Hail, no!

Severe hail is one of the most dreadful things that can happen to an Airstream. Aluminum is much softer than the steel that makes up most of your truck. Severe hail can quickly turn it from beautiful to blemished in a few minutes.

The good news is that this is a rare occurrence, and not all hail is big enough to cause real damage.

Don't fear all hail

Even though the Airstream aluminum is soft, you don't need to worry about hail smaller than a US nickel—it’ll just bounce off. It may be scary to watch small hail hitting your Airstream, but in nearly all cases it will be OK. It's typically when the hail gets to about the size of a US quarter that dings start to show up on the exterior.

However, this assumes you do the smart thing and stop driving when hail arrives. If you are towing at 65 MPH down the highway, the added velocity of your Airstream meeting the hail will make things much worse, and even small hail might leave marks. 

Part of the reason for this has to do with the way an Airstream is made. The curved sections of aluminum are more susceptible to hail damage, because those are softer aluminum intended to be stretch-formed into curved pieces. As a result they get dimpled first, as you can see in this picture.

If the worst happens ...

There's no question that repairing hail damage is expensive. The curved aluminum segments must be ordered from Airstream and they can be labor-intensive to replace due to the need to remove and replace hundreds of rivets as well as windows and other exterior parts. You'll be looking at a hefty insurance claim.

There is more than one way to repair hail damage, so talk to Airstream factory representatives or a trusted Airstream service center before approving a fix. There are no shortcuts to a good repair, so be wary of anyone who offers to fix it “cheap,” but you can save a little money and time by making good choices.

And since hail damage is almost always "cosmetic" (meaning it doesn't affect the use of the Airstream) your insurance company may give you the option to take the damage settlement and not repair the trailer. Just remember that the Airstream might be branded with a “salvage” title forever. Even if it isn’t, the resale value of any Airstream with noticeable hail damage is always reduced.

As you travel you’ll eventually see Airstreams with unrepaired dimples from hail. Some owners keep them as a sort of “battle scar,” wearing the damage with pride, while others have bought hail-dimpled Airstreams inexpensively on the used market. 

Even though hail is scary, don't let fear of this relatively rare event overshadow your good times.