota. The rock here is ancient lava, and the potholes were carved by glacial meltwater. Some of them are deep enough to stand in.

It's an easy first-day drive from Reedsburg, which is exactly what you want on night one.

It also turned out to be one of our three favorite stops of the whole trip.

To see more picures and video from our stop at Interstate State Park, click here .

Stop 2: Copper Falls State Park, near Mellen, Wisconsin

From St. Croix Falls we headed northeast to Copper Falls. We pulled into a beautiful little site just as the thermometer hit 98°.

This is where the work we do at the shop paid us back. Our Globetrotter runs a full Victron suite, 900 amp-hours of lithium batteries and an onboard generator. Whether or not the campsite has power, the air conditioner keeps running. We stayed cool through the worst of the heat and still had plenty of battery left when the sun went down. It's worry-free, and honestly, it's easy to get spoiled.

If you've ever sat in a hot trailer doing battery math in your head, you know what that's worth.
To see more pictures and video from our stop at Copper Falls State Park, click here .

Stop 3: Marquette, Michigan

Marquette was a stop we'd been looking forward to visiting. We crossed into Michigan's Upper Peninsula with Rippling River Resort booked and a list of things we couldn't wait to do. Then, right as we started the drive into town, the smoke rolled in. Wildfires were raging in Canada, the sky went hazy, and air quality alerts went up. When the air outside is a hazard, you can't open the windows, and a trailer can get stuffy fast.

Thankfully, I'd installed an AIRLOCK One on the Pig. It's wired to the air conditioner, so it cleans the air the A/C is already moving through the trailer. It was our sleeper mod. I installed it and forgot it was on board. It just sits there and works with no drama. But when the air got thick, nasty and smoky, it really let us know it was pulling its weight. Inside, the air stayed clean.

Julie and I made the best of the few days we had there. We explored Presque Isle Park and stopped at Da Yoopers Tourist Trap & Rock Shop, which ended up being the favorite. If you've never taken the detour, it's worth braving the "trap" for the oddities alone.

The weather did cancel a few plans. Our Pictured Rocks Cruises boat tour along the cliffs was called off due to smoke and high winds. That one's on the list for next time.

To see more pictures and video from our stay in Marquette, MI, click here .

Stop 4: Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island

From Marquette we headed east across the U.P. to Mackinaw City and stayed at Mackinaw Camp Inn, which we booked through a website called Hipcamp . Think VRBO, but for campers.

A quick note on spelling. The island is Mackinac. The city is Mackinaw. Both are pronounced "Mack-in-aw." Nobody will ever fully explain this to you, so just go with it.

We loved Mackinac Island. Cars aren't allowed, so you take the ferry over and get around on foot, by bike or by horse-drawn carriage. Most of the island is Mackinac Island State Park, and it's worth a full day. We should have planned for two.

It's also where we had our favorite meal of the trip, on the balcony restaurant at the Grand Hotel overlooking the water. I had a simple tuna sandwich. It was fantastic, but the view, the waitstaff and the company are what made it special.

Stop 5: Sleeping Bear Dunes

Then it was south into the Lower Peninsula. We stayed at Timberline RV Campground and spent our time at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Massive dunes, Lake Michigan as far as you can see, and water so clear you'd swear it was the Caribbean until you put a toe in.

This is another place we could have stayed for several days. We'll be back.

Detour: the giant sequoia in Manistee

On the drive from Timberline to Ludington, we made a quick stop to see something we didn't expect to find in Michigan: a giant sequoia.

In the late 1940s, Edward and Gertrude Gray planted six sequoia seedlings from California on their property in Manistee. Three survived. The biggest, nicknamed the "Michigan Champion," now stands about 116 feet tall and is considered the largest giant sequoia east of the Rocky Mountains. Lake Michigan's microclimate keeps the winters mild enough for it to survive. Admission is free, and donations are welcome.

It's a short stop, and well worth it.

Stop 6: Ludington, Michigan

Our last campground was Poncho's Pond RV Park in Ludington, which put us right where we needed to be for the ferry the next morning. We loved this campground. We'd rate it a 10.

Home: the SS Badger across Lake Michigan

To get home, we skipped the drive around the bottom of Lake Michigan and Chicago traffic entirely. We took the SS Badger car ferry from Ludington across the lake to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. From there it's an easy drive back to Reedsburg.

Here's the part we didn't expect. You drop the truck and camper in the loading lane, and the Badger's crew backs it onto the ferry for you. It's worth watching. They're very good at it.

If you're a Midwest Airstreamer looking at a Michigan trip, put the Badger on your list. Pricing depends on your vehicle and trailer length, so check ssbadger.com for current rates and reservations before you go.

Our favorites, and what we'd do differently

Picking a favorite stop is tough. It's a three-way tie between Interstate State Park, the Mackinaw area and Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Next time, we'd stay put longer. Keeping drives to 300 miles worked well, but we'd pick fewer stops and spend more nights in each one. Mackinac Island and Sleeping Bear both deserved more time than we gave them.

Ready to upgrade your Airstream?

If you're planning your own Northwoods loop and want your Airstream ready for it, whether that's power , air quality, or the tow setup, contact us to talk through which Airkrafters products make sense for how you travel and camp.

Frequently asked questions

Midwest Silver Stream Customs is an independent shop and is not affiliated with Airstream, Inc.

placeholder

Airkrafters Airstream upgrades and why we use them

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:52:17 GMT

Airkrafters Airstream upgrades and why we use them

Airkrafters designs and builds accessories made specifically for Airstream trailers, not generic RV parts forced to fit. We install their full lineup at our Reedsburg shop: water inlets, roof vents, generator mounts, spare tire carriers, and more. Here's what each product does, and why we recommend it.

Airkrafters is a small team of industrial design and product engineers with backgrounds in aerospace, marine, and consumer electronics, and they're Airstream owners themselves. That shows in the parts: no cheap 3D-printed shortcuts, just properly tooled components built in ISO-compliant factories to outlast the trailer they're bolted to.

From water inlets to spare tire mounts, what we recommend and why.

We've installed every product in their catalog ourselves, so when we recommend one, it's because we've seen it hold up on real trailers, not because it showed up in a supplier catalog.

The Lineup

Everything below is sold and installed in person at our Reedsburg shop. We don't ship.

Ready to upgrade your Airstream?

Airstream Front-End Separation

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:21:18 GMT

Hairline gaps, cracked sealant, or water stains near the front?

Here's what causes Airstream front-end separation, what to look for, and how we fix it.

Front-end separation is a structural failure where the aluminum shell at the front of the trailer separates from the frame underneath it. It's most common on models with a front storage compartment, where the extra weight and years of flex put ongoing stress on that shell-to-frame connection. Left alone, it doesn't stay small. We've repaired multiple Airstreams with this exact issue, and here's what we tell every owner: what causes it, what to watch for, and how we fix it the right way.

Want to see front-end separation up close? The reel below is our most-watched post to date, and once you watch it, you’ll understand why. FES shows up on a large share of the trailers that come through our shop, including newer models.

For more FES tips and repair examples, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.