Some more Travato notes...
Since dealers have Travatos out in person, there are some quirks about this van that don't pop up in other "B" vans: 1: The shower drain uses a sump pump, that you turn on when showing, turn off w...
Forum Discussion
I myself am biding my time, and doing research. I wanted to have a "B" last April-May last year when I was about to get a Sportsmobile upfitted, but got nailed by ID theft of a large nature (thanks to a place I worked over 10-15 years ago and their lack of security), which took me a good chunk of a year + lawyer fees to get my credit record fixed, and the bill collector calls from banks I've never heard of stopped.
The units shown at the earlier shows were earlier prototypes. Winnebago had to do some workarounds in order to get functioning shower pans (due to the low van clearance) and to get the grey water dumping from the same outlet as the black.
In Europe, this isn't an issue... they just pop the cork and let the grey water dump in a trough. Their rigs do not have black water tanks, but cassettes that they yank out and dump in yet another trough or pit toilet. European campsites tend to be more primitive, so FHU is unheard of. At best there might be electricity available.
I thought long and hard about seeing if I could toss the 120 VAC heater... but from what I've seen, it is a no-can-do. Cutting through the van would mean cutting into a load bearing structure, which isn't good on a unibody van.
I think patience is the word here. I -could- deal with a Travato, but it just has so many quirks that if Winnebago is anywhere close to making a "version 1.1" floorplan, it is more than worth waiting for. (One shouldn't just keep waiting, as they will wait forever, but with a "version 1.0" motorhome, it is wise to see what improvements are done.)
Of course, if Winnebago made a gasser Transit based "B", that would solve a lot of the issues plaguing the Travato. I mentioned this before, but a high roof, 22 foot Transit would be a very useful "B", especially if a false floor is put in (so the tanks can be placed inside the van proper, or a real shower pan put in for proper drainage without relying on sump pumps and macerator pumps.) JMHO, I like the idea of a macerator pump, but just on the grey water might be needed for engineering, but it adds complexity.
Since I'm looking to buy a unit at least this year, if Winnebago doesn't have any "version 1.1" announcements or models, I might just buy a Trend. It is a foot fatter in width, foot higher in height, and two feet longer, but it has nowhere near the quirks the Travato has.
The units shown at the earlier shows were earlier prototypes. Winnebago had to do some workarounds in order to get functioning shower pans (due to the low van clearance) and to get the grey water dumping from the same outlet as the black.
In Europe, this isn't an issue... they just pop the cork and let the grey water dump in a trough. Their rigs do not have black water tanks, but cassettes that they yank out and dump in yet another trough or pit toilet. European campsites tend to be more primitive, so FHU is unheard of. At best there might be electricity available.
I thought long and hard about seeing if I could toss the 120 VAC heater... but from what I've seen, it is a no-can-do. Cutting through the van would mean cutting into a load bearing structure, which isn't good on a unibody van.
I think patience is the word here. I -could- deal with a Travato, but it just has so many quirks that if Winnebago is anywhere close to making a "version 1.1" floorplan, it is more than worth waiting for. (One shouldn't just keep waiting, as they will wait forever, but with a "version 1.0" motorhome, it is wise to see what improvements are done.)
Of course, if Winnebago made a gasser Transit based "B", that would solve a lot of the issues plaguing the Travato. I mentioned this before, but a high roof, 22 foot Transit would be a very useful "B", especially if a false floor is put in (so the tanks can be placed inside the van proper, or a real shower pan put in for proper drainage without relying on sump pumps and macerator pumps.) JMHO, I like the idea of a macerator pump, but just on the grey water might be needed for engineering, but it adds complexity.
Since I'm looking to buy a unit at least this year, if Winnebago doesn't have any "version 1.1" announcements or models, I might just buy a Trend. It is a foot fatter in width, foot higher in height, and two feet longer, but it has nowhere near the quirks the Travato has.
